American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Vol. 3, No. 1; 2021 ISSN 2643-0061 E-ISSN 2643-010X Published by American Center of Science and Education, USA 1 AN EXAMINATION OF INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS ON THE USE OF LIBRARY INFORMATION RESOURCES AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITY IN ADAMAWA STATE Aishatu Bello Dahiru Department of Library and Information Science Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria E-mail: aishabello1987@gmail.com ABSTRACT This study investigates the information literacy skill on the use of library information resources among undergraduate students in Adamawa State. The objectives of the study are to find out the level of information literacy skill of undergraduate student in Adamawa state, to determine the level of use of the information resources and to determine the challenges faced in the use of these information resources. Quantitative method of data collection was used using survey research design. The study revealed that most of the student has high level of information literary skill and they use information resource for academic purposes to a high extent, it was revealed from the findings that inadequate current reading and research materials are the major problem facing the use of information resources in University libraries in Adamawa. Keywords: Information Literacy Skills, Use, University Libraries. INTRODUCTION Students are faced with different kinds of information resources provided by their libraries for academic purposes. These information resources are available in different formats, raising questions about its value and authenticity. To be an information literate, undergraduate students will need to become a more prolific and independent learner and researcher in his field of specialization. Hence, the need for information literacy programmes in libraries. Student need the skill to use the libraries as education depends largely on information located, created, stored, retrieved and disseminate. In this view, the success, failure and mere existence of any given organization is determined by the availability and accessibility of suitable, important and precise information. Therefore, information literacy skill is needed in order to find access and use information effectively. Information literacy is a means of identifying information need and usage. In this regards, Bundy (2004) has seen information literacy as a means of searching for, locating, evaluating, and selecting. Organizing and using information to learn, analyses, synthesize, solve challenges, communicate, make decisions and create new knowledge. Library and information professionals have been trying to teach students the skills and knowledge needed to collect and use information resources effectively as well as serving as information disseminators. University student are expected to have the skill and competences of locating information in order to utilize information resources provided in their libraries. https://www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijhass American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Vol. 3, No. 1; 2021 2 LITERATURE REVIEW The benefit of information literacy skill cannot be over looked as today’s world is filled with information boom, Users of the library finds it very difficult to access and use information resources in their individual field, therefore they need skill of understanding want they want and how they want the information to be presented. Hadimani and Rajgoli (2010) are also of the view that information literacy has a greater significance for economic growth, educational achievement, social culture and personal wellbeing. Information literacy programs in academic libraries involves the process of imparting library users with the information skills that can help them identify their information need, locate, retrieve, evaluate and effectively use that information for problem solving (Muruga, 2013). He further noted that, information literacy programs help achieve the objective of any academic library because the library users are trained to become independent learners hence maximize the use of the library information resources. As lifelong learners, students most have information literacy skill that will enable them achieve success in their educational objectives. Wooliscroft (1997) stated that Information Literacy provides an important connection between information society and the learning society. He further stated that IL skills assist people to learn and relearn, to train and retrain as he the various vicissitudes of living in a rapidly changing world require them to be adaptable and flexible with speed and competence barely imaginable few years ago. Information literacy has several has several component as seen by Bilawar and Pujar (2011) information literacy has a bunch of “Literacy” in terms of components, which includes basic literacy, library literacy, media literacy, ICT literacy, computer literacy among others. Ntiri (2009) notes that the new wave of global change and technological innovation has further pushed the boundaries of literacy and led to the growth of multiple literacy to address diverse audiences and needs. Although each component is often treated separately, all literacy rely on each other and sometimes build on each other. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM In order to achieve high academic performance students’ needs the skill and ability to locate the required information. Murugan (2013) mentioned that information literacy programs in academic libraries involves the process of impacting library users with the skill that can help them identify their information need, locate, retrieve, evaluate and effectively use that information for problem solving. Despite the benefit of information literacy skills, observation have revealed that some undergraduate student lack the basic skill of locating information resources in their libraries. Therefore, the study of information literacy skill on the use of information resources in libraries especially in Adamawa state is inevitable. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1. To determine the level of information literacy skill of undergraduate student in universities of Adamawa state 2. To find out the level of use of the information resources in the libraries under study 3. To determine the challenges faced in the use of the information resources in the university libraries under study https://www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijhass American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Vol. 3, No. 1; 2021 3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. What is the level of information literacy skill of undergraduate students in universities of Adamawa State? 2. What is the level of use of information resources in the libraries under study? 3. What are the challenges faced in the use of the information resources in the libraries under study? METHODOLOGY The study was done using quantitative methodology and a cross sectional research design. This method was chosen because it has the potentials to provide a lot of information from a large sample of a population. The population of the study is 38,322, and a sample of 395 was drawn using Yemani’ simplified formula of determining a sample size. Although only 379 of the returned questionnaires found useful for the study RESULTS Research Question 1 What is the level of information literacy skill of undergraduate students in the use of library information resources in universities of Adamawa State? Table 1. Level of Information Literacy Skill of Undergraduate Student Level of Information Literacy Skill VH H L VL Ability to identify my information need 259(68.3%) 50(13.2%) 45(11.9%) 25(6.6%) Ability to retrieve information from internet 123(32.5%) 96(25.3%) 87(23.0%) 73(19.3%) Ability to evaluate information resources 135(35.6%) 127(33.5%) 93(24.5%) 28(6.3%) Ability to locate and use information resources 116(30.6%) 200(52.8%) 63(16.6%) - Table 1 above, present the level of information literacy skill of undergraduate student in universities in Adamawa State. From the table it can be deduced that the student have high information literacy skill as indicated in the table. 259(68.3%) revealed that they have they have the ability to identify the information they need, Also ability to retrieve information from the internet 123(32.5%) revealed they have a very high percentage, in the table also 135(35.6%) indicated they have the ability to evaluate information resources and lastly 200(52.8%) revealed they have a high ability to locate and use information resources. Research Question 2 What is the level of use of information resources in the libraries under study? https://www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijhass American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Vol. 3, No. 1; 2021 4 Table 2. Level of use of information resources in the libraries Types of Information Resources Always Rarely Never Books Journals Newspaper Magazine Encyclopedia Library catalogue Microform Electronic databases Internet Dictionaries CD-ROMs Thesis/Dissertation 345(91%) 331(87.3%) 326(86%) 301(79.4%) 282(74.4%) 36(9.5%) 25(6.9%) 22(5.8%) 357(94.2) 364(96%) 120(31.7%) 279(73.6%) 34(9%) 48(12.7%) 53(14%) 78(20.6%) 97(25.6%) 343(90.5%) 354(93.1%) 357(94.2%) 22(5.8%) 15(4%) 259(68.3%) 100(26.4%) - - - - - - - - - - - Based on the frequency and percentages that were computed, table 2 shows that majority of the respondents were of the view that library information resources such as Books, Journals, Newspapers, Magazines, encyclopedia, internet, dictionaries, were use always in the libraries while Thesis/dissertations, Electronic databases, Microform and library catalogue are used rarely. Research Question Three What are the Challenges facing the Use of Information Resources in the university libraries under study? Table 3. Challenges facing the Use of Information Resources in the university libraries ITEM Responses Percentages Obsolete information resource 199 50.0 Poor library management system 133 35.2 Lack of internet connectivity 320 64.9 Inadequate current information resources 188 49.9 Table 3 shows the percentages of respondents.50.0% revealed that obsolete information resources are the major problems of using information resources, lack of poor library management system 35.2, lack of internet connectivity 64.9 and inadequate current information resources 49.9. Thus it is clear that majority of the respondents indicate that lack of internet connectivity are the major problem of the use of the information resources available in the libraries. CONCLUSION The undergraduate students in Adamawa State Universities have information literacy skill as indicated in the findings. Although it was revealed that they don’t use their information literacy https://www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijhass American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Vol. 3, No. 1; 2021 5 skill in the identification and use of library information resources. The students need to be intensified with that will enhance their information literacy skill since there is a significant relationship with the use of information resources in libraries. REFERENCES Bilawar, P. B., & Pujar, S. M. (2011). Information literacy models: correlation and conceptual model for higher education. Retrieved from http://wwwir.inflibnet,ac.in/bitstream/handle/1944/1632/40.pdf Bundy, A. (2004). Australian and New Zealand information literacy framework. Principles, standards and practice, 2. Retrieved from http://www.caul.edu.au/info- litrtacy/InfoLiteracy Framework.pdf Hadimani, M. B., & Rajgoli, I. U. (2010). Assessing information literacy competence among the undergraduate students of College of Agriculture, Raichur: a case study. DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 30(2), 70. Murugan, B. S., & Sornam, S. A. (2013). Internet and Online Medical Journal Access Skills of the Medical Practitioners of Tamilnadu: A Study. In Challenges of Academic Library Management in Developing Countries (pp. 75-82). IGI Global. McNabb, E.D. (2009). Introduction to Research Methodology. Ibadan, Africana First Publisher Ntiri, D. W. (2009). Toward a functional and culturally salient definition of literacy. Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal, 3(2), 97-104. Wooliscroft, M. (1997). From Library User Education to Information Literacy: some issues arising in this evolutionary process. Retrieved from http://www.library.otago.ac.nz/pdf/- tandlpapers-MJW.pdf Copyrights Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). http://www.caul.edu.au/info-litrtacy/InfoLiteracy%20Framework.pdf http://www.caul.edu.au/info-litrtacy/InfoLiteracy%20Framework.pdf