Abstract

The study was designed to evaluate the informal ion literacy skills of students in Ahia Slate Polytechnic, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria. The study adopted case study and survey research designs. The study was limited to ND I to HND II students of the institution. A sample size of 87 respondents was drawn.from a total student population of about 12, 000, using the Yaro Yammane Statistical formula. The study used the questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The questionnaire was built on a 4-point Likert scale type of measurement. Out of the 387 copies of questionnaire administered, 386 (99. 74%) were returned and used for the analyses. Data were presented in tables and analyzed using the criterion mean of 2.50. The findings of the study revealed that students of Ahia Stale Polytechnic, Aba do not possess enough information literacy skills; faculty members and librarians do not take active roles in teaching information literacy; information literacy instruction is not well integrated into the curriculum of the institution. The study further revealed that the Polytechnic library does not have wide variety of IL resources/tools and "Use of library" is not taught as a separate course and taught by non-librarians. The study thus recommends integration of IL instructions into the curriculum; teaching of "Use of library" by librarians; the polytechnic library should expand its resources to include contemporary IT resources and proper blend of theory and practice in IL instructions. Keywords: Information literacy, Skills, Students, Ahia State Polytechnic.