The MacArthur Foundation in Nigeria: Report on Activities 2006

Contains president's message, foundation information, information on focus areas and programs in Nigeria, grantee profiles, lists of recent grants, and lists of board members and staff

AVAILABILITY AND UTILIZATION OF ICT RESOURCES INMANAGEMENT OF STUDENTS WITH SPEICAL NEEDS IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN ENUGU STATE

This study examined the utilization of ICT resources in the management of students with special needs in Enugu State, Nigeria. Two research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. Theoretical model of disability was adopted for the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population comprised of 200 students with special needs in selected universities in Enugu State. Simple random sampling technique was adopted in selecting 103 students with special needs in university libraries. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled: Utilization of ICT Resources in the Management of Students with Special Needs Questionnaire (UICTRMSSNQ). The instrument for data collection was a self-developed questionnaire containing 46 items. The instrument was validated by three experts, two from Department of Library and Information Science and one expert from Department of Measurement and Evaluation, all from Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The reliability coefficient was 0.89 using Cronbach Alpha method. Mean () and standard deviation (SD) were used to answer the research questions, while t-test was adopted in testing the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that utilization of ICT resources among students with special needs would help them get abreast with current information and same time update their pedagogical and academic research studies. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the government should provide fund, ICT facilities, internet connectivity and specialized learning resources so as to meet the varied need of the students with special needs and simultaneously organized conferences, seminars and symposia which would serve as knowledge sensitization among ICT facilitators towards the usage of ICT resources among students with special needs in various university libraries in Enugu State

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

Information Needs and Challenges of Agricultural Researchers and Extension Workers in Edo State, Nigeria

This study investigated information needs and challenges of agricultural researchers and extension workers in Edo State, Nigeria. Proportionate sampling technique was used to select 106 respondents. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The majority (71.6 %) of respondents indicated their need for information with respect to climate change and adaptation measures (71.6 %). Extension workers communicated more with agricultural researchers monthly (77.5 %). Lack of office-wide internet connectivity (2.06±1.08), unstable power supply (2.05±1.07), and non-subscription to relevant online resources by employer (2.05±1.07) inhibited respondents from meeting their information needs. The study recommends that to enhance knowledge sharing among researchers and extension workers, there is need for research institutes and state government to develop electronic repositories for their research outputs as this will further help other agricultural stakeholders to access local contents immediately

ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY SKILLS IN OPERATION AND SERVICE DELIVERY BY PARA PROFESSIONALS OF UNIVERSITY OF JOS LIBRARY.

In this research work “Assessment of Information and Communication Technology Skills in Operation and Service Delivery by Para Professionals of University of Jos Library” is to assess the information and communication technology skills in operation and service delivery by para professionals of University of Jos Library. The objective is to-find out the type of Information and Communication Technology resources available for use by para professional staff in the library; to ascertain the level of understanding of Information Communication Technology by the para professionals in the library; to assess the level of utilization of the Information Communication Technology skills acquired by the para professionals in the library in performance of their daily activities; and to determine the challenges faced by para professionals in the library in utilization of the acquired Information Communication Technology skills. A Survey research methodology was adopted. Questionnaire was the preferred instrument for data collection. Para Professional Staff of University of Jos Library formed the population of the study. A stratified sampling technique was used and 80 people were sampled. The study shows that university of Jos library is equipped with some Information Communication Technology facilities which include: computers, photocopier, projectors, television, printers, etc. Majority of the staff have access to these facilities. They use these facilities mainly for performing services in the library and for social networking. Lack of computer literacy, power failure, insufficient Information Communication Technology facilities, management reluctance, formed the major challenges of accessing and using Information Communication Technology facilities in university of Jos library. It was then suggested that tertiary institutions should allocate a reasonable budget to libraries to enable them acquire the needed Information Communication Technology facilities, and also to ensure constant power supply in the institutions. This research show that majority of the Para Professionals in University of Jos Library are moderately computer literate

