Information Impact: Journal of Information and Knowledge Management

We urgently need multiple knowledges to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

Emmanuel M.K. Dawha — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This editorial calls on the United Nations, political leaders, and development professionals to recognize explicitly that knowledge and knowledge management are of key importance to the achievement of the SDGs and Agenda 2030 and to adopt the knowledgebased goals of the Agenda Knowledge for Development. It is being published simultaneously in knowledge management and development journals around the world.

A Multi-Criteria Framework for Evaluating Health Communication Strategies to Combat Vaccine Hesitancy

Patricia Esene, Theophilus Adedokun, Grace Temiloluwa Agbede — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The effectiveness of vaccination programs against infectious illnesses is threatened by the evolution of vaccine resistance, which poses a severe danger to international public health initiatives. Conventional methods of addressing vaccine resistance have frequently been constrained by their onedimensional emphasis, which ignores the intricate interactions between biological, epidemiological, and sociocultural elements influencing the development of resistance. In response, this research supports a multi-criteria strategy that incorporates several viewpoints and standards to comprehend and manage vaccination resistance fully. Five strategies—provider-patient communication, health education campaigns, social media campaigns, community outreach initiatives, and influencer partnerships—are incorporated into the framework. Ten criteria are employed to evaluate these strategies: impact, resistance to misinformation, inclusivity, penetration, community engagement, and facilitation of dialogue, credibility, establishment of trust, resource demands, and adaptability. The CRITIC method is utilized to ascertain the relative significance of each criterion, whereas the CoCoSo and TOPSIS methods are employed to prioritize the strategies according to their appropriateness. As indicated by the findings, the criterion of vaccine effectiveness holds the greatest significance, with trust and credibility following suit. It is determined that health education campaigns are the most effective approach to tackle vaccine hesitancy, whereas influencer partnerships are deemed to be the least effective.

Design and Development of an e-Library Management Solution at Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny, Nigeria

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The design and development of an e-library management solution at the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny Rivers State, Nigeria was a project aimed at improving access and taking better control of the growing collection of Electronic Information Resources (EIRs) acquired over the recent years. The elibrary management solution provides a web-based platform that allows students and staff to access the library’s collection of electronic information resources remotely from any location, at any time.The solution was developed using a waterfall software development methodology, which involved the stages of requirements gathering, analysis and design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. The solution was also developed using open source technologies, which has helped in reducing the cost of development and maintenance. The e-library management solution includes features such as online catalogues, e- books, e-journals, online renewals, and online reservations. The solution also provides a platform for students and staff to interact with the library through online chat and email, making it easier for them to get assistance with their research needs.The project was implemented by a team of software developers and professional librarians who worked together to ensure that the e-library management solution meets the needs of the institution. The project is expected to improve the efficiency of library operations, increase user satisfaction, and enhance the learning experience of staff and students at the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny

Social Media and Political Communication in Ghana: Views of Inhabitants of Tema Metropolis

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Though political parties are increasingly adopting social media to increase voter support, the efficacy of social media campaign strategies in enhancing political fortunes remains a subject of discussion in Ghana. This study explored the views of Ghanaians on the use of social media campaign strategies as a political communication tool. In all, 384 social media users who are voters residing within the Tema Metropolis participated in the study. Data was obtained using a questionnaire and analyzed descriptively. The study observed that Ghanaian political parties have a strong presence on social media. Again, Ghanaian political parties effectively rely on social media platforms to engage electorates. Also, they effectively use social media distribute creative and visually appealing contents about their policies and achievements to the electorates. Further, they adopt campaign-specific hash tags which are creative, memorable, catchy, and engaging to help them to capture attention of voters. The study concludes by accentuating the need for political parties to employ social media for constructive dialogue and engagement with voters to amplify the impact of social media campaigns on the political fortunes in Ghana. Finally, practical implications of the findings have been provided to facilitate effective application of social media campaign strategies for democratic governance.

Mobile and Digital Banner Marketing Strategies on Students Utilization of Library Information Resources and Services in State University Libraries in South-South Nigeria

Lasbery Adindu, Chidaka Okachukwu Nyemezi — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study was on Mobile and Digital Banner Marketing Strategies on Students’ Utilization of Library Information Resources and Services in State University Libraries in South-South, Nigeria. Two objectives, two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study employed survey research design. The population of the study comprised all 35673 registered students in the library in 6 out of the 10 state universities in South-South Nigeria. The sample size consisted of 3567 registered students in library representing 10% of the total population. Accidental sampling technique was used. The instrument used for data collection was a researcher developed instrument captioned “Mobile and Digital Banner Marketing Strategies on Student’s Utilization of Library Information Resources and Services Questionnaire” The instrument yielded a reliability coefficient of.73 and .70 respectively. Mean and Standard Deviation were used for answering research questions while Chi-square was used to test the hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The result of the analysis revealed significant influence in mobile and digital banner marketing strategies on students’ utilization of library information resources and services. Recommendations were made to include that university libraries should provide a rich promotional campaign activity by incorporating mobile and digital banner marketing strategies to enhance the utilization of library information resources and services by students.

