American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 ISSN 2638-1249 E-ISSN 2638-1273 Published by CRIBFB, USA 1 POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR IN THE FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES, BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO, NIGERIA Rabiu Nurudeen Mohammed Rank: Librarian II Bauchi State University, Gadau. P.M.B.65 Gadau, Nigeria E-mail: nurudeenr4@gmail.com ABSTRACT The study examines postgraduate student’s information seeking behavior in the faculty of management sciences, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria. Information play critical role in human daily activities such as school life, work, marital life and any other kind of scenario. The concept of information seeking behavior has attracted researchers’ attention and has been of great concern to stakeholders in the academia. Academic libraries avail information from different sources and formats. Objectively the study examines postgraduate students’ information seeking behavior in order to understand students’ information seeking behavior and provide guide to improve the quality of education and performance. Survey research design were use and the population consist of the entire postgraduate students in the faculty of management sciences at Bayero University, Kano, due to difficulty to reach all the population, purposive sampling were applied which result to the selection of (200) respondents comprising of (50) respondents from each of the four departments and questionnaire were issued to them. From the findings it is obvious that in the course of carrying out their studies postgraduate students seek information as a result of activities they engage such exam preparation, dissertation/thesis work, updating knowledge, lecture notes update, personal reading and general reading. However, the result implies that majority of the respondents use library for information concerning exam preparation while the lowest is for general reading to improve their knowledge. The study conclude that postgraduate students do engage in information seeking behaviour for various reasons even though these are hinder by some obstacles. The study recommends the need for management to improve service delivery in the aspect of electronic library, researchers should be guided easily and educated so as to facilitate easy collection of library materials, users should also be guided to enhance easy retrieval of information, continuous training of library staff should be given attention in order for them to be friendly and give quality service to information seekers and finally problem of poor electricity supply should be addressed to make the environment conducive for learning. Keywords: Information Seeking Behaviour, Postgraduate Students, Libraries, Nigeria. INTRODUCTION Information seeking behavior is one of the globally recognized concepts in the library and information science. Universities give knowledge, while knowledge depends on the information. The concept of information seeking behavior has attracted researchers’ attention and has been of mailto:nurudeenr4@gmail.com https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 2 great concern to stakeholders. A resourceful academic library provides information from different sources and formats. Often times university libraries avail information to students at no cost. Even though, nowadays information are available, note withstanding, students needs to understand their information needs, know where, how and when to locate relevant information easily in order satisfy their needs which serve as catalysts for enhancing their learning. It is very important for students to understand, be able to gather and organize information needs for academic purposes and also for their overall benefits and promoting innovation and change for national development at large. Moreover, “students become experts at what is required and expected of them within the boundaries of the classroom, but what happens when they need to take what is learned in school and use it in the reality of their lives?”(Kozol, 2005).Previous researchers argued that the way students which organize their learning and search for information in this era comes in form of new knowledge leads to a change in actions of people exposed to it (Fasola, 2013). Furthermore, information seeking in the academic environment is often aid by library because academic library be it manual or virtual library play critical role in providing information to students of higher learning especially postgraduate students. This is because of their experience as they pursue a second or third degree which they must have been having some little experience at the undergraduate level. On this note, library use is significant to the academic life of students, by visiting libraries students get to update themselves latest trends in their area of studies; therefore, library plays a significant role in facilitating information seeking used by students. Meanwhile, it is worthy to mention that the role of university libraries is not only limited to the traditional way of reserving published materials but ensure that the information needs of users are met by its own in modern way of electronic resources and services alike (Manjunath & Babu, 2018). Through library use, individual satisfy his information needs desire and close a gap in his knowledge (Singh, 2015). To this end on the basis of the foregoing, this study find worth researching to study postgraduate students information seeking behavior of postgraduate students in the faculty of management sciences, Bayero university, Kano, Nigeria. The Objective of the study is to examines postgraduate students’ information seeking behavior in order to understand students’ information seeking behavior and provide guide to improve the quality of education