INTEREST AND SELF MOTIVATION AS CORRELATES OF CAPACITY BUILDING AND CAREER COMMITMENT: A STUDY OF FEMALE LIBRARIANS IN NIGERIA

The study investigated Interest and Self Motivation as Correlates of Capacity Building and Career Commitment of Female Librarians in Nigeria. This was with a view to providing valuable data for stakeholders to guide in organizing career development progammes. The survey method of research was adopted for the study and the instrument for collecting data were the questionnaire, interview and focus group discussion. Findings of the study revealed that majority of female librarians in Nigeria never were interested in the profession before going in for it, but are now that they are in the field and are committed to their career to a great extent. However, their capacity building opportunities and efforts are very low. Therefore, the study recommends that the Nigerian Library Association (NLA) and other Organizers of Conferences and workshops for Librarians should make the dues affordable; arrange more training outlets and make workshops more of practical training sessions. Also, stakeholders of institutions with libraries should endeavor to make fund available for the provision of ICT infrastructure and platform, acquisition of current professional literatures on librarianship etc

THE ROLE OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: ISSUES AND STRATEGIES

Academic libraries are institutions that are trustworthy knowledge providers. With the proliferation of information, academic libraries can help the communities develop. This study is a social survey research aimed at proffering solutions to the gap experienced between the academic communities, and that of their immediate surroundings. The data for the study were collected through the use of questionnaire and interview methods. The questionnaire was administered to academic librarians with higher qualifications in five higher institutions around Lagos and Ogun States. However from this research finding, it can be observed that the libraries have not had much impact on the towns/communities where the academic libraries had been established. Only the staff and students and the university community have been impacted immensely. Recommendations are for Academic libraries to organize programmes that will sanitize the communities to get users aware of the importance of libraries

From Binding to Digitization: Issues in Newspaper Preservation in Nigerian Academic Libraries

This article examines the importance of newspapers to research, education, and economic development for Nigeria and advocates the need to preserve newspapers. The authors discuss critical preservation issues related to newspapers and emphasize the urgent need to address their deteriorating state in Nigerian academic libraries. The article also examines the binding preservation method practiced among academic libraries and observes that the method is not adequate. It recommends that academic libraries in Nigeria should adopt the digitization model for newspaper preservation. The article identifies the digital divide, poor technological infrastructure, inadequate funding, lack of expertise, and copyright prohibitions as challenges of digitization and makes recommendations

Library Exhibition: A Veritable tool for Promoting Collections and Services in Nigerian Libraries

This study investigated exhibition practices and challenges militating against it in Nigerian libraries. The study employed case study approach and 29 libraries were represented. Data collection instrument was a structured questionnaire which was administered at Nigeria Library Association (NLA) Cataloguing, Indexing and Classification Section workshop held in Makurdi, Benue State in year 2013, and method of data analysis was simple percentages. The study revealed that majority of Nigerian libraries (62.1%) were currently involved in exhibition and displays, 69% of libraries hold only physical exhibition, 45% frequently hold exhibitions between 3–6 months while others (58.6%) lasted between 1–4 weeks. The purpose of exhibition include: education, awareness, increased sense of aesthetic and promotion of available resources. Lack of exhibition policy (96.6%), lack of display equipment (93.1%), lack of formal training 86.2%, and inadequate resources – money, space (82.8%) were identified as inhibitors to library exhibition and displays in Nigeria. Physical exhibition and display is predominant. There is a need to explore the use of electronic resources, social networking sites and the Internet for online exhibition. The management of Nigerian libraries should provide exhibition guidelines, display equipment and materials needed for mounting exhibition, training for exhibit librarians and library schools should incorporate exhibition into the curriculum

Citation Analysis of Social Science Research: A Case Study of Bachelor Degree Research Project Reports of A Nigerian University 2009-2013

The study is an analysis of the citations in the research project reports of Social Science Bachelor degree graduates between 2009 and 2013 submitted to the Covenant University Library. This was with a view to determine the type of information resources that were cited more by the researchers, find the average citations made per project report, determine the amount of internet or e-resources cited as against print resources and ascertain the recency of citations and author preference in the ICT age. It was revealed that the authors cited more from textbooks than journal and internet / electronic resources. Citation from books was 69.4% followed by journals 16% and Internet/ E-Resources 8% among others. The average of 39 citations per report generally was discovered. 34.6% of the total citations were Very Recent, 21% citations were Recent, while 13.4% citations were Not Very Recent and 31% of the total citations were Not Recent. The researcher’s author preference is foreign authors as against African authors. It is recommended that the Library must engage more in a variety of education and information literacy skill programmes. Project supervisors should randomly check citations to deter students from using spurious authors. Students should seek for more recent materials and there should be lectures on citation/reference of consulted materials especially internet/e-resources. African authors should intensify writing and publishing among others

Value-added Service to Academic Library Users in 21st Century: Using Competitive Intelligence Approach

