Search

The study investigated computer literacy skills as a determinant of electronic reference sources utilization among selected secondary school students in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria. Four specific objectives with conforming research questions guided the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprises of SSS3 students of the three selected Community Secondary Schools in Ado Odo Ota. A sample size of 150 was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was a self-developed structured questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using frequency and percentages. Findings of the study revealed that majority of secondary school students were not aware of the availability of electronic reference sources. It also revealed that the level of their computer literacy skills was below average. Majority of them have never used computer before and the few of them that have used computer before used it in their homes, their friend's homes or in the cyber café. It was found that lack of formal training on the use of electronic reference sources, lack of access to computer, lack of awareness of availability of electronic reference sources, lack of funds for internet subscriptions, over dependency on printed reference sources and lack of motivation to use electronic reference sources were the major hindrances to the use of electronic reference sources among secondary school students. It was recommended that the school librarians and teachers should play a role in creating awareness among secondary school students about the availability of online/electronic reference sources among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kenneth Dike Library and the Nigeria National Archives are especially rich in ancient collections, particularly those unique to southwestern Nigeria, home to many people of the Yoruba extraction. These facilities house print and non-print materials such as personal notes and written collections of prominent persons, old manuscripts, ancient and modern maps, journals, and old Yoruba newspapers. Many of these print materials, especially the newspapers, are deteriorating. In a bid to prolong shelflife, access to these old materials is limited. As newspapers serve as gateways to the past, this restricted access can impact the research experience of users. The paper begins by presenting the project framework, which was designed before the project began. It goes on to detail the nuances involved in the several stages of the digitisation process and considers the aftermath of digitising the papers in terms of ownership, storage, backup, and access. This project revealed two things: first, though digitisation solves the problem of access and preservation, it is still necessary to preserve the original materials to prevent loss due to technical issues. Second, funding, and international partnership work hand in hand with digitisation, as it is a capital-intensive activity. Last, the paper contributes to the ongoing debates on the cultural, and socio-political discourses entwined with the technical processes of digitisation. The highlighted project was sponsored by the European Research Council (ERC) in collaboration with local partners. The website, https://yorubaprints.wordpress.com/yoruba-erc-project/ raises awareness for the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated Effects of Weeding Strategies on Information Resources Management Among Public Libraries in North-Central States of Nigeria, the researcher observed that Every library's print collection is limited by the space available, and collections must change over time to reflect changes in the community and in the library's goals, as result, five (5) research questions and objectives were formulated with respect to how unwanted information resources managed, shelf-time period of information resources, effects of weeding on library organisation and services and the challenges of weeding in public libraries. Survey research method was adopted for the study and staff in the circulation, technical, reference, readers and collection development units of the public libraries in Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) constituted the population of the study. Data were collected using questionnaire and observation, frequency tables and simple percentages were used to analyse the data collected for the study. The study found among others that public libraries in north-central states of Nigeria keep obsolete information resources in store rooms, basic tasks in library management include the acquisition, classification of acquired materials, preservation of materials (especially rare and fragile archival materials such as manuscripts), are affected by weeding activities. The study concluded that every library will have its own method for handling books pulled for discard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was meant to examine electronic theses and dissertations' development in Nigerian federal university libraries. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study population comprised forty-eight institutional repository librarians in eighteen Nigerian federal university libraries. The sample consisted of forty three librarians. A questionnaire was used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed with mean and standard deviation. Findings reveal that the policies available for developing electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) in the libraries require submission of electronic copies of theses and dissertations by students, participation of digital/IR librarians in ETD development and provision of free access to ETDs; the libraries comply with standards of Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting and Search/Retrieval via URL using DSpace for building ETDs and taking advantage of such available ICT facilities as computers, scanners, CD-ROM, LAN, internet connectivity and printer. The libraries achieve ETD through digitisation, mandating submission of electronic versions of TDs by students and creation of IR. However, the process is hindered by technological obsolescence, financial problems, absence of clearly-defined ETD development policy, required ICT facilities and trained staff, copyright, irregular power supply and unstable internet connectivity. This study represents a fresh empirical investigation into electronic theses and dissertations' development in federal university libraries in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a comparative study in which researchers analyzed the relationship between the level of study conducted by student library users and the extent of use of library resources by these students in Nigerian universities in 2004-2005. Researchers were interested in gathering this information in order to help university libraries manage their facilities and resources. Other topics discussed include the value and scope of the research, the implications of the study on Nigerian university library collections, and the recommendation that libraries promote their available resources to capitalize on their collections.

