Application of information technology in the management of records and archives in Federal University Libraries of South-South Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the application of information technology in the management of records and archives in federal university libraries, South- South Nigeria. Two research objectives, research questions, and hypotheses were raised, while the descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 109 academic librarians from eight federal university libraries in South-South Nigeria. The samplesize consisted of 109 librarians using a purposive sampling technique. The researcher developed a questionnaire titled “Application of Information Technology and Management of Records and Archives in Libraries, Questionnaire” (AITAMRA), which was used for data collection. The instrument was face validated by three experts, and simple regression analysis was used to answer research questions and to test the null hypothesis at a 0.05 level of significance. The result revealed that the adoption of these technological tools, such as collaborative tools and productivity software, significantly enhanced the management, storage, retrieval, and preservation of records and archives in university libraries. In conclusion, the study indicates that the adoption of information technology can enable university libraries to improve the quality and reliability of records and archives management services. Recommendations were made, among others, that University Librarians and Records managers should adopt modern technological tools for efficient management of records and archives.