Information Literacy Skills and Digital Information Resources Use by Science Lecturers in Federal Universities in Southwest, Nigeria

Abstract

In the digital era, the ability to find, assess, and use digital material successfully is no longer optional for university lecturers, including those in science disciplines. This study therefore examined information literacy skills and digital information resources use by science lecturers in Federal Universities in Southwest Nigeria. A correlational research design was used for the study. The population comprised 467 science lecturers in the federal universities in Southwest Nigeria, i.e. one federal university in each of the six states, using a purposive sampling technique. The main instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire adapted from the Big6 model developed by Eisenberg and Berkowitz (1992). A total of four hundred and sixty-seven (467) questionnaires were administered out of which three hundred and thirty-six (336) were returned, and only three hundred and sixteen (316) were found useful for the study. The findings revealed that among the big6 information literacy skills subcomponent, synthesis had the highest weighted average of (x̅=3.90). Also, under the component of task definition, the science lecturers can recognize a need for information and data to achieve a specific task (x̅=3.73). The study further revealed that the majority of science lecturers use e-journal 310(98.1%), e- books 310(98.2%), e-thesis/dissertation 310(98.2%) and e- conference proceedings 304(96.2). Additionally, there was a significant positive relationship between information literacy skills and digital information resources use (r = .132 at p ˂ .05). The study concluded that although the sciences lecturers exhibit a solid foundation in information literacy, especially in the areas of task definition and synthesis, they have significant shortcomings in advanced search tool utilisation, accessibility awareness, and in-depth critical reading/analysis. Hence, recommended that hands-on training on advanced web navigation, effective use of live links, and useful techniques for exploring a variety of online platforms beyond basic searches should be organised by the universities, probably through the library.