Information Impact: Journal of Information and Knowledge Management

Utilization of blockchain technology for effective circulation control in university libraries in South-East, Nigeria

2024-01-09T05:54:36+00:00

The study examined the utilization of block chain technology for effective circulation control in university libraries in Southeast, Nigeria. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised of 472 librarians in 10 federal and state-owned universities in South-East, Nigeria. Total enumeration technique was used to study the entire population of librarians in the study area. Online structured questionnaire was used to collect the opinions of the librarians due to the constraint of distributing and accessing the respondents physically as a result of the ASUU strike. WhatsApp Groups of the various state chapters of Nigerian Library Association (NLA) in South-East Nigeria were used as method of sharing the link of the online questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using frequency count, mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed among other things that, there was no extent of utilization of block chain technology among the university libraries studied for record keeping, tracking of transactions of users, reservation of resources, charging and discharging of information resources in university libraries in Southeast, Nigeria as there was a mean score of 1.61 for keeping and tracking records of registered users. However, it was agreed that, utilization of blockchain technology will facilitate effective circulation control in the university libraries. Lack of awareness, technophobia, inadequate skills and competence and inadequate technological facilities are the major challenges associated with the utilization of block chain technology in university libraries. The study recommended among other things that; university management should organize in-house training of librarians in the use of blockchain technology. Also, adequate technological facilities should be acquired and the work environment in the university libraries should be conducive for librarians.

Internet adoption in select Nigeria university libraries

2024-01-09T05:59:31+00:00

The paper examined the Internet adoption in Nigerian university library with emphasis on the extent to which computer networks aid the use of the internet to obtain academic information within the university library. It also determined the extent at which students use the internet to obtain academic information within the university library and to determine the cost, labour and maintenance of Internet adoption in the university library. A descriptive survey design was employed and the convenience sampling method was employed to select 132 samples for analysis. The analytical tools employed are simple percentages, frequency counts, Pearson Correlation and regression analysis via the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings revealed that Local Area Network, Wide Area Network, Internet, Campus Area Network, and Networks were the existing computer networks available in selected Nigerian university libraries. The information services provided using internet include; digital library/ repositories, searching library data, searching scholarly content, file storage, building community power and library automation. The paper recommended that university libraries should be proactive. More academic research could only be achieved with effective internet adoption and integration into university libraries.

Organizational climate factors in job creativity of university librarians in Anambra State

2024-01-09T06:03:15+00:00

Libraries are important centers in education and for resource sharing, so, also librarians’ important personnel in tertiary institutions. In Nigeria, librarians may not be said to have fulfilled those expected roles to the satisfaction of stakeholders. Many factors could be directly and indirectly responsible; however, the current study focused on librarians’ creativity and innovation and the role of organizational climate in the creative process of librarians. Being a survey study, the study utilized correlation design using descriptive statistics and Pearson R statistics to establish the perception of librarians about their organizational climate and the relationship between this perception on their creativity and innovation. The participants were 89 librarians sampled purposively from University librarians in Anambra State. The questionnaires used for data collection was simplified adaptation of Coveney (2008) and Organizational Climate Questionnaire (OCQ) by Litwin and Stringer (1968). The result was indicative that the perception of organizational climate is low among University librarians in Anambra State but the librarians were relatively high on creativity and innovation. Secondly, there was a significant positive correlation between librarians’ perception of organizational climate and creativity and innovation at r(2, 89) = .68, p > .05 implying that favourable climate to employees helps creative process to thrive. It is recommended that stakeholder should increase their support to University librarians in order to motivate them to perform at the highest level bringing their creativity into the equation.

Knowledge of library and information science undergraduates on plagiarism in federal universities in South-East Nigeria

2024-01-09T06:06:11+00:00

This study examined the knowledge of Library and Information Science (LIS) undergraduates towards plagiarism in Federal Universities in South-East Nigeria. The study determined LIS undergraduates’ level of knowledge on plagiarism, and explored their level of knowledge based on their year of study. Two research questions guided the study and one hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. A descriptive research survey design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 868 undergraduates which included 2021/2022 undergraduates of LIS departments in Federal Universities in South-East Nigeria. The sample size of 274 was selected using the Taro Yamane formula and proportionate stratified random sampling technique. A validated instrument titled Cognitive Test on Students Knowledge of Plagiarism (CTSKP) adapted from Gharedaghi et al (2013) was used for data collection. The reliability of the instrument was established through the Kudder-Richardson (K-R20) formula, yielding a high reliability coefficient of 0.88. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to answer research questions and test hypothesis. The findings of the study among others revealed a moderate knowledge of plagiarism among LIS undergraduates with knowledge variations across academic years. It was recommended among others that LIS educators should augment the curriculum with focused courses on plagiarism, fostering academic integrity.

Re-positioning university libraries for relevance in a dynamic learning environment

2024-01-09T06:09:14+00:00

During the COVID-19 pandemic, university libraries are characterised as highly responsive and receptive to technological innovation, and emergent teaching and learning paradigms in the educational landscape. The exploratory design was adopted to gain insight from library leaders/directors in Ghana. A purposive sampling method was used to sample library directors from four universities in Ghana. Our paper found that libraries in Ghana provide virtual services including libguides, e-resources, online chat systems, etc. to support the changing user needs in the information environment. However, major innovations instituted during the pandemic are discovery services, web 3.0-based, multimedia technology services and research data management. Our paper revealed that, major shifts in pedagogy and technology have occurred in education, demanding effective communication, collaboration, and teamwork by library staff in meeting universities' teaching, learning, and research mandate. Consequently, providing innovative library services and facilities aligned with university pedagogy must be strongly emphasised by the library leaders.

Implementation of information technology in academic libraries in Nigeria: Benefits, challenges and solutions

2024-01-09T06:11:54+00:00

Information technology has undergone tremendous advancement in recent decades. The power brought forward by the developments in information technology (IT) has seen its adoption across all sectors of the economy, with its implementation resulting in unprecedented efficiency. In Nigeria, implementing IT, especially in the education sector, remains one of the library’s objectives to enhance human capacity through access to digitized information. Academic libraries’, being at the forefront of providing information, implementing IT are inevitable and enhances service delivery. However, the implementation of information technology in Nigerian academic libraries has been characterized by numerous challenges affecting their capacity to efficiently deliver services to their users. The established processes for implementing information technology in these institutions include inadequate funds to purchase and maintain IT equipment, power interruptions, low computer literacy among librarians, and poor internet connectivity. Fortunately, adequate staff training and exploring alternative energy sources include some appropriate solutions to the identified challenges.