and performance, find out the problems postgraduate students’ faced in the process of seeking information. However, careful observation at the faculty of management science, it was discover that postgraduate students sometimes resort to depend on their colleagues in the class for information, even though there is library where adequate information resources can be sought to enhance their learning. Being at higher level of learning, postgraduates students need to understand and able to gather and organized information needs not for academic purposes only but also for overall benefits to themselves and the society in order to promote innovation and national development. Another problem is the students’ inadequate knowledge of information search process that makes information seeking difficult task, this result to frustration and dissatisfaction with search results. Therefore there is need for the learning environment that makes information seeking process easier. Previous studies uses many approaches to provide explanation for the information seeking process, hence, this study add to the existing researches and body of knowledge specifically using one of the Nigerian university assessing postgraduate student’s information seeking behavior. The purpose is to understand postgraduate students’ information seeking behavior and provide guides so as to improve quality of the education, knowing well that quality is at the heart of education thereby improving performance and https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 3 standard of education in the university for the benefit of students and the overall benefits of society at large. Brief of Bayero University Kano Bayero University Kano is located along Gwarzo Road, Kano city Northwest Nigeria. The university occupied two campuses old campus which is situated at Kabuga and the new campus which is situated about 10 kilometers away from the heart centre. It was founded in 1975, when it was renamed from Bayero University College and upgraded to university. It is the first University in Kano State. The postgraduate school is also located at new campus Gwarzo Road and the faculty of management sciences is also located at new campus Gwarzo Road. In addition, the Faculty run four courses and this was carried out by four departments namely, Accounting, Business administration and Entrepreneurship, Public Administration, Banking and Finance, therefore the current structure of the faculty as an entity offers four departments. The Concept of Information Information play critical role in human life, it plays an important role in human daily activities such as school life, work or any kind of situation. Different scholars viewed the concept of information differently. For instance, Uttor (1999) defined information as data value in planning, decision making and evaluation of any programme. The scholar further stated that information is a data subjected to processing functions which is capable of answering user’s query be it recorded, summarized or simply collected and eventually help decision making in the organization. Meanwhile, information and comes in some types of reports which can be understood, it can be carried to users in form of books, journals, magazines, public and private sector documents, published and unpublished documents for mass circulation or restricted for confidentiality purpose, research reports made available to colleagues in form of reports, books articles and non-printed materials, all these can be said to constitute information. Similarly, Ugwu, Ogbu & Aniekwe (2017) sees information as data subjected to some processing functions capable of answering a user’s query recorded, summarized or simply collections that help in making decision. However, As cited in Eskola, (1998),in his view Belkin (1977) defined the concept as data associated with text which is generated and modified by purpose, intent, knowledge of the recipient’s, conceptual structure that underlines the surface structure. Contributing to the concept, Ingwersen, (1998) sees information as a product of transformation of data of the generator’s cognitive structures by intentions, model of the recipients’ state of knowledge, and in the form of signs as information. He further expatiates by saying that it is a structure which when perceived may affect and transform recipient’s state of knowledge. On the basis of the foregoing, definitions were offered by researchers which implies that there is no standardized acceptable definition of the concept, but researchers view according to their understanding and perception, hence, this would add to the existing proliferation of definitions by defining information as a vital organ in the human survival which students utilized to acquire knowledge for the benefits of themselves and the society at large. Critically scholars have consensus on the importance of information for the continue survival of human race, this prompted Adekunle (2014) to stressed the significant of information in the society as it plays a significant role in our professional and personal lives, hence according to him it has become the most important element for progress https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 4 The concept of Information Seeking Behaviour Ajiboye (2007) put it that information seeking behavior is defined as a way and manner of gathering and sourcing of information for personal use, knowledge updating and development designed by an individual’s. However, cited in Kakai et al. (2004), Faire-Wessels (1990) opined that information seeking behavior is the way people search for and utilize information. He went ahead to observed that, often times as a result of need to complete course assignment, prepare for class discussions, seminars, workshops, conferences, or write final year thesis or dissertations, students’ seek