information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 69 information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen abstract. this study investigates the information seeking behaviour of undergraduates of the federal university of petroleum resources (fupre). a structured questionnaire was used for data gathering in the university. the questionnaire data was analyzed using frequency, bar char, and percentage for easy interpretation. the research findings show that the respondents use goggle, print textbooks, library materials and social media as major research resources. lack of computer skills, irregular electricity supply and lack of good search skills were found as factors affecting information seeking behaviour of the respondents. the following were recommended in line with the findings of the study: training of students on computers skills, provision of alternative power supply as well as adequate coverage of information literacy skills in the use of library currently taught in the university. keywords: literacy skills, information seeking behavior, users’needs introduction the assessment of information seeking behaviour by undergraduate student is vital in supporting them to access and use information resources to meet their required information needs. according to ajiboye and tella (2007), information is data that has been processed to be well understood to satisfy the user’s query. they go further in their definition to say that ‘information is data value in planning, decision making and evaluation of any programme. koc university library glossary (2014) see information as data presented in readily comprehensible form, to which meaning has been attributed within a context for its use. in a more dynamic sense, the message is conveyed by the use of a medium of communication or expression. bruce (2005) states that, "information plays a significant role in our daily professional and personal lives and we are constantly challenged to take charge of the information that we need for work, fun and everyday decisions and tasks. information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 70 wilson (2000) posited that information needs are influenced by a variety of factors such as the range of information sources available, the uses to which the information will be put, the background, motivation, professional orientation and individual characteristics of the user. while other factors according to nwagwu and oshiname (2009), are the sociopolitical, economic, legal and regulatory. there must be a need that would prompt an individual to engage in information seeking. information need is an innate desire that prompt an individual leading to a search for information. undergraduates have a lot of information needs which prompted their demand for information. when undergraduates are searching for information to meet their needs, they use different sources of information. akinola, afolabi and chinedu (2009) defines information sources as the materials or means through which information can be found to meet a particular need. case (2002) defines information seeking as a conscious effort to acquire information in response to a need or gap in your knowledge. information seeking behaviour is a key concept in library and information science profession. pettigrew fidel and bruce (2001) defined information behaviour as the study of how people need, seek, give and use information in different contexts, including the workplace and everyday living. according to odongo and bukenya (2004), information seeking behaviour is the way people go about searching for information. they also observed that students’ information seeking behaviour involves purposeful information seeking as a result of the need to complete course assignments, prepare for class discussions, seminars, workshops, and write final-year research papers. information seeking behaviour is expressed in various forms, from reading printed material to research and experimentation (bhatti, 2008).information-seeking behaviour remains a key research area; academic librarians around the world strive to understand the information needs of undergraduate students and ways of satisfy these needs. ossai-onah (2013) posit that though there seems to exist many reasons and sources of information to the information user, the university library occupies a central position in the information seeking process of undergraduate students in nigerian universities. undergraduate students’ information seeking behaviour was considered the biggest problem to be investigated. most undergraduate students find it difficult to locate the right sources of information to meet their needs and without adequate information succeeding academically would be a great challenge. this study is therefore information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 71 aimed at determining information seeking behavior of undergraduates with a view to improving their academic performance. objectives of the study studying the information seeking behaviour of undergraduate students will enable libraries and academic librarian deliver standard services which will improve the academic performance of their students. this study sought to establish ways of improving the information–seeking behaviour of students. to attain this goal, the study stipulated the following objectives:  to find out the sources of information undergraduate students are familiar with.  to discover the information needs of undergraduates students  to determine the undergraduate students’ information demand and use  to establish the problems that undergraduate students encounter in information seeking research questions for the purpose of this research the following questions have been formulated:  what are the sources of information undergraduate students are familiar with?  what are the information needs of undergraduates?  