Awareness and Utilization of Online Databases by University Lecturers in Nigeria: A Case of Federal University of Technology, Minna

Abstract

The study investigates the awareness and utilization of online databases by university lecturers in Federal University of Technology, Minna Specifically five purposes guided the study. It adopted a descriptive survey design and had a sample size of two hundred and sixty (260) respondents made up of all the teaching staff from the eight (8) schools in the university, as at July.2016. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select respondents from all the schools in the University. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analysed using. frequency count and simple percentage and mean score. The findings of the study revealed that: that majority of the respondents are aware of and use Ebscohost and HINARI online databases, Science direct and Scopus online databases,TEEAL andOARE online databases. The findings also shown that majority have never used cellpress, TEEAL and OARE online databases. The findings revealed that effective use of online databases for teaching and research makes teaching activities more efficient, enhancing their teaching skills, making teaching and research easier. improving teaching abilities, providing access to teaching materials, The findings also revealed that challenges in using online database include poor or erratic power supply, acute shortage in availability of personal computer, passwords restriction. And slow network. Finally, this study recommended among others that the university library management needs to speed up action on encouraging and supporting academics more importantly on the issue of use of online databases.