Physically challenged students are entitled to all the support necessary to succeed in their academic pursuits. However, the reality in developing countries, particularly Nigeria, is that little attention is often paid to physically challenged students. This study examined the influence of information resources and library services provision on the perceived academic achievement of physically challenged students in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quantitative survey research method. A structured questionnaire was adopted as the instrument for data collection. The study population comprises of 348 physically challenged students from Cheshire Special School Ijokodo, Ibadan, Oyo State. Total enumeration was used due to the manageable size of the population. The findings show that the level of availability of information resources in the library is above average (mean = 2.76) It was also found that library services available to the student is above average (mean = 3.07). Furthermore, hypotheses testing revealed that availability of information resources (β=0.420, t=3.690, p<0.05) and school library services (β=1.008, t=6.297, p<0.05) have a significant have positive influence on the perceived academic achievement by the students. The study, therefore, concluded that the library can serve as a veritable evidence of the importance of school libraries in special education and recommends that other schools also embrace the establishment school libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated how librarians working in various university libraries in Kwara State, Nigeria, adopt and use artificial intelligence. The study raised four research goals as well as four research questions. A descriptive survey method and random sampling techniques with 450 randomly selected librarians from Kwara State Universities, Nigeria, were used for the research. Five research assistants were trained on how to contact respondents and secure their consent before distributing the structured questionnaire designed by the researcher, who assisted in the tool distribution process. The researcher was able to retrieve 410 copies of the 450 questionnaires that were given to the respondents. However, the rate of return was 91%, which is a respectable amount. A self-designed questionnaire was used to elicit responses from the respondents, and a simple percentage was adapted for data analysis. The results showed that there was little adoption of AI in university libraries in Kwara State, Nigeria. The research also reveals that security scanning devices at the entrances and exits of university libraries are the most prevalent AI systems, while other AI systems such as bots, chatbots, face recognition, touch recognition, RFID technologies, humans, AI classification tools, machine-readable catalogs, and not smart AI features are still missing from the Kwara State University libraries. A self-designed questionnaire was used to elicit responses from the respondents, and a simple percentage ratio was adapted for data analysis. The findings revealed that AI has received minimal attention in university libraries in Kwara State, Nigeria. According to the study, the most common AIs are security scanning equipment at university library entrances and exits, followed by robotics, chatbots, face recognition, and touch recognition. RFID technologies, humanoids, AI classification tools, machine-readable catalogs, and AI smart features are still lacking in Kwara State's university libraries. The results of this study also indicate that librarians in a university library are aware of the many ways in which artificial intelligence can be applied to provide services. The results of the study indicate that obstacles to adoption include significant disruption caused by artificial intelligence in traditional library services, a lack of skills and a need for training prior to adoption, irregular power supply, and a lack of adequate infrastructure for adoption, among other problems. The study recommended the need to organize training for librarians to enhance their skills in using artificial intelligence to provide services, and the university administration and libraries should commit and provide the necessary support for the adoption of artificial intelligence by providing the necessary infrastructure to ensure its rapid implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Library resources and services are essential in postgraduate studies to conduct a successful research, demonstrate academic scholarship and gain recognition for creative thinking. However, observations and frequent requests for assistance from library personnel by postgraduate students reveal low use of library resources. Hence, this study evaluated the use of library resources and services as correlates of research activities among postgraduate students in southwest Federal Universities, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted for the study. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 378 respondents for the study. Data were collected with the use of a structured questionnaire and focus group discussion on library resources and services supporting postgraduate research, frequency of using library resources and services on research and constraints to the use of library resources and services. Frequency counts, percentages, mean, standard deviation was used to analyse the data. Results reveal that textbooks (... = 2.96), World Wide Web (... = 2.80) and e-books (... = 2.76) were the major resources used by the respondents while journal (... = 3.12), books (... = 3.61) and e-books (... = 3.35) were frequently used. Also, reference (x = 2.85) and Wi-Fi services (... = 2.75) were common library services used by the postgraduate students while Wi-Fi services (... = 3.17), referral services (... = 3.16) and user education (... = 3.10) were frequently used library services. Insufficient internet access points (... = 2.93), power outage (... = 2.87), and obsolete books (... = 2.85) were the major constraints' of use of library resources. The study concluded that the use of library resources and services is crucial in postgraduate studies in order to achieve their academic objectives. The study, therefore recommended that provision and preservation of library resources should be given more attention in the universities, while library services should be improved upon for better service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated user satisfaction as a predictor to library patronage among undergraduate students in Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. The instrument used was a self-developed questionnaire by the researchers. The questionnaire validation was subjected to the scrutiny of the experts in the areas of the variables studied; it gave a reliability coefficient of 0.855 (85.5%) for library patronage and 0.837 (83.7%) for user satisfaction. A response rate of 100% was achieved. Data were analyzed using descriptive (percentage, mean, average mean and standard deviation) and inferential (Pearson Product Moment Correlation) statistics. The study revealed a significant relationship between library patronage and user satisfaction (r = 0.000c, N = 100, P < 0.05) among undergraduate students in Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State. The study concluded that adequate customer care services from the library staff would increase undergraduate students' library patronage. It is recommended that university management in conjunction with the university library management should ensure adequate provision of relevant and current information resources for the students use in the library. Also, the library management should endeavor to proffer solution(s) to most of the issues that militated