for information actively or purposeful. However, sometimes postgraduate students finds it difficult to search relevant information, perhaps some may not have basic information seeking skills as they depends on using trial and error methods of research in the process of their studies, hence limits their capabilities to maximize full research potentials expected for them at postgraduate levels and they do not satisfy their needs adequately. Similarly, Amin & Shima (2007) opined that information seeking behavior refers to a basic activity indulged by people and manifested through a particular behavior. They also sees it as an aspect of scholarly work of interest to academic librarians who strive to develop collections, services and structures that facilitate information seeking easily. Moreover, in accordance with Aina (2004) information seeking behavior of users depends to some extend on factors such as education, access to library and the length of time a user devote to information seeking. The scholar further to states that no matter how comprehensive the resources and services of a library are, it is important that the services are publicized widely so that users could seek information easily. More so, In recent times the concept of information seeking behavior has been of great concern as researchers argued that students needs to organize their information search to serve their needs. While emphasizing further the importance of the concept, Pwadura, et al. (2018) are of the opinion that information seeking behavior is a drive that opens up access to information, data, knowledge utilization and dissemination which can be understood as the way and manner people search for and utilize information for personal use, knowledge updating and development purpose. Role of Academic Library in Information Seeking by Students Academic libraries are developed to satisfy the needs of its users. Academic libraries are equipped with various resources and service in order to build and maintain confidence in their users. Library is set up to provide information resources and services in order to promote learning and innovation and ultimately meet the purpose of the university which is purposely mainly established to provide knowledge and bring development. More so, the role of library to the development of human intelligence cannot be underestimated, further, emphasizing the role of libraries, Bala, Madu & Awurdi (2018) stated that It has become essential for the libraries to provide beyond the identified information needs, but also the needs of potential users. In addition, Alemna (2012) also explains that libraries play a greater role in national development through the support offer to the educational sector, the researcher further stressed that without libraries there can as well be no universities and innovations. Ugwu, Ogbu & Aniekwe (2017) opined that library is centre of the provision of information resources which empowered societies to produce highly resourceful people who also in turn impact positively on the society. It can also be called the centre of academic activities in tertiary institutions because of the pivotal role of providing quality academic resources that help learning and research. However, Attama & Ezema, (2015) added that library is a vacuum that serves the varying needs of all members of academic community both staff and students. https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 5 Meanwhile, it is paramount for library to provide effective services to users as library is established to serve its parent organization especially academic library which is set up to serve the university, to this end as a repository of knowledge that contains lots of varied and useful information, studies strongly support adequate user education for all categories of library users such as undergraduate students, postgraduate students, lecturers and other users for meaningful academic achievement. Moreover, with the present changes in learning and the dynamics and growth of knowledge and information all over the globe, it is important that academic libraries are expected to provide both manual and automated/online information services in order to meet the ever- growing needs of their users. Based on this, Fabunmi (2004) contends that academic libraries should work harder to provide information services that is timely in its delivery and easy to understand, and the services delivered by courteous and knowledgeable staff. More so, the advent of ICTs has ushered in new dimensions and challenges in library and information services provision in academic libraries. Today, many of the major information services that are provided manually are now available and accessible on the Internet. Interestingly, library users can now search different databases, both online-and offline on CDs as well as online public access catalogues (OPACs) of other Academic libraries all over the globe. However, academic libraries provide various services which help users, stressing the role of the libraries; Aina (2004) and Nayeen, Islam, Chowdhury, and Zayed (2020) identified some major services offered by academic libraries in their quest to satisfy the information needs of diverse user groups. These information services includes lending services, inter library loan services, document delivery services, reservation services, reference services, selective dissemination of information. In addition, Aguolu (1983) suggests the following points as services by academic libraries which include bibliography services, inter-library loan services, user education services and creation of special collections. It is important to know that the academic library deals with different kinds of users with diverse information seeking behavior. Therefore, there is need to provide new services, re-design study and research facilities, and