Practitioners Guide to Effective Internet Search Strategies for Millennial Users

Millennial users (born 1981–1996) represent a significant, digitally engaged group in academic libraries, yet their familiarity with technology doesn't consistently result in effective or critical information usage. This research explores the information-seeking behaviour of millennials at the Abdullahi Fodiyo Library Complex eLibrary and pinpoints effective online search techniques that enhance retrieval accuracy and critical assessment. Most of the ideas presented under strategies for effective Internet search were based on the authors’ experience. A mixed-methods design was employed for a descriptive survey, a hundred millennial eLibrary users were deliberately chosen to fill-out a structured questionnaire and open-ended questions over the span of two weeks. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize quantitative responses, while qualitative feedback was thematically coded to reveal search behaviours, platform choices, confidence levels, and evaluation methods. The study found that most participants, searching is a regular activity (65% daily); Google was predominant as the favourite platform for discovery, whereas library databases are still not fully utilized. Numerous users claim to have strong self-confidence in searching, yet they demonstrate poor source-evaluation skills, highlighting a disparity between retrieval capability and critical assessment. The paper concludes that library millennials, who were born from 1981 to 1996, explores the extensive world of online information on daily basis and effective training on operators and query-construction techniques must be organised. The study recommended among other things that academic libraries must instruct the millennials on practical search methods through users’ orientation course, library briefs, hands-on workshops and integrated tutorials.