LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

This study investigates the effect of open access resources on research productivity among lecturers in the Department of Educational Management, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The research explores how freely available scholarly materials impact the research output, accessibility, and efficiency of academic work. A descriptive survey research design was employed, with data collected through questionnaires distributed to lecturers. The study analyzed the extent of awareness, utilization, and challenges associated with open access resources. Findings reveal that while open access resources significantly enhance research productivity by increasing access to high-quality materials, challenges such as inadequate ICT skills and unreliable internet connectivity limit their full potential. Based on the findings, recommendations were made to improve awareness, infrastructure, and training on the effective use of open access platforms. Keywords: Open Access Resources, Research Productivity, Academic Research, University of Benin, Lecturers.

This study was designed to investigate the Availability and Utilization of ICT Tools for Virtual Learning During Covid 19 Era and Its Impact on Academic Performance. The Simple Random sampling technique was adopted to get a sample size of 101 respondents from the total population of 335 Library and Information Science Students from 100 - 400 Level in the University of Benin as at the 2022/2023 academic session. A well-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The purpose of the study was aimed at Determining the types of ICT tools used for virtual learning during the COVID 19 era in the University of Benin, Examining the level of availability of ICT tools for virtual learning during the COVID 19 era in the University of Benin, Examining the impact of virtual learning on the academic performance of undergraduates in the university of Benin during the COVID 19 era and Ascertaining the challenges of associated with the use of virtual learning during covid-19 era in the University of Benin. A total of 101 copies of questionnaires were distributed to the respondents and 81 copies were retrieved and found to be usuable, resulting to a 82% response rate. Based on the results, it was recommended that School Administration should be able to provide bandwidth for lecturers so as to be able to teach the students without any interruptions, Most lecturers doesn’t know how to navigate through the computer system to organize virtual classes. The School Administration should be able to train its staff on how to use these ICT tools well, Students and Lecturers should also be disciplined enough to focus in class when they are learning virtually, because virtual learning gives room for distractions and Students should also be able to source for an alternative when it comes to powering their devices as a result of erratic power supply, like getting a power or solar supply