Developmental Problems and Challenges of New Multi-Campus University Libraries: The Osun State University Library Experience.

This paper discusses the developmental problems and challenges of new multi-campus University Libraries with focus on Osun State University Library. Data for the study was collected through direct observations, extensive review of the University publications, speeches by pioneer Principal Officers of the University, records from the Corporate Affair Office of the University and interviews (with pioneer staff of the Library). It identifies lack of administrative head, heavy financial burden, libraries that are scattered in different towns that are kilometers apart, inadequate staff, duplication of vital library resources, problem of interconnectivity, and inoperability of some good policies as problems confronting multi-campus university libraries. It concludes that the problems notwithstanding, multi-campus university libraries are forging ahead as result of goodwill of the management of the university, sheer determination and dedication of staff members. It recommends that the proprietors of multi-campus university libraries should always get qualified university librarians for their libraries from the onset; that libraries and Library administrators should guide against actions that may make them lose good staff; and that they should be ready to support the libraries in terms of funding. Key words: university libraries, multi-campus university libraries, Osun state, developmental problems and challenges

Library Orientation and Information Literacy Skills as Correlate of Scholarly Research of Postgraduate Students in Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

This study focused on library orientation, information literacy skills as correlate of scholarly research of postgraduate students of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. The university has ten colleges with various departments. A survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised the all 1,361 postgraduates in Diploma, Masters and Doctor of Philosophy from the ten (10) colleges in the institution. Out of the population, 900 postgraduates were randomly selected using purposive sampling technique; while data were collected using questionnaire. Findings of the study revealed that there is no library orientation programme for postgraduates at FUNAAB, while the only form of information literacy available to them is the use of computer course. It was also found that information literacy skills of postgraduate are still low given that majority of them either cannot access the library’s online catalogue or its electronic databases without assistance. The study therefore concluded that library orientation and information literacy skills are essential for postgraduates quality research output and recommends for inclusion of library orientation, information literacy and any other user education programmes into postgraduate curriculum. Also, seminars and workshops on the online catalogue and electronic databases for research should equally be periodically organised for postgraduate students

Library Orientation and Information Literacy Skills as Correlate of Scholarly Research of Postgraduate Students in Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

This study focused on library orientation, information literacy skills as correlate of scholarly research of postgraduate students of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. The university has ten colleges with various departments. A survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised the all 1,361 postgraduates in Diploma, Masters and Doctor of Philosophy from the ten (10) colleges in the institution. Out of the population, 900 postgraduates were randomly selected using purposive sampling technique; while data were collected using questionnaire. Findings of the study revealed that there is no library orientation programme for postgraduates at FUNAAB, while the only form of information literacy available to them is the use of computer course. It was also found that information literacy skills of postgraduate are still low given that majority of them either cannot access the library’s online catalogue or its electronic databases without assistance. The study therefore concluded that library orientation and information literacy skills are essential for postgraduates quality research output and recommends for inclusion of library orientation, information literacy and any other user education programmes into postgraduate curriculum. Also, seminars and workshops on the online catalogue and electronic databases for research should equally be periodically organised for postgraduate students

Nitrogen status and canopy density detection of vegetation using multispectral data

The use of ground-based multispectral data for the evaluation of plant water stress and nitrogen status in Old Oyo national Park, Nigeria was conducted and classification was performed. The active area of nitrogen concentration in hectares was between 0.0 and 0.4. This active area was expressed in hectares (ha) and percentages (%) respectively. From the assessment, 53.52 ha (69%) and 24.29 ha (31%) were recorded at 0.2-0.4 and 0.0-0.2, respectively. Heat stress takes place when the regular temperature is above 30ºC, which could slow down plant growth and lead to the threat of deficiency. The heat stress reached a maximum of 40ºC in this analysis between February and May. The research concluded that the sustainability of crops and trees requires a certain quantity of 69 percent nitrogen and a certain level of wetness for their growth which is between 400 mm and 800 mm rainfall

