By Peter Odeh
This research work was intended to investigate the utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by students in the five federal university libraries in North-Central Zone of Nigeria. This is with aims of ascertaining their problems and strategies for improvement. Five research questions were formulated to guide the study. It sought to find out among other things the ICT facilities available to students in university libraries, ascertain the extent to which students utilize ICT facilities in university libraries, determine the level of ICTs skills of students of the various universities under studied, find out problems encountered by students using ICT facilities of these universities and identify the strategies that could solve the problems and enhance the effective utilization of ICTs in these universities. Descriptive survey design was employed for the study and the entire population of 150 comprising of students, five university librarians and ICT specialist/system analysts was used. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire. The questionnaire, out of 150 copies of the questionnaire distributed to the respondents 140 copies were filled and returned representing 93.33% of the copies of questionnaire distributed. To analyze the data the following descriptive statistical measures were employed: frequency table, simple percentage and mean ( ). The results obtained from the findings revealed that ICT facilities are available to the students but their utilization is at average level, that students possess a wide range of ICT related skills, that ICTs have great effects on the students’ academic output, that there are factors militating against the effective use of ICTs by students, ranging from inadequate funds, poor or erratic power supply, inadequate number of effective Internet Service Providers (ISP) to lack of policy framework on ICTs in the country. Based on the findings, it was recommended that efforts should be made to place a high premium/priority on application of ICTs in the services on university libraries, that students should be encouraged to utilize ICTs in the libraries to enhance their academic output as well as Government showing more commitment in the developing of ICTs base in the country by providing grants and aids more stable power supply and cyber cafes, generating of funds internally for ICT projects, adequate training and orientation on ICTs should be emphasized. This research work was intended to investigate the utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by students in the five federal university libraries in North-Central Zone of Nigeria. This is with aims of ascertaining their problems and strategies for improvement. Five research questions were formulated to guide the study. It sought to find out among other things the ICT facilities available to students in university libraries, ascertain the extent to which students utilize ICT facilities in university libraries, determine the level of ICTs skills of students of the various universities under studied, find out problems encountered by students using ICT facilities of these universities and identify the strategies that could solve the problems and enhance the effective utilization of ICTs in these universities. Descriptive survey design was employed for the study and the entire population of 150 comprising of students, five university librarians and ICT specialist/system analysts was used. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire. The questionnaire, out of 150 copies of the questionnaire distributed to the respondents 140 copies were filled and returned representing 93.33% of the copies of questionnaire distributed. To analyze the data the following descriptive statistical measures were employed: frequency table, simple percentage and mean ( ). The results obtained from the findings revealed that ICT facilities are available to the students but their utilization is at average level, that students possess a wide range of ICT related skills, that ICTs have great effects on the students’ academic output, that there are factors militating against the effective use of ICTs by students, ranging from inadequate funds, poor or erratic power supply, inadequate number of effective Internet Service Providers (ISP) to lack of policy framework on ICTs in the country. Based on the findings, it was recommended that efforts should be made to place a high premium/priority on application of ICTs in the services on university libraries, that students should be encouraged to utilize ICTs in the libraries to enhance their academic output as well as Government showing more commitment in the developing of ICTs base in the country by providing grants and aids more stable power supply and cyber cafes, generating of funds internally for ICT projects, adequate training and orientation on ICTs should be emphasized.