GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT

The study sought to examine the user’s adoption of information literacy skills in different library collections in tertiary institutions in south-south Nigeria. Descriptive survey was adopted for the study. The study was conducted in South-South Nigeria. The population of the study comprised of student and lectures in higher institution in south-south Nigeria. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 3 states from south-south Nigeria. From each states 100 students and 30 lectures was randomly selected which gave the total number of 390 respondents (made up of 300 students and 90 lectures) which constituted the sample size for the study. The instrument titled “Information Literacy Skills and Library Collections Questionnaire (ILSLCQ)” was used for data collection. Face and content validation of the instrument was carried out by one expert in test and measurement and another one expert in library science all from University of Uyo to ensure that the instrument had accuracy, appropriateness and completeness. Cronbach Alpha technique was used to determine the level of the reliability of the instrument. In this case the average score of the reliability coefficient obtained was 0.89 and this was high enough to justify the use of the instrument. The researcher subjected the data generated for this study to appropriate statistical techniques such as simple regression in testing the hypothesis. The test for significance was done at 0.05 alpha level. The study concluded that information literacy skill is the ability to find, evaluate, organize, use, and communicate information in various formats, most especially in situations that requires decision making, problem solving, or acquisition of knowledge. Hence, the study reveals that there is significant influence user’s communication skill on utilization of library collections in institutions in South-South Nigeria. There is significant extent to which user’s computer skill is used in library collections in tertiary institutions in South-South Nigeria. There is significant extent to which user’s critical thinking skill is used in library collections in tertiary institutions in South-South Nigeria. One of the recommendations was that government and school authorities should expose the learners to optimum information literacy skills in order to aid student in effective use of various library collections in schools as well as their personal, social, occupational and educational goals.

KEYWORDS: Information, Literacy, Skills, Library, Collections, Institutions, South-South and Nigeria