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

THE DEARTH OF STANDARD ANATOMICAL TERMINOLOGIES IN YORÙBÁ LANGUAGE: Butchers’ terminologies to the rescue?

The need to replace foreign-language medical terms with indigenous terms has prompted researchers to search for indigenous equivalents of the foreign medical terms. This study which focused on the dearth of standard anatomical terminologies in Yorùbá language was an attempt to examine the adoptability of butchers’ terminologies as descriptive anatomical terms for human abdomino-thoracic organs. Practising butchers in the South West Nigeria were interviewed on their terminologies for cow’s abdomino-thoracic organs and the basis for each terminology. The butchers’ terminologies, in Yorùbá language were critically appraised for adoptability as anatomical terms for human abdomino-thoracic organs. The study observed that cow’s abdomino-thoracic organs were grossly similar to those of humans. Majority (65%) of the cow’s abdomino-thoracic organs are named by the butchers’ in traditional Yorùbá terminologies. The butchers’ terminologies were etymologically derived based on pre-existing concepts similar to the modern terminologies derived from the ancient Greek and Latin words. About 25% of the butchers’ terminologies were the same with some human anatomical terminologies which were in use by the health care professionals. The terminologies concur with the cultural attitudes of the Yorùbá with reference to the private parts of the human body and majority (80%) of the butchers’ terminologies is simple and familiar to the people. Given these characteristic features, we concluded that the butchers’ terminologies are strongly adoptable as descriptive anatomical terms for human abdomino-thoracic organs and may resolve the dearth of standard anatomical terminologies in Yorùbá language. The findings may form a baseline for future studies on the translation of anatomical terminologies to Yorùbá language