Using ICT as a Platform for Effective Information Services Delivery in Information Age: Kenneth Dike Library, University Of Ibadan Experience

Teaching, Learning and Research (TLR) initiatives in the institutions of higher learning, particularly in the University systems in the Information Age, are driven by digital data. Academic Libraries worldwide   are emerging as critical partners in the creation, access, use, and preservation of (TLR) data. Digital stewardship, infrastructural development, economic models, and policies required to administer and protect TLR data, present both new opportunities and challenges for 21st century libraries. Addressed in this write-up are documentations of some of the things that Kenneth Dike Library, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria has achieved, using Information and Communications Technology(ICT) as a platform  to enhance an efficient and a robust information services delivery in pursuant of TLR initiative of the University of Ibadan. Keywords: Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Information Services Delivery (ISD), Academic Libraries (ALs), Digital Ag

Availability of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Academic Libraries in Nigeria: A review

This paper reviewed the availability of information and communication technology in academic libraries in Nigeria as such, various literature were consulted and it showed that academic libraries in Nigeria are at various stages of making ICT available and applied in their libraries though not adequate. It was recommended in this paper that Academic libraries in Nigeria should try and bridge the gap in making  ICT available and deploy same to library serves and funding bodies, agencies and NGO should help and make funds available to academic library to acquire modern ICT facilitates for improved library services among other recommendations . Keywords: Information Technology, academic libraries, Availability of ICTs

Influence of ICT on Reference Services in Selected University Libraries in South-West Nigeria

In university libraries in South-west Nigeria, the use of ICT at the reference section is becoming rampant especially at the reference section. However, research assessing the impact of ICT on reference collections and services in the Nigeria University’s libraries context has been ignored. In the light of this, this study examines the impact of ICT on reference collections and services in selected university libraries in south-west Nigeria. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 10 universities libraries out of the 21 university libraries in the South West Nigeria. Interview and questionnaire were used as data collection instrument. Collected data was analyzed using the percentage and frequency count. A total of 200 copies of questionnaire were administered. The respondents were given the questionnaire at the reference section of the selected University libraries. Four research questions were answered by the study. These are: i. What are the impacts of traditional reference collections and services on users of selected academic libraries? ii. What are the impacts of digital reference collections and services on users of selected academic libraries? And, iii. What are the challenges of ICT on reference collections and services in the selected academic libraries? The results revealed that a total number of six out of the ten Universities examined in this research have adopted ICT at their reference section and library users in the provision of reference services are satisfied with the services offered at the reference section than those that have not adopted ICT. The study also revealed that the adoption of ICT at the reference section of academic libraries in South-west Nigeria has some associated challenges. The challenges revealed by the study are: electricity problem, incomplete automation, reduced patronage (because of the availability of search engines), changing technology, high cost of ICT equipment as well as ICT illiteracy on the part of the library users. Despite the challenges faced by the staff and students in the adoption of ICT at the reference section of academic libraries, it was found that librarians/ library staff are foreseeing a bright future in ICT adoption for reference collection and services. The study recommends that more electronic resources should be provided at the reference section

ICT Influence on Globalization of Library and Information Services Delivery in Academic Libraries in South West, Nigeria

This paper examines the influence of ICT on globalization of library and information services delivery in academic libraries in south west, Nigeria. Seven public universities were randomly selected from the geo-political zone of Nigeria. Respondents are library officers and librarians working in the selected university libraries. A total of 130 copies of the questionnaire were administered on the respondents out of which 99 were returned and found useable for the data analysis. Data collected on the study were analyzed using simple percentages. The result reveals that the respondents are fully aware of what globalization entails and the benefits accruing from it to academic libraries; the libraries studied are automated, though only few of them are fully automated; the library softwares used are Koha, Virtual, Alice and Millennium; the most difficult challenges faced by the respondents in the use of ICT among other challenges are erratic power supply and low bandwidth. Keywords: Academic libraries, Globalization, Information and Communication Technology, Library service deliver