Assessment of use of library resources on research activities of scientists in three agricultural research institutes in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Library resources use contribute immensely to the research output of agricultural scientists and also play significant roles in supporting agricultural development but resources are inadequately provided. The main objective of the study was to assess the use of library resources on research activities of scientists in three Agricultural Research Institutes in Ibadan, Nigeria.The study adopted a descriptive survey design with a study population of 365 agricultural researchers from three Agricultural Research Institutes in Ibadan, using a total enumeration method for the sampling. Questionnaire and personal interviews were the main research instrument used for data collection, and the data was analysed using frequency distribution and percentage run on SPSS. The study revealed that though printed information resources like textbooks, journals and others were readily available, however, electronics Library resources such as electronic journals, e-books, scholarly databases, CD-ROM databases, internet gateways and search engines, among others, were not readily available. Printed Information resources available were used but agricultural researchers were not satisfied with non availability of electronic resources in the institutes’ libraries. Research libraries studied are lagging behind and vary in their ability to provide needed and better access to electronic resources and Internet access, due to poor funding. The study recommends that effort should be made by the institutes’ management to ensure adequate resources (both printed and electronics) are acquired and integrated into the library collections to enable the researchers to have access to a wide range of high quality electronic information resources. This will enable agricultural libraries in research institutes to adequately meet the information needs of agricultural scientists and community users.

Key words: Electronic, Resources, Agricultural, Research, Institutes, Scientists, Information Needs, Library, Users