Information Needs and Information Seeking Behavior of LIS Diploma Students of Sri Lanka Library Association – Badulla Centre

Abstract

In the existing day society, there is a high demand and urgent need for access and availability of information. Information is a most important component of human life. The development and growth of an individual or a society is estimates by their level of information capacity. According to that this study mainly aimed to achieve to explore information needs and information seeking behavior of the students, who are following Diploma in Library and Information Science at Sri Lanka Library Association, Badulla Centre which is coordinating by Uva Provincial Library Service Board (UPLSB), Badulla, To identify the satisfaction level of the distance between the students’ needs and the services of UPLSB and also to discover the particular students’ problem while they are using library. This study directed by a survey method to collect data. Selected simple random sampling technique was used through self-administered questionnaire and SPSS software was used for analysis. Fifty questionnaires were distributed and forty five of them responded. End of the survey this study discovered the student’s information needs for making notes, gathering notes for assignments, to refer the recommended readings, the students’ information seeking behavior based on printed materials especially related books, the study identified the students’ satisfaction level between needs and available services is medium and also the study exposed lack of study materials and insufficient materials by medium wise especially for Tamil medium, not enough computer- internet facility to the users were the problems which are students faced. Then study suggests that, to increase the students’ satisfaction level by extend the services of UPLSB through understand their needs and wants and aware the students to develop their behavior to use other information sources, available library materials and services, library orientation programs, library should give the computer- internet facility for the users