the effective usage of the university library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looked at the current global paradigms in cataloguing and the significance and difficulties for library adoption in developing countries like Nigeria. The paper employed a four-sturdy approach to explore the subject. The first approach to the paper put forward the concept of library in the 21st century. The second approach focused on the dimension of information and communication technology in cataloging and the latest modern cataloging practices. The third approach compared cataloging practices in advanced countries with Nigeria, while the last approach expatiated the significances, problems, and methods for libraries in Nigeria to espouse. The paper enumerated some problems and methods that libraries in Nigeria and other emerging countries in Africa can embrace for instance, sufficient funding, adequate staff training, adequate provisions and prompt maintenance of infrastructure, elimination of corrupt practices, and so on. Although a lot of literature has appeared on the problems of ICT diffusion to library operations and management in Nigeria, only a few significant doable and practical strategies have been identified for solving the problems. The writer proffered the utilization of the latest development to cataloguing initiatives and suggested the adoption of new and workable strategies for the effective application of ICT to cataloguing operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the experience of academic libraries on handling of book donations and gifts with strings or conditions attached. This study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The study population consisted of eighteen (18) academic libraries from public and private universities in South-West, Nigeria. Purposive sampling techniques was adopted to select librarians who are in charge of Collection Development of their respective libraries. Descriptive statistics involving frequency and percentage distribution were used for data analysis. The findings of the study revealed that individuals 13(72.2%) are the major source of donations with strings attached and further revealed that 6(33.3%) indicated that the string attached by donors is mostly dictating where the donated materials should be stored or displayed. The study concludes that library managements should publish the library's policy on gifts and donations and also should not hesitate to reject donations that have stringent conditions attached that may be difficulty to abide by and accept donations that will not have strings attached in a bid to provide information to users but should always ensure good quality, recency and relevance of such materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource sharing is nothing but sharing of library resources by certain participating libraries among themselves on the basis of the principle of co-operation for library management. This is applicable in sharing of documents, manpower, services, space and equipments. Increasing cost of books and subscribing periodicals, high cost of new technology for information processing and dissemination are some of the fundamentals factors which require information resource sharing among the libraries and information centres through the use of Information and Communication Technologies. Resource Sharing aids to overcome the limitations like enormous cost of purchase, bibliography handling and storage of material as a result of the exponential growth in the information produced. The paper concludes that government should earmark appropriate funds for the purchase of information technologies facilities needed by libraries for resource sharing. The work further recommends that libraries should formulate effective policies that will ensure library resource information sharing is properly conducted for library management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School libraries have been seen as parts of the most effective ways of renewing education because of their roles in transforming changes in children's reading abilities in which girls and boys everywhere are meant to learn how to read and write. As such, one of the significant purposes of the school library is to aid students develop love for reading, and to promote reading culture among its users. This implies the need to create the awareness of information resources, the need to read not only textbooks, but also to engage in creative, leisurely, and pleasurable reading. However, the paper discussed the challenges and proffered solutions to the challenges inhibiting the roles of school library in the education of Nigerian Child in Africa. The work concluded that the school media resource centre plays a major role in facilitating the teaching and learning of reading through the use of school library resources and irrespective of location, school media resource centre remains an integral part of the school system and a fundamental impetus to effective teaching. Therefore, government of Nigeria and other African countries and every school should endeavour to establish school media resource centre or expand the existing school library to accommodate multimedia resources for adequate learning of the African Child [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every activity that is being done and carried out in the library is aimed at delivering services to the users and the community that is hosting the library. The services that libraries render cannot be overemphasized especially the Academic library. Their advantages are numerous and help towards the growth and development of the society. Libraries have continued to evolve since its operation, and the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has changed alot about librarianship all over the world. Many new concepts are being introduced, yet, not without their challenges and prospects. No academic library is devoid of challenges; these challenges can make or mar the potentials that academic libraries offer if not properly managed. This paper traced the challenges and prospects of library and Information Services in Academic libraries in Nigeria. It started from the period of pre-colonial era, colonial era, independence era, post independence era and the 21st century era. This study also identified the origin of Library and Information Services (LIS) in Nigeria, the stages of development of LIS in Nigeria, and the prospects that Library and Information Services have in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated information security management for sustainable learning among information professionals in public universities in Rivers State, Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The population consists of the 49 information professionals in the three universities in Rivers State. University of Port Harcourt (20), Rivers State University (19) and Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (11) respectively. A sample size of 49 information professionals in the three universities representing 100% of the population served as respondents. Census sampling technique was used for the study. In doing this, all the information professionals that make the population were used. A 12-item questionnaire was used for data collection. Cronbach alpha statistics was used to obtain 0.77 reliability. The mean scores and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while the z-test statistics was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The result amongst others revealed information professionals in both Federal and State Universities disseminate information through social media networks to delivering personalized information resources to clients and through Quick Response (QR) codes which