The Current Status of Information Literacy Instruction in University Libraries of Pakistan

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the current practices of information literacy instruction in the libraries of universities in Pakistan. The research method consisted of a quantitative approach using a structured questionnaire for empirical data collection, which was sent to the universities and degree awarding institutions recognised by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. The collected data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (SPSS version-24). Both the descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and inferential (Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney U statistic) testing were applied for analysing the data. The findings of the study show that 63% of the responding university libraries offer information literacy (IL) education mostly to new students and this ranges from basic to advanced skills. Face-to-face delivery is the most popular IL delivery method. The IL instruction appears to take place in library training rooms. The outcome of this study will help the Library and Information Sciences (LIS) schools, library associations, and universities comprehend the present status of information literacy instructions in the libraries of Pakistani universities.