how do undergraduate students demand for information to meet their needs?  what are the factors militating against the availability and accessibility of information by undergraduate student? literature review information seeking behaviour deals with the psychological behaviour of the seeker. it involves the searching, locating, retrieving and using of information (karunarathna, 2008).wilson (2008) posits that, “information seeking behavior is the purposive seeking for information as a consequence of a need to satisfy some goal. information seeking behaviour can be described as an individual’s manner of gathering and sourcing information for personal use, knowledge updating and development (emmanuel, george & oni, 2010). ellis (1989) in his information seeking behaviour model identified six actions information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 72 in sourcing for information, which include: starting, chaining, browsing, differentiating, monitoring, and extracting. according to ellis, ‘starting’ is identifying the initial materials to search through and selecting starting points for the search. he explained ‘chaining’ as following leads from the starting source to referential connections to other sources that contribute new sources of information. ellis simply explains ‘browsing’ as casually looking for information in areas of interest. ‘differentiating’, one of the search strategies as explained by ellis is selecting among the known sources by noting the distinctions of characteristics and value of the information. ‘monitoring’ is keeping up-to-date on a topic by regularly following specific sources as well as using small set of care sources including key personal contacts and publications. ‘extracting’ is methodically analyzing sources to identify materials of interest. information seeking behaviour deals mainly with the study of information needs, demand and use by a particular set of people. the behaviour people exhibit while in search of information differs significantly according to background, culture, conditions, needs, and requirements. a lot of studies have been conducted on the information seeking behaviour of undergraduate students. the study by barakutty and salih (1999) cited by owolabi (2007) at calicut university, india, shows that the students used the internet as the major source of information for their academic development. kakai, ikoja and kigongo (2004) in their study observed that most students concentrate on using particular materials recommended by either their lecturers or colleagues who have used them before, rather than searching to find the most appropriate document to use. ajiboye and tella (2007) maintain that the way students organize their learning and search for information is crucial to their overall performance. wilberley and jones (2000) asserted that, though undergraduate students in the humanities do turn more frequently to librarians, they do so with some reluctance. according to the findings of kim, joanna and yoolee (2013), almost all participants (98.6%) reported using wikipedia as an information source, while (95.7%) of the participants reported that face book is an important source of information to them. these researchers agreed that social media is an important source of information for undergraduate students. mabawonku (2005) highlights ways in which students can seek for information, which include colleagues, the internet, library, friends, family members, recognized institutions, agencies, and private organizations. mann (2003) posited that most information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 73 researchers, even with computers, find only a fraction of the sources available to them. he explained that undergraduates tend to work within one or another mental framework that limits their basic perception of the universe of knowledge available to them. students according to him use a subject-disciplinary method that leads them to a specific list of sources on a particular subject. he points out that while this method allows students and researchers to find more specific sources, it is limiting in that they may not realize that work of interest to their own subject appears within the literature of many other disciplines. he also observed that users want ‘good enough’ sources, not necessarily the best sources available. the evaluation of ‘good enough’ is based on a number of factors, the most important being ease of access and availability of full-text sources. the sources chosen follow the principle of least effort; they tend to choose perceived ease of access over quality of content in selecting an information source or channel. ajiboye and tella (2007) find out from their research on university undergraduates that 12 percent of the students required information for their personal development, while 11.25 percent claimed that they sought information on health matter, and 64.1 percent sought for information for their academic development, 9.3 percent to secure employment. baro and fynman (2009) in their study pointed out factors such as: information illiteracy among library users; absence of computer systems with internet connectivity in the university libraries; poorly conducted user education programmes; reliance on manual information retrieval tools which leads to poor filing and slow retrieval; and limited sensitization of the library information resources and services as factors that hinder the effective utilization of library resources and services. this makes it difficult for undergraduate students to meet their information needs. zondi (2002) in her study established that a majority of students show a very low level of competence in the use of a library and display poor information seeking patterns. it could be assumed that students could be experiencing technical problems in accessing information resources; being card catalogues, the library catalogues do not provide adequate access to the libraries’ collections; or students are information illiterate and lack the required library literacy skills. mellon (2006) concluded in his study that undergraduates encounter technical problems trying to locate materials from university libraries. beyond the problem of facilities is the inability of students to use different search strategies to source information and how to source the academic information needed for information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 74 them to excel. meyers, nathan and saxton (2006), found out thta information barriers transcend access to information to constraining forces which affects the information search of students. hartmann (2001) concluded in his study that undergraduate students experienced difficulty in locating items from the library collection and do not understand the processes for retrieving journal articles. according to the study of kakai, ikoja–odongo and bukenya (2004), undergraduates face the following barriers in their access to information; limited borrowing of the most relevant books in the closed access section; insufficient copies of the relevant information materials (books); out–dated (old) information materials dominating the stock; poorly conducting user education; reliance on manual information retrieval tools which lead to poor filing and slow retrieval; and, limited sensitization of the library information resources and services. research method a survey research method was used to carry out this study because of its large population. the instrument used for data collection in this study was questionnaire. questionnaires was used for collecting data for this research because cohen and morrision (2012) is of view that the questionnaires is widely used and it is a useful instrument for collecting survey information providing structured, often numerical data, being able to be administered without the presence of the researcher and often comparatively straight forward to analyze. the target population of this study comprises the undergraduate’s students of the federal university of petroleum resources. the total population of the study was 1,816 undergraduate students of federal university of petroleum resources (fupre). a total of 816 of respondents were selected out of the total population. the stratified random sampling technique was used to select respondents across the two colleges in the university. these colleges are college of technology and college of science. the researcher administered and collected the questionnaire from the respondents. thus there was 81% rate of return distributed. information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 75 findings and discussion: out of 816 copies of the questionnaire that were administered to the undergraduate students, 665(81%) were retrieved. the data collected in the study is presented according to the objectives of the study. fig 1: distribution of respondent by sex fig. 1 shows that (95%) of the respondents are male while (5%) are female. this represents the gender distribution of students involved in the survey. male, 95% female, 5% total, 665 information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 76 fig 2: year of respondents/ students. it is obvious from fig 2 that majority (48%) of the respondents are students in their first year while 16% are second year students, 14% are third year students, 13% students in their fourth year, 9% are fifth year students. fig 3: source of information 320 105 95 84 61 665 48% 16% 14% 13% 9% 100% 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 i ii iii iv v total frequency percentage 420 425 302 205 520 200 408 320 220 105 63% 63% 45% 31% 78% 30% 61% 57% 33% 16% 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 frequency percentage information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 77 as observed from fig 3, 63% of respondent use goggle or other search engines and printed textbooks, 45% ebooks, 31% reading list as their major source of information, 78% google scholar, 30% wikipedia, 61% social media, 57% library materials, 33% friends and family and 16% use other sources. fig 4: use of information obtained as observed from fig 4, that (78%) of the respondent use the information obtained for academics, 63% for assignment, 51% for final year research, 15% for relationship issues, 15% for personal development, 30% for health improvement ethics, 63% to read ahead of lectures, 53% for current happenings/ inventions, 15% for entertainment. 520 422 342 100 102 200 420 350 100 78% 63% 51% 15% 15% 30% 63% 53% 15% 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 frequency percentage information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 78 fig 5: demand for information figure 5 indicates that 64% of the respondent demand for information from course notes, 75% from visiting the library, 31% from print text books, 19% from e-books, 14% from journal articles, 14% from wikipedia, 53% from lecturer or tutor, 17% from electronic database, 19% from newspaper/ magazines, 48% from interaction with librarians and 5% demand for information from other sources. fig 6: purpose of use of information by undergraduate students 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 frequency percentage 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 frequency percentage information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 79 fig. 6 shows information use by undergraduate students. 