INFORMATION LITERACY AND ICT SKILLS OF LIBRARY STAFF IN SOME SELECTED FEDERAL POLYTECHNICS IN NIGERIA

This study assessed the information literacy and ICT skills of library staff in Federal Polytechnics in southwest Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design and a total population of 154 which cut across six states in the Southwest geopolitical zone with five federal polytechnic. The study adopted stratified sampling techniques from which a sample size of 136 library staff was sampled. The major instrument used for data collection was questionnaire. A total of 154 copies of questionnaires were sent out, from which 136 copies were found to be valid and found fit for analysis. The data were analyzed using descriptive frequency table and mean with the aid of Statistical Products for Service Solutions (SPSS). The study established among others, that the library staff acquired basic information literacy skills through attending workshops/seminars, trial and error, through the help of their colleagues, and through the guidance from library staff; library staff possessed high information literacy skills, which include ability to recognise a need for information resources, distinguish potential information resources, construct strategies for locating information, compare and evaluate information obtained from different sources, locate and access information resources, organise, apply and communicate information, and ability to synthesize and build on existing information among others. The study concluded that library staff possess information literacy and ICT skills and they could recognize a need for information resources, distinguish, potential information and deploy the resources appropriately. Besides, the research shows that Federal Polytechnics in Southwest have information resources. The study recommended that Federal government should continuously fund the federal polytechnic libraries to enhance productivity; Polytechnic management should provide more computers with Internet access in their polytechnics. The bandwidth for Internet connectivity should be increased to improve the speed of accessing information from the Internet among others

ADOPTION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR EFFECTIVE LIBRARY SERVICE DELIVERY IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA

Due to the growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in developed countries, this paper looks at the adoption of artificial intelligence for effective library services in academic libraries in Nigeria. The paper describes the concept of artificial intelligence while tracing its origin. It further established the advantage of adopting artificial intelligence in academic libraries which include user-friendly, infinite functions, ability to take complex work among others; and the challenges faced by library management towards the adoption of artificial intelligence which include financial uncertainty, job loss, technological disadvantages among others. The paper concluded that the adoption of AI in academic libraries is setting a new level of efficient and effective library service delivery but the adoption in developing countries such as Nigeria is low due to some of the identified challenges. The paper recommended that government and library management must come together to proffer the way forward for academic libraries in terms of meeting up with the latest standard of the use of AI in libraries; Library staff should be exposed to training and retraining in the use of artificial intelligence in delivering of libraries’ services; among others

ICT Competence of Polytechnics-Based LIS Students in the use of Online Discussion Forum

Online discussion forum (ODF) as an effective pedagogical tool for learning and knowledge construction, designed to make the learning process robust and all-encompassing. It is also expected to facilitate faster and smooth access to learning aid and for individualisation of learning. In spite of its enormous benefits, previous studies have shown that students do not make use of ODF as expected due to factors largely attributed to low level of awareness and perception without recourse to the role of ICT competence could facilitate sustained usage and promote acceptance among students. This study, therefore, investigated ICT competence on the use of ODF among Library and Information Science (LIS) students in selected Nigeria Polytechnics. Technology Organisation Environment Theory (TOE) (Fleischer, 1990), Media System Dependency (MSD) (Ball-Rokeach and Defleur, 1976) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, 1989) provided the framework, while the descriptive survey design of correlational type was used. The population comprised all ND II LIS students in eight Nigerian polytechnics offering LIS as a course. Six hundred and thirteen (613) students were enumerated in the eight polytechnics in Southwestern, Nigeria. The instrument used were ODF (α = 0.87) and ICT competence (α = 0.84). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression at 0.05 level of significance. Majority of the respondents were males (53.4%) while most of the students were found within the age brackets of 21-25 years (44.6%) with a mean age of 22.8+/-1.05. Google Answers Box ( = 1.86) and Experts-Exchange ( = 1.52) were the mostly used ODF by the students but with low frequency of use ( = 2.48). Further, the level of ICT competence of LIS students was moderately high ( = 2.92) on ODF use. There was a strong, positive and significant influence of ICT competence of LIS students (r = 0.318) on ODF use. Finally, ICT Competence have significant influence on ODF use among LIS students in selected Nigerian Polytechnic (F (3, 563)= 88.581, p \u3c 0.05). Also, the relative contribution of each variable measured in beta weights gives ICT competence (β = 0.206, p \u3c 0.05) . ICT Competence is a vital influencer of online discussion forum use by LIS students in Polytechnics. Government and polytechnic authorities should take cognisance of these factor for optimal and efficient use of ODF

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries