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Innovative services and practices are the buzzwords in today's libraries. Changes brought about by the electronic environment has impacted on libraries and caused a transformation in services and practices. Consequently, the library of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) has keyed into this paradigm by changing its conventional approach. This article explored various innovative services and practices in FUTO library. It also identified the benefits and extent of innovative services and practices in the library. A descriptive survey was adopted for the study while questionnaire was used as data collection instrument. Findings revealed a remarkable increase in library patronage, library visibility, use of library resources (databases), access to OPAC and supportive staff among others. It was also discovered that the extent of innovative services and practices in the library was high in various areas such as: library visibility (Mean=3.54), library patronage (Mean= 3.45), dependence on the library for research (Mean=3.27), longer hours by patrons (Mean=3.05), more followers on social media (Mean=3.00) etc. The study also identified some challenges hindering effective innovative services and practices. It was discovered that constant electricity coupled with inadequate funds were major roadblocks. Despite these challenges, it was observed that the library is not relenting in efforts to unleash her full potential in providing services that align with the needs of the present environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on library deviance in Nigeria has largely relied on librarians' accounts, which often portray students as 'deviants' and the libraries as 'victims', however we focus on a holistic account which incorporates both students' and librarians' narratives in the analysis of deviant behaviours in library utilization. Through observations and interviews the paper highlighted some common trends of deviance and the implication on library utility in selected universities. The study reveals a gap in the security of students' personal effects, inadequate electricity supply and a wide range of deviant behaviours associated with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the library. The impact of these lapses thus put much pressure on both librarians and students users. The study recommends proper funding of libraries to enable the adoption of a 21st Century Library Model which guarantees a variety of spatial and safety arrangements in curbing the menace of deviants in library utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on library deviance in Nigeria has largely relied on librarians’ accounts, which often portray students as “deviants” and libraries as “victims”. However, a holistic account should incorporate narratives from both students and librarians in the analysis of deviant behaviors in library utilization. Some common trends of deviance and the implication on library utility in selected universities were discovered through observations and interviews. The study reveals a gap in the security of students’ personal belongings, inadequate electricity supply, and a wide range of deviant behaviors associated with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the library. The impact of these lapses thus put much pressure on both librarians and student users. The study recommends proper funding of libraries to enable the adoption of a 21st Century Library Model, which guarantees a variety of spatial and safety arrangements in curbing the menace of deviants in library utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses use of journal publications from library collections by undergraduate students for research at the Babcock University in Nigeria. Topics discussed include organized academic libraries, academic journals and research articles. Other topics include use of journal by faculty and information and communication technology (ICT) in libraries.

The article presents the experience of the University of Lagos Library in Nigeria in providing library services to distance learners. Topics covered include the benefits of distance education, the trends of increasing reliance on technology, collaboration between librarians and other stakeholders, and growth of literature that are shaping library services for distance learners, and the types of library services and resources that are prescribed to be accessible to them.

This is a survey of the entry-level information literacy skills of first year students. It is a step towards understanding the prior information literacy knowledge of first year students at the University of Benin, and has broader implications for how librarians understand readiness for library research as well as for the future development of information literacy programmes at the secondary school level. Lack of understanding of prior knowledge by university libraries is in itself a barrier to engaging students in the research process in their first year, as it may result in programs that do not inspire students. Methodology adopted is the survey design, and simple randomization was used to select five faculties from the university and 200 new students were randomly selected from the five faculties to make 1000 students. Questionnaire was designed and administered at the point of student's library registration. Result showed that students are not taught information literacy skills from secondary schools and they have little knowledge of information literacy skills. Students understanding of search strategies, especially in the use of Boolean operator was seen to be very poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the factors that militate against the information seeking behavior of sandwich students in selected Nigerian Universities. Questionnaire was used to collect data with a response rate of (97.30%). Among the militating factors are: lack of time , inconvenient location of library, unfriendly opening and closing hours, lack of relevant materials, uncooperative attitude of staff, and inability to use library catalogues. The findings revealed the following: Lack of time (76.18%), inconvenient location of library (66.88%); unfriendly opening and closing hours (66.88%); the need for information to d o class work (67.21%); preparation for examination (55.79%) and general knowledge (33.77%). The hypotheses revealed that there is a significant difference between the factors that militate against information seeking behaviour of undergraduate sandwich students by age and there is no significant difference between the factors that militates against undergraduate sandwich students' information seeking behaviour by gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses library and information science in Nigeria as of April 2012, with a focus on national economic development and the acceleration of academic library services. Topics include the Nigerian National Policy of Education and goals for tertiary education, university research and professional courses, and the role of libraries in achieving national educational objectives. Additional information is presented on information and communication technology (lCT) and the development of infrastructure.

