USE OF OPEN ACCESS RESOURCES BY UNDERGRADUATES IN SELECTED PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA.

This study looks at the use of open access resources in two private universities in Oyo state, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and a self constructed questionnaire was used as a tool for data gathering. The population of study was comprised of the undergraduate students in undergraduates of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, and Lead City University, Ibadan. With the total population of 7,160 but in order to determine the sample size, the multi-stage random technique was used and the final sample size was 234. This study was guided by three objectives. Simple descriptive statistical analysis of frequency counts and percentages was used to analyze the data acquired. The study revealed that the most available open access resources in the selected private universities are open access journal, open courseware and free electronic books and most of the undergraduates used the open access resources occasionally. Also, it was revealed that undergraduate students are confronted with mild challenges against the use of open access resources and some of these challenges include; poor internet connectivity, inconsistent/unreliable electricity supplies, insufficient digital literacy skills and low awareness of the importance of the use of open access resources. The study therefore recommended the need for university library management to sustain the availability and awareness of open access resources and also to provide alternate source of power supply in order for accessibilit

Promoting National Unity in Nigeria: The Roles Of Library And Information Professionals.

This study explores the importance of national unity in Nigeria and how it can lead to progress. Library professionals can play a key role in promoting diversity and inclusivity, which are essential for peaceful coexistence. National unity can be achieved through common goals, open communication, and collaboration. Access to timely and accurate information is also crucial in achieving social cohesion. The study highlights the responsibilities of LIS professionals in promoting national unity, such as ethical standards, financial information and vocational training, providing authorized sources of information, incorporating Indigenous knowledge into the curriculum, among other things. Collaboration between government agencies and other organizations is critical for promoting national unity. Nigeria needs to understand the significance of coming together despite cultural differences for progress through economic development or otherwise. Highlighting common goals enables people from different backgrounds to come together without feeling divided about other aspects of their identity. Adequate access to relevant information promotes transparency and equal representation across all facets of society - ultimately leading towards inclusivity which is a necessary component for any country\u27s success regardless of its size or population demographics. This research identifies strategies that promote social cohesion amidst religious or tribal differences towards a common goal beneficial for all parties involved while cultivating values like respectfulness towards diversity that foster peaceful co-existence among fellow Nigerians ultimately leading to National Unity- a positive outcome for the country

Availability and Accessibility of Health Information to Women in Rural Community, Elemere, Moro Local Government, Kwara State

This research work investigates the availability and accessibility of health information by rural women in Elemere communities of moro local government, Kwara state. Questionnaire and interviews are major instruments used for data collection which was done by examining relevant documents to obtain necessary information 10 set of questionnaire were administered to health workers and health information providers in which all the 10 questionnaires were retrieved. Interviews were conducted on forty (40) rural women. the study selects reconnaissance survey for its design. The data gotten from the study area was further analysed with the use of descriptive techniques such as frequency tables and percentages using statistical package for social scientists (SPSS). Map was used to show the study area. In addition, photography was used to illustrate the operation system in the study area. The result shows that the health information available to rural women in the study area (Elemere) is majorly on immunization (70%) which is the most frequent of all. Other health information available are maternal and child health information, prevention and treatment of sickness and communicable diseases. It was found that rural women values and sought often health information in the study area .however; The health information available to rural women in the study area is efficient, relevant but not sufficient as women are faced with The challenges of traditional belief on local drug, concoction and high illiteracy among women, unaffordable price of information materials.It was also gathered that rural women are aware of the health information available through various medium including friends and relative, direct contact with health centres and through community show talk. it was also gathered that sensitization on health is done by public health official the sensitization/awareness of the health information by public health official is once in a while as selected by 80% of the respondent and 20% of the respondent selected that the awareness is once every two months respectively. Moreover librarians are not part of health information dissemination in the study area. Appropriate recommendations were made towards improving the situation as revealed by the study

INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS, TEACHERS’ SELF-EFFICACY AND USE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES BY SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IJEBU ODE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, OGUN STATE.

This study examined the information literacy skills, self-efficacy and use of information resources by secondary school teachers in selected secondary schools in Ijebu ode local government, Ogun state. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. Total enumeration technique was used in selecting the respondents for the research. A validated, self-designed and close-ended questionnaire was used as the instrument in gathering data from the respondents. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean) and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used to analyze the data gathered through questionnaire. Findings revealed that the major information literacy skills possessed by teachers are using electronic information resources, evaluating WWW sources and using internet search tools (such as search engines, directories). The major information resources that are available to teachers are reference books, internet facilities and online resources, textbooks, dissertation / thesis / projects, journals and conference proceedings / papers. The information resources mostly used by the teachers are internet facilities, online resources, textbooks journals, newspapers / magazines and conference proceedings / papers. It was also revealed that there is low level of self-efficacy among teachers in selected secondary schools. The major problems affecting the use of information resources by teachers by the teachers are slow connection speed, constant power outage and lack of update and current resource. Further, there is significant relationship between information literacy skills and use of information resources among teachers. Also, there is no significant relationship between self-efficacy and use of information resources among teachers. Based on the findings, it was recommended that school management should provide adequate supply of power that will smoothly run the academic activities; government should provide adequate funds for the building of capital projects in the public universities such as ICT centers where students and teachers can have free access and use of electronic information resources. Adequate internet facilities should be provided to ameliorate the issue of slow connection speed as one of the problems stated in the findings

RESEARCH COMPETENCE OF POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN LIBRARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA.

Research is an activity that brings about new discoveries and in order to perform it, competence is required. However, studies on research competence are a seldom area that needs more attention. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the research competence of postgraduate students in library schools in South-west, Nigeria. The peculiarity of this study is that research competence was sub-divided into three (3) different areas comprising: research knowledge, research skills, and research attitude. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The study covered one hundred and sixty-one (161) library and information science postgraduate students in South-west, Nigeria and a total enumeration technique was adopted for this study to cover the total population size. Questionnaire was used as the instrument in collecting data from the respondents. The data collected were analyzed using frequency distribution table and percentage. The study found that level of research competence possessed by the postgraduate students in library schools in South-west, Nigeria is high. Also, results from the study showed that research skills have the highest mean value and standard deviation (=41.15; std dev. = 12.863); followed by research knowledge (=39.34; std dev. = 11.641) and lastly research attitude (=32.59; std dev. = 10.785). The study also found out that the research competence possessed by the postgraduates’ students in library schools in South-west, Nigeria includes: ability to define a research problem, knowing how to formulate research questions/hypotheses, they know how to develop conceptual model for my study, they know how to explain the significance of the study, they know how to formulate research objectives, etc. The study concluded that postgraduate needs to have a positive attitude towards research. Also, lecturers are advised to develop new method of teaching research method