79% to enhance academic performance, 16% to aid personal development, 53% to read ahead of the lecturers, 33% to improve health ethics, 63% to do assignments and course works, 14% to improve relationship challenges while 15% to know current happenings and inventions. fig.7: factors affecting undergraduate’s information seeking behavior table 7, shows that, 64% lack of computer skills, 10% poor infrastructure, 11% lack of time, 53% irregular electricity supply, 63% lack of good search skills, 10% do not know where to go to meet their information need while 57% poor internet available within the school premises and 16% other factors. findings reveal that 78% of the respondent’s sources for information through google. it was found to be the most popularly used information channel, followed by social media. these findings correlate with the findings of garcia and silicia (2003) and oyewusi and oyebobe (2009). google was found to be the major search engine used by the university students. finding also reveals that 78% of the respondent use the information obtained for academics purposes. 63% for assignment, 51% for final year research, 63% to read ahead of lectures, 53% for current happenings/ inventions. findings indicates that 75% of respondents visiting the library, 31% from print text books, 19% from e-books, 14% from journal articles, 14% from wikipedia, 53% from lecturer or tutor, 17% from electronic 425 65 72 352 422 64 381 104 64% 10% 11% 53% 63% 10% 57% 16% 0 100 200 300 400 500 frequency percentage information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 80 database, 19% from newspaper/ magazines, 48% from interaction with librarians and 5% demand for information from other sources. finding reveals that, 64% lack of computer skills, 53% irregular electricity supply, 63% lack of good search skills while 57% poor internet facility within the school premises. this is in line with baro and fynman (2009) in their study which pointed out factors such as: information illiteracy among library users; absence of computer systems with internet connectivity in the university libraries; poorly conducted user education programmes etc. as factors that hinder the effective utilization of library resources and services. this makes it difficult for undergraduate students to meet their information needs. conclusion and recommendations certain conclusions can be drawn from the study: students at the university know the importance of information, given the fact that a majority of them seek information to improve their academic performance. in view of the foregoing, the following recommendations are made:  that federal university of petroleum resources students should be exposed to interactive learning that would implant the habit and skills of researching in information and knowledge management  university administration should provide more books and journals to the library.  the students should be educated on the importance and use of information in their academic pursuits.  training programmes should be organized for the library staff so they can be more effective in meeting students' information needs.  information sources should be well-organized, classified accurately, and entered in the catalogue.  computer training should be introduced so as to enhance search skills of the students. information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 81 references ajiboye, j, tella, a (2007), university undergraduate students’ information seeking behaviour: implications for quality in higher education in africa. the turkish online journal of educational technology – tojet, 6 (1) akinola, s.f, (2009). information seeking behaviour of lecturers in 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(2009). information needs and seeking behaviour of nurses at the university college hospital, ibadan, nigeria. african journal of library, archival and information science vol. 19, no. 125-38 nwobasi, r. n., uwa, e. o.& ossai-onah, o. v.(2013).information needs and seeking behaviour of students in two universities in imo state, nigeria . library philosophy and practice (e-journal).http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/ owolabi. k. a (2007). internet access and usage by the students of akanuibiam federal polytechnic.nigerian. library link 5 (1) 38-47 pettigrew, k e, r fidel, and h bruce (2001).conceptual frameworks in information behavior. annual review of information science and technology 35: 43-76.61 – 76 http://eprints.rclis.org/handle/10760/12699 http://staging.brewww.com/skl/en/node/66 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/ information seeking behaviour of undergraduates in a nigerian university mathew igberaese. okoh and osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen page 83 wiberley, se. and jones, wg. 2000. patterns of information seeking in the humanities. college and research libraries, 50 (6): 638-645. wilson, t.d. (2008). human information behavior. available: http://inform.nu/articles/vol.3/v3n2 . zondi, el. 2002. library use skills and information seeking patterns of first year students at the university of zululand, southafrica. southafrican journal of library and information science, 60 (4): 204-208. mathew igberaese okoh is the acting university librarian, federal university of petroleum resources, effurun,nigeria. he can be reached at matokoh@uk.co osaze patrick ijiekhuamhen is higher library officer in the federal university of petroleum resources, effurun, nigeria. conclusion