Internet services in academic libraries

The study was carried out to examine users’ expectation of library services and resources in this COVID-19 pandemic era. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprises library users of College of Education Library, Agbor and Federal University of Petroleum Resources Library, Effurun, Delta State. 210 respondents were selected each from the two academic libraries via purposive sampling technique making a total of 420 respondents used for the study. The instrument used for data collection was an online questionnaire designed through Survey Monkey. The study revealed that the respondents from both academic libraries indicated they expect services such as electronic access to services and resources, virtual reference services, accurate COVID-19 information to keep them updated, online user education programmes, selective dissemination of information via email, display of library services on social media, research help services online, and a spacious study hall to enable them observe the physical distancing while studying in the library. Also, users from both academic libraries indicated they expect to have access to electronic databases, e-zines and online newspapers, internet sources, e-journals, e-books and government publication in this COVID-19 pandemic era. On the channels of accessing services and resources in this COVID-19 pandemic period revealed that the respondents from both academic libraries agreed that they access library services and resources majorly through Email Service, while only respondents from College of Education, Agbor indicated that the also access their academic library services and resources through their library social media platforms. It can be observed also from the study that the respondents from both academic libraries were averagely satisfied with their academic library though they expect more incorporation of information communication technology in service delivery to boost their access in this COVID-19 pandemic era.

The study examined the awareness and adoption of artificial intelligence for effective library service delivery in academic libraries in Kwara state Nigeria.This study adopts the survey design.The study population consists of 154 library staff in 6 academic libraries in Kwara state Nigeria, The study was limited to four (4) academic libraries, which are University of Ilorin, Kwara State University, Malete, Federal Polytechnic Offa and Kwara State Polytechnic Ilorin.The sample size is, therefore one hundred and thirty-six ( 136) derived from the study's total population.The questionnaire was used as the major instrument for the study.The data collected in this study were analysed using Statistical Product for Service Solutions (SPSS).The study's findings revealed that AI is beneficial to academic libraries for effective library services and operations because it helps to eliminate repetitive and tedious task; it helps to make library services more effective and efficient to improve user satisfaction, among others.It was revealed from the findings that academic libraries in Nigeria are not ready for the integration of AI systems in library operations and services; libraries are under-equipped with ICT facilities, which is an integral part of AI to function; academic library employees have a negative attitude toward using ICT to perform library services so bring AI is not an option for now; among others.The study recommended that there should be an improved budget for library automation, procuring the technology, and training library personnel, there is a need for adequate funding for academic libraries in Nigeria, among others.

PurposeYear 2020 recorded an unprecedented bewilderment of the world with novel COVID-19, thereby threatening global food security. As such, there is need for academic libraries in Nigeria to provide information regarding food security to users to ensure post-COVID-19 food security. This study, therefore, aims to reflect on the role of academic libraries in facilitating post-COVID-19 food security in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachDescriptive research design of survey type was used for the study. Librarians and library officers in academic libraries in south-west Nigeria were considered for the study. Self-structured online questionnaire was sent to the respondents via social media. The data generated were analysed using frequency count and simple percentage.FindingsIt was found that academic libraries performed significant role during the COVID-19 period by disseminating online information on preventive measures, and supporting research team with information on the pandemic. The study further found that the services of academic libraries are strongly required in facilitating post-COVID-19 food security, even in the face of some challenges.Practical implicationsIn the face of the looming COVID-19-induced food shortage, it becomes evident that academic libraries have to support individuals, farmers, research teams and organisations with information and information resources that can help in accomplishing global food security.Social implicationsFailure of academic libraries to offer the required support in terms of provision of necessary information resources on agriculture may make the attainment of COVID-19 food security difficult.Originality/valueEnsuring post-COVID-19 food security is an issue of global concern. This study encourages academic libraries to expedite action to contribute towards ensuring post-COVID-19 global food security.

The purpose of this study was to studyinvestigate degradation and preservation practices of information resources in academic libraries in Cross River State, Nigeria.It examined the nature and causes of degradation of information resources, strategies used in their control, and constraints limiting effective preservation.The study adopted survey design. The population for the studyconsisted of all information resources in the five academic libraries in the state. Purposivesampling technique was used in selecting 202 respondents who suppliedthe information used for the study. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection and the data were analyzed using t-test. The result of the analysis showed that all the four null hypotheses were rejected. This means that the nature of information resources degradation in academic libraries in Cross River State is significantly high. The study also revealed that barriers to effective preservation of information resources in academic libraries in Cross River State are significantly high. Based on the findings,the study recommended among others that academic libraries should recruit adequate and trained manpower in the libraries for effective preservation programmes and activities.Academic libraries should consider various methods that could be applied to curb degradation of information resources in their holding. And,adequate annual budget allocationshould be provided for preservation programmes in academic libraries in the state.