easily direct users to desired websites to save time for sustainable learning,. Meanwhile, information professionals do not disseminate information through online reference services technology, personal space, online Video-on-Demand (VOD) system and Online Public Access Catalogues where library users are able to retrieve and access information resources in a timelier manner. It was recommended that, Universities institutions should check and reform their information dissemination system to start applying online reference services technology, personal space, online Video-on- Demand (VOD) system and Online Public Access Catalogues where library users are able to retrieve and access information resources in a timelier manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the utilization of library resources and services by academic staff of Federal College of Education (special) Oyo, Oyo state, Nigeria. The participants included all the academic staff of the college from the seven schools. In terms of geographical scope, the study was limited to Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo. Descriptive survey design was adopted. The study population comprised 415 academic staff of the college. Total enumeration technique was employed and the instrument used to obtain data from the respondents was a selfconstructed questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation was used in analyzing the data. Findings of the study showed that textbooks (251, 75.5%, mean = 1.89), journals (237, 71.0%, mean = 1.71), dictionaries (231, 69.2%, mean = 1.59) and newspapers (187, 56.0%, Mean = 1.37) were the most prominent types of library information materials available. It was reported that majority of the respondents were aware of the availability of the information materials but not aware of the availability of e-books (133, 39.8%), e-journals (119, 35.6%), audio-visual materials (105, 31.4%), manual (67, 20.1%) and assistive listening devices (67, 20.1%). In addition, the respondents used library information materials for research and other purposes (251, 75.1%, mean= 1.76). It was also revealed that the respondents were satisfied with information materials in general subject (242, 72.5%), rather than in their various fields of interest (136, 40.7%); attitude of library personnel in rendering services (218, 65.3%) and quality of library services (199, 59.6%) respectively. Poor Internet access (265, 79.3%, mean = 3.16), lack of adequate library information resources on their fields of study (251, 75.1%, mean = 3.07) and inadequate up-to-date resources (235, 70.4%, mean = 2.95) were the most prominent challenges. Hence, rigorous creation of awareness on the available library information materials, provision of Internet facility with effective bandwidths among others were recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Research was conducted on Factors Influencing Selection and Acquisition of legal information resources in university Law libraries: A case study of University of Jos Law Library, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Four (4) objectives were formulated to guide the study which are to: Determine how often University of Jos Law Library acquire Legal Materials; Find out the criteria used in Selection of Legal Materials in University of Jos Law Library; Find out the methods used in Acquisition of Legal Materials in University of Jos Law Library and ascertain the challenges faced by Law Library in acquiring Legal Materials. Survey research design was used for this study; the population of the study was 150 registered users and 18 staff of the University of Jos Law Library. Therefore, the total population of the study is 168. Simple random sampling was used by the researcher to select 35 respondents out of 168 that was used as a sample for the study. The questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. Data were analyzed using frequency count and percentage tables. The study revealed that The University of Jos Law Library acquired legal materials very frequently. It was further revealed that there are some criteria used for selection and acquisition of legal materials in University of Jos Law Library, which includes, authoritativeness of the publishers or producers, significance of the subject matter based on collection assessment, importance/reputation of the author, among others. These were few among other findings. In accordance with the findings, the researcher made some recommendations for the Library management which was about the need for ensuring that audiovisual materials and special collection/government publications that were not acquired, to be acquired for the use of all users and for the University Law Library to have a written collection development policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The big data revolution has gained global attention and initiated creative innovations in every field and libraries as engines of access to information have also been affected by this new trend. Libraries in this part of the world have not utilized the amazing potential of big data in library services. In this time, when various terms such as algorithms age, petabytes age, data age, etc. are been used to describe the activities initiated by machine learning, industries and organizations can achieve much by incorporating inspiring and innovative tools to improve services and performance. In this vein libraries in Nigeria are expected against all odds to make their services more interactive, attractive, innovative, and exciting by utilizing cloud technologies and machine learning techniques to create recommender services. This paper titled "Utilizing the Potentials of Big Data in Nigeria Library Environments by Recommender Services", focuses on the concept and characteristics of big data and its importance in complementing traditional library services, areas for applying big data systems in libraries, the concept of recommender systems and how it works, adopting recommender systems in libraries for maximum benefits, tools, and techniques for setting up big data recommender systems in libraries, challenges of big data recommender systems in libraries in Nigeria and strategies for overcoming big data challenges in library systems. The paper is based on a contextual analysis of literature from various scholarly works. The paper will also proffer recommendations based on the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is on capacity building for sustainable digital information services in 21st century administration of academic libraries in Nigeria. Capacity building is termed as the building or the development of organization's facilities, equipment, provisions, features, amenities, infrastructures and resources (human and physical) to foster growth and expansion. As such, capacity building needs to be introduced in the library which includes the professional building of human resources (professional library staff and other para-professional workers) and material resources. To achieve this goal, education and trainings on administration are given to the library staff for effective, efficient output and productivity. It can therefore be concluded that capacity building in academic libraries is very essential and crucial especially when considering the imperativeness of the services rendered by librarians for the general satisfaction of the intellectual quests of patron. The services must be rendered with ethics, principles and standard in order to maximize the output of the libraries. It can therefore be recommended that library staff should be trained and re-trained on administration for the benefit of delivering a wellrounded service in the library. Also, resources should also be provided for the both junior and senior