THE USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY SERVICES IN NIGERIA.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In our daily lives, information is absolutely essential. Information has become increasingly important since the middle of the 20th century as a result of societal development and quickening scientific and technological progress. Additionally, Trostnikov (1970) noted a “information explosion”—a rapid increase in a mass of diverse information. The need for scientific approaches to information and explanation of its most distinctive characteristics as a result of the information explosion has led to two significant changes in how the concept of information is understood. Initially, it was broadened to include signal exchange in the animal and plant kingdoms as well as information sharing not just between humans but also between machines, according to (Ogunsola, 2004). The quickening of change prompted by
The way people live, work, and play around the world has been significantly impacted by these emerging technologies. It is obvious that this new technological trend is posing a challenge to traditional approaches to education management and teaching and learning.
With the establishment of the first educational institution (the university of Ibadan and its library) in 1948, university libraries in Nigeria started out as significant academic components of universities, supporting teaching, learning, research, and personal development. University libraries are therefore as numerous as universities themselves. The library’s main goal is to enable unrestricted access to information given the increased reliance on ICT. The administration and implementation of a nation’s information society policies increasingly depend on libraries. based upon
In academic institutions, the university library serves as the center for learning and research activities by collecting, organizing, storing, and retrieving information.
The effectiveness of a library as a tool for education depends on how well it can meet and satisfy users’ informational needs. The information revolution is regarded as having begun in the twenty-first century. Wide-ranging innovations in higher education, like the use of digital information in learning, have been made possible by advancements in information technology. Libraries and information centers in Nigeria offer a wide variety of information resources to users, including both traditional and electronic formats of materials.
The management of libraries in Nigeria prior to the development of ICT was laborious and time-consuming, with little
flexibility is a possibility. But with the introduction of ICT in Nigeria, particularly at higher educational institutions, there is simultaneous access for many users at once, helping to close the global knowledge gap and paving the way for students’ brighter futures (Ogunsola, 2004). Information technology has successfully changed the uniqueness of information services produced in libraries. Over the past two decades, libraries have undergone significant change as a result of ICT. The expansion of knowledge and the release of human talent have both greatly benefited from technological advancement. The impact on library information resources, staff, and patrons is blatantly apparent.
Many definitions of the term “Information Technology” (IT) exist. It was referred to as the integration by Marshall (1984).
information handling through the use of computing and telecommunications; the application of technology to information generation, storage, processing, retrieval, and dissemination. It is also involved in gathering, processing, storing, and disseminating information that is textual, numerical, visual, and verbal. ICT, or information and communication technology, is a general term for information technology (IT). ICT was described by Khan (2016) as “a broad term that encompasses the gathering (acquisition), organization (packaging), storage, and retrieval (dissemination) of information, which can be in textual or numerical forms (books, documents), pictorial and vocal forms (audio-visual), or a combination of all the above (multi-media), using a combination of computers and telecommunications telephony distance learning.”
The information above makes it clear that all electronic infrastructure is included in IT in libraries. and tools used by libraries to enhance and provide efficient services. In order to encourage the sharing of shared resources, particularly library networks, such facilities typically consist of hardware, software, and communication links connecting service outlets of various libraries. According to Onyeneke (2007), a modern library must design methods that allow the contents of such documents to be quickly and effectively communicated for use in addition to keeping and preserving materials. According to Alison (2007), there is a “information explosion,” or the rapid growth of a mass of diverse information. Due to the requirement for a scientific approach to information and the clarification of its defining characteristics, two significant changes in the interpretation of the
the idea of information
One is the addition of information exchange between machines as well as between humans. Onyeneke (2007) asserts that the rate of change sparked by new technologies has had a profound effect on the world. The use of ICT in the academic library in Nigeria is justified because it provides access to learning resources, information, and knowledge that were previously inaccessible due to distance learning.
SITUATION OF THE PROBLEM
The use of ICT facilities for routine library operations has been the subject of numerous studies and opinions. ICT resources were primarily used for serials purposes and are still in use at Nigerian university libraries. The extent to which ICT is used in the workplace to accomplish desired goals depends on
ICT proficiency. As a result, this affects ICT proficiency and productivity at work. Information literacy among librarians has been the subject of extensive research. The most notable studies are those on ICT literacy among librarians in Nigerian institutions conducted by Aina (2004) and those on ICT literacy among Indian engineering professors conducted by Alhasan and Adepoju (2007). Without taking into account the impact of ICT facility availability and ICT literacy acquisition on its application for use in their professional day-to-day operations, all of these attempted to gauge the level of ICT literacy.
1.3 STUDY’S OBJECTIVES
This study’s main goal is to investigate how information technology is used in Nigerian university libraries. The following are additional study goals:
a) To determine the advantages in
the application of information technology in Nigerian university libraries.
b) To determine the extent of information technology use in Nigerian university library services.
c) To learn about the issues with the use of information technology in Nigerian university library services.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
The following queries will be addressed by this study.
What are the advantages of information technology use in Nigerian university libraries, according to a.
b. How much information technology is used in university library services in Nigeria?
What issues are there with the use of information technology in Nigerian university library services?
1.5 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER STUDIES
Administrators of university libraries will greatly benefit from this study’s knowledge of
information technology’s value in academic libraries. Administrators at universities will also benefit from it, and as a result, they will help update the information technology in their libraries. Additionally, it will be helpful to the students because it will demonstrate the efficiency of information technology in the library.
Finally, this research will provide current information for future research and citation.
1.6 THE STUDY’S SCOPE
The use of information technology in university library services in Nigeria will be the main subject of this study. The advantages and difficulties of information technology in university libraries will also be emphasized. Participants in this study will be University of Uyo students and librarians.
Limitations to the study: 1.7
This research will
be restricted to Nigerian University Libraries’ Use Of Information Technology Services. The impacts, advantages, and difficulties of information technology in university libraries will also be the scope of this study. It won’t provide solutions to the IT issues that university libraries are currently facing.
Finally, because this study will only be conducted at the University of Uyo, its results cannot be applied elsewhere without additional study.
1.8 TERM DEFINITION
Information technology is the study or application of systems for storing, retrieving, and sending information, particularly those involving computers and telecommunications.
a high-level educational facility where students pursue degrees and conduct academic research.
Library services: The tools and pursuits that libraries offer to
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