SEARCH ENGINE TECHNOLOGY AND EFFECTIVE INFORMATION ACCESS AMONG POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF REV. FR. MOSES ORSHIO ADASU UNIVERSITY, MAKURDI BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examines use of search engine technology and effective information access to post graduate students of Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University. Descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population of the study consisted of 617 registered postgraduate students who are beneficiaries of information access in the library. Two research questions were generated and one null hypothesis formulated and tested. The sample size for the study consisted of 61 registered postgraduate students using proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Search Engine Technology and Effective Information Access Questionnaire (SETEIAQ)” and interviews were used as instruments for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts; two in Library and Information Science, one in Science and Mathematics Education. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained through a trial-test on thirty respondents. The test yielded Cronbach Alpha Coefficient of 0.98. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while chi-square (÷²) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study revealed that internet search skills have a statistically significant impact on the quality of information accessed by postgraduate students. The study also identified specific areas where internet services are applied for effective information access in universities, including acquisition services, catalogue/classification services, selective dissemination of information, interlibrary loan services, documentary services, circulation services, and resource sharing, with data presented in frequencies and percentages. Based on the findings, it was recommended that among others that the university should  organize regular workshops and training sessions to improve postgraduate students' internet search skills, ensuring they can effectively navigate search engines and retrieve high-quality academic information.