Access to and Use of Information Centres among Scientists at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Crops Research Institute, Kumasi, Ghana

The study investigated the access to and use of information centres among scientists at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), Kumasi, Ghana. The study aimed at ascertaining the level of access to and use of information centres among scientists. The research design for the study was a study case. Questionnaire and interview schedule were used to collect data from 73 scientists and 3 library staff respectively. The study revealed that scientists used information centres but at a minimal rate, accessibility was unlimited. They would however use it more if the centre is well resourced with competent personnel, equipment and current and relevant materials. In addition, scientists use the centre for research purposes and prefer to use journals to other type of materials. The study recommended that scientific information centres should subscribe to current electronic journals, procure modern equipment and also train the staff of the information centres to encourage high patronages of the centres by the scientists. In addition, networking of information centres should be encouraged since no library or information centre can solely cater for the information needs of scientists