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The authors of this paper investigated the level of information communication technology-related (ICT) information literacy (IL) skills of librarians in Nigerian Colleges of Education (COE) in order to discover the challenges they face in acquiring these skills. A descriptive survey method was adopted using a questionnaire. Study participants included professionals and para-professional librarians in federal, state and private COE libraries in the South-South and South-East geo-political zones of Nigeria. Findings showed that librarians in the study zone rate their IL skills as average. A correlation of the overall assessment of the librarians' IL skills with variables such as institution, gender, years of experience, and qualifications revealed noteworthy differences among the groups of librarians. The study also revealed that the librarians acquired their IL skills in a wide variety of professional and informal ways, but only a few indicate that they acquired their skills in library school. Lack of training, irregular power supply, poor Internet connectivity, inadequate facilities (computers), and lack of time were identified as some of the challenges in acquiring professional IL skills.

In this study, we examined the state of school libraries in Nigerian secondary schools and attempted to find out why there are no libraries in some of the schools. In a survey of 356 Federal University, Otuoke in Bayelsa State students, respondents were asked two questions: 1) the state of school libraries in the secondary school they graduated from; and for those reporting no school library, 2) perceived reasons why there is no school library. The results revealed that all most half of the respondents had no school library in their secondary schools. Reasons for this absence included the Nigerian government's nonchalant attitude towards village schools, lack of adequate space for libraries in school premises, lack of funding, and school managements' forceful selling of books to primary and secondary students. For students who had school libraries, the results suggested that students did not patronize those libraries because of improper orientation to the library value and obsolete collection. Students who used school libraries in their secondary schools disclosed that use of the library enhanced their reading habits and enabled them to make career choices and locate library materials easily. The findings will inform education authorities and school administrators on the need to establish school libraries in secondary schools., Introduction School libraries occupy a significant position in discussions on learning and many international studies have asserted the positive role school libraries have exerted on education, linking them directly to [...]

The purpose of the study is to investigate the extent to which librarians use social networking sites (SNSs) and the level of skills possessed by librarians to effectively use these tools. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the skills and use of social networking sites by librarians in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The questionnaire was developed using SurveyMonkey and administered using an online method. The study revealed that Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter, Skype and YouTube are the most popular SNSs used by the Librarians. Other social networking sites such as 'Nigerian Library Association (NLA) online forum' and 'Research gate' were also mentioned by the librarians. The study also revealed that marketing library services, sharing information about the library resources, and news about the library were indicated as the top reasons for using the SNSs by librarians in Nigeria. Librarians in Nigeria rated their skills such as interacting with friends and relatives, searching and navigating different SNSs, applying information ethically, and ability to evaluate information on SNSs to be higher than others. The librarians mentioned power failure, bad network/low bandwidth, lack of time and lack of interest by some librarians as the major challenges in using SNSs in Nigeria. This study offers insights for academic libraries to make informed decisions in applying social networking tools., Introduction Social networking sites (SNSs) have grown astoundingly over the past few years. According to social media statistics, there are over 1.15 Billion Facebook users compared to 700 million in [...]

The purpose of the study is to investigate the extent to which librarians use social networking sites (SNSs) and the level of skills possessed by librarians to effectively use these tools. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the skills and use of social networking sites by librarians in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The questionnaire was developed using SurveyMonkey and administered using an online method. The study revealed that Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter, Skype and YouTube are the most popular SNSs used by the Librarians. Other social networking sites such as 'Nigerian Library Association (NLA) online forum' and 'Research gate' were also mentioned by the librarians. The study also revealed that marketing library services, sharing information about the library resources, and news about the library were indicated as the top reasons for using the SNSs by librarians in Nigeria. Librarians in Nigeria rated their skills such as interacting with friends and relatives, searching and navigating different SNSs, applying information ethically, and ability to evaluate information on SNSs to be higher than others. The librarians mentioned power failure, bad network/low bandwidth, lack of time and lack of interest by some librarians as the major challenges in using SNSs in Nigeria. This study offers insights for academic libraries to make informed decisions in applying social networking tools., Introduction Social networking sites (SNSs) have grown astoundingly over the past few years. According to social media statistics, there are over 1.15 Billion Facebook users compared to 700 million in [...]

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the different channels reference librarians receive reference inquiries from patrons in university libraries in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was used to collect data on the various channels through which reference librarians received reference inquiries in Nigerian university libraries. The questionnaire was administered using an online method. Findings – It emerged that the face-to-face traditional reference desk was rated as the highest channel through which librarians receive reference inquiries in Nigeria, followed by library Facebook page and phone/short message service (SMS). Instant messaging (IM) and e-mail were identified as the least used channels by the patrons. The challenges mentioned include the absence of policy statements concerning virtual reference services; the lack of information and communications technology (ICT) skills on the part of librarians; slow Internet connectivity; power failures; management’s lack of support for emerging technologies; IM’s limitations; user’s expectations of instant answer; inarticulate requests; and lack of adequate current reference materials. Research limitations/implications – The findings are from a small sample size; therefore, the findings may not be substantial enough to generalize. Further study is necessary to determine if these results are consistent throughout other university libraries in Nigeria. Originality/value – The findings will inform university libraries in developing countries that are planning to adopt virtual reference services to deliver reference services to users anywhere, anytime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]