Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
1-2023
Abstract
Digital Library Resources and Services (DLRS) are the modern advancement in information technology. These resources help to get precise and current information, especially for postgraduates who depend largely on digital resources for information to enhance their leaning, research as well as to collaborate with other scholars all over the globe for intellectual advancement. Many federal universities do not organise effective awareness and advocacy programmes to get enough digital library resources by postgraduates. Thus, this study investigates advocacy and awareness programmes on use of digital library resources and services by postgraduates in federal universities in South-west, Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 76 librarians and 238 postgraduate students from Obafemi Awolowo University, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and University of Ibadan in South-west, Nigeria. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to get the sample size of postgraduate students, while census technique was adopted for librarians. Data was collected with the use of structured questionnaire and collected data were analysed using frequencies, mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and multiple regression. Results showed that majority of the respondents in University of Ibadan (42.2%), were in social science (36.5%), Female (56.0%), Masters (51.6%). Most of the respondents were between 31-35 years125(55.6%). The results indicated that most available digital library resources is electronic newspaper and electronic database (=3.72). Most of the respondents use DLRS for seminar (=3.68) and collaborative studies (=3.59). The awareness programme usually engaged in is CAS(=3.44) and the advocacy programme carried out is to lobbying policy maker to maintain demands (=3.53). Inadequate information resources (=3.60) is a major challenge to the use of digital library resources and services. Advocacy strategies and awareness programmes have significant relative influence on digital library resources and services(β = .424, t= 7.890, p2= 0.232).Awareness programmes and advocacy programmes aid the use of digital library resources and services by students. The library management, policy makers and librarians should put more effort to advocate as well as create awareness of the digital library resources and service to postgraduate students.