INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY SKILLS AND USE OF ONLINE PUBLIC ACCESS CATALOGUE AMONG UNDERCRADUATES IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN SOUTH WEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated Information Communication Technology skills and use of Online Pubiic Access Catalogue among undergraduates in South-West,Nigeria.The study objectives sought to find out the ICT skills possessed by undergraduates in the university libraries for the use of Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC)ascertain the avenues through which the undergraduates acquire ICT skills and determine the extent to which the unundergraduates use OPAC in the university libraries. In carrying out this study, three research questions were raised and two null hypotneses were formulated and tested at P <0.05. Descriptive survey method was adopted for the study. The target population for the study was 220,750undergraduates from nine selected universities in South West, Nigeria that had functional OPAC in their libraries. The sample was 1422 undergraduates drawn through multi-stage sampling techniques. The instrument used was a questionnaire titled "'CT Skills, Demographic Factors and Use of Online Public Access Catalogue Among undergraduates Questionnaire (ISDFUOPACAUQ).The data obtained were analysed, using frequency, mean, cross-tabulation, t-test and /NOVI. The findings of the study showed that the undergraduates in universities in South West. Nigeria possessed the ICT skills for use o OPAC. They are: ability to use of mouse, open, close and resize windows, use the menu bur and power shutdown correctly. Undergraduates acquired their ICT skills through: self learning, textbooks, course in secondary school. and ICT training. The undergraduates moderately used OPAC search types such as author search, journal title search, title search and series statement search in their search for information. Undergraduates in universities in South West, Nigeria moderatelv used OPAC search strategies such as keyword search, phrase search and expert/advance search. The findings of the research also revealed that there was a significant difference in the ICT skills possessed by undergraduates for the use of OPAC in the federal, state and private university Libraries South West Nigeria. There was significant difference among federal, state and private university.