Use of Electronic Information Resources by University Lecturers in Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The limited access to up-to-date materials in university libraries in Nigeria is a main problem that impedes research and teaching. In the last couple of years, lecturers in Nigerian tertiary institutions have increasingly demanded and preferred access to electronic sources delivery and networked information from their respective libraries (Covi & Cragin, 2004). Timely information is required by all categories of people in the different organizations of the society and one of such organizations is the university. University lecturers equip students with skills in reading, inquiry and independent thinking and strive to develop students’ creativity, insight and analytical skills. All these necessitate seeking and use of information from various sources such as books, journals, periodicals, to mention a few. University education is changing rapidly (Toner, 2008). Bennet (2003) identified a major shift in education- The revolution in information technology is changing delivery of education. This dramatic change includes the way in which information is provided to the university community. Universities through a number of ways embrace the electronic provision of information to facilitate study programmes and research. With the integration of online information services, electronic books, electronic document delivery services and digital libraries in its library systems, university lecturers can now access information from various sources.