THE LIBRARIAN IN THE DIGITAL AGE: A PREFERRED NOMENCLATURE, PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS IN IMO STATE NIGERIA.

Nomenclature is a system of names or terms or the rules for forming these terms in a particular field of arts or sciences. It has a far-reaching impact on the mind. It also defines the status of positions. Therefore changes in librarians’ professional identity as a result of increased use of new technology in the performance of their routine chores seem, however, inevitable. Such application generates changes in the context of their work and ultimately necessitates changes in professional identity.This article explored various changing roles of the librarian in this digital age. It also identified the nomenclatures professional librarians in Imo State would prefer to be identified with and also gave some reasons they would favor such nomenclature. Descriptive survey research method was employed to investigate a total population of 68 professional librarians in Imo State. The structured questionnaire was used to collect data for the research out of which 57 representing 83.8% were duly filled and returned for analysis. Findings revealed that professional librarians in Imo State would want a change in nomenclature. The study also identified some of the nomenclatures they would prefer. It discovered that librarian, Information manager, information scientist and information professional are some of the nomenclatures they prefer. Finally, they gave reasons on why they prefer such nomenclatures

Library Internet Use and Demographic Characteristics of Undergraduates in a Nigerian University: Uncovering the Areas of Need.

This study investigated undergraduates of Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria to ascertain whether their demographic profile was a characteristic of library internet usage. Data used for the study was a textual analysis of statistic register on library internet use from May 2017 – June 2018. The study population consisted of 2682 valid name entries during the period under study. Findings revealed that FUTO has greater number of male undergraduates and this is due to the academic structure of the institution.  Discipline wise demographic characteristics showed that undergraduates from Agricultural Economics made most use of the library internet in School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology (SAAT) while those in department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) were the most users in School of Engineering and Engineering Technology (SEET). Also, undergraduates from Information Management Technology (IMT) and Project Management Technology (PMT) used the internet most in School of Management Technology (SMAT) while those in Biotechnology (BIO) were the most users in School of Biological Sciences (SOBS). Further findings revealed that undergraduates from Surveying and Geoinformatics (SVG) were the most library internet users in School of Environmental Technology (SOET) while Biomedical Technology undergraduates (BMT) made use of the internet more than their counterparts in the School of Health Technology (SOHT). Similarly, Computer Science (CSC) students used the internet most in School of Physical Sciences (SOPS). On the overall faculty level, School of Engineering and Engineering Technology (SEET) made most use of the library internet than other Schools. In terms of study level, it was revealed that final year (500 level) students used the library internet most. Having uncovered the disparity in library internet use, the study recommends among others that embedded librarians in FUTO should promote library operations and services through constant connection and communication with their various departments, continuous marketing and awareness creation of the library’s internet facility. Keywords: Academic library, Internet, Demographic characteristics, FUTO, Undergraduates, Nigerian University, Schools. DOI: 10.7176/IKM/10-2-08 Publication date: March 31st 202

The Academic Library’s use of Benchmarking to Achieve Outcomes: Benefits and Challenges. Academic Libraries in Imo State Experience.

The research examines the academic library’s use of benchmarking as a means to achieve outcomes with the academic libraries in Imo State as a focal point. The study made use of survey design to investigate a total number of 44 section heads of the academic libraries in Imo State. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data for the study. Results revealed that most of the section heads were not aware if their academic library makes use of benchmark in its operations and services. It also revealed a lot of benefits that are associated with benchmarking in academic libraries. However, some challenges were identified to inhibit benchmarking in academic libraries in Imo State. Keywords: Benchmark, academic library, benefits, challenges DOI: 10.7176/IKM/9-10-06 Publication date: November 30th 201

THE EXTENT OF AWARENESS AND ADOPTION OF UNESCO CONSERVATION GUIDELINES ON RESTORATION PRACTICES BY UNIVERSITY LIBRARY MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA

This study is an attempt to find out the extent of awareness and adoption of UNESCO conservation guidelines on restoration practices by university library management in South East Nigeria. The study was guided with two (2) research questions and one (1) hypothesis. A survey research design approach was adopted for the study, with target area on university library management in south east Nigeria. The questionnaire was used as the research instrument for data collection, which was subjected to a reliability test using the cronbach alpha statistics which gave an alpha value of α=0.90. The study found that the extent of awareness of the UNESCO conservation guideline on restoration practices by the university library management in south east universities is significantly high with a pooled mean value of 3.93±0.70. The extent of adoption of the UNESCO conservation guideline on restoration practices by the university library management in south east universities is very low with a pooled mean value of 1.74±0.14.There is a significant difference between university library managenebt’ extent of awareness and extent of adoption of UNESCO restorative practices. It was however recommended that… Government should conduct workshops, seminars and conferences for university library management and staff on the UNESCO Conservation Guidelines to enable them acquire more and balanced knowledge needed in using the UNESCO Conservation Guidelines. The university should provide an enabling environment to help the university library management and staff work effectively and use the UNESCO Conservation Guidelines in their preservation practices. There should be adequate funding of conferences and seminars by the government for staff improvement

