Coming of Age: Information Seeking and Library use of Students before and after the introduction of digital information in Babcock University, Nigeria

Abstract

The crucial role of information technology (IT) in service provision in academic libraries is widely acknowledged and accepted the world over. But the extent to which this technology has been made a crucial part of library service provision may not be immediately ascertained; neither can the impact of its use by librarians on the services they provide to their clientele or the extent of the support given by university administrators. It is in the light of the above that this study investigated coming of age: Information seeking and library use of students in Babcock University, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive research design. Data was collected using a questionnaire. Five hundred (500) students from third year and final year were randomly selected for the study.426 copies of the questionnaire were returned with an 85 percent response rate. The findings showed a significant difference between students’ library visit before and after the coming of information and communication technologies (ICTs). It further revealed that there was a positive relationship between frequency of ICT use and its usefulness to the respondents. Services provided by the librarians appeared to be helpful to the needs of students. In an ever changing environment, libraries are positioned to harness the ICTs in their services to meet student needs for information.

Keywords: Information and communication Technologies, Information seeking, information utilisation, academic libraries, Babcock university.