Influence of the Implementation of Nigerian University Commission Library Parameters on Accreditation Readiness for Academic Programmes in Federal Universities of South-East, Nigeria (Published)
The study investigated the influence of the implementation of Nigerian University Commission library parameters on accreditation readiness for academic programmes in Federal Universities of South-East, Nigeria. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. The population of the study comprised 161 academic librarians in the five federal universities located in the South-East zone of Nigeria. These are; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Michael Okpara University, Umudike, Federal University of Technology, Owerri and Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo. The census sampling technique was adopted for the study since the total number of academic librarians in the five universities was within a manageable size. The sampling method was considered appropriate because it allows statistical enumeration and participation of all members of the population in the study. Data was collected using questionnaire and analysed using regression analysis. Findings show that libraries are under staffed in most universities in the South East of Nigeria and the libraries had information resources to a great extent, but still needed to widen their services given the growing student population and new courses offered. The study therefore concluded that it is imperative for university administrators through the governing councils to employ more library staff in all cadres (professionals and para-professionals) as well as support staff. Also, the academic library environment should be made more conducive to attract clienteles to the library at all times and maintenance of furniture and equipment at libraries should be standardized, while upgrade and expansion services should also be done systematically.
Keywords: Federal Universities, Librarians, Libraries, Nigerian University Commission (NUC), accreditation readiness, electronic resources, library environment, library staffing
Library Marketing Indicators on Students’ Patronage of Information Services in Federal Universities in South-South Nigeria (Published)
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of library marketing indicators on students’ patronage of information services in federal universities in South-South Nigeria. Ex-post facto research design was used for the study. The population of the study was all the 31273 registered undergraduate library users in federal universities library in the 2021/2022 academic session. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select a sample of 790 students for the study. A researcher developed questionnaire named “Library Marketing Indicators and Students’ Patronage of Information Services Questionnaire” was used in collecting data for the study. The instrument was face validated by three experts. Cronbach Alpha was used to determine the reliability of the instrument and a coefficient of .82 was obtained. Mean was used to answer the research questions while independent t-test was used to test the hypotheses of the study. The findings of the study indicated that there is significant influence of library marketing indicators on students’ patronage of information services in federal universities in South-South Nigeria. It was recommended among others that librarians need to acquire marketing skills that will enable them effectively brand their libraries and the information services the library offers as this marketing strategy influences students’ patronage of information services.
Citation: Obi H.E. (2023) Library Marketing Indicators on Students’ Patronage of Information Services in Federal Universities in South-South Nigeria, International Journal of Library and Information Science Studies, Vol.9, No.1, pp.1-11
Keywords: Federal Universities, Nigeria, South-South, information services, library marketing indicators, students’ patronage
Impact of integration of Information and Communication Technologies in Library Instruction Methodology on students in Federal Universities in Nigeria (Published)
The study is on the impact the integration of ICT in library instruction methodology has on students in federal universities in Nigeria. The study adopted a random sampling method with a sampled population of 496 derived from 2018/2019 session 100 level students. Two major instruments were developed for data collection and validated by two senior lecturers from the Department of Library and Information Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria with a reliability level of 0.82 and 0.84 respectively using Cronbach alpha (α) procedure. The outcome of the study shows that there is a diversion from the traditional method (theoretical) of instruction with the integration of ICT which enhances students’ mastery of the use of library and other related technologies.
Keywords: Federal Universities, Integration, Library, Nigeria, Students, information and communication technologies, instruction methodology
Development and Validation of Circulation Software Package for Libraries in Federal Universities of North Central, Nigeria (Published)
The aim of this study was to investigate the development and validation of circulation software package for university libraries in Federal Universities of North Central Zone, Nigeria.. Specifically, five purposes and three research questions guided the study. Related literature was reviewed under conceptual framework, theoretical framework and related empirical studies. The study adopted descriptive survey at first after which it will adopt Research and Development (R&D). The study was carried out in North Central Zone, it has population of 155 comprising librarians and other library personnel who have worked in circulation department from seven federal university libraries in the zone. The study used purposive sampling technique to sample 108 librarians and other library personnel. From the above population one hundred and eight (108) questionnaires were distributed filled and returned; representing a return rate of 70%. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency tables and mean scores. And the decision rule for research questions one through three was based on whether the mean score value was lower than or equal to and above the criterion mean value of 2.50 for either rejection or acceptance. The findings of the study shows: that federal university libraries under study to high extent employ manual procedures in carrying out basic circulation functions such as registering users at the circulation Desk, charging out items to users at circulation Desk, Discharging and renewing items to users at the circulation desk. The study revealed that majority of the respondents strongly agreed and agreed that Fast report generation is not possible, Tracing a book on the library shelf is difficult, Information about issue/return of the books are not properly maintained, No central database can be created as information is not available in database, Difficulty in determining if a patron has overdue, the manual charging was characterized by long queues and unnecessary delays, manual card systems basically provide just one access point, the due date is on a card that has been lost, It is possible to have two (or more!) cards for each item, Waste the users time, The process is cumbersome and Inefficiency in service delivery. Finally, the finding also shows that majority of the respondents have little or no skill in Software design, Software installation/operations, Web design, Digitization and imaging technology, Online cataloguing(MARC) and OCR Devices classification (NLM). It also revealed that respondents have low skill in automated circulation system and System analysis and design. However, the table indicated that most of the respondents have a very high skill in MSOffice, Database searching technique and Transformation of data. Recommendations were made as follows; Libraries should encourage the production of local library application software by patronizing them and even be part of the software development, there is need for constant training and re-training of staff in the proper handling of Information and Communication Technology equipment and process so as not to run in to trouble, staff such as programmers, analysts, and operators should be employed to handle the computer system and train the librarians on basic trouble shooting, ICT facilities and other equipment should be made available for staff at the circulation desk, white the outdated ones should be replaced and each university library should have a stand-by generator and UPS to guard against power failure and its damage of the automation equipment. The project development of library circulation Software package that was developed based on the findings of initial descriptive survey carried out to manage the daily book transaction and manage the member, books record more efficiently to improve management of the book property in the library. This library circulation Software package is mainly use by librarian, library admin and users. Besides that, library circulation Software package also allows user to search for availability of books by Title, Author and ISBN via World Wide Web. The methodology adopted to develop this system is waterfall model. Thus, the work chapters included system planning, requirement analysis, system design, programming, system and testing, of the project. The software is available on-line via www.libcsp.com
Keywords: Circulation Software Package, Development, Federal Universities, Libraries
Development and Validation of Circulation Software Package for Libraries in Federal Universities of North Central, Nigeria (Published)
The aim of this study was to investigate the development and validation of circulation software package for university libraries in Federal Universities of North Central Zone, Nigeria.. Specifically, five purposes and three research questions guided the study. Related literature was reviewed under conceptual framework, theoretical framework and related empirical studies. The study adopted descriptive survey at first after which it will adopt Research and Development (R&D). The study was carried out in North Central Zone, it has population of 155 comprising librarians and other library personnel who have worked in circulation department from seven federal university libraries in the zone. The study used purposive sampling technique to sample 108 librarians and other library personnel. From the above population one hundred and eight (108) questionnaires were distributed filled and returned; representing a return rate of 70%. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency tables and mean scores. And the decision rule for research questions one through three was based on whether the mean score value was lower than or equal to and above the criterion mean value of 2.50 for either rejection or acceptance. The findings of the study shows: that federal university libraries under study to high extent employ manual procedures in carrying out basic circulation functions such as registering users at the circulation Desk, charging out items to users at circulation Desk, Discharging and renewing items to users at the circulation desk. The study revealed that majority of the respondents strongly agreed and agreed that Fast report generation is not possible, Tracing a book on the library shelf is difficult, Information about issue/return of the books are not properly maintained, No central database can be created as information is not available in database, Difficulty in determining if a patron has overdue, the manual charging was characterized by long queues and unnecessary delays, manual card systems basically provide just one access point, the due date is on a card that has been lost, It is possible to have two (or more!) cards for each item, Waste the users time, The process is cumbersome and Inefficiency in service delivery. Finally, the finding also shows that majority of the respondents have little or no skill in Software design, Software installation/operations, Web design, Digitization and imaging technology, Online cataloguing(MARC) and OCR Devices classification (NLM). It also revealed that respondents have low skill in automated circulation system and System analysis and design. However, the table indicated that most of the respondents have a very high skill in MSOffice, Database searching technique and Transformation of data. Recommendations were made as follows; Libraries should encourage the production of local library application software by patronizing them and even be part of the software development, there is need for constant training and re-training of staff in the proper handling of Information and Communication Technology equipment and process so as not to run in to trouble, staff such as programmers, analysts, and operators should be employed to handle the computer system and train the librarians on basic trouble shooting, ICT facilities and other equipment should be made available for staff at the circulation desk, white the outdated ones should be replaced and each university library should have a stand-by generator and UPS to guard against power failure and its damage of the automation equipment. The project development of library circulation Software package that was developed based on the findings of initial descriptive survey carried out to manage the daily book transaction and manage the member, books record more efficiently to improve management of the book property in the library. This library circulation Software package is mainly use by librarian, library admin and users. Besides that, library circulation Software package also allows user to search for availability of books by Title, Author and ISBN via World Wide Web. The methodology adopted to develop this system is waterfall model. Thus, the work chapters included system planning, requirement analysis, system design, programming, system and testing, of the project. The software is available on-line via http// www.libcsp.com
Keywords: Circulation Software Package, Development, Federal Universities, Libraries, Nigeria, Validation