Preservation and Management of Audio-Visual Materials in Nigerian University Libraries (Published)
As higher education institutions increasingly integrate multimedia resources into academic and research ecosystems, university libraries face mounting pressure to develop sustainable strategies for preserving and managing audio-visual (AV) collections. This pressure is particularly acute in Nigerian academic settings, where resource constraints often impede the establishment of robust preservation infrastructure. This qualitative descriptive study examined preservation and management practices for audio-visual materials across three federal universities in South-South Nigeria—the University of Port Harcourt, University of Benin, and University of Calabar. Through semi-structured interviews with 24 purposively selected library personnel and direct observational assessment, identified the range of AV collections maintained, documented existing preservation practices, evaluated infrastructural capacity, and mapped critical operational challenges. Findings indicate that while participating libraries maintain diverse and valuable AV collections—spanning educational media, research outputs, institutional records, and broadcast materials—preservation efforts remain fragmented and underfunded. Both conventional and digital preservation approaches are employed; however, their effectiveness is significantly undermined by inadequate financial resources, insufficient ICT infrastructure, irregular electricity supply, persistent skills gaps, and the absence of comprehensive institutional preservation policies. This study concludes that meaningful progress requires coordinated institutional investment in preservation technologies, sustained professional development initiatives, the formulation of explicit institutional preservation frameworks, and strengthened collaboration among academic libraries at regional and national levels. It was therefore seen that audio-visual preservation must be reconceptualized as a core institutional responsibility rather than a peripheral library function.
Keywords: audio-visual materials, digital preservation, institutional repositories, preservation infrastructure
Digital Preservation of Information Resources on COVID-19 in Libraries: A Theoretical Perspective (Published)
The aim of this study was to examine how information resources on COVID-19 can be effectively preserved digitally. The study adopted the exploratory research design. Data was obtained through in-depth review of relevant literature on the subject matter. The findings were analyzed descriptively. Digital Preservation of information resources on COVID-19 requires skilled manpower and adequate knowledge of what digital preservation is all about, the processes and procedures; there are immense benefits in digital preservation of information resource; on COVID-19 requires adequate funding to procure hard and softwares; most organizations do not have the political will to embark on digital preservation of their information resources; There is proliferation of information on covid-19 in both print and electronic media. Digital preservation of information resources on COVID-19 will ensure effective access to information on COVID-19 by both present and future generations. The paper recommended among others that: Institutions and organizations embarking on digital preservation of information resources generally and covid-19 in particular, must ensure that their staff are well trained to acquire the requisite skills in digital preservation; the relevant authorities responsible for digital preservation of information resources should avail themselves of the benefits derivable from digital preservation and develop the political will to accept and embark on digital preservation of their information resources, especially those on covid-19; Institutions and organizations must be willing to provide adequate funds to support the process of the digital preservation of information resources on COVID-19; libraries should monitor, harvest, digitize and channel information on COVID-19 into their digital institutional repositories for present use and the use of posterity.
Keywords: Libraries, Preservation, digital preservation, information resources; COVID-19