You can lead a horse to water… are clinical students getting the message about the library and information skills support that is available?

Cambridge University Library is the recipient of a grant from the Arcadia Trust to investigate issues and challenges in delivering academic library services in the digital era. One project under this auspice has been IRIS: Induction, Research and Information Skills, which attempted to map the information skills and needs of students at Cambridge University. The results of this study will be used to provide information in planning future services and facilities for students. Students were invited to complete an online survey asking about which online information resources they use most frequently, from whom they hear about new resources, and where they go for help with information-seeking. Librarians across the tripartite Cambridge system, in 60 college, department, and University libraries, were also surveyed with regard to what training, induction, and support they offered and to whom. This article will focus on the responses of 115 medical students who participated in the survey, accounting for 6.5% of the total survey responses. While acknowledging that student respondents were self-selecting, the results raise questions about how well the librarians’ message is getting across and how librarians can better serve students in the digital age

DOES SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE DETERMINE HOW THEY UTILIZE CONVENTIONAL AND DIGITAL LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA?

The study determined the attitude of Social Studies Education (SSE) students towards the use of conventional and digital libraries in South-east Nigeria universities. It adopted a survey research design. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was 238 Students which consisted all the SSE students from 200 to 400 level. A sample size of 152 students selected through multi-stage sampling techniques were used for the study. A- 4-point instrument developed by the researcher titled “Questionnaire on Attitude towards the use of conventional and digital Libraries (QACDL)” was used for the study. Cronbach Alpha was used to determine the reliability of the instrument and it yielded .771 which indicates that the instrument is reliable. The research questions were answered using percentage while the null hypotheses were tested using Man Whitney U test at 0.05 level of significance. The results showed among others that students that SSE students have access to the various sections of the conventional and digital library and have negative attitude towards the conventional. Some of the strategies recommended for improvement of the students use of the conventional and digital library included: Academic libraries have to improve the quality of their services to survive in this era of Information Communications Technology (ICT) and schools should assess the library service from student’s point of view to know their user needs amongst others

Knowledge and skills requirements of National University of Lesotho librarians in meeting information needs of humanities undergraduate students in the digital age

This study attempted to ascertain what knowledge and skills are required for NUL librarians to meet the information needs of humanities undergraduate students in the digital era academic library environment. To address the objective of this study, the following research questions were generated: what are the library related information needs of NUL humanities undergraduate students in the current digital age?; what knowledge and skills are required of NUL librarians in meeting the library related information needs of humanities undergraduate students in the current digital age?; to what extent has technology affected the roles and functions of NUL academic librarians?; to what extent are NUL librarians readily adapting to and embracing technological changes affecting academic library resources and services?; and, what type of education and training are required for NUL librarians to effectively meet the information needs of humanities undergraduate students in the digital age academic library environment? The study was supported by organizational learning theory. It employed a convergent parallel mixed methods approach within a pragmativist paradigm for the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data to respond to the research questions guiding the study. A case study design was adopted in identifying humanities undergraduate students' information needs and concurrently ascertaining knowledge and skills requirements of NUL librarians. The target population included NUL librarians and humanities undergraduate students. Non-probability purposive sampling was employed to collect qualitative data (from the librarians) whist probability stratified random sampling was adopted to obtain quantitative data (from humanities undergraduate students). Data were collected via face-to-face semi-structured interviews with librarians and a structured questionnaire for students. In concluding, the study presents, inter alia, a blend of required disciplinary, generic and personal competencies for NUL librarians to meet the library related information needs of humanities undergraduate students in the current digital age. It recommends, inter alia, the adoption of effective organizational learning to build on NUL librarian's existing knowledge and skills so that they may more easily adapt to rapidly evolving technology and more fully meet the information needs of humanities undergraduate students

INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL INFORMATION RESOURCES IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES AS A RESILIENT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract Information and communication technology has significantly changed the concept of the libraries from analog method to digital era. Academic libraries are tasked with the responsibility to provide access to digital information resources needed by library users and researchers. Few academic libraries currently contain electronic resources, but more are projected to do so in the future as digital resources and services support teaching, learning, research, as well as the preservation and conservation of written information. The paper therefore identifies the hindrances facing academic libraries, such as inadequate funding, poor bibliographic control, insufficient ICT facilities, epileptic power supply, man-power training and changing roles of professional librarians. Survey research design was adopted for the study to collect data from three academic libraries in Lagos state (University of Lagos Library, Yaba College of Technology Library and Federal College of Education Akoka, Library. Statistical tools such as frequency distribution, percentage prevalence, and chi-square were used to test the research questions at the 0.05 level of significance. A total of 240 questionnaires were distributed to the students of the study institutions, and 195 of them were returned filled out. The results show the various types of digital resources and identified the types of information resources digitized, the reasons for digitization, impacts of easy access to the digitized resources, storage/preservation techniques of digitized resources and the challenges faced by professional librarians in the process of information resources digitization and the effective utilization of the e-resources by researchers/library users. The study concluded that digitization of resources will empower the students/patrons/researchers with large scope of information access and utilization for knowledge development. The research also recommended that academic libraries should establish a wider networking with stable internet facilities to provide digitized resources and services to students/researchers on payment bases to avert the problem of financial constrain for the services rendered. Finally. the paper concluded that effective digitization of resources brings positive change to the educational system and economic development in Nigeria

Application and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Library Services Delivery in Academic Libraries in Kwara State, Nigeria

The application and use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in library services delivery and operations has modernized traditional practices, enabling libraries to adapt to the evolving information needs of patrons in the digital era. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the application and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technologies for Library Services Delivery in Academic Libraries in Kwara State, Nigeria. The study used a descriptive survey approach. The population was the 108 librarians in academic libraries in Kwara State, Nigeria. A total enumeration technique was employed, and a questionnaire was used to collect data from the library staff. The study answered three research questions. The study revealed that AI cataloguing, AI classification, AI indexing, information retrieval tools, and robotics referencing, among others, are the purposes of AI applications for library service delivery. It was found out by the study that the use of AI makes it easy for library staff to do complex work without stress, and the use of AI prevents repetitive tasks, which is one of the benefits of AI applications and for library services delivery. The study also revealed that lack of technical skills by library staff and a limited number of AI experts among library automation vendors, among other challenges, are associated with the application and use of AI for library services delivery. The study concluded that the application and use of AI technology in academic libraries is setting a new level of accuracy and effectiveness in library services delivery. The study also concluded that the use of AI enhances the security of library resources and enables access to information from any geographical location. It is also concluded that lack of funding, among others, is a major challenge in the application and use of AI for library services delivery. The study recommends that the library should provide alternative and reliable power supplies and the train library staff how to stay relevant in this technology driven era

Accessibility to Research Assistance in Georgia Four-Year Public Academic Libraries

This study employs webometric content analysis to assess the navigability of the state of Georgia\u27s four-year public, academic libraries. The research questions focus on the frequency of the academic library link\u27s appearance on the university homepage, the navigational paths to crucial content on library websites, and the degree to which responsive design was integrated into the academic library websites. The study finds that the library link was located on the university\u27s homepage 8 out of the 17 (47%) websites selected. 8 out of 17 (47%) library homepages were accessible with only one click or link. 2 out of 17 (11.7%) library homepages were accessible with three or more clicks or links. The average number of clicks or links to schedule a research consultation was three clicks or links. Pertaining to responsive design, 5 out of 17 (29%) library websites included a calendar integrated into scheduling. The author concludes that academic libraries should consider accessibility and responsive design during this Post COVID-19 era when reorganizing their websites. With the increasing amount of digital information, a library\u27s homepage exists as the first point of access for patrons to information literacy and much more. Library websites\u27 framework should provide immediate context so that patrons are aware of their location while on sites. The design should then balance utility and direct access to make for a clear and helpful online library experience. This study seeks to determine how such content is organized, presenting a navigation pattern for academic libraries to consider, and possibly follow

Lessons learned from 104 years of mobile observatories [poster]

Poster session IN13B-1211 presented 10 December 2007 at the AGU Fall Meeting, 10–14 December 2007, San Francisco, CA, USAAs the oceanographic community ventures into a new era of integrated observatories, it may be helpful to look back on the era of "mobile observatories" to see what Cyberinfrastructure lessons might be learned. For example, SIO has been operating research vessels for 104 years, supporting a wide range of disciplines: marine geology and geophysics, physical oceanography, geochemistry, biology, seismology, ecology, fisheries, and acoustics. In the last 6 years progress has been made with diverse data types, formats and media, resulting in a fully-searchable online SIOExplorer Digital Library of more than 800 cruises (http://SIOExplorer.ucsd.edu). Public access to SIOExplorer is considerable, with 795,351 files (206 GB) downloaded last year. During the last 3 years the efforts have been extended to WHOI, with a "Multi-Institution Testbed for Scalable Digital Archiving" funded by the Library of Congress and NSF (IIS 0455998). The project has created a prototype digital library of data from both institutions, including cruises, Alvin submersible dives, and ROVs. In the process, the team encountered technical and cultural issues that will be facing the observatory community in the near future. Technological Lessons Learned: Shipboard data from multiple institutions are extraordinarily diverse, and provide a good training ground for observatories. Data are gathered from a wide range of authorities, laboratories, servers and media, with little documentation. Conflicting versions exist, generated by alternative processes. Domain- and institution-specific issues were addressed during initial staging. Data files were categorized and metadata harvested with automated procedures. With our second-generation approach to staging, we achieve higher levels of automation with greater use of controlled vocabularies. Database and XML- based procedures deal with the diversity of raw metadata values and map them to agreed-upon standard values, in collaboration with the Marine Metadata Interoperability (MMI) community. All objects are tagged with an expert level, thus serving an educational audience, as well as research users. After staging, publication into the digital library is completely automated. The technical challenges have been largely overcome, thanks to a scalable, federated digital library architecture from the San Diego Supercomputer Center, implemented at SIO, WHOI and other sites. The metadata design is flexible, supporting modular blocks of metadata tailored to the needs of instruments, samples, documents, derived products, cruises or dives, as appropriate. Controlled metadata vocabularies, with content and definitions negotiated by all parties, are critical. Metadata may be mapped to required external standards and formats, as needed. Cultural Lessons Learned: The cultural challenges have been more formidable than expected. They became most apparent during attempts to categorize and stage digital data objects across two institutions, each with their own naming conventions and practices, generally undocumented, and evolving across decades. Whether the questions concerned data ownership, collection techniques, data diversity or institutional practices, the solution involved a joint discussion with scientists, data managers, technicians and archivists, working together. Because metadata discussions go on endlessly, significant benefit comes from dictionaries with definitions of all community-authorized metadata values.Funding provided by the Library of Congress and NSF (IIS 0455998

Catching Up with Innovation and Trends in University Library Services in Nigeria: an Analytical Study of University Library Websites in Nigeria

This study focused on the emerging innovative and trendy services on the library websites of all the approved 49 Federal Universities in Nigeria. Document examination was used as an instrument for data collection. The Library websites of all the approved Federal Universities in Nigeria were examined to collate data for this study. Three research questions were developed and analysed quantitatively using frequency tables and simple percentages. The result revealed that some of the Federal University libraries operate without library websites. Again, the study revealed that twenty-three innovative and trendy services were found displayed on the library websites of the Federal university libraries. The majority of the Federal University libraries have inadequate innovative services on their websites e.g. 32 out of 49 have between 0-5 innovative services only, on their websites, which are on the ratios of 7:2:4:6:6:7 universities to 0:5:4:3:1:2 services respectively. Again findings revealed that twelve universities have no official library websites at all. The findings of this study have made it possible for university libraries to discover their shortcomings of not having a library website and of adequate innovative services that would satisfy the needs of present-day information users. This study also makes academic libraries see the need to update their websites from time to time. Holistically, this research adds to the existing body of knowledge on academic library website creation and development. The study brought to the limelight what emerging innovative services are and the need to integrate them on the university library websites particularly in this digital era as there is limited research conducted on this topic. It, therefore, recommends that Federal universities should not only have official library websites but that they should integrate all their innovative services on the websites to enable them to catch up with innovation and trends in library services

Strategic Information Access Tools for Dissemination of Information in Academic Libraries in a Digital Era in Nigeria.

This study examines strategic information access tools for dissemination of information in academic libraries in a digital era in Nigeria, using the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Library, Abia State, as a case study. The study was guided by four (4) specific research objectives. The descriptive survey design was adopted with a population of forty-six (46) library staff; comprising academic librarians, para-professional staff and library assistants. The complete census sampling technique was used due to the size of the population. A-4 point structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions was adopted to generate data for the study, and out of the forty-six (46) copies of the questionnaire distributed, 43 copies representing 96% were completed and retrieved with valid information. The data collected were analysed using the descriptive statistics to determine the mean scores and frequency counts in accordance with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS Version 23). The criterion mean of 2.50 was used to ascertain the level of agreement or disagreement in each case. The finding reveals that strategic information access tools for dissemination of information in academic libraries in a digital era include: library catalogue, indexes, abstracts, bibliographies, Internet search engines, online databases/CD-ROMs, etc. It also reveals that strategic information access tools assist in the acquisition of information resources, the speed of disseminating information, promote accuracy in the dissemination of information, enhances effective management of information resources, and facilitates convenience in the dissemination of information. The findings also points out that inadequate trained staff to handle technical services, lack of current digital information access tools such as: OPAC, MARC 21, Dublin Core, etc., inadequate computers and related ICT facilities, epileptic power supply, poor Internet connectivity, etc. are the problems confronting strategic information access tools for dissemination of information. Based on the findings of this study, some measures such as: adequate training of staff on technical services, including ICT training on how to handle web-based access tools; provision of adequate funding to academic libraries, provision of adequate functional computers and related facilities, provision of effective internet connectivity, provision of constant power supply in academic libraries, etc., were recommended. Finally, this study concludes that academic libraries and librarians need to rise up to their responsibilities by ensuring that strategic information access tools are not only acquired but effectively put to use, through improved skills, in order to enhance timely dissemination of information to users

USE OF DIGITAL RESOURCES BY MEDICAL STUDENTS

21st century is considered as the “era of technology”. Technology has modernized the field of education. Modern students prefer to use digital resources in their routine studies. The study was conducted to find the “Use of Digital Resources by Medical Students of Services Institute of Medical Sciences Lahore”. The descriptive data analysis technique was used in this research work to answer the research questions for the fulfillment of research objectives. A group of 276 students was selected among which a total of n=126 respondents were male with a total percentage of 45.7% whereas the total number of female respondents who participated in the study were 150 in number with a cumulative percentage of 54.3%. The results revealed that majority of students (160 out of 272) was aware with the use of both types of resources like electronic and print. Moreover 38% responded that subscribed e-journals/database were available in the library of their medical colleges. Overall awareness regarding use of e-resources among medical students of services institute of medical was good. Medical students are highly depending on information technology; although the electronic resources have not completely replaced the hard form of books but still utilization of electronic resources by medical student and residents is very high, even the result of research demonstrates that more than half students like to use the internet- resources rather than print resources. The findings of this study showed that students were aware with the use of both type of resources