Information Literacy Skills and Electronic Resources Usage by Lecturers in Federal Universities in North-Central Nigeria

AbstractPurpose: This study investigates information literacy skills (ILS) as a predictor of e-resource use by lecturers in federal universities in the North-central region of Nigeria.Methodology: A correlational descriptive survey was conducted among 5,185 lecturers from seven federal universities in Nigeria's North-central region. A stratified random sampling selected 60% of departments, and a disproportionate stratified sampling chose 1,065 lecturers (five per department). Data collection used adapted ILS and E-resource scales. Reliability tests showed Cronbach's alpha of 0.81 and r = 0.84 for E-resource use, indicating good reliability. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics, revealing a moderate level (2.61) of information literacy skills among lecturers, above the threshold of 2.50.old of 2.50.Findings: The primary purpose of e-resources use is to enhance research work by accessing relevant information from other disciplines, while the most frequently used e-resources were social networking sites (42.7%). A significant positive relationship (r = 0.120*; df = 1,020; P < 0.05) exists between information literacy skills and e-resources use among lecturers in federaluniversities in North-Central Nigeria.Conclusion: Lecturers' use of electronic information resources depends on their information literacy skills. Universities should provide access to e-resources and evaluate faculty development programs to improve these skills for better research and teaching.Study Type: Empirical study