Information Seeking Behavior of The Undergraduate Students In The faculty of arts Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

This study examined “the information seeking behaviour of undergraduate students in faculty of Art, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.” Nigeria. It identifies the Information Needs of the undergraduate Students of Faculty of Arts Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, it also identified how undergraduate Students of Faculty of Arts Ahmadu Bello University Zaria search Information Resources, the Information Services Available in the Library to Undergraduate Students of Faculty of Arts Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, how undergraduate students of faculty of arts Ahmadu Bello University Zaria evaluate information resources, the extent of use by undergraduate Students of Faculty of Arts Ahmadu Bello University Zaria of Information Resources Available in the Library and the Challenges faced by the undergraduate Students of Faculty of Arts Ahmadu Bello University Zaria when Sourcing for Information. The research method used in this project study is survey research method. In a survey method, questionnaires are the main instrument for data collection. Frequency tables and percentages are the main tools used for data analysis. Results of the analysis showed that the shows that the undergraduate students in faculty of arts are aware of information needs and they are satisfied. It was also discovered that the high use of search methods in seeking information resources is based on the fact that it links them to other services which are domiciled on the web, some of the respondents indicated their awareness and use of different method in searching online information resources for their need if a previous search did not return with the desired information. Some of the respondents indicated their awareness and use of the following online services, electronic journals, electronic news letter, and online reference services and that the students are aware of evaluation information resources in faculty of arts and these services are been achieved with the help of librarians in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and that most undergraduate students of faculty of arts are satisfied with the information resources available in the library, but it needs to be improved and that there is significant difference among students of Ahmadu Bello University in the challenges faced when seeking information. Recommendations were proffered and some of the recommendations are: The University Library should provide training programme for undergraduate students on how to effectively search for information resources both library and web. Good relationship between the librarians and student in other for them to express their feelings. The university management should look into the undergraduate student’s curriculum and consider including a course that has to do with effective utilization of library and all e-resources provided by the university.  It is suggested that this course should be taken by all undergraduate students and it should be anchored the academic library as a core course.  More awareness should be created on the availability on Ahmadu Bello University’s institutional repository and how to effectively search for information therein. The library needs to contact the faculty to develop appropriate collections and other new digital information services that will be of benefit undergraduate students’ needs. This will motivate them in the use of library and make them efficient on their coursework. The study also recommends that Ahmadu Bello University should engage in exchange programmes with other Universities abroad to help bridge the gap of information literacy. 

 CHAPTER ONE  INTRODUCTION1.1 Background to the Study The information seeking behavior of undergraduate arts students play a vital role fordeveloping library collection. It services as well as facilities to meet the information needs of thestudents. By this  the importance  of the arts students’ information  needs to develop  skills ininformation management and the use of the information tools and databases is ultimate to theirlearning process.  Undergraduate arts students often do not know or comprehend the necessity oflearning to use the library resources available to them and do not realize that   research skills willbe a necessary part of their future practice of medical profession (Bartley, 2006). More so, theinformation needs and seeking behavior of information users general are changing due to severalfactors that affect all information users and arts students inclusive.In Information Science, information need is defined as that need originating from a vagueawareness of something missing and then culminating in locating information that contributes tounderstanding and meaning. It is an anomalous state of knowledge or a gap in an individual'sknowledge in sense making situations. For a person to experience an information need, theremust  be   a   motive   behind   it.   From  the   above   definitions,   therefore,  it   can  be   noted  that   aninformation need is recognition that one's knowledge is inadequate to satisfy a goal that is athands. The   importance   of   knowledge   and   information   remain   vital   and   crucial   for   thedevelopment   of   individual,   societies,   and   organizations.   Information   and   knowledge   areresources that  provide imprecators  for  nations, social,  cultural,  spiritual,  political,  economic,scientific and technological advancement.   Information is as all conclusions, ideas and creative1

works   of   the   human   intellect   and   imagination   that   have   been   communicated   formally   orinformally in any form. Information as meaningful communication symbols transferred betweenany two points in human communication or machine networks. Information is an indispensablefor human development as air is essential for the survival of all living organisms on earth, (Reitz,2004: Aina, 2008: Vijaya kumar and vijayan, 2011). Identification of information needs is essential to the design of information systems ingeneral and to the provision of effective information services in particular. But it has been foundto be a   difficult task  as  it is   almost an investigative  or detective  work.  In order  to identifyinformation needs one should adopt various methods to gather information on the various factorsthat influence the information needs. No single method or tool will serve entirely. A carefulselection and blending of several techniques depending on the user whose need is being studiedis necessary. In fact, the "information needs identifier" should study, prepare and equip him/herself thoroughly to perform the task of identifying information needs.  1.1.1 Searching of InformationBartley (2006), in his study of information searching activities of MIT (MassachusettsInstitute   of   Technology)   students,   provided   participants   with   instructions,   asking   them   todocument their information searching tasks for the period of one week by taking photos or screenshots and notes on what they did, and also with interview carried out with them revealed thatbrowsing collections was one valued means mentioned by students in the discovering of researchmaterials.According to the scholar, participants physically browsed library collections nine timesduring the study week, and this strategy was mentioned as important by the participants. Thestudy also revealed that, of all the tasks performed by the participants (undergraduates), only 322

percent of the methods used revealed that student relied on web-based tools such as Google,Google print, Amazon and Wikipedia for many of their information needs and 39 percent of alltasks in the study involved the use of one or more of these web-based tools (Bartley, 2006).Whitmire (2003), in his study on information seeking behaviour and epistemological beliefs ofundergraduate   students   (seniors)   at   Yale   University   established   that   epistemological   beliefsappear   to   correlate   with  information   searching   activities.   According   to   the   researcher,   mostcommon   information   searching   activities   was   citation   chaining,   browsing   stocks,   browsingjournals. He also observed that students had problems with topical searches, and that help andadvice were commonly sought from faculty, graduate students and peers (Whitmire, 2003).TheInformation Search Process Model: Kuhlthau developed this model by using Belkins  (1980)anomalous  states   of  knowledge,   Kelly’s   (1963)  phases   of   construction,   and  Taylor’s  (1968)levels of needs as theoretical bases. She defined the information search process as the user’sconstructive activity finding meaning from information in order to extend his or her state ofknowledge on a particular problem or topic.  Kuhlthau   has   conducted   empirical   studies   ofstudents’   information   seeking   behaviour   in   libraries.   Her   model   includes   six   stages:   Taskinitiation,   Topic   Selection,   Pre   focus   exploration,   Focus   Formulation,   Collection   andPresentation. This model deals with three realms common to each stage:1. The affective,2. The cognitive and3. The physical. 3

In this three stage model of search process (Kuhlthau, 1994) asserted that informationprofessionals can intervene and help the users to identify as well as solve their information needsdepending on where the users are in their seeking process.1.1.2 Information RetrievalInformation  retrieval  (IR)   is  finding  material   (usually   documents)  of   an  unstructurednature (usually text) that satisfies an information need  from within large collections (usuallystored on  computers).  Information retrieval  is  a field  concerned with  the   structure, analysis,organization, storage, searching, and retrieval of information.