Abstract
This study examined artificial intelligence information needs and knowledge seeking behaviour of visually impaired students in public university libraries in South-East Nigeria. Three research questions guided the study. Descriptive survey research design was used for this study. The population of the study comprised all the 172 visually impaired students in the five Federal universities in South-East Nigeria. Census study was conducted and there is no sampling for the study since the population is of a manageable number. Data for this study was collected using structured questionnaire titled “Artificial Intelligence Information Needs and Knowledge Seeking Behaviour Questionnaire” (AIINKSBQ). The face and content validity of the research instrument was established through expertjudgment. Cronbach's Alpha method was used to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire items and an overall reliability coefficient of 0.79 was obtained. The data gathered through questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation.The findings revealed that visually impaired students in South-East Nigerian university libraries have strong and diverse information needs relating to Artificial Intelligence, particularly AI technologies that can enhance independent learning and improve access to academic resources. It was also found that visually impaired students adopt a combination of assistive technologies, peer collaboration, and human support in their information-seeking behaviour. Based on the findings, it was recommended amongst others that libraries should strengthen hybrid support systems by training librarians and introducing peer-mentorship programs specifically for visually impaired students.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Information Needs, Knowledge Seeking Behaviour, University Libraries, Visually Impaired Students
Publication Date: 2026-07-31