INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION LITERACY AND DIGITAL RESOURCE ON RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE LECTURERS AT DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY, ABRAKA.

Abstract

Research productivity is a key indicator of academic success, reflecting scholars’ contributions to knowledge advancement through publications, innovative ideas, and impactful outputs. This study examines the influence of information literacy and digital access to resource access on the research productivity of Library and Information Science lecturers at Delta State University, Abraka. The study is guided by three research objectives while employing descriptive design with a population of 24 lecturers from the department, and census sampling technique was adopted in the administration of the research instrument. Descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviation, were applied to analyse the data, with a criterion mean of 3.00. The findings revealed that lecturers exhibited a high level of information literacy and had significant access to digital resources, which supported their engagement in research, teaching, and professional development. Despite their high research productivity, challenges such as limited access to specialized resources, poor internet connectivity and inadequate funding impacted their ability to fully leverage these resources, particularly in securing grants and publishing. The study recommends that the university improve access to digital resources, enhance infrastructure, support grant applications and book publishing, and increase funding for subscriptions and internet connectivity