Information-seeking Strategies Used and Challenges Encountered by Art and Design Students in Uganda When Seeking Information

Abstract

Access to relevant information is crucial for Art and Design students to meet their information needs and achieve their educational goals. This paper explores the information-seeking strategies used by Art and Design students in diplomaawarding institutions in Uganda, and the challenges they encounter when seeking information to meet their information needs. This is part of a doctoral study that investigated the information-seeking behaviour of Art and Design students in diploma-awarding institutions in Uganda. The study population comprised Art and Design students in the four Art and Design institutions, library heads in the same institutions, and directors at the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE). Data was collected using questionnaire, interview and observation methods. Data was collected from February to August 2022. The study revealed that Art and Design students use various information-seeking strategies to locate and access information. Browsing online images, photographing activities in the environment, recording videos of activities in the environment, and consulting Art and Design librarians were the most used. The least used strategies included browsing art and design collections on library shelves, using keywords, and using Boolean operators. The study found that Art and Design students encountered varied challenges when seeking information. The key challenges were lack of Internet at the institutions, inadequate and outdated information materials in the library, slow Internet, high cost of Internet data, and lack or inadequate knowledge to evaluate the quality of information on the Internet. The key recommendations included the need for Art and Design institutions to invest heavily in ICT infrastructure, including Internet connectivity, and also to develop information literacy courses for the students; the need for the NCHE prioritise monitoring of the study institutions to ensure compliance with library standards; and the need for the Government of Uganda zero-rate the Internet in the study institutions.