Organizational Culture and Turnover Intention of Librarians in Southern Nigeria

Omobolanle Seri Fasola , Sunday Olanrewaju Popoola — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study sets out to investigate the relationship between organisational culture of university libraries and turnover intention of librarians in private universities in southern Nigerian. Type of culture, bond that binds, organisational structure and leadership style were the constructs of organisational culture investigated. The research design employed is the survey of the correlational type. The population are all the librarians in these private university libraries making a total of 308. Census sampling technique was used to study all of the librarians in the universities. The questionnaire was the instrument of data collection. Data collection was done by physically administering the questionnaire to the respondents with the help of three research assistants over a four-week period. Total returned questionnaire found usable was 289. Data from the research questions was analysed using frequency count and simple statistics while the hypothesis posed was tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). Findings revealed that the predominant culture of the private universities studies is the Adhocracy culture with mean of ( x̄ = 15.61, SD = 4.60). Turnover intention of librarians was also shown to be high with mean of (x̄ = 46.46, SD = 5.87). organisational structure was controlled and structures with a mean of ( x̄ =3.14; SD=0.60); predominant leadership style was found to be transformational ( x̄=3.04; SD=0.64) while the bonds that holds was ( x̄ =3.12; SD=0.50). It is recommended that library management of private universities should formulate policies that enhance bonding, structure, leadership and culture type in order to reduce turnover intention and stem actual turnover.

Gender and Family Size as Determinants of Research Productivity among Library Educators in Nigeria

Florence Nwanne Olise, Grace Anyaobi, Florence Awele Idoko — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines gender and family size effects on Nigerian library educators' research productivity levels. The cross-sectional study used questionnaires to obtain data from 168 library educators in Nigeria. Data was collected via snowball sampling technique. All data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study results showed that Nigerian library educators write journal papers and do research at high rates. However, male library educators published more and engaged in more research activities than female educators. Educators with more prominent families had better research production, suggesting time management support. These findings emphasized the need for gender equity and family-friendly policies in academic institutions to support research excellence and career progression for all educators. Thus, the study made workable recommendations and concluded that the link between family size and research output is complex.

Students and Lecturers’ Use of Reference Sources in TeachingLearning Process in a Higher Institution in Oyo State, Nigeria

Ismail Taiwo Busari — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The study examined the use of reference sources in teaching and learning by the lecturers and students of Oyo State College of Education, Lanlate, Oyo State, Nigeria. About three (3) objectives of the study were put forward while three (3) research questions were also formulated to guide the study. Descriptive survey research design was employed in carrying out the study. The research instrument used to gather data from the respondents was questionnaire. The target participants in the study were students and academic staff of the institution surveyed. Total enumeration was made use of in selecting the lecturers who were 125 while stratified sampling technique was used to select 291 student participants across 5 schools and various departments in the institution. Descriptive statistics comprising frequency counts and percentage were adopted in analyzing the data collected. The study reported that the library did not have most of the reference materials like almanacs, directories, gazetteers etc. It was also found out that lecturers used reference materials for teaching and research purposes. Students hardly used the materials and those of them that did used them for learning and class assignments. Some recommendations were made such as adequate funding of library be given priority and that efforts be made to educate and enlighten the students on the significance of reference sources in teaching-learning process, among others.

Use of Open Access Publications and Lecturers Research Productivity in Polytechnics in South-South Nigeria

Lucky O. Akpojotor, Okeraghogho Ekuerhare — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The rationale behind this study is to find out the availability of materials that are in open access, and to see if the available open access publications enough to enhance lecturers’ productivity in polytechnics in South-South, Nigeria. In accomplishing this, three research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. A sample of 291 lecturers was propositionally drawn from the population of 1,140 lecturers in South-South, Nigeria. Frequency counts was used to analyze the respondents’ bio data and research questions 1-4, while the inferential statistics that was used for the testing of research hypothesis is Pearson Product moment correlation coefficient. From the data collected lecturers make very high use of electronic journals, library print journals, PDFs, and Wiki articles. The result of the analyzed data shows that open access resources improves lecturers’ productivity in lecturing, online publishing, offline publishing, publishing locally, publishing internationally, and publishing scholarly research papers (peer reviewed). Also, it shows that the lecturers have a very high skill in Internet surfing, word processing packages, use of electronic databases, Windows interface, search engines use, browsers use, downloading, uploading, and PDF resources. However, they lacked skill in use of Spreadsheet packages thus posing a challenge to their data analysis skills. Among other, it shows that the benefits accruing from lecturers’ productivity includes: impartation of knowledge on students, impartation of knowledge on researchers, contribution to existing knowledge, updating knowledge, increasing the academic standard of institutions, creation of new knowledge, provision of research materials, provision of research papers in open access databases, improvement of students’ reading culture, and filling gaps in knowledge. Moreover, study reveals that network problems, poor electricity supply constitute technological hindrances to lecturers’ access to open access resources. Furthermore, findings revealed that there is no significant relationship between the use of Open Access (OA) publications and lecturers’ productivity in polytechnics in SouthSouth, Nigeria. The findings further conclude that there is a significant relationship between lecturers’ levels of ICTs skills for use of open access (OA) and their productivity in polytechnics in South-South, Nigeria.

