INTERNET RESOURCES AND INFORMATION LITERACY OF HEARING AND SPEECH IMPAIRED STUDENTS IN NIGERIAN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

摘要

Purpose: This study examined the impact of Internet resources on information literacy of hearing and speech impaired students in Nigerian academic libraries. Three research questions and three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Mean and standard deviation was used to test the research questions and dependent t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.5 level of significance. Design: Survey research design was used in the study. The population of the study was 33 hearing and speech impaired students in four Universities in Nigeria. Purposive sampling technique was adopted in the study. A structured questionnaire titled "Internet Resources and Information Literacy of Hearing and Speech Impaired Students (IRILHSIS)" was developed and used to collect information from the respondents. Practical implications: The result indicates a significant influence of Internet resources on information literacy of hearing and speech impaired students. Hearing and speech impaired students were able to use the Internet resources to access information resources and services in libraries, access library homepage and newly acquired information resources, send and receive messages, access graphical, audio and video information resources and carry out collegial interaction in discussion groups where educative materials and ideas are disseminated among themselves. The result evidently showed that their disabilities were not a barrier to information access and retrieval as Internet facilitates the identification and use of e-resources of the library. Value: The study concludes that the provision of Internet resources by Universities in Nigeria will enhance information search, location, retrieval and use of information by hearing and speech impaired students. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that in order for these students not to suffer deprivation, universities in Nigeria should provide, sustain and make accessible functional Internet services and resources to the hearing and speech impaired students.