Information needs and study behaviour of non- traditional students with particular reference to university libraries in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the inf ormation needs and study behaviour of non- traditional university students, university librari es’ role in information provision, how it impacts o n the academic development of the students, challenges th ey face and make recommendations on how the university libraries can improve the situation. The non-traditional students face many challenges that include lack of adequate time to study, communicati on breakdowns, inadequate information resources, lack of support from their employers or sponsors, f amily commitments and shortage of trained library personnel. Meeting the needs of non-traditional stu dents by the university libraries is essential to t he social role of the library. These can only be achie ved if university libraries adequately revamp and organize library and information services in recogni tion of their growing user needs, which include access of information in the comfort of their locat ions; whenever and wherever they are. Data was collected from the existing sources which included both print and electronic media as well as utilizin g the author’s professional experience. The study rec ommended that proper planning for non-traditional students need to be done with the urgency it deserv es in line with their growing demand for library an d information services across universities. The plann ing should be done in a way that the traditional students should not have undue advantage over the n on-traditional ones.