Use of Electronic Information Resources in a Special Library in Ethiopia

The study was undertaken to investigate the utilisation of electronic information resources of the UNECA library in Addis Ababa Ethiopia and the challenges faced by the different users. A quantitative research method with a sample survey research design was applied. A population of 600 users, of which 500 were internal users (UNECA and United Nations agencies staff members) and 100 were external users (researchers, students, or non-staff members). 20% from each category was taken as a sample. An online questionnaire was distributed through email to collect data. The total response rate was 74%. The results showed that 92% of the respondents were aware of the availability of the electronic resources of the Library. 94% found the electronic resources useful. 84% confirmed that the resources were easy to use. High numbers of the respondents positively agreed that the quality of their outputs and performances have improved as a result of these resources. The challenges associated with the resources include information overload, access restriction with IP address, lack of training and remembering login credentials. 68% reported that the library services met their expectations. The study recommends the development of strategies for enhancing accessibility and discoverability of the resources, providing information literacy trainings for all users, and finding alternative measures for IP restriction access.Information Scienc

Towards Open and Equitable Access to Research and Knowledge for Development

Leslie Chan and colleagues discuss the value of open access not just for access to health information, but also for transforming structural inequity in current academic reward systems and for valuing scholarship from the South

Relationships, love and sexuality: what the Filipino teens think and feel

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In order to achieve a change among teens' sexual behavior, an important step is to improve our knowledge about their opinions concerning relationships, love and sexuality.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A questionnaire including topics on relationships, love and sexuality was distributed to a target population of 4,000 Filipino students from third year high school to third year college. Participants were obtained through multi-stage sampling of clusters of universities and schools. This paper concentrates on teens aged 13 to 18.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Students reported that they obtained information about love and sexuality mainly from friends. However, they valued parents' opinion more than friends'. They revealed few conversations with their parents on these topics. A majority of them would like to have more information, mainly about emotion-related topics. Almost half of respondents were not aware that condoms are not 100% effective in preventing STIs or pregnancies. More girls, compared to boys, were sensitive and opposed to several types of sexism. After adjusting for sex, age and institution, the belief of 100% condom effectiveness and the approval of pornography and sexism were associated with being sexually experienced.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is room for further encouraging parents to talk more with their children about sexuality, specially aspects related to feelings and emotions in order to help them make better sexual choices. Indeed, teens wish to better communicate with their parents on these issues. Condoms are regarded as safer than what they really are by almost half of the participants of this study, and such incorrect knowledge seems to be associated with sexual initiation.</p

Webometrics benefitting from web mining? An investigation of methods and applications of two research fields

Webometrics and web mining are two fields where research is focused on quantitative analyses of the web. This literature review outlines definitions of the fields, and then focuses on their methods and applications. It also discusses the potential of closer contact and collaboration between them. A key difference between the fields is that webometrics has focused on exploratory studies, whereas web mining has been dominated by studies focusing on development of methods and algorithms. Differences in type of data can also be seen, with webometrics more focused on analyses of the structure of the web and web mining more focused on web content and usage, even though both fields have been embracing the possibilities of user generated content. It is concluded that research problems where big data is needed can benefit from collaboration between webometricians, with their tradition of exploratory studies, and web miners, with their tradition of developing methods and algorithms

Information Needs and Seeking Behaviour of Nurses at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria

The study investigated the information needs and seeking behaviour of nurses at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria’s first and largest teaching hospital. Using a  questionnaire, data were collected from 240 nurses selected randomly from a population of 1,046. The questionnaire assessed the types of information needed by the nurses, how they met these needs, and the perceived relevance, availability and accessibility of the information sources. Almost all the nurses (94.0%) searched for information in order to improve their knowledge, while only 28.5% reported searching for information for patient care purposes. Colleagues topped the list of information sources most regularly used (88.1%), although only 59.3% reported finding the source adequate. The nurses reported lack of access as a major inhibitor of their use of the sources, and suggested that establishing information centres/libraries and enhancing their computer literacy skills would ameliorate their information-seeking problems. The study recommends that the hospital management should liaise with the library of the adjacent College of Medicine of the University of Ibadan to design appropriate information literacy and information and communication technology training programmes to improve the nurses’ information seeking behaviour and use

Use of Scientific Information Sources by Policy Makers in the Science and Technology Sector of Nigeria

This study investigated how policy makers in Nigerian public agencies that have mandates for policy making and implementation in the scienceand technology sector access and use information sources in their activities. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 121 of the policy makers to find out the sources and types of information they use and theirperceptions of the availability and accessibility of the sources. The policy makers reported that the most available sources were newspapers(88.6% of the respondents) and colleagues/superiors (82.9%), while the most accessible sources were colleagues/superiors (70.0%). Themost inaccessible information sources were student theses and dissertations (40%), reports from research institutes (37.1%) and books ofabstract (35.7%). The results imply that soft information sources and personal contact are the most available and accessible informationsources. The policy makers suggested that improved availability and accessibility of information produced in the research institutesand universities could help strengthen their policy making activities. This could be achieved through the building of local institutionalrepositories and databases of scientific research and publications, as well as joint conferences and workshops involving policy makers andscientists/researchers in the research institutes and universities