Information Literacy and Research Skills Programme for Postgraduate Students: The First-Hand Experience of a Federal University of Agriculture in Nigeria

Abstract

The study was carried out to assess the first-hand information literacy (IL) training organised for the postgraduate students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta-Nigeria. The study adopted the survey research design using questionnaire as the only data collection instrument. Participants of the training were randomly selected (by a joint Team of the Postgraduate school and the University Library led by the Dean and the University Librarian) across colleges offering postgraduate programmes in the university. The following
modules (designed and facilitated by Academic Librarians of the Library) were covered by the training, the roles of library in research, using the Basic MS Word for research, reviewing the literature, reference management software with focus on Mendeley, introduction to e-resources, citation and referencing, copyright and plagiarism, information sourcing, analysis and interpretation, and the use of reference feature in MS Word for creating and managing bibliographies. The ICT Resource Centre of the University was also approached to make internet available for effective delivery of the Internetbased aspects of the Training. Copies of questionnaire were administered on all the 34 participants at the end of the two-day training. Responses garnered from respondents were positive and encouraging as the postgraduate students were favourably disposed towards the training and desired its continuity annually. Few of the ripple effect of the training are an annual University-wide IL Training for undergraduates in their final year of study, special request from three different departments of the university to collaborate with academic staff members of the university library to teach the Use of Library Information Resources and Information Literacy as an aspect of Research methods in their different disciplines, drafting and development of a standard and Tailored-IL Curriculum based on disciplines of each College and the training also boosted the image of the Library and Librarians within the University Community. The study concluded by proffering better ways of incorporating and running information literacy programmes for postgraduate students not only at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, but in other universities in Nigeria and other climes.