acquire collections that will meet the needs of users. On the basis of the above, it is worthy to mention effective library service by academic libraries help the students and staff which translate to achieving the key functions of enhancing teaching, research and community service upon which the university stands. Obstacles to the Availability and Accessibility of Information by Postgraduate Students Obstacles and challenges to the users of academic libraries are quit disturbing as this issue attracted the attention of researchers. For instance, Nnadozie (2010) identified the following emerging challenges faced by academic libraries in Nigeria whenever confronted with the task of information-seeking behavior. These obstacles were stated by users of academic libraries as discouraging for the effective use of library resources. a. Insufficient library materials such as reading tables, chairs, photocopy materials, stapling machines, and others. b. Some of the library environment is depressing, discouraging and frustrating for conducive learning. c. Majority of the library staff are poorly trained and unfriendly when attending to students. d. Often times improperly arrangement of the shelved library books and materials. e. Inadequate electricity supply. f. Non-functional e-library due to inadequate electricity supply and manpower to manage the computer and internet equipment. https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 6 g. Poor maintenance of library equipment. h. Poorly orientation of library users Similarly, Ugwu, Ogbu and Aniekwe, (2017) and Islam, and Zaman (2013) mentioned that Some of the students lacks computer knowledge as majority of them are technophobia, consequently affect their information needs, some users neglect library orientation, more so, some universities management provide inadequate funds for acquisition and processing of library materials that will enable students and staff have required and relevant up to date materials for studies and research work. This is because some universities management does not give importance to library as the heartbeat of university. Inadequate and epileptic electricity supply is another obstacle, for instance, user can visit academic library for serious and urgent research which actually requires e-library but he may not be able to carry out the work because there will be no electricity to assess the internet. This will definitely affect the time for the completion of the work. Because of this, an assignment that will be completed in a week’s time may be delayed further for up to two or more weeks simply because the user, student or researcher is unable to assess the required information due to the absence of electricity to assess the internet. Furthermore, scholars contributed by identifying obstacles which continue to trail the area as students could be experiencing technical problems in accessing information resources, in many instances library catalogues do not provide adequate access to the libraries’ collections and lack required library literacy skills. More so, Baro & Fynman (2009) opined that factors like information illiteracy among library users, inadequate computer systems with internet connectivity in universities most libraries, poorly conducted user education programs, overreliance on manual information retrieval tools which leads to poor filing and slow retrieval were some of the obstacles that hinder effective utilization of library resources and services. In a similar development, Hartmann (2001) pointed out that due to poor library services by some library staff, students finds it difficult to locate items from the library collection and do not understand the processes for retrieving journal articles. Meanwhile, Ekhaguere (2004) identified absence of ICT connectivity in most academic libraries as great obstacles to the availability and accessibility of information seeking by students which adversely affects performance of postgraduate students. In addition, Ajiboye, (2007) in a study conducted at University of Botswana emphasized that student poor information seeking behavior was the reasons they experienced technical problems in accessing information resources. Information Search Process by Students Libraries are expected to meet the demands of users be it physical collection or online database. As well users are also required to search for information needed to fulfill their objectives. On the basis of this we anchor this study in line with the six ways suggested by Kuhlthau (1994). The researcher provides model that explain and focuses on the information search process from the user’s perspective as highlighted from stage one to stage six. Stage One: INITIATION: stage one which is initiation has to do with starting the process, characterized by feelings of uncertainty and more general ideas with a need to recognize or connect new to existing knowledge. Stage Two: SELECTION: stage two concerned with choosing the initial general topic with general feelings of optimism by using selection to identify the most useful areas of inquiry. Stage Three: EXPLORATION: stage three explores personal understanding and reduces the feelings of uncertainty and confusion about the topic and the process. https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 7 Stage Four: FORMULATION: stage four deals with the process information encountered accompany by feelings of increased confidence. Stage Five: COLLECTION: stage five focus on interacting smoothly with the information system with feelings of confidence as the topic is defined and extended by selecting and reviewing information. Stage Six: the final stage dwells on presentation on completing the process with a feeling of confidence or failure depending on how useful the findings are. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Previous studies conducted on information seeking behavior by researchers and this section would review some of the studies as they contributed to the ongoing debate in the area. Over the years, authors carry out studies on the information seeking behavior and information needs on the various categories of users of libraries. For instance, Lippincott & Kyrillidou (2004) conducted a study on information seeking behavior of undergraduate students. The study found that ninety percent of students used as sample of the study used search engines on a daily basis while ten percent used library daily as place of importance to study for the undergraduate students. In another study carried out by Majid & Ai (2002), that’s studied the use of information resources by computer engineering students in Singapore after analysis the study found that top five information resources pointed out by students in order of preference were books, lecturer note, internet and friends. Similarly, Kakai, Ikoja & Kigongo (2004) in a study carry out to establish what information, students of the institutions preferred using most and how much they valued them, using questionnaires students were asked to select and rank each information source. The study reveals that lecture notes and handouts were the most preferred and used sources by students followed by using departmental book-banks and then followed by the university library and then consulting and photocopying from colleagues and internet sources and lastly was university bookshop which took the last position. However, Chikonzo & Aina (2006) conducted a study on the information needs and sources of information used by veterinary students at the University of Zimbabwe. The study found that assignments writing, studying for tests or examination were the primary tasks for which students required information. They also found that major sources used to obtain information were books, videos, lecture notes, handouts, internet, projects, CD-ROM database and journals. However, the students confirmed making little use of indexes, abstracts and dissertations as reasons for information needs. Furthermore, Kerins, Madden & Fulton (2004), examine information-seeking patterns of final year undergraduate engineering students which they split evenly between two engineering institutes in Irish universities. The study reported that engineering students seem to have a preference for channels that require the least effort, such as the internet. The study reported that students preferred internet because of its advantages over other sources. Meanwhile, Covi, (1999) analyzed information seeking behavior of academic researchers in the field of molecular biology, literacy theory, computer science and their use of digital libraries. The findings reveals that researchers indicates differences in the search strategies employed and the types of material selected among the researchers in the various academic disciplines. In another development, Ismail (2019) examines information needs and information seeking behaviour of postgraduate students in kwara state university, Malete, Nigeria. Using a questionnaire, the findings from the analysis reported that that all the respondents are in the habit https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 8 of using the library and more than half of them visit library every day and one-fifth visit library every alternate day and a very negligible portion do not use the library and they are having their personal book collection. The study also found that examinations, dissertation work and educational information, academic and research, employment and job related information are the main purpose why students visits library in kwara state university malete. More so, Adekunle, (2014) conducted a study to examines information needs and information seeking behavior among the students of on do state university of science and technology, Okitipupa, Nigeria. Using a sampled of students from the university through the use of questionnaires, The study found that factors like course work and assignment, examination and continuous assessment, general reading, seminars and workshops were the influence of students’ information seeking behavior. The scholars further revealed that internet, lecture notes, text books and handout appeared to be the most preferred and most used information sources. On the other hand, complexity and lack of basic understanding of academic database are the major problems associated with the students’ information seeking process in the library. The study concluded that it would be appropriate for students to take advantage of services provided by the library to enhance their information seeking behavior in this ever dynamic information technology driven era worldwide. Furthermore, in a study conducted by Kamanda (1999) at East African School of Library and Information Science, Makerere University, Uganda noted that the majority of the students used as sampled of the study either locates materials through browsing the shelves or sought assistance from library staff, but did not make full use of the card catalogue which pose challenges to the usage. The study further found that more than fifty percent of the sampled used experience problems locating library information materials. While, an effort put by Owalabi, Jimoh & Okpeh (2010) in their study of information seeking behavior of Polytechnic students reported that students seek information primarily for academic purposes only. The authors further affirm that about fifty nine and above of students used as respondents needs information in relation to their academic and therefore concludes that students at the polytechnic seek information to improve their academic performance. In another study of Oyediran- Tidings (2004) and Hasan, and Islam (2020) conducted empirically on the information needs and seeking behavior of library users reveals that greater percentage of the respondents usually seek for information concerning their course only. They seek for information to find out recent revelation and research in their area. To the researcher, this is not unexpected because the quest for certificate in their respective field of study forms their primary aim of being in the college. In view of the foregoing, it is obvious that varied of researches have been conducted by scholars with view to examined information seeking behaviour at different environment. Therefore, it is clear that reasons why individuals seek for information varies according to the purpose and needs for the information, hence factors that serve as the influencers of the information seeking behavior includes age, gender, type of libraries, educational level, professional work experience and situation METHODOLOGY This study adapts the survey research design. Population of the study comprises the entire postgraduate students in the faculty of management science, the faculty consists of (4) four departments namely; Accounting, Public administration, Business administration and Entrepreneurship and Banking and Finance. However, considering the difficulties to cover the https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 9 entire population purposive sampling were applied where (50) fifty respondents were selected from each of the four departments and issued a questionnaire to fill and return. All the (200) two hundred questionnaires were returned but only one hundred and ninety two (192) were subjected to analysis. This is because (8) eight were considered invalid as they were not appropriately filled. The importance of questionnaire to survey research cannot be overemphasized, Osuala (1993) pined that questionnaire is more economical for reasons that time involved is less in conducting research and is directly associated with survey research design methods. However, the study was restricted to Bayero University Kano where faculty of management sciences was used. The collected data was analyzed and interpreted in the form of frequency and percentages. In view of the foregoing, the data collected through questionnaire is hereby analyzed. RESULTS Table 1: Gender Distribution of Respondents Gender Frequency Percentage (%) Male 130 66% Female 68 34% Total 192 100 (Survey) Table 1 Shows that the male respondents are 130 representing (66%) while the female counterparts are 68 representing (34%). The result implies that there are more males than females pursuing postgraduate degree in the faculty of management sciences at Bayero University, Kano. However it also shows that males tend to go for higher degree than female counterparts. Table 2: Age Distribution of Respondents Age Frequency Percentage (%) 25-30 35 18% 31-35 88 46% 36-40 42 22% Above 40 years 27 14% Total 192 100 (Survey) Table 2 shows the age distribution of the respondents. The figures shows that respondents that falls within the age group of 25-30 years represents eighteen percent (18%) of the entire sample while those within the age group of 31-35 years are eighty eight which had the highest proportion of forty six percent (46%), equally, for the age group of 36-40 years are having by twenty two percent (22%) in the table and lastly those above 40 years occupies fourteen percent (14%) respectively. https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 10 Table 3: Respondents Reasons for Information Seeking In the Library Reasons Frequency Percentage (%) Personal Reading 28 15% Examination Preparation 90 47% Dissertation/Thesis Work 35 18% Notes Preparation 22 11% General Reading 17 9% Total 192 100 (Survey) Table 3 shows the respondents reasons for information seeking at library. The table indicates that the highest proportion of the respondents visit library for the purpose of preparing for examination, this shows that forty seven (47%) of them actually visits library to study and seek more information in order to have good performance at the examination. However, the table also shows that students seeks information in order to prepare for dissertation/thesis, this would enable them acquaint with themselves with the previous studies conducted in the university more especially studies related to their area of interest, this had eighteen percent (18%) and this is closely followed by fifteen percent (15%) by the respondents who seek information for personal or career development. In addition, notes preparation had eleven percent (11%) which implies that respondents visit library for notes preparation, last in the table was general reading which had nine percent (9%), this implies that nine percent of the respondents seek general information which made them to visit library. Table 4: Problems Respondents Faced In Information Seeking Reasons Frequency Percentage (%) Non-availability ofsufficient library materials 53 28% Poorly trained and unfriendly library staff 20 10.4% Non-functional e-library 73 38% Epileptic electricity Supply 31 16% locating items from the library collection can be difficult 15 7.8% Total 192 100 (Survey) Table 4 displays the various kinds of problems normally faced by respondents in the process of information seeking behavior. The table shows the problem with highest percentage is the non-functional e-library which has thirty eight (38%) of the respondents, meanwhile, this was followed by non-availability of sufficient library materials with twenty eight percent (28%), this implies that the library was not efficiently equipped with modern facilities. However, poor https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 11 electricity supply is another problem faced when trying to acquire information seeking by respondents with sixteen percent (16%), also the unfriendly library staff is also a challenge since it had ten percent (10%) of the respondent