Impact of digital literacy training on librarians’ innovative service delivery in smart libraries in universities in South–East Geopolitical Zone, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of digital literacy training on librarians’ innovative service delivery in smart libraries in Universities in South–East Geopolitical Zone, Nigeria. To achieve the aims of the study, two research questions were asked and two corresponding hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted survey research design. The population comprises 112 Librarians in 15 public Universities in South-East Geopolitical Zone, Nigeria. There was no sampling technique rather total enumeration method was used to draw the entire population of the study. A rating scale titled: Impact of Digital Literacy Training on Librarians’ Innovative Service Delivery in Smart Libraries Scale (IDLTLISDSLS) which contained 15 items was used as method for data collection. The instrument was validated by three research specialists in Imo State University, Owerri. A reliability coefficient of 0.88 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha statistics. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation statistics while t-test statistics was used to test the hypotheses. The result revealed that digital literacy training significantly enhances librarians' competency in navigating digital tools, managing digital resources, and providing innovative services in smart libraries in Universities in South–East Geopolitical Zone, Nigeria. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended among others that University management should prioritize regular digital literacy training workshops for librarians to enhance their competency in navigating emerging technologies, managing digital resources, and providing innovative services, ultimately improving overall library service delivery.