UTILIZATION OF INTERNET FACILITIES BY LAW STUDENTS

UTILIZATION OF INTERNET FACILITIES BY LAW STUDENTS
 
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study 
Internet is a network of computers that enhance a global communication of people through shared telephone lines and other protocols. In other words, it enables companies, organization, individuals, schools and governments to share information across the world.  The World Wide Web, is one of the services of the internet, which enables users to exchange texts, graphics, picture and even sounds. The internet is a global network made up of many smaller network that enables computer user to share information and resources quickly and easily. Internet is a connection of millions of computers around the globe such that a user of one of the global village can connect another user in another part of global village. 
Internet is a world wide networks of computer and people, built upon state of the art technology, the internet makes it possible for thousands of dissimilar physical network that are not connected to one another and use diverse hardware technologies to connect and operate as single communicate system. Internet is the world infrastructure that like local area network(LAN) and individual computer to another. Every single machine and every single networks on the internet protocol (IP) number that can be used to locate it. In the essence, internet is fast growing and more domains are recorded on daily basis. One can hardly say exactly what the future of the internet will look like. Infact every thing written about the technology’s future is deemed too be inaccurate because what was said about 20 years age, may not be applicable in this present time. 
In summary, the internet has unlimited promises of uses in the future in its effects on every endeavour of life especially in the academic system. it is feared in the internet will mean less books on the shelves and more data on the electronic media. It will also mean less work in the technical and circulation departments of the library.  With the use of internet, people now send and receail electronic nails(e mails) post and receive documents, communicate with other people who share similar interest. The internet which began in the late 1960s with ARPANET an experimental wide are network created by the U.S department of defence. In the mid and late 1980s, it began a period of explosive growth as first government agencies, then academic institution and private research labs and finally co-operaiton and individual began to inter connect their computer in a network that has come to span the globe.  However, although the physical infrastructure for exchanging information existed, the higher level of organization needed it link related pieces of information across the vast network lagged behind. 
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF IMO STATE UNIVERSITY LAW LIBRARY 
When Abia state was created out of Imo state in 1991, the physical facilities of Imo state university then at Uturu were coded to Abia state as the land on which the campus was built was adjusted belong to the Uturu community in Isuikwuato L.G.A of Abia state.  Consequently, Imo State University was relocate at Owerri in 1992 and so was the college of legal studies and its law library.  Within the IMSU library system there is a law library for the college of legal studies. The law library is on a completely, separate building and quite distinct from the university library and other departmental libraries of the University. It has more than two million (2 million) volumes of books and about (100) computers that are used for research, for storing and retrieval of information in the departments.  The law library is organized with library of congress classification scheme in classifying its law materials. Presently, the library has 7 library staffs 3 professional, 3 assistance library staff and 1 adjunct law libraries and has 25 million volumes and the library also has 5 computer operators that direct students on how to make effective use of the internet facilities. 
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF ABIA STATE UNIVERSITY UTURU. 
The university was opened in 1981 at the Abia campus and law was one of the curses offered then. Law and business studies were located in Abia when the university started. By 1987, the present campus at uturu was opened and all the scattered disciplines were re-located and since then the institution has only one main library. It was the pressure for a separate law library, that the present library was established and opened in 1998. The law library is housed within the same building with the college of legal studies of the institution. When the law library was opened, the strength of its collection amounted to only 818 volume of legal collection an 80 computers for reference purposes.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS 
In recent times, the law level of utilization of internet facilities by law students as the source of material for academic research for the above institutions. Law students utilizes the internet facilities to seek information, they spent most of their times in surveying for facts by paying more money because, they find it a bit difficult to browse on different websites, page goggle, yohoo etc. While most of the law students are not computer literate, time factor is one of their major problem. This research project is designed to help law students of IMSU and ABSU to source information that are relevant to them with internet facilities.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 
The broad objective is to find out reasons why law students of IMSU and ABSU make use of the internet facilities. And also to find out if the internet facilities they use provide access to the latest resources.
1. To find out the disadvantages of internet facilities.
2. To find out the advantage of internet facilities.
3. To find out how often law students utilized the internet facilities 
4. To find out, if the internet facilities has contributed positively or negatively in their achievement.