Information seeking behaviour of the professoriate in selected federal universities in southwest Nigeria

Abstract

This article is derived from a PhD awarded at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2018 that investigated information seeking behaviour of the professoriate in the social sciences and humanities in selected federal universities in southwest Nigeria. The study was a descriptive survey of the professoriate in the social sciences and humanities. An adapted questionnaire was used to collect data from 246 professors. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The results revealed that professoriate need information mainly for developing contents used for teaching and conducting research. They seek information for teaching and research in online databases and electronic journals, while depending on textbooks and printed journals. They make use mainly of laptop and desktops to access information. They frequently share research information in subscription-based and fee-based open access journals. The professoriate generally exhibit positive attitude towards electronic resources.