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INFORMATION NEEDS AND SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF

SENIOR NON-ACADEMIC STAFF OF FEDERAL
POLYTECHNIC NEKEDE, OWERRI

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page

Certification page

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Abstract

Table of contents

List of tables

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background of the study

1.2 Statement of the problems

1.3 Objectives of the study

1.4 Research questions

1.5 Scope of the study

1.6 Significance of the study

1.7 Brief historical background of federal polytechnic, Nekede

Owerri

1.8 Operational basic concepts

CHAPTE TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

2.1 Concept and importance of information

2.2 Information seeking and information seeking behaviour an

overview

2.3 Characteristic features of senior non- academic

2.4 Information needs and seeking behaviour of senior non-

academic

2.5 Sources of information to senior Non academic staff

2.6 Challenges of satisfying the information needs of senior

non academic staff

2.7 Sustainable approach to satisfying the information needs of

senior non academic staff

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Research Methodology

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3.1 research design

3.2 Population of study

3.3 sample size and sampling techniques

3.4 Instrument for data collection

3.5 Procedure for data collection

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

4.1 Introduction

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 summary of findings, conclusion and recommendation

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Summary of the findings

5.3 Conclusion

5.4 Recommendations
LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1: Return rate of questionnaire

TABLE2: Gender of respondents

TABLE3: Qualification of respondents

TABLE 4: Years of experience of respondents

TABLE5: Felt need for information

TABLE 6: Sources of information

TABLE 7: Information needs

TABLE 8: Satisfaction with information provided

TABLE9: Extent of satisfaction

TABLE 10: strategies for meeting information needs

TABLE 11: Impact of satisfied information needs

TABLE 12: Problems encountered in seeking information

TABLE 13: Solutions to the problems

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The most important aspect of the role of information in

national development is that it is a vital resource in

infrastructural, industrial and technological advancement of the

nation.

Everybody needs and seeks for information no matter his

education status affluence, sophistication or situation.

Although, it is not every piece of information that can be useful

to an individual at a particular period of time. It is one of the

fundamental needs of man for his existence and development.

The issue of information need has been a major

consideration in setting up any information systems. This is

essential because information systems, whether academic,

public, special in nature must meet the information

requirements of its users or clientele.

 Certain things have been written about the information

needs and seeking behaviour of senior Non Academic Staff,

understanding their population is very crucial for libraries to

deliver the right service to them in an academic environment.

The advents of new technologies create a challenge to libraries

on how best to serve and support their population or them

within the academic environment with the right types of

information.

Information needs of senior Non Academic Staff of Federal

polytechnic Nekede, refer to their information requirements

some general and specific purposes or reasons.

Information seeking behaviour or habit is a purposive

seeking for information which is a consequence of a need to

satisfy some goals (Wilson 2000). In the cause of seeking, the

Senior Non Academic staff of Federal Polytechnic may interact

with manual information systems (such as a newspaper or a

library or with computer based system like the World Wide

Web).

Information seeking behaviour of people varies, ranging

from their age, gender, occupation, educational level or status,

exposure, religion and culture. The senior Non-Academic staff

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seeks information on their own; they place more value on the

source, information on new research and research findings in

order to maximize the benefit of the information.

Disen (1985) observed that information is the heart of the

development of knowledge, the basis for innovation and the

resources for informed citizens who have been educated to

understand the power of information and have access to it for

decision-making and problem solving in the society. He

concluded his writing by saying that information aspect of

library services is that of generating, collecting, synthesizing

and disseminating up-to-date, accurate, unbiased and relevant

information available in books, periodicals, guides, bulletins,

abstracts, indexes, bibliographies and non book materials

which can be stored and retrieved whenever needed.

According to the above definition, it can be said or

adduced that information needs of senior Non Academic Staff

can be met through the provision of current and relevant

information materials that will serve their information needs.

The satisfaction of the information needs of Senior Non

Academic staff can be hindered by series of problems as

identified by Adimorah (1993).

 Non availability of current journals in their fields.

 Poor information storage and retrieval system.

 Lack of provision of specialized and targeted electronic

content that would meet specific needs.

 Deploying e-books solutions.

For senior Non-Academic staff to be satisfied, information

sources need to be utilized. This could be in form of

databases purchased books, abstract of research articles,

and subscription of foreign research journals.

Thus, the information sources available to them through

the formal sources which include printed and published works

of professionals, which can be gotten from libraries,

information centers, information agencies, government

agencies. The information sources could through discussion

with colleagues, symposia, workshop, bibliographic coupling,

seminars, invisible colleges, technological gatekeepers.

In conclusion, this research project will x-ray the

information needs of senior Non-Academic staff, how they seek

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information, the various methods used in seeking for

information and the problems they encounter in seeking for

information solution would be suggested or proffered to the

identified problems.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Most of the senior Non-Academic staff in Federal Polytechnic

Nekede, Owerri, do not know how to gain access to their

information needs with the result that make use of any

materials available to them in the process of performing their

official duties.

Besides, they do not have a well equipped and organized

libraries and information needs and job would suffer as a result

of the situation. Above all, some do not know the importance of

library to the profession.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1 To identify if there is a felt need for information by senior

Non-Academic staff of Federal Polytechnic, Nekede.

2 To identify the sources through which they satisfy their

information needs.

3 To ascertain the information need of senior Non-Academic

staff in Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri.

4 To find out and highlight the impact of satisfied

information need of senior Non-Academic staff on their persons

and work performance.

5 To find out the type of information they need.

6 To identify and highlight the problems which senior Non-

Academic staff encounter in seeking for information

7 To proffer solutions to the identified problems.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. Is there a felt need for information by senior Non-

Academic staff in Federal Polytechnic Nekede?