and recommendations information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian nafisa rabiu university of ilorin, nigeria njideka nwawih ojukwu federal university lokoja, nigeria popoola biliamin oladele university of medical science, nigeria abstract this paper investigates availability and accessibility of e-books in nigeria libraries. a social survey method of research was adopted for the study and the questionnaire as a research instrument was used. a systematic random sampling technique was used to determine respondents in the survey. the result shows that e-books penetration in libraries is still very low. the study also reveals that respondents accessed both paid for and free e-books. challenges identified include embargo period, issues of payment per loan basis, re-licensing title etc. the study recommends that library stakeholders should lobby government and publishers to highlight the importance of access to affordable e-books in nigerian libraries. keywords: e-books, accessibility, availability, nigerian libraries introduction the term e-book is used variously in the literature to refer to hardware, software and document content. whereas from the user perspective, an e-book is frequently viewed as a dedicated reading device and not as the associated content, according to a survey on e-book features undertaken by henke (2002). hawkins (2000) states that “an e-book is the contents of a book made available in an electronic form”. but lynch and tenny (1999) stress the need to distinguish between a digital book (the content) and the viewing technology (hard ware and software) hawkins (2000) outlines three true electronic publishing implementations of the e-book format to which can be added, the dimension of proprietary and nonproprietary technology. more so, an electronic book is commonly referred to an e-book, and is simply a print book in an electronic format. e-book can be produced in numerous format that range from very basic text files to well structured, purpose built files that use one of the emerging standards for e-book such as the e-pub and adobe pdf standards. (payare & lal, 2014), affirmed that from the day of its introduction, libraries realized the importance of e-book and made them as information impact: journal of information and knowledge management 2016, vol. 7 (1) 163 – 175 issn: 2141 – 4297 (print) issn: 2360 – 994x (e-version) article availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 part of their collection development. libraries acquire e-books through subscription or purchase licences polices and provide them to the user via library opac, website etc. (hermon, 2007). a recent study conducted by folb (2011) assessed the factors affecting use of ebooks by all patron groups of the health sciences library system. a total of 871 patrons completed the survey, for an approximate response rate of 18.5%. the results indicated that library e-books were used by 55.4% of respondents and that, in general, respondents preferred print for textbooks and manuals and electronic format for research protocols and reference books. in spite of little promotion, 65.5% were aware of the e-book collection. great awareness was also reported by gunter (2005). he found that 85% of the users surveyed in the uk were aware of ebooks. the student, faculty, and staff population of the university of illinois at urbana-champaign was surveyed regarding their awareness, usage, or lack thereof, and opinions about e-books. shelburne (2009) received 1,547 responses. fifty seven percent of these reported that they had used e-books. approximately 41% of respondents who had not used e-books indicated it was because they did not know they were available, 15% that they did not like to read from the screen, 10% stated that they did not know how to find e-books, and 7% that they had a preference for printed books. the results show that users considered e-books better than print books in terms of space and storage, accessibility 24/7, currency of information, and availability from any location. one of the most comprehensive e-books use surveys ever conducted (nicholas et.al, 2008) involved 22,437 subjects in the uk. the study shows that e-book penetration was very strong, 61.8% of all students were already using them in connection with their scholarly work. according to the authors, the e-book revolution had already happened. dillon (2001) reported that students from the university of texas at austin mostly refer to e-books in the fields of economics, business and computer science followed by medicine and health. mccarty (2001) revealed that students at the university of colorado boulder libraries used e-books for research and found it convenient, when searching for information. healy (2002) interviewed 3, 200 faculty members, undergraduates as well as graduate students and observed that e-books were used for research, teaching and learning. anderson (2001), who surveyed 1500 us online internet users, found that those who frequent the internet also rated e-book positively and they tended to be between availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 the ages of 25 and 29. some of the respondents indicated that e-books would be most useful if it is portable. a report on the survey of the ebooks and e-lending in african countries by margaret allen and sarah kaddu (2014) revealed that the sources of ebooks include: open access, library subscriptions, websites, google, online book stores such as amazon, itunes, and courtesy of world readers. he also, found out that majority of the respondents (52%) indicated that they were accessing both paid for and free ebooks, those who access paid for ebooks only were 1 (5%), and