Information Literacy and NNRA Library

Abstract

INFORMATION LITERACY AND NNRA LIBRARY Information literacy is the ability to recognize when information is needed, how to access, evaluate, and use information from a variety of sources which may be book based or electronic, in the library or cyberspace; tacit or explicit, manual or automated and communicate it in an ethical manner in order to achieve personal, social, occupational and educational goals. In today’s world, there is the potential problem of information overload which is as a result of the availability of a wide array of information engendered by information technology available at the click of a mouse. The challenge of having to analyze information and pass value judgment on what is needed and that which is to be discarded can be tasking and without the skill of information literacy one might lose his way. In fact, eminent scholars have observed that the sheer volume of information does not automatically translate to a more informed citizenry and without the skills of information literacy; the meaning of a piece of information could be lost. To sum it up, information literacy is necessary to satisfy the need for life-long learning, updating existing knowledge and acquiring new skill set. An individual who is information literate is empowered with a skill set to determine the extent of information needed, accessing the needed information effectively and efficiently, evaluating the information and its generative source critically, incorporating the selected information piece into one’s knowledge base and lastly, using information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. The NNRA as part of its functions is empowered to provide training, information and guidance on nuclear safety and radiation protection. Most organizations in today’s world require information literacy for organizational success to enable preservation and dissemination of information hence it is pertinent that staff of the NNRA are proficient in information literacy to enable them use the library resources which have books on nuclear applications, nuclear health and medicine, radioactive waste management, emergency preparedness and response, publications of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). Also, the NNRA library houses IAEA documents such as the IAEA safety standards series aptly coded under General Safety (GS), Nuclear Safety (NS), Radiation Safety (RS), Transport Safety (TS) and Waste Safety (WS). In addition to the above mentioned resources that the library covered, the NNRA library is also a hub for non-book, and E-resources such as Hinari-Health Internetwork Access to Research Initiative, OARE-Online Access Research in the Environment and ENTRAC-Electronic Nuclear Training Catalogue.