Access and Use of Reference Sources and Services for Health Information among Nigerian Undergraduates: The Case of Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa Edo State

Margaret Olusola Abimbola, Moses Oladele Adeoye

Abstract


Health information is germane to undergraduates in making informed decision about their health and to adopt a healthier lifestyle. This study investigated the access and use of reference sources and services for health information among Nigerian undergraduates using Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa Edo State, Nigeria, as a case study. 123 questionnaires were retrieved out of 134 that were given out. The respondents were selected from the three colleges in the university. The data were analyzed using SPSS. It was discovered that undergraduates were aware of their need for adequate and up-to-date health information and were willing to access it in the university library. The study also established that there are barriers to adequately access health information reference sources and services in the university library. The study also affirmed the need to adequately equip the library with relevant, current and concise reference sources and other information resources that will meet the health information needs of the students. The study concluded that there is a need to train and retrain academic librarians so that they will be better positioned to offer reference services and make reference sources available in format that will be accessible and usable for the students. 


Keywords


Health information, Reference sources and services, Access to health information, Academic librarians, Samuel Adegboyega University.

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References


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