Debating Ethics in HIV Research: Gaps between Policy and Practice in Nigeria

HIV prevention is a critical health issue in Nigeria; a country that has one of the worst HIV epidemic profiles in the world. With 270,000 new infections in 2012, Nigeria is a prime site for HIV prevention research. One effect of the HIV epidemic has been to revolutionalise ethical norms for the conduct of research: it is now considered unethical to design and implement HIV related studies without community engagement. Unfortunately, there is very little commensurate effort in building the capacity of local persons to engage actively with researchers, and there is no existing platform to facilitate dialogue between researchers and communities engaged in research in Nigeria. In an effort to address this gap, we undertook a series of three community dialogues (Phase One) and two community-researcher interface meetings (Phase Two) in Nigeria. This paper aims to give an empirical account of the dialogue from these community engagement processes and provide a resulting critique of the implementation of research ethics practices in Nigeria. It is anticipated that the outputs will: (i) support researchers in designing community-based research protocols; (ii) inform ethics committees of key considerations during research protocol reviews from a community perspective; and (iii) inform policy makers and research sponsors about issues of primary concern to communities with respect to HIV research. © 2014 John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Debating Ethics in HIV Research: Gaps between Policy and Practice in Nigeria

HIV prevention is a critical health issue in Nigeria; a country that has one of the worst HIV epidemic profiles in the world. With 270,000 new infections in 2012, Nigeria is a prime site for HIV prevention research. One effect of the HIV epidemic has been to revolutionalise ethical norms for the conduct of research: it is now considered unethical to design and implement HIV related studies without community engagement. Unfortunately, there is very little commensurate effort in building the capacity of local persons to engage actively with researchers, and there is no existing platform to facilitate dialogue between researchers and communities engaged in research in Nigeria. In an effort to address this gap, we undertook a series of three community dialogues (Phase One) and two community-researcher interface meetings (Phase Two) in Nigeria. This paper aims to give an empirical account of the dialogue from these community engagement processes and provide a resulting critique of the implementation of research ethics practices in Nigeria. It is anticipated that the outputs will: (i) support researchers in designing community-based research protocols; (ii) inform ethics committees of key considerations during research protocol reviews from a community perspective; and (iii) inform policy makers and research sponsors about issues of primary concern to communities with respect to HIV research. © 2014 John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Economic analysis of seed yam production systems in Nigeria

New seed yam systems from minisetts, minitubers and vine cuttings have been developed for yam production to supplant the traditional systems, which have proven inefficient and costly. The new techniques provide producers in tropical countries with the opportunity to minimize production costs, reduce seed yam price and promote greater seed availability. A discounted cash flow budget with a whole farm perspective was used to analyse the economic performance and risk implications of a hectare investment in the new seed yam system over time for a representative farm. Data based on realistic process costs and review of past reported studies were employed to reflect the relative economic worthiness and opportunity cost of investment and operating capital of seed yam systems in Nigeria. From the net present value (NPV) and benefit:cost ratio (BCR) analyses, the new seed yam production systems were more viable than current traditional seed yam production systems through milking of live immature plants. This raises the need to identify which among the new production techniques could be the most profitable and recommendable. Therefore, understanding the economics of seed yam production systems would not only help a significant proportion of local, regional and national stakeholders but also assist the policymakers, funding agencies and other organizations involved in yam projects and programmes

Study of Surface Modification of Electrospun Polyethylene Oxide Composite Fibre

Functionalization of polymers had gained attention because of advance applications as sensor, energy devices, membrane, etc. This present study is aimed at studying surface modification as a result of electrospinning functionalized polyethylene oxide (PEO) with zinc ion Zinc chloride was added in various proportions to PEO solution then electrospun at various voltage. Fibres resulted into various shapes; belt, rod, mat and thread which differs from the primary PEO. The mechanism for the morphology modification was studied and the optimum conditions which retain the fibrous morphology were noted. This functionalized PEO can be used as energy device. Keyword: Polyethylene oxide, Modification, Fibre, Composite, Functionalize