Information Literacy Skills among Undergraduate Students at Colleges in Sindhudurg District: A Study

Abstract

The present research study evaluates information literacy skills among undergraduate students at colleges in Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra. The objectives of this study are to assess students' ability to recognize information needs, search and evaluate information resources, and understand the ethical use of information. A total of 118 students were selected using a simple random sampling method for this study. The researcher employed a descriptive survey in this study. The researcher used a structured questionnaire to collect the data from students. The data gathered from students were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentages. The findings of the study revealed that the information literacy skills among undergraduate students were good, with a mean score ranging from 3.63 to 3.73 for the four dimensions. The undergraduate students were successful in identifying the information needs and finding the needed information, evaluating information sources, and responsibly using information. Their main confidence is in the use of library databases, their ability to narrow down search results, the authors' credentials, and their ability to cite sources. However, there are still gaps in the areas of identifying scholarly sources, comprehension of plagiarism, use of OPAC, and use of citation styles..