Assessing the re-tooling needs of tertiary institutions libraries and librarians for enhanced academic activities in IMO State

Abstract

This study assessed the re-tooling needs of tertiary institutions libraries and librarians for enhanced academic activities in Imo State, Nigeria. Two research questions were asked and answered while two hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study employed a survey design. The population comprises 1,906 library staff in all the 10 tertiary institutions in Imo State. A sample of 331 respondents through Taro Yamane formula was selected for this study using simple random sampling technique. A 18-item researcher-constructed rating scale titled “Assessing the Re-tooling Needs of Tertiary Institutions Libraries and Librarians for Enhanced Academic Activities Scale” (ARNTILLEAAS) was used to elicit information from the respondents. A reliability coefficient of 0.85 was obtained using Cronbach alpha statistics. Research questions were answered using mean scores and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using independent sample t-test statistics. The result revealed that librarians have ICT skills gaps which significantly hinder effective support for academic activities like e-learning, research collaboration, and digital resource management in tertiary institutions in Imo State. It was also revealed that libraries needed upgrades to support enhanced academic activities in tertiary institution libraries in tertiary institutions in Imo State. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that tertiary institutions in Imo State should provide regular training and workshops for librarians to bridge ICT skills gaps in areas like digital literacy, online research tools, data analysis, and cybersecurity. This will enhance their support for e-learning, research collaboration, and digital resource management.