EVALUATION OF ICT-BASED INFORMATION RESOURCES AND SERVICES UTILIZATION IN PRIVATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA
Abstract
The overarching goal of this study is to investigate the use of ICT-based information resources and services in private university libraries in Enugu State, Nigeria. The survey research design was used for the study, and the researcher chose 150 participants from three (3) private universities in Enugu State as study respondents using a convenient sampling method. A well-structured questionnaire was distributed to respondents, and 141 responses were retrieved and validated for the study. Data was analyzed in frequency and table formats using simple percentage, mean, and standard deviation calculations. The findings revealed that a variety of ICT facilities are available at varying levels of availability in the federal university libraries under investigation. It also demonstrates that In terms of bibliographic tools, ICT tools such as e-mails, subject gateways, e-journals, and e-books are widely used. CD-ROMs and online databases are also widely used. It also demonstrates that users believe that ICT use is beneficial because it helps to improve research. A lack of adequate budget for ICT facilities, inadequate infrastructure, a lack of upgraded ICT skill level of users, insufficient qualified staff in libraries, and software and hardware problems have all been shown to impede ICT utilization. As solutions to the problems of ICT utilization in federal university libraries in South East Asia, the study made the following recommendations: adequate infrastructure, funding, training of library staff on ICT use for research, provision of adequate electricity with backup power plant, institutional subscription.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background of the study
The library is a rapidly expanding organization, and traditional methods of maintenance are no longer dynamic and efficient for expeditions, retrieval and dissemination of information, and better service to students; the use of modern techniques has become absolutely necessary. A well-equipped computerized library will provide its students with quick and efficient services. A digital library is an automated or electronic library where activities such as accessing, sharing, and storing are performed using a computer. A university library is a library that is located in a higher institution of learning, specifically a university. Madu (2004) defined a university library as “one attached to a higher learning institution of the status of a university and that serves primarily students, faculty, and others.” who require its services. Because the university library exists to support the university’s objectives of promoting teaching, learning, and research, it is critical that it serves undergraduate, postgraduate, lecturers, and other members of the university community. The library is expected to provide information materials and services tailored to undergraduate students’ academic pursuits. The university library is strategic in providing high-quality information resources and services to postgraduate students, faculty, and research fellows. As a result, Agboola (2005) believes that university libraries are critical components of academic institutions. He went on to say that no university can claim academic excellence unless it has a good library to support its teaching, research, and public service mandates.
Similarly, the quality of a university is heavily influenced by its library. As a result of the library’s strategic position in the university system, no university can function effectively without it.
Importantly, libraries cannot exist as a single entity and rely on technology to connect their resources. The collections of these digital libraries go beyond surrogate development and include digital artifacts that cannot be represented or distributed in printed formats. Digital libraries represent a shift in electronic content, allowing libraries to apply a growing range of information technology to the management of print information collections. The emergence of the World Wide Web, with all applications for scholarly communication, is perhaps the most significant symbol of this shift.
The new role of databases in computational science. The term “e-library” refers to information that can be accessed via the Internet. E-libraries, unlike traditional libraries, are not constrained by geography or time. With the advent and application of information technology, libraries have evolved. They have taken on the role of educators, teaching users how to find, evaluate, and use information in the library as well as over electronic networks. Users are expected to develop information literacy skills as the use of e-libraries grows. According to Julien (2002), these skills will enable users to make efficient and effective use of information sources. As a result, information literacy is becoming increasingly important (especially amongst students).
