Personal information management practices of students and its implications for library services

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this study is to investigate the personal information management (PIM) practices of students and its implications for library services at the University of Ghana.Design/methodology/approach – This was a survey research, and questionnaires were administered to 150 students across their various programs of study. Questionnaire design was based on the literature reviewed and research objectives.Findings – Results showed that, format, skills, size of collection, memory, and habits accounted for diverse PIM practices among students. Among the major drawbacks were inadequate skills, information fragmentation, inappropriate habits, and imperfect memory. These aspects when improved, would enhance the effectiveness of students' PIM practices tremendously.Research limitations/implications – The study adopted the PIM framework developed by James and Teevan and focused on the core activities of PIM namely: keeping, organizing and re‐finding. In order to provide a fair rounded picture of the PIM s...