Reprographic Services: Availability and Effective Accessibility of University Library Materials by Students in Enugu State University of Science and Technology

Adequate resources in Libraries are not an indication of a good or well-organized Library, as availability of resources does not guarantee full accessibility. Many a time, users of University Libraries find it difficult to effectively access and reproduce the available resources in the library, owing to either complete absence or shortage of reprographic facilities, which as a matter of fact, is of great concern. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of reprographic services in enhancing the availability and accessibility of library resources to students in University Libraries, a case study of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria. Questionnaires and observation checklist were used for the survey. 2000 students selected using stratified random sampling constituted the sample size out of a population of 35,000 students. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results revealed that reprographic services were not fully utilized despite its importance in enhancing the accessibility and availability of information resources, this was owned to some factors that may limit the effectiveness of reprographic services such as unskilled staff, erratic power supply and scarcity of machine spare parts. Effective and efficient library management was the most rated factor to improve this

The Use of Academic Library Resources and Services by Undergraduate in Ibadan North Local Government of Nigeria

Libraries provide resources for knowledge acquisition, recreation, personal interests and inter-personal relationships for all categories of users. It enables the individual to obtain spiritual, inspirational, and recreational activities through reading, and therefore the opportunity of interacting with the society’s wealth and accumulated knowledge. This study examined the undergraduate students’ use of University library services and resources. It was affirmed the undergraduate utilized the University Libraries as learning centre. This was shown by the massive turn out to patronize the library services and resources weekly

The Role of the Library in National Development

Every nation in the world aspires for its development because it guarantees the wellbeing of its people. This development, which is referred to as national development, involves various facets of development such as economic development, political development, educational development, manpower development, rural development and so on. Economic development and political development are like two sides of a coin. They seem to be inseparable as one influences the other. These two components of national development are essential to any country across the globe. Hence, nearly all nations in the world make earnest effort at achieving these aspects of national development. A number of factors are believed to contribute to economic and political development of a country. The examination of the contributions of these factors to such development, especially in connection with developing countries, is, therefore, crucial. One of these factors is the library. The available related previous papers tend to be sketchy and seem to have failed to provide detailed contextual background about the role the library plays in the economic and political development of Nigeria. Thus, this paper explored the role of the library in the development of Nigeria, with emphasis on the role it plays in the economic and political development of the nation. In realizing this purpose, the paper reviewed the concepts of library and national development. Then, it provided insight into the types of libraries and general roles of the library. It further reviewed the role of the library in the economic and political development of Nigeria. The paper also examined the challenges confronting Nigerian libraries in their attempt to contribute to the economic and political growth of the country. Finally, the paper drew conclusion and made recommendations

Implementing ICT Techniques in Teaching for the Effective Implementation of the New Nine Years UBE Curriculum in Anambra State

Implementing ICT Techniques in Teaching for effective implementation of the new nine years UBE curriculum is the objective of this research study. The study investigated the effective implementation of ICT in the new nine years UBE curriculum. The survey was based on four research questions. A sample total of 3048 science and non-science teachers consisting of 551 science teachers from private primary and 823 science teachers from public junior secondary schools, and 731 non-science teachers from from private primary and 943 non-science teachers from government owned junior secondary school from the six different educational zones in Anambra State. A questionnaire titled “implementing ICT Techniques in Teaching for Effective Implementation of the New UBE Curriculum” (IICTEINUBEC) was used for data collection. Data was analyzed using mean ratings. The Findings include that the schools did not have ICT course outlines specifying the progressive topics to be learnt by primary and Secondary school students, science based subjects which require the use of ICT for its effective teaching / learning are not being used. It was recommended that teachers should not teach the use of ICT in education independently but portraying its scientific nature correlating it with other conventional science subjects taught in schools and that ICT based education courses should be structured into the schoolcurriculum so that it can be taught at different levels in logical andprocedural sequence

Impact of Serials Management, Access and Use on Publication Output of Lecturers in Nigerian Universities

This study investigates serials management in university libraries, determines the extent to which serials are accessed and used and appraises the influence of availability, accessibility and use of serials on publications output of lecturers in federal universities in Nigeria.  Questionnaire administration method was adopted to accumulate data for the study.  Combinations of both open-ended and closed-form types of questions were used.  The study reveals that the universities studied have different types of serials in stock. Print and electronic serials were the major forms of serials used by lecturers in Nigerian universities with print serials being the more utilised.  University libraries and Internet were the major sources of serials used by the lecturers.  The result also reports that lecturers in Nigerian universities had publications in six categories of publications. The influence of serials management on access and use as revealed by the results, management on access (r = 0.112; P<0.01) was significant while management on use (r = -0.031; P>0.01) was not significant. All the independent variables (management, access and use) when combined had significant influence on the dependent variable (publications output) (F (3; 860) = 12.48, R = 204, R2 = 0.04; P<0.01). The study therefore recommends that government should provide adequate fund for provision of relevant, current and adequate serials for research activities to improve publications output of lecturers in Nigerian universities and that universities should maintain the policy associated with ‘publish or perish’ to boost research, information generation, utilisation and dissemination. Keywords: Serials management, Access and use of serials, Publication output, Federal university lecturers, Nigeria