Information Needs and Seeking Behaviour of Final Year Students of a Specialized University in Nigeria

Emuejevoke Paul Ogo, Benedicta Okechukwu Uchendu — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study examined the information needs and seeking behaviour of final-year students of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE), Nigeria. The study seeks to identify their information needs, the purpose for which they seek information, sources of information consulted and challenges faced when seeking information. It employed the use of descriptive survey research design. The total population for this study is 1642, comprising all final-year students of FUPRE in the 2022/2023 academic session. The purposive sampling technique was used, where 50% of the entire population was selected giving a sample size of 821. A questionnaire was used to elicit data from the respondents, while simple percentage and frequency counts were used to analyze the data generated. The findings suggest that final-year students majorly seek information related to academic development/course work, project writing/ defense, job-related information, and business/wealth creation. It also revealed that class assignments, examinations, project writing, self-development, and health-related reasons are the purposes they seek information. The major sources of information they consult are Google, other search engines, lecture notes, friends, and colleagues. However, the study identifies an uncomfortable library environment, lack of internet access in the library, too much information to deal with, lack of time, and poor facilities in the library as the major challenges they face while seeking information. It is therefore recommended that the university should provide an enabling environment for the students to access and use the library services as well as an internet connection to access a wide range of resources.

Digital Literacy Skills and Assistive Technology Use as Enabler for Academic Performance of Visually Impaired Students at the Nigerian Law School

Stella Ozor, Martins Dodo, Dorcas Bana — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Education is a tool that empowers individual irrespective of gender, age, status or appearance. Academic institutions serve as channels through which formal education is acquired. This paper discusses the need to have a passionate consideration for the visually impaired students of the Nigerian Law School who aspire to become legal practitioners. Digital literacy skill is the ability to use digital technologies for information exchange across digital platforms by the visually impaired was discussed. Emphasize is laid on the need for assistive technologies such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, software for speech recognition, software that translates written text into audio files, optical character recognition software, etc were highlighted. These technologies enhance the academic performance of the visually impaired students, helping them to study with ease and less stress. Role of the teacher was also considered to be that of a care giver, supporter and an influencer who assists the students to measure up academically through teacher-student relationship. The challenges faced by the visually impaired students were also looked into. Some of the challenges include; inadequate trained personnel to teach, infrastructural deficit, stigmatization, isolation and lack of well-equipped laboratories and libraries. It is recommended that laws, policies and rules relating to the implementation of infrastructure in institutions of learning should be enforced, training of lecturers and librarians on how provide assistance to the visually impaired should be considered, libraries and classrooms should be well equipped to meet the needs of the students were highlighted among others.

Vaccine Hesitancy in Nigeria: Overcoming Cultural, Linguistic and Religious Obstacles

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Vaccine hesitancy poses a significant challenge to public health efforts in Nigeria, a country characterized by immense cultural and linguistic diversity. The interactions among linguistic obstacles, cultural and religious beliefs, and historical elements that lead to vaccine hesitancy among Nigeria's many ethnic groups are examined in this review article. It analyzes the decision-making processes and information needs of Nigerian parents regarding childhood vaccinations. The article evaluates the effectiveness of existing vaccine promotion interventions and communication strategies, highlighting successes, limitations, and areas for improvement. By consolidating research findings, the review aims to inform the development of culturally appropriate and context-specific approaches to address vaccine hesitancy and enhance vaccine uptake in Nigeria. Recommendations emphasize formative research, community engagement, capacity building for healthcare workers, and the strategic use of diverse communication channels to reach diverse populations with tailored vaccination information and support.

Records Availability and Information Use as Determinants of Decision Making Pattern of Polytechnic Administrators in Edo and Delta States, Nigeria

Blessing Amina Akporhonor, Bernadette Chinasa Adam — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigate record availability, information use and decision making pattern of administrators in Polytechnics in Edo and Delta States. Correlational research design was used for the study. The population of the study was 279 administrators comprises four public polytechnics in Edo and Delta States. Total enumeration sampling techniques was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was the questionnaire. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage and statistical mean. Three hypothesis were formulated; 1 and 2 were tested using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Cooefficient (PPMCC) at 0.05 level of significance, while hypotheses 3 was tested using multiple regression. The study founf that the records available in the Polytechnics includes minutes of meetings, admission list, policies and procedures; the extent of use of information from records by Polytechnics administrators was high; the decision making pattern of the administrators includes organization and storage of information, and review of previous decision outcomes; the extent of contribution of records availability and information use to the administrators’ decision making is high; there is significant relationship between records, information use and administrators’ decision making pattern; and there is significant relationship between information, use and administrators’ decision making pattern. From the findings, it was recommended that Polytechnic Administrators should ensure that every decision made in the polytechnic is premised upon the series of records available in the Polytechnic. Therefore, the study has considered amongst other issues the concept of decision making pattern of Administrators in the Polytechnic system, based on the use of available records.