This study investigates the use of CD-ROM databases in academic libraries in Nigeria. The impact of CD-ROM databases on library development in Nigerian academic libraries is discussed. A questionnaire was sent to ten academic libraries in Nigeria, identified from preliminary studies on their CD-ROM database collections and use. High cost of subscriptions to CD-ROM databases was ranked highest as the major constraints to CD-ROM use. Other constraints include: high cost of acquiring personal computers, CD-ROM drives, printers and other peripherals; unavailability of identified documents found in CD-ROM databases in the institutions’ libraries; lack of computer education; shortage of manpower. The most commonly used bibliographic database on CD-ROM is AGRIS and CAB Abstracts. The study recommends joint ventures with CD-ROM producers/vendors and inclusion of substantive abstracts in CD-ROM databases as ways of improving the use of CD-ROM databases in academic libraries in Nigeria.

The paper studied preservation and availability of information resources in academic libraries in south-south geo-political region, Nigeria. The study was hinged on correlational research design. The population of the study was culled from three academic libraries in the South-South Geopolitical region of Nigeria, namely Donald Ekong Library, University of Port Harcourt, Kenneth Dike Library, University of Ibadan and Nnamdi Azikiwe Library, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Simple random sampling technique was used to sample 87 respondents. 84 (97%) respondents provided complete response. Data were collected, arranged and analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). Findings show that preservation techniques of preventive preservation, passive preservation, active preservation and restorative preservation have significant relationship with the availability of library resources with active preservation having the highest significant relationship in academic libraries in south-south geopolitical zone in Nigeria. Consequently, it was recommended that libraries should engage in active preservation its collection and to ensure availability of library resources.

Research under the name “Librarians’ Attitudes regarding the Usage of Social Media (SM) for the Promotion of Services and Resources in Academic Libraries in Delta State” explores how librarians approach SM platforms to advertise library offerings. The research established three specific objectives which included investigating gender-based variances in SM attitudes among librarians together with examining how attitudes influence SM engagement and measuring overall SM utilization for resource advertisement purposes by librarians. The research adopted a correlational design because it examined variable relationships without changing any of the variables as described by Babbie (2016). The total research population encompassed 197 academic librarians working in libraries located in Delta State in Nigeria. The research selected all members of the population through a total enumeration sampling method. The researchers distributed the Librarians’ Attitude and Usage of SM to Promote Resources/services Questionnaire (LASMPRSQ) for data collection purposes. Each response allowed a selection from four predefined points on a rating scale. Expert review validated the instrument after research assistants conducted a timely recovery of questionnaires to maintain high response rates. The analysis based on descriptive statistics evaluated general attitudes (research question 3) and used PPMCC to establish relationships (research question 2) while independent sample t- tests detected gender variances (research question 1). The study results demonstrated that male and female librarians held similar attitudes concerning SM usage and this indicates that standard training efforts should be implemented. A positive relationship emerged between librarians’ SM interaction levels and their attitudes regarding using these platforms creating higher promotion effectiveness. Librarians expressed predominantly favorable attitudes concerning SM which prompted them to adopt it for expanding their library outreach initiatives. The study concludes that no gender variance in the attitudes of Delta State librarians concerning their keenness to usage social media platforms (SMPs) to advertise library resources/services. Optimizing SM engagement requires cultivating positive attitudes through technical assistance and professional development. Standardized SM training, frequent workshops to increase confidence, and ongoing IT support are some of the recommendations to improve librarians' usage of SM to advertise library services.

Purpose Gamification is a growing field of study that has not been touched by Nigerian academic librarians. This study aims to explore the awareness, perception and readiness of academic librarians on the application of gamification to library services. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts an interpretive research design and a qualitative research approach. This involves using semi-structured interviews to collect data for the study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 20 participants but only 15 participated in the study. Participants were interviewed on their lived experience as to gamification; hence, phenomenology research method was adopted for the study. Thematic analysis was used to analyze collected data. Findings The findings of the study show that most of the academic librarians in Nigeria were not aware of gamification to library services. However, the few that were aware knew about the gamification of library service through their personal academic reading. It was shown that there is a link between awareness and positive perception of gamification to library services. It was found that most of the academic librarians did not have a positive perception of applying gamification to library services in Nigeria. Results show that important factors to consider in readiness towards application of gamification to academic library services in Nigeria include library management support, librarians’ technical know-how and IT compliance. Originality/value The findings of this study will provide insights as to academic librarians’ awareness, perception and readiness in applying gamification to library services in Nigeria and may provide insights into other developing Africa countries at large.

Purpose: This study assesses the perception of librarians toward the diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic libraries in Nigeria. Methodology: A questionnaire survey comprising 24 questions was distributed to librarians across selected institutions at the end of the 2024 academic session. Findings: Findings indicate that librarians do not yet fully recognize the transformative potential of AI, highlighting a gap in awareness and training. The study reveals a need for continuous professional development to keep pace with AI advancements and their applications in library services. Additionally, while library users express interest in AI-driven services, few academic libraries in Nigeria have implemented such programs. Implication: This research contributes to the limited literature on librarians' perceptions of AI and offers practical recommendations for integrating AI into academic libraries to enhance efficiency and user satisfaction. Originality/Value: A coordinated effort involving policymakers, library administrators, and educators is essential to harness AI's full potential and ensure sustainable growth in the digital era. Keywords: Artificial intelligence: Academic libraries, Librarians’ perceptions; Nigeria, AI adoption

This study sought to examine the importance of awareness in the adoption and implementation of green libraries in academic libraries in Nigeria. The key objectives were to determine academic librarians’ awareness of the concept of green libraries, ascertain if greening libraries is a good innovation for adoption and implementation, ascertain reasons for the slow adoption and implementation of green libraries by academic librarians in Nigeria and to identify strategies for enhancing green library implementation in Nigerian academic libraries. The methodology used was the descriptive survey research design while all the 170 academic librarians in the twelve university libraries across the six states of the North Central geo-political zone of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja formed the population of the study. Questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. Data obtained were analyzed using simple percentages, mean scores and standard deviation. Various suggestions were made on how to create awareness and use it as a strategic tool in the implementation of green libraries in academic libraries. The paper concluded that implementing green libraries will enhance the visibility and value of libraries in society by showcasing their ability to contribute significantly to environmental sustainability and development issues, thereby demonstrating their continued relevance to humanity.

PurposeThe advancement of technology has brought much uncertainty in the access and utilization of information resources in academic libraries. This research sought to determine the extent to which academic libraries in Kenya engage in innovation and use innovative strategies. In addition, this study aims to identify the specific innovation practices and strategies used by these libraries to ensure they effectively address users’ information needs and remain relevant within the Kenyan context.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a qualitative research design. Data was collected using face-to-face interviews that targeted key personnel in the academic library system, including the university librarian, the circulation librarian and the digital/systems librarian. In total, 21 respondents were interviewed in this study. Additional data was gathered by examining primary documents such as academic library policies, university websites and library brochures, among other sources. The study used purposive sampling techniques to select the population sample and the theoretical saturation to determine the sample size.FindingsThe study revealed a pressing need for change in the academic library landscape in Kenya. It established that the concept of innovation and innovation strategies is still new in academic libraries in Kenya, and libraries are still confined to traditional and routine duties. There is a lack of appropriate strategies for enhancing innovation practices/strategies in academic libraries. The paper, therefore, strongly recommends the reorganization of academic libraries in Kenya.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to analyze innovation strategies and practices in academic libraries in Kenya. This study sheds light on the puzzles facing most academic libraries in Kenya regarding innovation and innovation strategies. It introduces the importance of academic libraries to embrace innovation as a strategy to avoid disruptive innovation.

Digital rights management (DRM) involves the protection given to an online document to control what a user can do with the document. The purpose of the study was to analyse the content of institutional repositories (IRs) to identify the extent to which DRM technologies are employed to protect the digitised contents. Four research objectives guided the study. The population of the study consisted of all academic libraries in Nigeria that have IRs that are accessible online. Content analysis was employed to analyse 30 IRs. The findings showed that 13 institutions archived articles, theses, and dissertations while watermarks and digital signatures were the only two DRM technologies employed by a few institutions in the survey area. The implications of this findings are that there is a need to sensitise librarians on the importance of using DRM technologies when uploading their contents to the repository. It is also important to include the use of DRM technology as part of the institutional repository policy.

The study was conducted to evaluate the library application software packages in use in six (6) academic libraries in Nigeria. Using a 53 item structured questionnaire, the study examined the adopted softwares' security, compatibility/capabilities, user-friendliness, indexing and searching abilities and other such features considered necessary in the assessment of the effectiveness of an ideal library application software package. The study found that most application packages available in the Nigerian automation market place are effective since they are usually packages that have been fully tested, thoroughly de-bugged and well supported by vendors. The Information Manager Vol. 7 (2) 2007: pp. 21-27