Meanwhile, the adoption of information and communications technology, as well as its use as an enabler, has been more slowly introduced. Despite calls for “virtual libraries,” Nigerian university libraries are still seen as primarily book storage facilities. The development and implementation of information technology in Nigerian university libraries is still a work in progress, owing to the country’s severe lack of basic infrastructure, which has hampered development in most areas.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The use of information and communication technology (ICT) has become an essential component of many university libraries around the world. It is used to find journal articles, access reference materials, conduct research, and send e-mail (Aina, 2010). When used effectively, it translates into efficient user service delivery, which leads to improved access to information, enhanced educational development, an improvement in the status of Nigerian libraries, digitization of local content, and library space conservation. When ICT is not used or is used inefficiently, it leads to inefficient and poor user service delivery; it also affects the role of university libraries as sources of learning, education, innovation, and research for social development, as well as a vehicle of communication. Customers on
Students who are unfamiliar with the routine of its use will be frustrated and anxious, as well as exhibit avoidance behavior, on the other hand, will suffer continuous frustrations as a result of lack of ICT utilization, even when used; (Okiy, 2010). Users of the university library will be discouraged from seeking academic assistance in the library. The implication is that students and other researchers will miss out on critical information that could have helped them become better scholars. Others may abandon the library in order to use a cyber café to access information on the internet via other available websites for current academic resources.
Despite these advantages and disadvantages of poor ICT utilization for user services in university libraries, to the best of our ability, According to the researcher’s knowledge, university libraries in Nigeria, specifically private university libraries in Enugu State Nigeria, continue to use ICT at a low level in providing user services. Although several scholars have written on the use of ICT in university library services, none have specifically targeted federal university libraries in Nigeria’s South Eastern region. Thus, the purpose of this research is to determine the utilization of ICT in user services of federal university libraries in South Eastern Nigeria, with a specific focus on the examination of the availability of ICT facilities; the extent of ICT utilization, users’ perception of benefits derived; problems associated with ICT utilization, and strategies for containing the problems associated with ICT utilization in user services of university libraries.
- Objective of the study
The study’s overarching goal is to investigate the use of ICT-based information resources and services in private university libraries in Enugu State, Nigeria. The study specifically seeks:
Examine the ICT facilities available for providing user services in Enugu State’s private university libraries.
Investigate the extent to which ICT is used in the user services of private university libraries in Enugu State.
Determine users’ perceptions of the benefits of ICT use in user services at private university libraries in Enugu State.
Investigate the issues associated with the use of ICT in the user services of private university libraries in Enugu State.
1.4 Research Question
The study will be guided by the research questions listed below.
What ICT resources are available to provide user services in Enugu State’s private university libraries?
To what extent are ICT facilities used in the user services of Enugu State’s private university libraries?
What are users’ perceptions of the benefits of using ICT in user services at private university libraries in Enugu State?
What are the issues surrounding the use of ICT in the user services of private university libraries in Enugu State?
1.5 Significance of the study
The study’s findings would be useful to the following groups of people: university administrators, university librarians, other library staff, students, faculty members, educational research institutes, information technology researchers, and so on. As a result of these findings, university librarians will identify relevant aspects of library services that are deficient and require improvement. It will also help them save money, time, and resources when providing services to clients through ICT. This study will help academic librarians recognize the value of using ICT to provide user services in university libraries. Other library personnel (Para-professionals) will have practical functional knowledge and an understanding of the role of ICT in achieving information access. As a result of this discovery, students and faculty members will grow. more faith in the library’s ability to meet their research and academic needs. Finally, the study will add to the existing literature and serve as a resource for students and scholars interested in conducting additional research on a related topic.
1.6 Scope of the study
The scope of this study is limited to the study of ICT utilization in user services, excluding other sections of the university library such as cataloguing and classification sections, acquisition, and so on, with a specific focus on the examination of the availability of ICT facilities; extent of ICT utilization, users perception of benefits derived; and problems associated with ICT.
1.7 Limitation of the study
Every human endeavor is confronted with a constraint at some point, and this study was no exception. The researcher encountered some constraints while conducting this study, including time constraints, financial constraints, and the respondents’ attitudes. There was also the issue of researcher bias. In this case, the researcher had some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was subsequently interpreted. The possibility of all of this influencing the findings and conclusions cannot be overstated. Furthermore, the study’s findings are restricted to the sample population (Librarian, Library Staff, and Students) in the study area (Private). Universities in Enugu State), so the study’s findings may not be applicable to other schools, local governments, states, or countries around the world.
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