Higher education in the twenty-first century globally has been characterized and driven on business ethos. The institutions are faced with stiff competition in an attempt to increase their student enrolment, attract international students and faculty, pioneer centres of excellence, show-case outstanding research output, produce astute graduates and get listed in top ranking league tables. The paper therefore examined the effects of leveraging on value-added services to academic library users through competitive intelligence as a predictor of competitive advantage among tertiary institutions. It identified value-added personnel, collection, processing of materials and dissemination of information as constituting specific target selling points to be enriched with the concept. It however noted and x-rayed the concept of competitive intelligence as a critical precondition for achieving effective value-added service delivery in academic libraries. The paper concluded that robust collection coupled with technology-driven retrieval system as well as digital reference services would lead to greater user satisfaction and enhanced patronage of library services. It recommended among other factors the need to benchmark competitor institutions to gain competitive advantage over the market

Value-added Service to Academic Library Users in 21st Century: Using Competitive Intelligence Approach

Higher education in the twenty-first century globally has been characterized and driven on business ethos. The institutions are faced with stiff competition in an attempt to increase their student enrolment, attract international students and faculty, pioneer centres of excellence, showcase outstanding research output, produce astute graduates and get listed in top ranking league tables. The paper therefore examined the effects of leveraging on value-added services to academic library users through competitive intelligence as a predictor of competitive advantage among tertiary institutions. It identified value-added personnel, collection, processing of materials and dissemination of information as constituting specific target selling points to be enriched with the concept. It however noted and x-rayed the concept of competitive intelligence as a critical precondition for achieving effective value-added service delivery in academic libraries. The paper concluded that robust collection coupled with technology-driven retrieval system as well as digital reference services would lead to greater user satisfaction and enhanced patronage of library services. It recommended among other factors the need to benchmark competitor institutions to gain competitive advantage over the marke

STUDY SKILLS AND UTILIZATION OF LIBRARY RESOURCES BY STUDENTS OF GOSPEL FAITH MISSION INTERNATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL, IBADAN, NIGERIA

The study investigated how teaching of study skills and use of library resources can provoke effective utilization of available information resources in secondary schools. The survey research methodology was adopted for the study while the questionnaire and the experiment were used as data collecting instrument. Using the simple random sampling technique, the senior secondary students were grouped to two. Eighty (80) students were selected for the study. Each group comprised of 40 students i.e. the experimental group and the control group. The questionnaire instrument administration was twice, first as pre-test and later as post-test after subjects had undergone teachings on study skills and use of library resources. The study found out that over 38% of the respondents made use of some study techniques. Furthermore, 75% of students had had study skills training in school. The subjects also affirmed that study skill classes equipped them to effectively use library resources. However, environmental barriers, physical tiredness etc was found to have constituted hindrance to students not using the library resources effectively. Similarly, 85% of students affirmed study skills teaching enhanced their academic motivation. The study tested three hypotheses which were rejected and the alternate hypotheses accepted, implying there was a significant difference in all three cases. The study therefore concludes that teaching study skills and library use skills education is helpful and enables library users to effectively use the library resources and therefore recommended that teaching study skills be intensified in all schools at the elementary level

Management of Theses and Projects in Selected University Libraries in Ogun State, Nigeria.

Theses and projects constitute a very important aspect of resource materials found in libraries. They are not published by any conventional means. This makes it a necessity for libraries to ensure that they are properly processed, preserved and made accessible for teaching, learning and research. This paper looks at the management of theses and projects in selected university libraries in Ogun State of Nigeria. The paper discovered that the methods of processing these materials include indexing and classification among various other methods. The major facilities for shelving and storing theses and projects as evident in the research are wooden shelves and 2 cabinets. In order to checkmate the entrance of pests and rodents, eating is prohibited in the theses section. This helps in preservation of the materials. It was discovered that only twenty four respondents attested to digitization as a means of preserving the resources. The use of CCTV in monitoring the misuse of theses and projects is not a common practice .Only sixteen respondents maintained that CCTV are installed in the theses section of the library. The research also discovered that the major problems hindering effective theses and projects management include lack of storage facilities, insufficient skilled manpower, and lack of fund, among others. The work finally recommends that theses and projects should be catalogued, classified and abstracted. The installation of CCTV in the theses section, improvement of preservation strategies and benchmarking of theses management practices form part of the recommendations

Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the Study Habits of Students of Iganmode Grammar School, Ota, Ogun State of Nigeria

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has changed the landscape of various institutions of learning. This study is on the impact of ICT on the study habit of students of Iganmode Grammar School Ota. The research revealed a positive significant relationship between the use of ICT and improved study habits of students. However, the work discovered that the available facilities are not sufficient for the students. A total of 156(32.7%) of the total respondents engage ICT for reading various materials through the internet while 152 (31.9%) use it to compare lesson notes. Others use it to send mails, chat, etc. (85.3%) of the respondents maintained that it elongates their attention span. Other benefits include improvement on students’ understanding and increased access to information. In spite of the importance of Information and Communication Technology, the work discovered that less than (50%) of the respondents have participated in ICT skill acquisition programmes. The findings equally highlighted some challenges hindering students’ effective use of ICT, among which are staff attitude, power failure, ICT phobia among others. The study therefore recommended that the Management of Iganmode Grammar school and the Ogun State Government should upgrade ICT facilities in the school, students should be trained to acquire ICT skills while the staff in charge of ICT laboratory need develop a positive attitude towards handling students