Transforming Library and Information Services Delivery Using Innovation Technologies

In todays’ world, library and information services delivery are being transformed from their manual operations to new ways using technology. The study identified the paradigm shift in libraries and information services as a direct consequence of innovation technologies. The key concepts in the study are discussed. The new technology and communication tools are employed in rendering services to the patrons through appropriate channels for access to information with cluster of technologies referred to as the internet. Information technology has brought in sweeping changes in the way libraries function. Libraries need to access, evaluate, and measure the impact of information technology on them. Such effort will equip them with knowledge of turning IT into a boom for improving their services. The continuous shift in libraries from manual approach brought about positive impact over library and information services. The challenges following this development are highlighted and recommendations are made

User Needs and Library Services in Agricultural Sciences

published or submitted for publicatio

The Extent of Availability and Utilization of ICT Facilities by Undergraduate Students for Research in Academic Libraries: A Case Study of Rhema University, Aba.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the availability and utilization of library’s ICT facilities by undergraduates of Rhema university, Aba. The research design used was a descriptive survey. A purposive sampling technique was used in carrying out the work. A total number of two hundred (200) respondents were used for the study. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. Two hundred (200) copies of the questionnaire were distributed to the undergraduate students in the university. One hundred and ninety-four (194) were returned representing 96.5% return rate. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean scores and standard deviation with the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The study found that the library examined makes available varieties of ICT facilities and showed a strongly agreement response on the users’ level of awareness by the respondents. The findings of the study also revealed that there are some benefits attached to the use of these ICT facilities in research such as reduction in time spent on research thereby speeding up research, improvement in communication and resource sharing among researchers, provision of access to a wide range of information, efficient organization and classification of information and reduction in distance barrier in carrying out research. Consequently, the study also found out that the problems militating against the use of available electronic resources include; unawareness of the availability of related e-resources to their discipline/course of study, inadequate guide on how to use the resources, poor internet connection, inadequate ICT facilities, epileptic power supply, unconducive atmosphere, frequent breakdown of ICT facilities, virus attack, as well as inadequate trained personnel. The recommendations made to improve availability and use of electronic resources by undergraduates include: sustained public relations programme, purchase and building of power stations, increase in internet connectivity and bandwidth, provision of well-ventilated reading rooms, user education, training and provision of well-trained manpower were suggested for action

Strategies for Overcoming Challenges in Digital Preservation of Electronic Theses and Dissertations in Public University Libraries in South-East Nigeria

The study examined the strategies for overcoming challenges in digital preservation of electronic theses and dissertations in public university libraries in South-East Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study population comprised 256 librarians, out of which only sixty-eight (68) digital or institutional repositories librarians were covered. A self-constructed questionnaire was used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. It was discovered that the major challenges encountered in preserving e-theses and dissertations in those libraries were lack of adequate funding, adequate ICT facilities, skilled staff, poor power supply, absence of staff development programme and digital preservation policy. It was also found that the strategies for overcoming challenges in preserving e-theses and dissertations in the libraries were creation of a digital preservation policy, undergoing continuing education, engaging in staff development programmes, creation of an institutional repository, entering agreements, collaboration, outsourcing funds, community needs assessment, organizational assessment and seeking expert advice while outsourcing ICT was not a strategy for overcoming the challenges. Finally, the investigation found that creation of a digital preservation policy, engaging in staff development programmes, creation of an institutional repository, entering agreements, undergoing continuing education, collaboration, community needs assessment, organizational assessment and seeking expert advice were the effective strategies employed in overcoming challenges in preserving e-theses and dissertations in the libraries, whereas, outsourcing ICT /funds and lobbying management for support were not effective strategies for overcoming the challenges. It was recommended that government and university management should be more committed to supporting the cause of digital preservation in university libraries as sustainable digital preservation cannot be achieved by the libraries alone

Transforming Library and Information Services Delivery Using Innovation Technologies

In todays’ world, library and information services delivery are being transformed from their manual operations to new ways using technology. The study identified the paradigm shift in libraries and information services as a direct consequence of innovation technologies. The key concepts in the study are discussed. The new technology and communication tools are employed in rendering services to the patrons through appropriate channels for access to information with cluster of technologies referred to as the internet. Information technology has brought in sweeping changes in the way libraries function. Libraries need to access, evaluate, and measure the impact of information technology on them. Such effort will equip them with knowledge of turning IT into a boom for improving their services. The continuous shift in libraries from manual approach brought about positive impact over library and information services. The challenges following this development are highlighted and recommendations are made