Level of awareness and adoption of UNESCO conservation guidelines preservation practices by the University Library staff in south eastern Nigeria

United Nations Educational, Scientific and cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2000 designed guidelines for carrying out conservation practices to ensure that significant library materials, published and unpublished, in all formats, will be conserved in accessible form. These guidelines are expected to be used by the library staff for preservation practices. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the extent of awareness and adoption of the UNESCO conservation guidelines, preservation practices among the library staff. in the South –Eastern Nigerian Universities. Two research questions guided this study while one (1) hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study design adopted for this study was Survey research design with target area on university library staff in south east Nigeria. The population of the study consisted 623 university library staff excluding private universities The method of simple random sampling without replacement (SRSWOR) scheme was used to select independent samples of 300 university library staff (about 48% of library staff). The use of the SRSWOR procedure ensured that the sample is a random sample and a good representation of the entire population. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire, which was subjected to a reliability test using the cronbach alpha statistics which gave an alpha value of α=0.81. The study found that the extent of awareness of the UNESCO conservation guideline preservation practices by the university library staff in south east universities and the extent of adoption of preservation practices in the UNESCO Conservation Guidelines by university library staff in South-East Nigeria was below average. It was however recommended that the University  Management should conduct workshops, seminars and conferences for university library staff on the UNESCO Conservation Guidelines preservation practices to enable them acquire more and balanced knowledge needed in using the UNESCO Conservation Guidelines. The university should provide an enabling environment to help the university library staff work effectively and use the UNESCO Conservation Guidelines in their preservation practices. There should be adequate funding of conferences and seminars by the government for staff improvement. &nbsp

Assessment of computer literacy skills of university librarians in Nigeria: Evidence from Federal University of Technology Owerri (Futo)

The study focuse d on the assessment of computer literacy skills of Libr arians in Federal university of technology, owerri. It examines the sources of computer literacy, duration of computer use, and operations for which respondents use computers. The study used quantitative research techniques that involved a total coverage o f 32 librarians at FUTO library. The primary instrument for data collection was a self administered open and close -ended questionnaire. An assessment of computer literacyskills questionnaire was designed and administered by the researcher to the responden ts. Data was analyzed using simple percentages and tables. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents are not computer literate and also have not acquired enough skill. And long duration of computer use never improved computer literacy skill of majority of staff. It was sugg ested that university Management and Library authorities should create a suitable environment and provide incentives to motivate library professionals to take up continuing Computer training in order to fit in adequately and become effective change agents in the information society.Key Words: Computer , Literacy, Skills, Librarians, University, Nigeria

THE LIBRARIAN IN THE DIGITAL AGE: A PREFERRED NOMENCLATURE, PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS IN IMO STATE NIGERIA.

Nomenclature is a system of names or terms or the rules for forming these terms in a particular field of arts or sciences. It has a far-reaching impact on the mind. It also defines the status of positions. Therefore changes in librarians’ professional identity as a result of increased use of new technology in the performance of their routine chores seem, however, inevitable. Such application generates changes in the context of their work and ultimately necessitates changes in professional identity.This article explored various changing roles of the librarian in this digital age. It also identified the nomenclatures professional librarians in Imo State would prefer to be identified with and also gave some reasons they would favor such nomenclature. Descriptive survey research method was employed to investigate a total population of 68 professional librarians in Imo State. The structured questionnaire was used to collect data for the research out of which 57 representing 83.8% were duly filled and returned for analysis. Findings revealed that professional librarians in Imo State would want a change in nomenclature. The study also identified some of the nomenclatures they would prefer. It discovered that librarian, Information manager, information scientist and information professional are some of the nomenclatures they prefer. Finally, they gave reasons on why they prefer such nomenclatures

Availability and Use of Library Resources in the Rehabilitation of Inmates in Correctional Centers in Imo and Abia States, Nigeria

The study examined the availability and use of library resources in the rehabilitation of inmates in correctional centers in Imo and Abia states,Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design using three research questions and three hypotheses. The population of the study comprised 3,854 prisoners from the five prisons in Imo and Abia States, Nigeria. The sample size used was 713 prisoners. Purposive and proportionate random sampling techniques were used. Instruments for the study included: a checklist and a rating scale namely: Availability of Library Resources Checklist (ALRC) and Extent of Use of Library Resources Scale (EULRS). The instruments were validated and found reliable with index of 0.88 for EULRS using Cronbach Alpha Statistic. The research questions were answered using frequency count, proportion, mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using t-test. The findings were that Owerri and Umuahia correctional centers only have two librarians each in their respective libraries. This implies that the librarians in prison libraries are not adequate. It was also revealed that a good number of resources like fiction books, textbooks, magazines, chairs and lightings were available but some materials like newspapers, newspaper racks, audio cassettes, video tapes, DVD, library software were not found at all but the ones found were utilized to a high extent. Based on these findings, the study recommended among others that the Federal Government should employ more librarians to the correctional services centers in Imo and Abia states so as to reduce job stress and bring information closer to the inmates. Keywords: Library Resources, Inmates, Correctional Centers, Rehabilitatio