The article discusses the impact of information seeking behavior and information sources on the quality of obtained information and the assessed information needs of agricultural students in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Topics include details relating to the existing models of information behavior, and how libraries can utilize knowledge of information seeking behavior to better meet the needs of their users.

This study examines delinquency at the Oyo State Library Board, Dugbe, Ibadan, Nigeria. The study's objectives were to find out the reasons for delinquency, identify the causes/methods employed, and suggest ways of minimizing its occurrence in the study library. It employs the case study design, sampling nearly 50% of the staff and employing questionnaire, interviews, and personal observations. The findings show that students are the major culprits, who fear others will borrow but fail to return materials. Ways of ameliorating this are suggested, encapsulated in a well-formulated collection development policy to serve as a working document for the library staff. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective -- As a first step in gathering evidence, this study surveyed school libraries and examined the services those libraries provide in relation to the Universal Basic Education (UBE) program at a primary level. The purpose of this paper is to explore these UBE factors in relation to school libraries in Oyo State, Nigeria. Methods -- A questionnaire was sent to the 33 schools which have a library and information centre staffed by a teacher-librarian, in order to examine library services and the views of those providing them. The questionnaire covers library space, categories of library resources, student activities during library visits, mobile library services, and the teacher-librarians' perception of the adequacy of the collection and the challenges in the use of library. Results -- Questionnaires were returned by 30 teacher-librarians out of 33, a response rate of 91%. Although pupils across each local government area have the chance to visit school libraries, the system of one short visit per week is inadequate for developing a universal interest in reading and in study skills. Staff responsible for the libraries consider many of the resources to be inadequate or outdated and stock is depleted as pupils borrow books, leaving fewer for those who follow. Conclusions -- As a first step to implementing evidence based practice, this paper describes the primary school library system in Nigeria and provides evidence on how it operates in Oyo State. Teacher-librarians who staff the libraries confirm the inadequacies in the system. They perceive collections to be inadequate and confirm that some pupils in the state have only limited access to library resources. Respondents also believe that they need further training, particularly in computer and information literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines use of the card catalogue by staff and undergraduate and postgraduate students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo state, Nigeria. The population sample was comprised of 1,200 library users randomly selected from 13,592 registered library users at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso. Results from questionnaires established that the library card catalogue was underutilized by the undergraduate students (44%), but more heavily used by postgraduate students (78%), academic staff (74%), and administrative staff (66%). Recommendations are suggested to improve catalogue use in the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study involving the concerns of students about the extended hours of library service and their academic performance at the University of Ilorin in Nigeria. The study aims to examine the correlation between extended hours and student performance and to determine whether service delivery meets user expectations. It reveals more than 88% of the respondents who perceived that extended hours of library service had made a great impact on their academic performance.

The article discusses a study on students' information seeking behaviour at Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic school in Unwana, Nigeria. The survey results show that students have specific uses for the information they are seeking which is primarily academic and their level of study or curricula influences their choice of information. The study found that Polytechnic students were satisfied with the type of information available to them and recognized its significance to their studies.

The article presents a case study of the essential role of school libraries in the education development of Novena University students in Delta State Nigeria. It states that a study was conducted in which questionnaires were administered to 200 students to assess their educational development and library use. The author provides recommendations to enhance library service after the study found that most student were not satisfied with their library service.

The study examined the use of the library by students at the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic. A combined quantitative and qualitative approach using the case study design was adopted for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 200 students from each of the five faculties of the Polytechnic, totaling 1,000 students, and 15 library and school staff. A survey questionnaire developed by the researchers was employed to determine the use of the library while a face-to-face interview was conducted to gathered data from library and school staff. The reliability co-efficient of the questionnaire via Cronbach Alpha returns an r = 0.87. Four research questions were developed to guide the study. The findings show that more than half of the library users at the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic visit the library once a day. They use the library to read, to borrow books, and to make photocopies. Students were satisfied with the library collections and services but not with electronic resources. As the library is neither networked nor connected to the Internet, students usually patronize the cyber cafe close to their school as an alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]