+44 330 818 7254Akua Asantewaa Aforo and 2Richard Bruce Lamptey
Understanding information, seeking behaviour is of great significance to libraries and publishers. This study therefore investigated the information needs and the information seeking behaviour of lecturers in the Faculty of Law, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Open and closed ended questions on information selection, type of and purpose for seeking information, and problems involved in seeking information were administered to the Law Lecturers. Significant differences in measured parameters were assessed with Pearson’s Chi-square test using Graph Pad Prism version 5.00. Results indicated that the primary purpose for seeking information was; to obtain useful materials for research work (75%), background reading (62.5%), and keeping updated with knowledge in their field of specialization (56.3%). Law Reports, Law Journals, and Textbooks (93.8%, 81.3%, and 81.3% respectively; p<0.0001) were said to be the most useful source of information. Preference for information access was mainly electronic resources (p≤0.001). The majority (68.8%) of Lecturers sought for information daily. All Law Lecturers saw the Sir Arku Korsah Law Library as an important place for seeking information; there is a positive correlation between adequacy of library materials and frequency of library visits. The information needs of Law Lecturers were diverse but the Law Lecturers relied greatly on law reports, law journals and textbooks. Information professionals could analyze these findings and design, develop, and introduce new library information services for lecturers.
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