Female university students are at the age of active sexual life, but desire to delay becoming mothers, thus making the provision to them of correct and timely information on contraception crucial. This study aims to investigate the level of awareness and information behaviour on contraception among Nigerian female university students. Using simple random sampling to select participants from the university’s nine colleges at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria, a total of 800 questionnaires were administered, of which 91.6% were duly completed. The findings showed that awareness of contraception among respondents was 95.2%; the most known contraceptive methods were the male condom, oral pills and injectables; most respondents (80.7%) first learnt of contraception at secondary school. Respondents’ most frequent sources of contraception information were friends, television and magazines/newspapers, but their most preferred sources were physicians/health workers, parents and university lectures/lecturers. The major barriers faced in seeking information on contraception were inability to get reliable and accurate information, lack of time and fear of embarrassment. Measures to increase the adoption of contraception among female students must take cognizance of their preferred sources of information to deliver correct and adequate information about contraceptive methods.

Purpose -This study aims to investigate the extent and level of internet access and use among scientists at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye, Nigeria, its impact on their academic activities and the constraints faced in internet use. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire survey with all the 125 scientists in the Faculty of Science of OOU was conducted between March and April, 2009. This was supplemented with interview and personal observations. Demographic data, pattern of internet use, impact of internet on academic activities and problems faced when using internet were assessed. Data analysis was by simple descriptive statistics. Findings -The use of internet use was widespread (100 per cent) among the scientists with the majority (43.6 per cent) using it every day, and mean internet use experience being 6.3 years. The majority of respondents (64.5 per cent) accessed the internet from a commercial cybercafé followed by homes (49.1 per cent). Most of the respondents (59.2 per cent) acquired internet use skills through colleagues and friends and 32.7 per cent on their own by trial and error. The respondents used internet mostly for communication, research and updating knowledge. Email was the most popular internet service, while Google, followed by Yahoo and Scholar Google, were the most used search engines. The majority of the scientists (67.3 per cent) prefer getting information from the internet, while less than one-third (30 per cent) still prefer the traditional library. More than half of the respondents (53.6 per cent) were not using library free full text online resources such as AGORA and HINARI, and most of the respondents spent 5,001 to 7,500 Naira (USD33 to 50) monthly for internet use. The scientists believed that the internet has enhanced their academic activities by generally holding very positive opinions on the contribution of internet to their job performance. The major constraints faced by the scientists in using internet were the epileptic power supply with 60.0 per cent response followed by slow internet connection/speed (57 per cent) and inadequate institutional internet facilities (49.1 per cent). The findings of the study have revealed the need for the university to improve on its internet infrastructures and effective user education among the scientists for the maximal benefit from utilization of internet. Practical implications -This study contributes to the body of knowledge in expanding the literature on internet use. It has also profoundly contributed to policy making and planning and it has indicated the need for the university policy makers to provide internet access for the scientists in their offices, library and e learning centres. Originality/value -This paper has provided useful empirical data on the usage of internet by the scientists in OOU, Ago Iwoye. The results of this study should assist the university management and the library administrators in OOU and also other universities in the country on how to improve on the provision of internet services.

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to review the current state of research on the various biological agents that could cause deterioration of paper materials and possible intervention strategies against these biotic agents in the tropics. Design/methodology/approach-Recent literature in the tropics is reviewed to gain insight into the problems that confront libraries in the tropics as regards the biological deterioration of library materials. Findings-The paper identifies moulds as the most important biodeteriorating agents of library materials. In addition to destroying, disfiguring and staining books, the moulds have been linked to numerous adverse human health effects that fall into three categories: allergic, toxic and infectious. The other biological agents include bacteria, insects and rodents. The important insects in tropical environment are cockroaches and termites. The warm humid tropical conditions and dirty environment trigger/promote biodeterioration processes and make book deterioration to be more pronounced in the tropics than in the temperate regions. Research limitations/implications-Physical visits to the libraries were not carried out and the conclusions reached were based on evidence from scientific literature on the subject in the tropics. Practical implications-A very useful source of information on how to curb the menace of biological agents against the destruction of library materials in the tropics. These include training programmes for library staff on conservation and preservation of library collections, the creation of awareness on the issue among library users, the adoption of good house keeping practices and modification of storage environment to make them unsuitable for the biodeteriogens. It is recommended that libraries and archives in tropical countries should have preservation guidelines and integrated pest management teams and should also cooperate with scientists in relevant disciplines to be able to find lasting solutions to the problem of biodeterioration of library materials. Originality/value-This paper looks into the neglected area of biological deterioration of papers which is the main information carrier in libraries. It provides very useful and practical suggestions that libraries in the tropics could adopt to tackle the menace of biological agents.

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The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic forced many academic institutions to shift from face-to-face classroom to online classes. This study investigates the adoption and perception of online learning under the COVID-19 outbreak among undergraduates of library and information science (LIS). Using descriptive survey approach, total enumeration technique was used to enlist all undergraduates (457 students) of LIS as participants. A structured questionnaire tagged "perception of adoption of online learning among LIS students" was administered to participants using online Telegram polls within a period of two weeks in February 2021. The findings revealed that 98.5% of respondents used their mobile phones for online classes, the most used learning platforms being telegram (79.05%) and zoom (33.0%). Those that rated their learning achievement 'good' comprised 75.5%, and 72.9% were satisfied to varying degrees with online classes, but just 19.0% of respondents expressed preference for only online lectures, while majority (44.4%) preferred hybrid mix of traditional classroom and online learning. The students considered learning from any location any time and time management as the major advantages of online learning, while inadequate infrastructure/lack of suitable devices, unstable internet connection and extra financial burden for internet data were the major identified disadvantages. The paper concludes by recommending key steps to be taken by university authorities, governments and other relevant stakeholders to make online teaching more familiar and acceptable to the students.