library staff in academic libraries to sustain the network of policy fulfillment in the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for easy, seamless and always-available access to useful, relevant and up-to-date sources of information in recent time cannot be overstretched. It is in recognition of this and in line with the goal of ensuring the penetration of information technology (IT) and the empowerment of citizens with the latest developments in technology that National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in 2013, rolled out the initiative of establishing Virtual Libraries as Information Resource Tools in schools, universities and communities in Nigeria to enable quick, remote and easy access to useful, relevant information. The Virtual Library provides access to tools such as databases, electronic journals, alerting services, online reference tools, and quality-selected web resources that improve the quality of teaching and research. Unfortunately various virtual library initiatives in Nigeria within the past few years have remained a mirage. On this note therefore, this article examines the implementation of virtual library in Nigeria with specific emphasis on national virtual library project - the blueprint and the current state of its implementation, the challenges inherent, and the way forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the life cycle of information products has become increasingly digital from “cradle to grave,” the nature of electronic information management has dramatically changed. These changes have brought new strategies and methods as well as new issues and challenges. At the bottom line the services are increasingly delivered to a desktop from distributed publishers or information providers. Information organizations act either as primary information providers or as brokers between the user and the primary service provider. Hence, the study examines the collection management and utilization of e-resources by postgraduate students in University of Ibadan. Descriptive survey design was employed for this study and the study population consisted of 312 postgraduate students in University of Ibadan. Also, the study adopted both qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the sample of the study from 3 faculties (Arts, Education and Science) using a sampling fraction of 10%. Questionnaire was the instruments used for data collection from respondents. The questionnaire was analysed using simple frequency for research questions while content analysis was used for analyzing the In-depth interview conducted. The result of the findings revealed that 100% of the respondent indicated that on monthly basis acquisition of e-resources was done through subscription, 85.3% stated that quarterly the University of Ibadan purchase e-resources while 56.1% of the respondents believe that on yearly basis the acquisition could be done through consortia while some of the respondents believe that on monthly basis, acquisition of e-resources is done through open internet sources. On the accessibility of e-resources, 56.1% stated that they accessed e-resources through the library dedicated computers while 70.5% strong agreed that they accessed e-resources in their library through their personal computers, on the same note, 64.1% stated that the university ICT centre has been their source of accessibility to e-resources in the university. On the frequency of acquiring e-resources, showed that majority 56.1% of the respondents of this study revealed that e-journal on weekly interval, while on the daily basis, 85.6% revealed that they use e-portal. In addition, 70.5% revealed that Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) is acquired monthly, Maps was acquired quarterly in the university library. In conclusion, the purpose for using e-resources in the university revealed that 56.1% agreed that e-resources were used for assignment, while 70.5% agreed that it was used for classwork, it was all agreed that e-resources is used as supplement for study notes, on the same note 70.8% strongly agreed that e-resources were used for project consultation, On the same vein, 80.8% strongly agreed that e-resources is used during Theses writing. It is however concluded that The University Library should increase bandwidth and online journal subscriptions, seeking more funds to do so. More bandwidth will also improve access time as the systems will work faster. Subscriptions to print journals should be maintained. University of Ibadan should improve on the libraries budget in order to attain to the cost of electronic resources and for the training of staff that will handle the electronic collection development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Folia Toruniensia is the property of Nicolus Copernicus Public Provincial Library in Torun and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A structured questionnaire was administered on the 500Level students, in the various Departments of the two Faculties, namely: Agriculture and Engineering Students at Ikole Campus of the University (FUOYE), to ascertain their perception of their Faculty Libraries. The assumption is that these set of students are already acquainted with the Library as they have being in the University for a minimum of three unbroken sessions. A total of two hundred questionnaires were administered on the two faculties. One hundred copies, for Agriculture and Engineering students respectively. The response rate for Agriculture was 90responses (90%), while that of Engineering was 87responses (87%). The combination of the two faculties was 177responses, representing 88.5%; which was considered adequate and used for the study. The findings, however, revealed a number of challenges, ranging from: unsatisfactory opening hours, inadequate sitting capacity, insufficiency of relevant/current books and journals, nonconduciveness of the reading environment among others. Recommendations were made as appropriate to address the observed challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of organizational knowledge management is crucial to effective information service delivery in university libraries. Its implementation in Nigeria is still at the initial stage while the level of awareness and application in university libraries in South-East is yet to be determined. This study investigated the level of awareness and application of organizational knowledge management by academic librarians in University libraries in South-East Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was adopted. The population comprised 175 academic librarians from ten public universities. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire. Percentages and mean were used to answer the research questions while t-test was used for testing the hypothesis. The study revealed among others that the level of awareness of organizational knowledge management was high however; the level of its application was low. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the collective knowledge of the organization is uncoordinated and knowledge sharing has not been institutionalized in the University libraries studied. This might have resulted to low application of organizational knowledge management in the university libraries in South-East, Nigeria. This defect impedes the achievement of organizational goals. It was recommended among others, that University libraries should formulate an organizational knowledge management strategy based on actual needs of the university; academic librarians should be equipped with skills and competencies to confidently and effectively apply organizational knowledge management for improved service delivery; trainers of academic librarians should expose and equip them with knowledge and competencies to confidently and effectively apply organizational knowledge management for improved service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to justify the need for Nigerian libraries which have not automated their functions to adopt of Koha ILMS as their automation software. The paper therefore examined the need for automation, the reasons for the choice of Koha ILMS and potential benefits accruable to the libraries, and functions that Koha can facilitate their perform in their libraries. The paper identified the need for automation to include need to handle information explosion, for effective management of library operations, to improve operation speed, resource sharing etc; the choice of Koha was informed by its features and benefits which include Koha in Nigeria libraries could be linked to its powerful features which include MARC 21 compatibility, Z39.50 search, Customizability to suit individual library needs and taste, sustainability etc; the paper identified the library operations facilitated by Koha to include acquisition, cataloguing, circulation, patron management, OPAC etc. the paper however highlighted data migration and lack of skilled manpower as limitations to Koha adoption. The paper therefore recommends that a committee should be constituted to oversee the automation project. As part of feasibility study, the committee should visit libraries where Koha is in use for on the spot assessment. Management should make the requirements for installation available, while staff training should be conducted in-house. in addition, libraries in Nigeria utilizing Koha should come together to form a network of libraries to facilitate resource sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated undergraduates' awareness, ICT skills and use of OPAC in federal universities in South West, Nigeria. The research adopted the descriptive survey design. The population of the study was 79,336 undergraduates in four federal universities in South West, Nigeria. The probability sampling technique was used to draw out 400 samples for the study. The study found that there was low level of Online Public Access Catalogue awareness among the undergraduates in federal university libraries in South West Nigeria. The study revealed that the use of OPAC among undergraduates in federal university libraries in South West Nigeria is low. Also, OPAC awareness will lead to its corresponding use among the undergraduates. Consequently, university libraries should conduct various user education programmes at the beginning of each academic session for undergraduate students so that they can be aware of the availability of the OPAC and use of OPAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intricacies of web development have orchestrated a paradigm shift in academic libraries. The study explored literature on the status of automation of academic libraries and web development in Nigeria. It was established that the functions of library management software are abysmally under-utilized in academic libraries in Nigeria, thus, progression of automation projects remain a swinging pendulum. The paper, therefore, recommends that librarians should acquire the relevant training and plan strategically for all automation projects aimed at incorporating the intricacies of the web and ICTs into library services to fully utilize the functions of the library management systems in line with web developmental stages, thus, be able to compete globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper takes a look at the incidence of mutilation and theft and of library materials, and gives users’ assessment of library security and factors that influence mutilation and theft among library users in Nigerian university libraries. Librarians all over the world are increasingly disturbed with the safety and physical integrity of important intellectual properties. Periodical and reference materials are the most likely materials that will be mutilated. All of the libraries still rely exclusively on manual checks carried out by unskilled personnel at the library exit and entrance. The high cost of photocopying and frequent breakdown of copiers was the causes of library material theft and mutilation. The results show that all the university libraries stamps specific pages, with security personnel and porters are at the entrance door of the libraries checking in and checking out users of the library. Findings from the study revealed that university libraries in Nigeria must adopt security measures to prevent theft of library materials. Therefore, media centers and libraries must adopt security measures to protect the software and hardware from serious harm. The paper wrap up by offering some constructive suggestions on the way out of these problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was carried out to survey NCE students' perceptions on use of library course as an aid to their use of library resources in Colleges of Education in South-West Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was employed and four research questions guided the study. From a population of 60,481 students, a sample of 1,210 was drawn using the proportionate stratified sampling technique. Meanwhile, out of the 1,210 copies of the questionnaire distributed, 1,097 were fully completed (filled out) as retrieved and analyzed. It represents (90.66%) or approximately (91%) response rate and considered adequate because the standard and acceptable response rate for most studies is 60%. A questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection after validation by experts in the field, and pre-tested through Cronbach Alpha method that yielded 0.743 aggregate values. Complete data subsequently gathered from 1,097 copies of the questionnaire retrieved were analyzed by employing the statistical mean to answer the research questions and criterion mean placed at 2.50. Among the major findings of the study were: Students perceived use of library course as an aid to their use of all library resource categories examined in the study (that is, reference, reserve, circulation and serials resources). The study therefore recommends that students should be given increased opportunity to access "use of library course programme" as a veritable tool of enhancing their capacity for adequate use of reference resources among others in colleges of education in the region to ensure their effective integration into our 21st century society even after college life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines marketing library and information services in academic libraries. Specific objectives includes; the need for marketing library and information services in university libraries in South West Nigeria; techniques being employed by university libraries in marketing of library and information services; competencies required of librarians in marketing of library and information services; challenges being faced by the librarians in marketing of library and information services and strategies for enhancing marketing of library and information services in South West Nigeria. Relevant literatures were reviewed. Survey research design was adopted. The target population for the study comprises of all librarians in university libraries in South West Nigeria. Six (6) university libraries were selected based on proximity to researchers. There are a total of eighty-seven (87) librarians in the Six (6) selected university libraries; Out of eighty-seven (87) questionnaires distributed, only sixty-four (64) copies were returned. Data collected through the distributed questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistics. In other words tables, frequency counts, simple percentage and mean were used to analyze