<p>Electronic resources (ERs) in academic libraries have become a global phenomenon, and as libraries rely more on these resources managing them effectively becomes crucial. Electronic resource management (ERM) has consequently become a core function which many academic libraries around the globe appear to find challenging to implement effectively. Challenges of managing ERs are particularly pronounced in developing countries such as Ghana where the introduction of ICTs has typically been characterised by inadequate resources. Although there is an extensive literature on both the management and use of ERs, little research has studied how the two aspects could affect each other. Ineffective management of ERs could negatively affect their use; likewise, low usage of ERs could negatively impact on the management of these resources. Studying the concepts of management and usage of ERs together would result in better recommendations to inform practice and eliminate the challenges. In addition, the literature on the management of ERs is predominantly centred around libraries in the developed country context. Moreover, academic libraries in Ghana do not appear to be effective in managing ERs. There is a lack of understanding on how academic libraries in Ghana are managing ERs, and the ways in which this is affecting their usage and vice-versa. The study therefore fills the gaps by exploring the connection between the management and usage of ERs in academic libraries in a developing country context. Placed within a post-positivist worldview, this mixed-methods research employed a multiple case study approach, involving two public and two private universities in Ghana. Stakeholders included in the study were library staff, faculty, students, and consortium executives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with library staff and members of the governing council of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH) concurrently with surveys of faculty and postgraduate students of the institutions investigated. These were supported by document analysis. To guide data collection and analysis, the Techniques for Electronic Resource Management (TERMS) framework (Emery & Stone, 2013), and an initial conceptual model of factors developed using constructs from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis & Davis 2003) and the literature underpinned the study. The interview findings revealed inadequate planning for ERs in the case institutions owing to operational challenges including inadequate policies for ERs, inadequate funding, and understaffing. Although efforts were being made to follow standard procedures some components of ER workflow were absent in both public and private case libraries, whereas other aspects of the workflow were responsibilities of parties external to the libraries. The document analysis showed that, the total average completeness of collection development policies of case libraries was 25% which indicated the lack of vital elements in these policies. The survey findings showed a generally low awareness and usage of ERs by faculty and students due to inadequate promotional efforts by the case libraries, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of relevant content. Consequently, respondents had a negative perception on the usefulness of the ERs which may have caused the observed low usage. The study also found three main factors as affecting the management and usage of ERs in academic libraries in Ghana which were governmental, organisational and individual factors. Governmental factors such as regulations on staffing, inadequate funding, and nationwide rationing of electricity supply were hindrances. At the organisational level, an enabler was collaboration with stakeholders, whereas obstacles included inadequate policies, staffing challenges, resource-related factors, lack of investment for sustainability, centralised management structure, low institutional commitment, poor communication, and low usage of ERs. Enabling individual factors consisted of religious beliefs, social influence, oral information, and interest in IT. Hindering individual factors comprised negative effects of oral information, resistance to change, fear of speaking against authority, reluctance to submit contents to institutional repository, negative perception on the ERs and lack of time. The findings also established various ways in which the management and usage of ERs affected each other. Low user input in the selection of ERs, access related challenges, inadequate publicity, training, and evaluation of ERs negatively affected the usage of ERs. However, case libraries that occasionally allowed users to schedule training sessions observed increased attendance to training with a corresponding increase in ER usage, which provided a basis for institutional budgetary support. On the other hand, failure of users to attend training programmes after signing up, low referral of students to the ERs by faculty and low usage of ERs of the library negatively affected ERM particularly in the areas of budgeting for ER subscription and sustainability. However, faculty and students facilitated the management of ERs of the library in terms of creating awareness of the ERs among their colleagues and peers, and also accessing the resources using mobile devices to supplement the library’s inadequate computers. The TERMS framework and initial conceptual model of factors were revised based on the findings. The study adds to the Library and Information Science research relevant to the understanding of the management and usage of ERs, factors affecting both concepts and how these two concepts are related. In addition, the study contributes to practice by recommending strategies for effective ERM to encourage increased usage of ERs. It is also hoped that academic libraries in other developing countries can draw lessons from the findings. The study also provides advanced countries with a deeper insight to guide them in providing support to developing countries. The findings also have implications for policy and decision makers in terms of prioritisation and allocation of resources for effective ERM and usage in academic libraries as contemporary issues are revealed. Keywords: Academic institutions, Academic libraries, Electronic resources, Electronic resources in Africa, Electronic resource management, Electronic resource usage</p>

The construction of a remote access system for digital resources in academic libraries has strong feasibility and is of practical significance for library digital services under the network environment. The wide application of big data has brought unprecedented opportunities and challenges to the construction of digital resources in academic libraries. This paper proposes a linked data-oriented semantic digital library resource description and organization framework. The framework has four levels: metadata layer, ontology layer, linked data layer and application layer. Its core is the construction and association of RDF semantic metadata. Taking the data in the field of Books, Information and Archives as an example, the framework is implemented. The focus of the implementation is on the ontology layer and the associated data layer, including the design of related ontology, the automatic conversion of common metadata to semantic metadata, The establishment of RDF semantic links between different data sets, the publication of related data, etc.