An investigation of the extent of automation of public libraries in South West Nigeria.

Doctor of Philosophy in Information Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2017.Automation of library services is an alternative to traditional methods of information handling. Library automation in many public libraries in Nigeria has affected both information space and practice. Inspite of the abundant benefits of library automation in libraries, many public libraries in Nigeria are yet to automate their services. For this reason, they are unable to offer excellent information services compared to their counterparts in developed countries. The implementation of library automated systems will significantly improve the services rendered by public libraries to the community, however the extent of automation remains unknown and under-researched. There is a dearth of literature on the automation of public libraries in South West Nigeria as most of the studies undertaken so far about library automation have tended to focus on academic and special libraries. This study sought to investigate the extent of automation in public libraries in South West Nigeria with a view to proffering proposals that would help improve the situation from practical, policy, infrastructural and human resource perspectives. The study addressed two broad research objectives namely: 1) To examine the extent of implementation of Information Communication Technology (ICTs) in public libraries in South West Nigeria and 2) to investigate the factors influencing acceptance and use of ICTs in public libraries in South West Nigeria. Specifically, the following research questions were investigated: 1) What is the level of public library automation in South West Nigeria? 2) What are the factors affecting the adoption and utilization of ICTs in public libraries in South West Nigeria? 3) What are the skills and competencies that library staff and patrons possess in the use of ICTs? and 4) What are the challenges librarians and patrons experience in managing automated systems? The study was guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The post-positivist paradigm was used as the theoretical lens to underpin the study. The methodological approach adopted was the mixed method with survey research design. The population of study comprised library patrons and professional and paraprofessional staff drawn from three public libraries in South West Nigeria. Survey questionnaires and focus group discussions were triangulated to collect data from library patrons and professional/paraprofessional staff respectively. Quantitative data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to generate frequency counts, percentages, bar charts and cross tabulation. Qualitative data from the focus groups was analysed using thematic content analysis. Reliability was ensured by adherence to Dillman’s suggestion which states that questions be reviewed by survey professionals. Validity was ensured in the study by adopting a mixed method approach. Mixed method guaranteed the success of the study as the quantitative method enriched the findings of the qualitative method. The study complied with the ethical protocol of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The findings of the study revealed that automation in public libraries in South West Nigeria was limited and at varying stages of development. The findings further revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions determined the acceptance and use of ICTs in the public libraries surveyed. Moreover, though the majority of library patrons and librarians were skilful in the use of ICTs, they had varying levels of competencies. The findings showed that there were several challenges hindering the effective use of ICTs in libraries. These challenges included but were not limited to unreliable power supply, inadequate ICT infrastructure absence of technical skills, negative attitude towards automation, absence of senior management support, use of inappropriate library software and technophobia. The study proffers among other recommendations the creating of awareness about the need for the top management of the respective libraries to provide adequate budgets to ensure full automation of the public libraries’ services; adopting best practices in automation from within and outside Nigeria in the implementation of library automation systems; developing and implementing relevant ICT policies to guide the adoption and use of automated systems in public libraries; putting in place capacity building programmes to equip staff and patrons with requisite skills to use library automated software; the recruitment process of library staff should emphasise possession of ICT skills as part of the requirement to be hired; and solar energy, inverters, standby power plants should be implemented as backups to the main electricity supply system

Librarians’ attitude toward monetary and non-monetary incentives in university libraries: A case of selected university libraries in Nigeria

The study uses a structured questionnaire to gather information on librarians’ perception towards monetary andnon-monetary incentives in university libraries in Nigeria. Questionnaires were distributed to 45 librarians in the selecteduniversity libraries through the use of simple random sampling techniques to understand the attitude of librarians towardsmonetary and non-monetary incentives. The findings revealed that librarians are aware of both monetary and non-monetaryincentives and that majority of the librarians benefited from monetary incentives. Motivation, job satisfaction and increase inorganizational commitment are some of the benefits librarians derive from monetary and non-monetary incentives.Recommendations include linking of reward directly to performance and the need to pay reasonable salary and wages tolibrarians in order to make them more effective

Librarians’ attitude toward monetary and non-monetary incentives in university libraries: A case of selected university libraries in Nigeria

22-26The study uses a structured questionnaire to gather information on librarians’ perception towards monetary and non-monetary incentives in university libraries in Nigeria. Questionnaires were distributed to 45 librarians in the selected university libraries through the use of simple random sampling techniques to understand the attitude of librarians towards monetary and non-monetary incentives. The findings revealed that librarians are aware of both monetary and non-monetary incentives and that majority of the librarians benefited from monetary incentives. Motivation, job satisfaction and increase in organizational commitment are some of the benefits librarians derive from monetary and non-monetary incentives. Recommendations include linking of reward directly to performance and the need to pay reasonable salary and wages to librarians in order to make them more effective

Utilisation of Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) among students of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria

The paper investigated the utilisation of Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) among students of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. The study, underpinned by the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), adopted a survey design, and questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. The population of the study comprised of 343 part three students of the university. Simple random sampling was used to select the respondents for the study. The findings revealed that the students do use OPAC resources to locate library materials and the resources are mainly used to locate library materials. Social influence and facilitating condition are the two constructs of UTAUT that influenced the behavioural intention of the students to use the tool. The study also highlighted that most of the students use the OPAC twice a week and mostly within the walls of the library. The challenge that more often affect the use of OPAC was reported to be inadequate access to internet connectivity. The study recommended, among others, that the use of OPAC should be included in the curriculum of the use of library  course, and that an OPAC manual should be made available for every student in the university during the orientation programmes. The study contributes to knowledge in the area of social informatics. Key Words: Online Public Access Catalogue, OPAC, Students, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeri