Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abstract
The present study aimed at evaluating the information literacy skills and social media literacy skills of the post graduate students and M.Phil scholars of Arts and Science Colleges affiliated to Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal. Out of 10 such colleges, 8 colleges were randomly selected. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the randomly drawn sample of Post graduate students and M.Phil scholars. In toto, 940 duly filled-in questionnaires were considered for the study. RPG’s 10 pillar model was used to evaluate the skills. The model was indigenously developed one by the researcher.
The science students are better skilled than non-science students in many of their basic skills in respect social media. The science students are better skilled than non-science students in all these skills to create groups in social media tools. The science students are better skilled than non-science students in seven skills and the non-science students are better skilled than science students in the remaining seven skills in respect of creation of contents in social media tools. The science students are better skilled than non-science students in four skills required to undertake content management tasks as an administrator. Non-science students are better skilled than science students in the remaining four skills. The science students are better skilled than non-science students in three skills required to be cautious in social media tools. Non-science students are better skilled than science students in the remaining two skills.
More than half of the respondents are highly capable to use social media tools to communicate and interact with friends and to learn online, to share notes with their classmates. One third of the respondents are moderately capable of using social media tools to learn online, for leisure and personal socialization, to undertake professional activities, to carry out academic activities, for private messaging and updating photos, for collaborative and peer to peer learning, for promoting their reading and writing skills and for creating an e-portfolio for future employment.
The college libraries may join hands with other departments and conduct some kind of orientation or user awareness programme for the students and scholars on the various modules of social media literacy. This may enable the students to become an active user, careful user, beneficial user and comfortable user in required social media tools.