Availability and Utilization of Electronic Information Databases by Staff of the Agricultural Complex, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

The study was undertaken to determine the Availability and Utilization of Electronic Information Database by Staff of the Agricultural Complex, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. A survey method was used for the study. Stratified sampling method was used to select 209 respondents to accommodate the different strata of the subjects involved in the study. The study revealed that all the libraries and information centers subscribe to various CD-ROMs and Online databases. The study also recorded a high percentage of the respondents use electronic databases frequently. Reason for utilization of electronic information databases include; research work, to update knowledge in their field of interest and Current awareness. A number of factors that affect the provision and use of electronic information resources in the Agricultural Complex such as, power outages, slow Internet services and insufficient computers were highlighted. The study concluded that greater publicity need to be given to the many and varied sources of research information available, especially those that are available at no cost, so that more researchers become aware and make use of them. Samaru Journal of Information Studies Vol. 8 (1) 2008: pp. 44-53