2. What are the sources through which they satisfy their

information need?

3. What are the information needs?

4. What are the types of information they need?

5. What impact has satisfied information need of senior

Non-Academic on their person and work performance?

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6. What are the problems encountered by them in seeking

information?

7. What are the solutions to the identified problems?

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study is on information needs and seeking behaviour of

senior Non academic staff of Federal Polytechnic Nekede

Owerri.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research work would be of great importance to both

the staff of Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri, especially

senior Non academic Staff as it will help them to know how

best to source their information needs so as to satisfy their

information needs.

The findings and recommendations of the study would

equally contribute in making library staff to know or realize the

measures that would be put in place to encourage the full

proper of information needs and seeking behaviour of senior

Non academic staff.

1.7 BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGRAOUND OF FEDERAL

POLYTECHNIC NEKEDE OWERRI.

The Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri started in 1978

as the college of technology, Owerri. It was established by Imo

state government through Edict No 16 of April, 1978. It took

off at its temporary site at the collage (GTC), Owerri along

Egbu road in the same year.

In 1981, the institution moved to its present and

permanent site located in Umudibia Nekede, Owerri. In 1987,

the name of the institution was changed from college of

technology to Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri. Six years later,

precisely on 7th April, 1993, it became the Federal government

institution. Consequently, it was again renamed “Federal

Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri and is regulated by the Federal

Polytechnics Act (CAP B9) of 1979. Its functions and operations

were provided for in section 2 (1) of the Act.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC

NEKEDE, OWERRI, LIBRARY

The Federal Polytechnic Nekede, was established by Edict

No.16 in 1978. The Edict empowered the school, then known

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as college of technology, Owerri to erect a library. The library

was situated at Egbu Road temporary accommodation and

later, the construction of the new classroom complex in

January 1983, the library was relocated to the classroom

complex.

The Library was opened to students on 15th December,

1978 when the college itself started normal classes. The first

chief librarian was Mr. Orji and he was appointed in 1978. The

initial collection of the library in terms of books was 300

volumes. But currently the library has 28093 volumes. In 1998,

the foundation stone of the permanent site of the library

building was laid by the chairman of the National Board for

Technical Education (NBTC), Dr. Abdulahi and library building

was completed in 2000. It started operations in 2001.

The library has many departments which include: The

technical services department, the acquisition, Readers

services and Circulation department. The library has about

28093 books and 539 periodicals, no audiovisual materials. Its

staff is thirty three (33) in number excluding registering staff.

 The aim of the institution library is to assist the institution to

carry out its responsibilities and realize the objectives for which

it had been established.

The membership of the library includes: students of the

institution, members of academic staff and also students from

other institutions of higher learning. The library stock is made

up of books, periodicals etc. which cater or embrace all the

departments in the institution.

The problems associated with the library in carrying out

its legitimate functions include:

1. Poor administration and management of the library.

2. Lack of professional librarians and subject specialists.

3. Inadequate use of library automation.

4. Poor library collection in terms of current textbooks,

current periodicals, journals and newspapers.

5. Insufficient security personnel.

6. Poor funding of the library.

7. Mutilation of library materials by students.

8. Lack of good working conditions etc.

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1.8 OPERATIONAL BASIC CONCEPTS

INFORMATION: Data presented in a readily

comprehensible form to which meaning has been attributed

within a context for its use (Reitz, 2001)

INFORMATION NEED: A gap in a person’s knowledge that,

when experienced at the conscious level as person question

gives rise to a search for an answer (Reitz, 2001). It is also

information demands, requirements, want or desire for some

general and specific purposes (kadiri 1995. p.25)

INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR: This refers to the

way an information user conducts himself or acts when working

for, receiving or acquiring information (Reitz, 2001).

INFORMATION SOURCE: This refers to any document that

provides information sought by a writer, researcher, library

user or persons searching an on-line catalogue or bibliographic

data base. It also refers a document that provides information

copied or reproduced in another document (Reitz, 2001).

NEEDS: These refer to the underlying principle restrict access

to sensitive or classified materials to persons who have an

essential and justifiable need to be informed (Reitz, 2001).

They are also the things that somebody requires in order to live

in a comfortable way or achieve what they want.

(Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

SENIOR NON-ACADEMIC STAFF: These are workers in

academic institutions who are not part of the teaching staff, but

complement the efforts of the teaching staff. They can as well

be regarded as non-tutorial staff. They perform purely

administrative functions like policy making and implementation

in an academic institution.

REFERENCES:

Abels, T.A. (2004) Application of modern technology in the

library. Nigerian library and information Science Review, 2(1)
3-4.

Anderson, G.C. (2000) Information needs and seeking Habit,

An Agro Industry Company Journal of Engineering and
Technology Management 18(2)131-155.

Adimoral, E.N. (1993) the information needs: Leading libraries

and information centers.
Library journal 1(2) 19-26.

Grey, S and Briff.M. (2001) Information seeking Behaviors in

corporate Environment. Implication for information
Delivery Library Quartvederly 161-169. Retrieved March 2,
2007 from http://pubs. Org/ articles: html

Olabisi, A. (2004) Information science. A first Approach in

Evarest C.M.(ged) technology for information management
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and services: Modern Libraries and information centers in

Developing countries 201-214

Ibadan:Evi__Colomin publications
Dervini,R.H.(1992) Introduction to Information
Technology: Use and preservation of resources in Library.
New york: Marcel.

Reitz, J.M.(2001) Dictionary for Library and information

Science: West port. Connecticut. London.