and lastly difficulty in locating items in the library had eight percent (8%) approximately which implies that respondents find difficult to locate items from the library collection. DISCUSSION The study examines postgraduate students’ information seeking behavior in the faculty of management sciences, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria. From the findings of the study it is obvious that postgraduate students seek information in the course of carrying out their studies. Activities that make them seek information include updating knowledge, lecture notes updating, personal reading, examination preparation, dissertation/thesis work and general reading. However, from the result obtained it indicates that (47%) of the respondents visit library and seek information for exam preparation, while (18%) reported that they use it for dissertation/thesis work and the least which is (9%) is for general reading. This result implies that majority of the respondents use library for information concerning exam preparation while the lowest is for general reading to improve knowledge in their personal knowledge. On the other hand, the major problem that seems to affect information seeking is the non-functionality of the electronic library which has (38%) of the response, this implies that the e-library is not always functional when visited and you know this era much knowledge can be obtained in the internet through the use of electronic library in the universities. Meanwhile, there is also problem of not sufficient library materials which had (28%). This implies that most of the materials are obsolete and really need to be replace by the authority so as to improve learning and the lowest percentage shows difficulty in locating items in the library collection, this implies that either there is no adequate knowledge on the part of the users to locate items or there is incomplete records in the library, or users were not fully oriented on the use of the library resources. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Information seeking behavior could be described as the way and manner students and researchers search for and utilize information. It could also be viewed as a process of conscious effort to seek and acquire information in response to a gap in knowledge. However, information is an integral part of human lives in any field of human endeavor such as social, economy, politics, culture and education. According to Uwa & Ossai-onah (2013) information seeking behavior also involves set of actions in expressing information needs, evaluating and selecting information and use the information to satisfy the individual’s needs. Information seeking is valuable in the life of the students as it enables students to do research and meet their learning needs. Therefore it is crucial to examine information seeking behaviour of students with a view to guide them to improve and enhance their information seeking skills. The findings of the study reveals that postgraduate students seek information to prepare well for the purpose of exams, in order to have good grades in their examination, prepare for dissertation/thesis work, seek information for personal or career development, seek general information which made them to visit library. However, these activities are not carried out without obstacles such as non-functional e-library, non-availability of sufficient library materials, poor electricity supply, unfriendly library staff and difficulty in locating items in the library. Based on the findings we conclude that postgraduate students do engage in information seeking behaviour for various reasons to improve learning and knowledge but their information seeking behaviour was hinder by some factors militating against effective utilization, hence, the result is https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 12 consistent with the position of Ismaila (2019) where he found that postgraduate students as respondents information behaviour seeking are mostly for their academic and research purposes and then followed by employment and job related information, and that of Wilson (2000) and Islam, and Salma (2016) who posited that information seeking behaviour is carried out for personal reasons. In view of the findings and the conclusion this study recommends that there is need for the management to improve service delivery in the aspect of electronic library, researchers should be guided easily and educated on the use of library catalogue so as to facilitate easy collection of library materials, continuous training and retraining of library staff should be given attention in order for them to be friendly and give quality service to information seekers and finally problem of poor electricity supply should be addressed to make the environment always conducive for learning. REFERENCES Adekunle E.O. (2014). The Information Needs and Information Seeking Behaviour among the Students of Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa. International Journal of Digital Library Services 1(4), 65-82. Ajiboye, J.O., & Tella, A. (2006). University undergraduate students’ information seeking behavior: Implications for quality in higher education in Africa. Online http://www.tojet.net/article/614.doc. Alemna, A. A. (2012). Libraries: key to national development. Ghana Library study Journal 1(24), 2-13. Asabe, P.A. (2018). Undergraduate Student Library use and Information Seeking Pattern in Bauchi State University Gadau, Nigeria. American International Journal of Social Science Research, 2(2), 576-588. Aina, L.O. (2004). Library and information science text for Africa Ibadan: Third World information service, 6(4), 15-24. Amin, Y. & Shima, Y. (2007). Information need and information seeking behavior of professionals at an Iranian company. Library Students Journal, (2), 65-78.. Attama, W., & Ezema, T. (2015). Library and information services: A practical approach. Nigeria: E-Press (Nig.) Bala, H. Augustine, U. M. & Asabe, P. A. (2018). Nigerian Public Libraries In The 21ST Century: Overcoming Challenges Through Public Relations and Publicity Activities. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) 5(23), 56-65. Baro, E.E., & Fyneman, B. (2009). Information literacy among undergraduate students in Niger Delta University. The Electronic Library, 4(27), 659-675. Belkin, N. J., Oddy, R., & Brooks, H. (1982). Information retrieval Part 1 Background theory. Journal of Documentation, 38(2), 61-71. https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 13 Chikonzo, A. C., & Aina, L. O. (2006). Information needs and sources of information used by veterinary students at the University of Zimbabwe. Quarterly Bulletin International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD), 2(46), 24-28. Covi, L.M. (1999) Material Mastery: Situation digital library use in university research practices. Information Processing and Management Journal, 5(35), 293-316. Eskola, E. L. (1998). University students’ information seeking in a changing learning environment- How are students’ information needs, seeking and use affected by new teaching method, Journal of informational science, 5(7), 99-111. Fasola, O. S. (2013). Information Seeking Behaviour of Students of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Nigeria. Brazillina Journal of Information Science, 2(7), 47-60. Hasan, Z., & Islam, K. M. A. (2020). Academic, Financial and Administrative Issues of Online Teaching During Corona Pandemic: The Scenario of Private Universities in Bangladesh. International Journal of Accounting & Finance Review, 5(1), 116-122. https://doi.org/10.46281/ijafr.v5i1.630 Ingwersen, P. (1998). Information and information science. In Allen Kent (ed.) Encyclopaedia of Library and Information Science, 19(56), 137-174. Ismaila, A. Y. (2019). Information Needs and Imformation Seeking Behaviour of Postgraduate Students InKwara State University, Malete Nigeria, Library Philosophy and Practice electronic journal, 6(4), 1-12. Islam, K. M. A., & Zaman, M. (2013). Job satisfaction & bankers’ turnover: a case study on Bangladesh commerce bank limited. International Journal of Business and Management Review, 1(4), 1-14. Retrieved from https://www.eajournals.org/journals/international- journal-of-business-and-management-review-ijbmr/vol-1-issue-4-december-2013/job- satisfaction-bankers-turnover-a-case-study-on-bangladesh-commerce-bank-limited/ Islam, K. A., & Salma, U. (2016). The role of private universities in higher education of Bangladesh: an empirical investigation. International Journal of Finance and Banking Research, 2(4), 121-128. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijfbr.20160204.11 Josiah, O. A. and Adeyinka, T. (2007) University undergraduate students’ information seekingbehaviour: implications for quality in higher education inAfrica.The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology–TOJET, 1(6), 88-92. Kakai, M, Ikoja, O, R., & Kigongo, B. (2004). A study of the information seeking behaviour of undergraduate students of Makerere University, Uganda. World Libraries, 14(1) 544 - 564. Kamanda, R.W. (1999). Library-use by university students: Case study of the East African School of Library and Information Science. Kampala, Makerere University. https://doi.org/10.46281/ijafr.v5i1.630 https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/aijmsr American International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research Vol. 6, No. 4; 2020 14 Kerin, G., Madden, R., & Fulton, C. (2004). Information seeking and the students studying for professional careers: the case of engineering and law students in Ireland. Information Research, 10(1) 208-220. Kuhlthau, C.C. (1994). Seeking Meaning: A process approach to library and informationservices. Norwood, N.J Ablex Publishing, 6(2), 77-89. Lippincott, S., & Kyrillidou, M. (2004). How ARL University community access information: highlights from Lib QUAL. ARL Bimonthly Report 236. Majid, S., & Ai, T. T. (2002). Usage of information resources by computer engineering students: a case study of Nanyang Technology University, Singapore. Online Information Review, 5(26), 318-328. Nnadozie, C. O. (2010). A comparative analysis of students’ library use patterns during examination and non-examination periods in Nigerian university library, Journal of Library and Information Science and Technology, 4(1), 80-92. Nayeen, C. M. J., Islam, K. M. A., Chowdhury, F. N., & Zayed, N. M. (2020). Testing Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) through English for Today (EFT) in Bangladesh: Challenges Faced by Tertiary Students Initially. American International Journal of Education and Linguistics Research, 3(2), 19-27. https://doi.org/10.46545/aijelr.v3i2.257 Ugwu, E. I., Ogbu, F.U., & Aniekwe, C. C. (2017). Emerging Challenges In Information Seeking Behaviour of Users of Academic Libraries In Nigeria.IMT International Journal of the Arts and Sciences, 1(1), 11-24. , Owolabi, K., Jimoh, M., & Okpeh, S. (2010). Information seeking behaviour of polytechnicstudents: The case of AkanuIbiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana Nigeria. LibraryPhilosophy and Practice.International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 3(7), 14-26. Singh, K.P. Kumar, M., & Khanchandani, V. (2015). Information Needs and Information Seeking Behavior of Foreign Students in University of Delhi: A Survey. International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology, 2(5), 25-43. Uttor, J. (1999). The role of law libraries in a democratic culture. A paper presented at The 1999 NLA National Conference and AGM.Aug.15th-20th. 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/) https://doi.org/10.46545/aijelr.v3i2.257