Digital information resources utilization and academic productivity among science lecturers in universities in selected states in South-South, Nigeria

The study was intended to examine the extent of digital information resources (DIRs) utilization and academic productivity among science lecturers in universities in Delta and Edo States, Nigeria. Data were collected from 84 respondents using proportionate stratified sampling technique from a population of 387 of science lecturers drawn from six universities, one from federal and two from state universities respectively in Delta and Edo States. This study adopted descriptive survey research design. Purposive sampling technique was used to select three universities each from Delta and Edo States respectively. The instrument used for the collection of data was structured questionnaire entitled “Digital Information Resources Utilization and Science Lecturers‟ Academic productivity Questionnaire (DIRUSLAPQ).” The findings revealed a high extent of use of DIRs by science lecturers in universities. The constraints encountered by science lecturers towards the utilization of DIRs in the universities are epileptic power supply, cost of online databases, lack of formal training in Internet skills among science lecturers, slow bandwidth among others. The study concluded that academic productivity among the science lecturers was moderately high and there was a significant relationship between DIR usage and academic productivity of science lecturers in the selected universities in South-South Nigeria respectively. It was recommended that provision of relevant digital information resources should remain the vision of the university management to further enhance and sustain the science lecturers to be more relevant in their teaching, research and community services to the university.