Library as a Change Agent: Examining the Roles of Library in Private Higher Institutions of Learning in South West Nigeria

This study investigated library as a change agent: the invaluable roles of library in private higher institutions of learning in South-west, Nigeria. The study was aimed at identifying the emerging roles of libraries; investigate the ways the emerging roles in libraries have influenced the higher institutions and examine the technological change the library has brought to the higher institutions of learning. The descriptive survey method was used for the study, the population of the study is 32 respondents from higher institutions of learning in South-west, Nigeria. The researcher adopted the entire population as the sample size for this study using the complete enumerative sampling technique. Questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection and 32 copies of questionnaire were administered for this study. In response, 31 copies were retrieved and found useable, thereby indicating a response rate of 97%. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies). The study contributed significantly to knowledge as it was able to identify the novel roles of libraries in this digital age. The findings revealed that libraries are now performing newer roles in order to keep pace with technological advancement. This new roles currently performed by the library has also transformed learning in higher institutions of learning. The study concluded that the library has acted as a change agent in institutions of higher learning by fostering the creation of new academic communities on campus (virtual community), enhancing life-long learning, improving communication linkages and consultations between policymakers, policy analysts, and policy beneficiaries as well as supporting, managing and improving the institution’s intellectual capital. The study recommended that adequate funds and resources be allocated to the library in order to improve the priceless and invaluable services rendered by the library as libraries in Nigeria are generally underfunded

The Role of Academic Libraries towards the Attainment of Sustainable Development Goals: The Nigerian Perspective

The study investigated how academic libraries can enhance the actualization of the United Nations’ developmental agenda in Nigeria, in a bid to make the world a better place for all.  To this end, three (3) pertinent research objectives were generated to guide the conduct of the study which translated into the questions for the study. The survey type of the descriptive research design was adopted for a population of 270 librarians from 18 academic libraries across the six (6) geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Total enumeration was adopted as sampling technique, while questionnaire was used to collect data. Out of the 270 copies of questionnaire distributed, 202 were retrieved and found useable, constituting 75% response rate. The descriptive statistics was used in analyzing the data for the study. The study showed that academic libraries contribute to the actualization of the sustainable development goals in Nigeria by providing conducive learning space and information resources to users. On ways academic libraries can foster attainment of SDGs, the study revealed that these libraries should engage in collaboration that supports information dissemination and strive to bridge the information needs of government and non-governmental institutions. Moreover, the study found that the major challenges of academic libraries in the provision of information services for the attainment of SDGs are poor networking among libraries and library professionals and inadequate/irregular training of library staff. Thus, recommendations were made in view of the challenges discovered and the study’s objectives

The Role of Law Librarians in Knowledge Based Society; Nigerian Perspective

Abstract The term knowledge society depicts societies having a strong reliance on the use of knowledge in varied forms, discovered through technological or scientific research. The explosion of information resources characterized by the information age has contributed significantly to the competitive advantage among nations, companies and societies through the skillful application of knowledge. A major attribute of the knowledge society is the prominent attention given to education, research and development(R&D) for the purpose of scaling up the human capital resources needed to proffer effective solutions to problems. In this regard, the focus of stakeholders is to ensure continuous networking between knowledge producers and users. An important stakeholder in this knowledge era is the law librarian. A law librarian is a special information professional with hybrid professional qualifications, skilled in collecting, curating, and disseminating legal information to members of the legal profession for the purpose of facilitating the growth of legal knowledge. However, with the emergence of knowledge societies, where human capital(knowledge), human competence, expertise, and effectiveness are considered as the driving economic resources, the traditional role of law librarian as an information provider must give way to the new responsibility as knowledge facilitator. This paper argues that this can only be achieved through a commitment to personal development. Keywords: Law Librarian, Knowledge Society, Human Capital

CHALLENGES OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTION IN THE DIGITAL AGE: THE NIGERIAN PERSPECTIVE

Copyright is one of the several intellectual property rights that accrues to authors of literary and creative works at the point of creation. Several legal frameworks such as the Berne Convention, WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) and the Nigeria Copyright Act have all been enacted for the purpose of recognizing and protecting these rights both at the international and local scene. Unfortunately, with the emergence of digital age, characterized by digital technologies such the internet, scanner, digital cameras smartphones, smart televisions, e-book, social media etc., has cause strain in copyright protection due to the relative ease of replication, manipulation, reproduction and dissemination of copyrighted materials in digital formats within the digital space. This paper, identified the following as the major challenges confronting copyright protection in the digital age; the ease in reproduction of copyrighted material, the ease in sharing & distribution of copyrighted, the availability of compact storage devices, and the challenge of detecting or tracing the sources of such infringement due to the apparent similarity between the original and the duplicate copies. The paper acknowledges the legislative response from international scene as well as local scene in addressing this social menace, particularly the WCT, WTTP and Copyright (Optical Disc Plant) Regulation. However, it was noted that current local copyright regime is inadequate to address the challenge. This paper recommends that authors and creators of creative media content in Nigeria should in addition to these legal frameworks, adopt independent modern technological measures such as block chain and watermarking technology to protect their work and prevent undue exploitation

DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AS CORRELATE OF USE OF LIBRARY INFORMATION RESOURCES BY UNDERGRADUATES IN NIGERIA

The study examined demographic factors as correlate of use of library information resources by undergraduates in Nigeria. One hypothesis was tested for the study and the descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study is 24,545 and 4284 undergraduate students in Delta State university, Abraka and Novena university, Ogume. The multistage sampling technique was used and a sample size of 367 (10%) was adopted. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The study revealed that among all the demographic factors that were considered (gender, age, level, income, marital status, residence and religion) only income, place of residence and marital status had significant positive relationship with use of library information resources by undergraduates in the two universities. Thus, the study concluded that demographic factors influence the level of use of library information resources. The researchers recommended that in order to ensure high use of library information resources; the library must provide regular and detailed orientation exercise for undergraduates in universities

Information Management in Herbal Research: Nexus of Trends and Application of Emerging Technologies

In recent time, herbal information and products have been used to treat different sicknesses and diseases such as arthritis, insomnia, ulcer, diabetes, cough, fever, constipation and cardiovascular problems. Several researches conducted have given birth to the use of different herbal products (such as rosemary Lavenders, sage, curry leaf’ Tea bush, Bitter leaf, Thyme, garlic, ginger, Ginseng and Aloe Vera) for medicinal and culinary purposes. Due to the ever increasing importance of herbal research information, there is need for adequate and proper management of herbal research information. This article examines the need for information management in herbal research, characteristics of herbal research information as well as the nexus of trends of information management in herbal research. It discusses and identifies the roles of libraries in the management of herbal research information. The paper also identifies some emerging ICT tools used for information management in herbal research. It concludes that apart from helping to preserve valuable information on herbal medicinal research, proper management of herbal research information also help to preserve the indigenous knowledge of the people from being lost as a result of factors such as acculturation and biodiversity. The paper recommends that government and information agencies should draw up strategy for proper management of herbal research information as this will enhance access to quality herbal informatio

Tackling Cybercrimes in the 5G Era: An Examination of the Readiness and Digital Skills of the Nigerian Police

The study examined the readiness and digital skills of the Nigerian Police in tackling cybercrimes in the 5G era. Consequently, fourspecific research objectives were identified, and three hypotheses were tested in the study. The descriptive correlational research design was adopted for the study and the population comprised all police officers from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and above in the Criminal Investigation Department in Edo State (including the Anti-Fraud Unit). The sample for the study was 35 police officers in the state. The instruments for data gathering was self-designed questionnaire, and the data collected were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. From the data analyzed, it was gathered that significant relationship existed among the readiness, digital skills of the Nigerian Police, and the tackling of cybercrimes in 5G era. The study concluded that the deployment of 5G technology will bring with it a new level of cyber threat, which will truly test the resolve of cyber security in and outside the country

Vehicular Classification Based on Vibration Caused by Uncontrolled Traffic Using Fibre Optic Sensor

Fibre optic vibration sensor (FOVS) converts vibration signal to light signal. Due to its prominent features, distributed fibre optic vibration sensor is preferred to conventional methods. Interest in FOVS has greatly increased over the years in structural health monitoring and vehicular traffic, hence the need to embark on this study. Distributed FOS is employed to measure the frequency of vibration caused by uncontrolled vehicular movement at Oluku By-Pass Bridge. ?-OTDR is used to obtain millisecond snapshots of the stochastic signal arising thereof. A video shot was also recorded to match the exact timing of each excitation. Traces obtained show several frequency peaks at various corresponding backscatter level for high and low vehicular traffic. Sampled data analyzed with Fiberizer Cloud software indicates high attenuation contribute to low total loss and low attenuation lead to high total loss. Spectral analyses of the data at low and high traffic for the stochastic signal. The corresponding frequency peaks were calculated and the results used to classify vehicles at low and high speed. The FWHM obtained with double Gaussian model for differential trace shows that high traffic gives sharp peaks with standard deviation less than 0.6 and above 0.6 for low traffic. The analyses identified peaks above 4.0x10-3 for traces with trucks and cars at high speed, while peaks less than 4.0x10-3 were obtained for traces with cars.

Poverty Eradication: The Role of Nigerian Libraries towards the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Poverty has been identified as the major source of widening global inequalities and underdevelopment at individual, organizational and national levels. The UN Sustainable Development Goals placed a great deal of priority in the eradication of all forms of poverty by the year 2030. The paper examined the roles of Nigerian libraries towards the achievement of this laudable goal. It canvasses the idea that poverty eradication is possible through the availability, accessibility and utilization of appropriate information resulting in requisite capacity building and empowerment of the Nigerian citizens. The paper identified specific interventions to be used by libraries in poverty alleviation to include: entrepreneurship empowerment, information literacy skills, information repackaging for the illiterate, lifelong learning initiatives, agricultural extension services, consultancy services, information dissemination services, provision of ICT skills education, improving reading culture and mobile library services. It concluded that libraries have the unlimited propensity to catalyse human capital development, productivity and reduction of poverty

Second derivative General Linear Method in Nordsieck form

This paper considers the construction of second derivative general linear methods (SD-GLM) from hybrid LMM and their transformation to Nordsieck GLM. How the Runge-Kutta starters for the methods can be derived are given. The representation of the methods in Nordsieck form has the advantage of easy implementation in variable stepsize.