the data. The finding shows that; techniques being employed in marketing library and information services are; provision of electronic access to information, staff friendliness to users, exhibitions and display of new arrivals, creating a library web page, organizing user education, and one on one discussion with users. Competencies required of librarians in marketing library and information services as perceived by the respondents are; good communication skills, information technology skills, ability to answer users' query, ability to sell idea/library services, ability to question and evaluate library services as well as interpersonal skills. Major challenges militating against effective marketing of library and information services are; inadequate fund, management lack of marketing policy, lack of facilities to market library services, lack of media access to market academic library services, poor access to information technology, lack of training in marketing, and lack of effective communication between librarians and users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information is a resource used to increase knowledge and usable for the intended purpose. Its need is a global widespread essential feature of production, consumption and exchange of human mental creativity across the globe. Having discovered that information support services are part of services in institutions that add to the value and quality of learning regardless of the mode of delivery, the information needs of distance learners deserve to be met, irrespective of where they are located. It is in this respect that paper seeks to examine the information needs of distance learners, the concept of distance learning and its learners. The other aspect of this paper is the channels and, or sources of information through which the information needs of distance (remote) learners are met. Some of the sources or channels considered are the library, modules/study guides, lecturers or tutors, interaction with peers, friends/colleagues and telecommunication. The paper examines literature both in Nigeria and other African countries, as well as what is available in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of computers into cataloguing marked a turning point in the way it is being done; this has changed and expanded the work of cataloguers tremendously. The application of the internet is essentially to fast-track that process and ensures that books and other resources spend the least period of time in the cataloguing section. Cataloguers that have internet access have now recognised the potentials of online catalogue for improving subject access to information. It is in the light of this that this research work focuses on the influence of subject background and computer literacy skills on on-line cataloguing by librarians of Ekiti State University. This work adopted a survey research method and utilised questionnaire to generate data. Out of the twelve (12) copies of questionnaire distributed, eleven (11) copies (91.6%) were returned with valid responses. Findings revealed that librarians need constant training to keep up with international standards; this will enhance professional exposure and capacity building and ensure that best practices in cataloguing are adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nigerian literature has focused more on the general concept of eresources without dedicated attention to e-books. This work takes a critical look at the challenges related to e-books collection and management in Nigerian universities. The study was conducted among six federal universities in Nigeria; one from each geopolitical zone of the federation. A survey research design was utilized to carry out the study with structured interview conducted for system librarians of the six university libraries. While there is proliferation of e-books in the libraries, absence of local titles, budgeting, consortium and awareness of DRM issues remain obvious challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainly this study sought to find out primary sources of law undergraduate law students cite in their research projects. It also sought to ascertain most frequently cited sources as well as their availability in faculty of law libraries in Anambra and Enugu States of Nigeria. Five research questions guided the study. The research design was a survey. A total of 543 projects were used for the study. Instrument for data collection were checklist and interview. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages to answer research questions 1,2 and 3. Responses from the law librarians in research questions 4 and 5 were qualitatively analysed. Findings of the study revealed that most of the information sources cited were not available in the four law libraries studied. Problems which impinge on the provision and availability of these resources were highlighted. Finally strategies that will enhance the availability and use of these information sources in faculty of law libraries in Anambra and Enugu States of Nigeria were recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to investigate the generation and management of scholarly content at universities in Nigeria using quantitative and qualitative approaches with a total of 120 academic staff from the three universities randomly selected for the study. The study found that the majority of the academic departments had no academic journals, while the academics generated just two out of 12 scholarly contents in their scholarly activities. It was discovered that neither the universities nor the academic departments had digital archives for the effective preservation and management of scholarly content. The study revealed the challenges of scholarly content generation and management to include the absence of institutional repositories and reliable institutional websites owing to poor infrastructure. The contribution of this paper is that it investigated the generation and management of scholarly content at universities in Kano State, Nigeria, and no such study exists in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to discuss new paradigms in cataloguing in 21st century and its implications and challenges for libraries in developing countries like Nigeria. The authors recommended the adoption of new strategies. The paper adopted four dimensional approaches in the discussion of issues. In the first part, the paper introduces the concept of 21st century library. The second approach focused on the role of information and communication technology in cataloguing and recent cataloguing practices. In the third approach, the paper compared cataloguing practices in developed countries with Nigeria. The fourth and final approach discussed implications, challenges and strategies for Nigerian libraries to adopt. The paper listed some challenges and strategies that Nigerian libraries and other developing countries should adopt, such as funding, training of staff, provision and maintenance of infrastructure, eradication of corruption, and so on. While there is numerous literature on the challenges of application of ICT to library operations in Nigeria, very few recommend practical and workable strategies to solving the problems. This paper proposed the adoption of new and workable strategies to efficient and effective application of ICT to cataloguing operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on quality of library services providing to library patrons. Topics include effective teaching and learning requiring the support of librarians and well-stocked libraries; showing correlations between library staffing and reading performance in both grades as well as a decline in enjoyment of reading correlating with a decline in staffing of libraries.

Purpose: This study examines the utilization of internet by Nigerian students for research using Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU), post graduate students as case study. Methodology: The citation analysis method was employed to discover the extent of internet sources use in the Theses and Dissertations (TDs) written and submitted to the MOUAU Library. Results: On the whole, a total number of 327 TDs was studied representing all the submissions from 22 departments of 6 different colleges in MOUAU offering Master and Doctor of Philosophy programmes from the year 2000 to 2010. It was observed that internet use in the TDs studied was poor and insignificant in comparison to other sources of information used by the postgraduate students. This is contrary to the findings in some recent studies where graduate students were reported to have made high use of the internet for TDs research. The researchers consequently recommended urgent education of post graduate students on internet use, essentially inculcating in them how to conduct expert search for academic works, adopt them and cite them in their research writings. It was also recommended that functional internet laboratories should be established in the university libraries to ensure self directed leaning which is hoped will result in life- long learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discussed the impact of electronic information resources as an enabler of research activities in Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to survey the opinions of the researchers who are the regular users of the library under study. The study showed various electronic information resources available and the degree of its utilization by the researchers and postgraduate students. There is a significant influence of level of availability of electronic information resources on utilization [F(3,79) = 10,337, P<0.05]. The study also revealed that only 6.0% of respondents use e-resources frequently thus, the usage of e-resources is still very low in the university community. Consequently, it was recommended that the library should organize teaching of information literacy skills through user education programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Information Science is the property of Brazilian Journal of Information Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article discusses a study that used citation analysis techniques to identify the types of information materials used in dissertations and theses submitted to the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) in Nigeria. Topics include the lack of citation analysis data in the agricultural economics and extension field, the use of bibliometrics data in libraries to help with collection development decisions, and the ways that the results of the study could be used to tailor library instruction and faculty guidance for students in the agricultural economics program.

The article discusses library and information science in Nigeria as of April 2012, with a focus on how university libraries contribute to local information content availability. Topics include community-generated knowledge and experience, knowledge and its role in developing sustainable economic and social organization, and establishing virtual networks and institutional digital repositories. Additional information is presented on UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

The article describes a study of the adoption and usage of university library information technology (IT) resources by graduate students at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta in Nigeria. Researchers looked at issues such as student awareness of available IT resources, student IT patterns and preferences, and barriers to the utilization of IT resources. Library IT resources include automated online cataloging and reference, CD-ROMs, and e-mail. The results indicate that most students are aware and use IT resources for their studies, that internet-based IT resources are the most preferred, and that some students require increased assistance from library personnel to optimize their use of these services.

This article presents a study conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of academic libraries in Nigeria at providing patrons reliable access to research information compared to the information that might be accessed at cybercafés. Topics discussed include the changing availability of research information in various electronic and print formats, the evolving role of librarians as gatekeepers to information needs, and a comparison of the authenticity of information from each potential source. The methodology for the survey was a descriptive survey.

The article emphasizes the significance of information and communication technology (ICT) in library operations in Nigeria in order to bridge the gap that exists between traditional and modern methods of information storage, retrieval and provision in the digital age. It presents several postulations on the concept of digital divide which refers to the widening imbalances of access to ICT in Nigerian libraries.

The article presents research on academic libraries in Nigeria. The collection of the Kenneth Dike Library of the University of Ibadan is evaluated through a citation analysis in which dissertations and theses of graduate students at the school are examined to determine how many of the references cited in the dissertations were from materials contained in the library's collection. It is found that roughly 40 percent of all reference citations in Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) theses produced by students of the Faculty of Science were from materials not contained in the library's collection.

The article focuses on the use of information communication technology (ICT) in public libraries in Nigeria. It states that ICT applications have resulted in knowledge resource globalization and that libraries in developing countries such as Nigeria may lack ICT to utilize global information. It mentions that questionnaires were used to determine that slightly more than half of Nigerian public libraries are computerized, and that most of the libraries still utilize card catalogs, while only around 30 percent have electronic resources and Internet access. It comments on the need for the government to adequately fund public libraries and for library staff to attend training courses concerning different aspects of ICT.

The article focuses on the management of special collections in federal and state university libraries in Nigeria. The discussion topics include the supervisory styles used in Nigerian academic libraries, the researcher's design of a structured questionnaire, and study data from several institutions including Benue State University Library, University of Maiduguri Library, and University of Ibadan Library. Brief information is given about related research on adequate manpower, appropriate facilities for storage, and supervisory leadership.

In this article the authors examine the sharing of resources among Nigerian law libraries and its significance for legal research and the administration of justice in that country. It is noted that the production of law texts and the evolution of legal knowledge makes it very difficult for even well-funded law libraries to keep up. A number of topics are addressed including identification and analysis of the the problems involved in library collaboration, the actions of John Harris of the University of Ibadan, and the need for resource sharing.

The article focuses on the challenges facing Nigerian university libraries in meeting users' service demands in the 21st century and the role of university administrators in assisting them in this regard. It identifies these challenges as non-application of technology to service delivery, increase in student intake with its attendant effect on the available limited resources, inefficient reference service, and competition from other service providers. The article recommends amongst others that knowledge and application of technology in service delivery in libraries is unavoidable in this century, quality service delivery in terms of selection and acquisition of appropriate materials should not be taken lightly, knowledge of human beings and human relationship is important, especially in reference service, library user education should be undertaken by library staff staff training should be a continuous exercise, and university libraries should transform themselves into one-stop shopping centres for all in formation retrievals in the face of competition. The article concludes with lessons for Nigerian university administrators and advises that the administrators should fund the university libraries adequately and allow the university librarians to administer the fund without undue interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]