Delivery of community information service as corporate social responsibility by librarians in Nigerian tertiary institutions

Abstract

Various scholarly works have reported the absence of library and information services provision to rural dwellers for addressing their information needs for sustainable development. Coupled with this is the absence of community information centers in the rural areas. Thus, a key question that keeps arising is: whose job is it to provide effective community information services (CIS) to rural dwellers in the country? This necessitated the study, with a view to ascertaining if librarians in academic institutions, considering their location in rural areas, are involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) by way of providing library and information services in communities? Using four federal tertiary institutions in Imo and Ebonyi states, South East, Nigeria, which are located in rural areas, it was discovered that librarians perceived such idea in the positive direction and also responded positively to the types of CIS that could be rendered as CSR. Possible challenges that may affect the planning and delivery of such CIS programme were also discovered, among which are financial implications, unavailability of communication gadgets and other requisite resources, absence of approval and support from the management of parent institutions, librarians may see such as additional responsibility without financial reward which may lead to resistance, and possible resistance or non-acceptability by leaders and traditional rulers in the communities involved. Recommendations were made for academic librarians to take up provision of CIS as CSR for actualization of sustainable development goals in rural areas in the country.

Keywords: community information services, corporate social responsibility, sustainable development goals, librarians