those who access free ebooks were 9 (43%). problems associated with e-books hurdles to using e-books beyond discovery and preference include poor user interface, login requirement, and digital right management issues. in addition, the difficulty in downloading or printing portions of an e-book was cited as a problem by cassidy et al (2012) and shelburne (2009).while interface issues have improved over time, walters (2013) encouraged librarians to work with publishers to find a model that works for users. other problem faced when using ebooks according to shelburne, (2009); cassidy et al (2012), and muir & hawes (2013) include difficulty in simultaneously referring to multiple texts. researchers that need to refer to multiple texts may prefer print. additionally, accessibility issues were evident such as when reading sessions timed-out for inactivity before the users was finished reading. they also noted that accessibility issues with respect to functionality on different devices. students lacked context when landing on an unfamiliar page resulting from a search within text function (muir & hawas, 2013). woody and daniel (2013) reported distraction when reading from a screen where one has access to email and social media. more generally, there is a clear need for better selection tools. as sarah thompson and steve sharp (2009) have noted, the lack of a single cross-publisher database an “e-books in print” makes it difficult to confirm “which titles are available as ebooks, which platforms they are available on, and what they cost.” in practice, selectors tend to rely on both amazon and their library vendors’ databases. however, the absence of reliable selection tools remains a significant problem in identifying the e-books that are most relevant for academic libraries as noted by sarah thompson and steve sharp (2009). e-book embargoes are especially problematic for library approval plans, if availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 an approval plan includes print and e-book editions, the notification for a print edition may arrive several months before the ebook notification. in that situation, the selector is likely to choose print even if the library has made a commitment to ebooks. on the other hand, an “e-book only” approval plan is likely to delay the acquisition of important titles. unlike print books, e-books are leased rather than purchased. publishers and vendors offer three kinds of e-book leases:  annual access: the library pays an annual fee for one year’s access. the lease can be renewed each year.  perpetual access: the library pays a one-time fee. there may also be an annual platform fee.  pay per use: the library is billed, or debited from a prepaid account, based on the number of uses (titles viewed, pages viewed, etc.). there may be an annual platform fee. there is no doubt that an interesting part of the e-book phenemenon is that they offer a new type of user experience for reading books that provide potential benefits such as new ways to access a book catalogue and flexible choices for delivery. the potential for interactivity (e.g. hyper linking) and the inclusion of multimedia, is where they differ from traditional print based book and is where they can possibly have an advantage to support learning and teaching (payare, 2014). he goes further to explain that print book is commonly linear and with limited features; a content list, content and an index, an ebook is structured like web page providing the reader with additional features that enable fast navigation through hyper linking, annotation and keyword searches supporting multiple reader journeys through the content. it is these features that will be of interest to those thinking of building their own ebook. it can also be delivered or accessed via a number of channels; the delivery methods are emails or download, either from a repository or e book store. ebook are viewed using e reader, which may be either desktop software or by using a mobile device. the integration of e-books in academic libraries is beneficial as they are remotely accessible and available around the clock, potentially can lead to saving physical space in the library, prevention from book lost and damage, and easier integration to virtual learning environments (jamali, nicholas & rowlands 2009). however there is the need to investigate the choices for making an effective use of e-books, therefore the aim of this study is to survey availability and accessibility of e-books in nigeria libraries. research questions availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 1. what are the level of availability and accessibility of e-books in nigeria libraries? 2. who are the users of your library? 3. what are the sources of e-books in your libraries? 4. are you accessing free e-books, paid or both? 5. what are the challenges facing ebooks in nigeria libraries? methodology this study was carried out using a social survey method. the research instrument adopted for the study was questionnaire. the instrument was structured to assess relevant information about availability and accessibility of e-books in nigeria libraries. it was validated using expert opinion. the reliability of the instrument was tested using test-retest method. fifteen questionnaires were administered to librarians in abuja the capital city of nigeria. the completed questionnaire was returned and re-administered to the same set of librarians, and the responses were the same with the previous ones. the population of the study was the 530 certified librarians of nigeria from various libraries across the countries that were inducted by the librarians' registration council of nigeria (lrcn) on 13 th october, 2015. a systematic random sampling was used to select the librarians involved in the survey. the questionnaire was administered to one out of every three librarians being inducted on the day. a total of 315 questionnaires were distributed to librarians and 273, representing 87% response rate, were completed and returned. the data collected were analyses using descriptive statistical tools such as, bar chart, tables, percentages and frequency distribution. findings and discussion the total number of duly completed and returned questionnaire copies was two hundred and seventy three (273). availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 figure 1: gender distribution of respondents figure 1: showed that 39% of respondents are male while 61% are female. this represents the gender distribution of respondents involved in the survey figure 2: distribution of respondents by academic qualifications as observed from figure 2, majority (49%) of the respondents have first degree in library science whereas 34% had masters in library science while 14% had post graduate diploma in library science and 3% had doctor of philosophy in library science. availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 figure 3: distribution of respondents by libraries as noted above, respondents in the survey cut across the different types of libraries that are available in nigeria. a larger percentage, 54% of the respondents are from academic libraries while other categories were equally represented. this includes public libraries 23% while national library 8% whereas school libraries were 7% while private/ corporate and special/research libraries were 4%. figure 4: distribution by designation/rank as observed from figure 4, majority (54%) of the participants were academics staff while 46% of participants were nonteaching staff. it could therefore be deduced from the data that majority of participants were academic staff. availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 figure 5: level of availability of e-books in nigeria library fig 5 shows that majority 66% of the participants attest that e-books are available in their libraries whereas 32% of the participants indicate that e-books are not available in their libraries while 7% of the participants are not respond. it could be concluded that availability and accessibility of e-books in libraries are yet to be available and accessible to all libraries in nigeria. figure 6: level of accessibility of e-books in nigeria library fig 6 shows that majority, 66% of the participants attest that e-books were accessible in their libraries whereas 32% of the participants indicate that e-books are not accessible in their libraries while 10% of the participants did not respond. availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 figure 7: who are the users of your library? as observed from figure 7, majority 34% of the participants indicate that students/pupils were the users of the library whereas 30% of the participants attest that lectures/ teachers were the users of the library while 29% indicated researchers and 5% specified community. figure 8: what are the sources of ebooks in your library? figure 8 shows sources of e-books in the libraries, open access 25% whereas 23% of the participants affirmed online books store while 22% of the participants indicated library subscription whereas 21% of the participants specified web site (google 16%, courtesy of world readers 3%, while others 2% did not respond). availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 figure 9: are you accessing free e-books/paid or both as observed from figure 9, majority, 53% of the participants specified that they were accessing both paid for and free e-books, whereas 32% of the participants indicated free e-books while those who access paid for e-books only were 10% whereas 9% of the participants did not respond. figure 10: what are the challenges facing e-books in nigeria libraries? n.b participants are allowed to give more than one reasons availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 a numbers of challenges were identified, these include embargo period 96% whereas issues of payment per loan basis 94% while re-licence title 44% after a certain period of loans for example 18 or 62 loans, uncertainty of supply or withdrawal of publishers from supply of ebooks with no notice, e-book supply override exception and limitations rights provided to libraries; while e-books management, hyperlink, lack of necessary equipment, screen problem, slow loading were 35% among other. conclusion and recommendations from this survey results, we can draw a fair number of conclusions about the availability and accessibility of e-books in nigeria libraries. e-books are yet to be available and accessible to some libraries in nigeria. as noted above, majority of participants are from academic libraries. also, they had access to e-books through open access, goggle, library subscription, web site and online book store etc. the vast majority of participants specified that they were accessing both paid for and free e-books. academic libraries and others libraries in general should make e-books more available and accessible in the libraries so as to encourage more students in the use of e-book, create a separate ebook collection, viewing facilities should be freely provided as well as organizing training and better use of e-books. from the finding of this survey, it is observed that e-book were getting acceptance among the users of libraries in nigeria. based on the findings, the researchers recommend as follows, that 1. nigeria library association, library and information science professionals and stakeholders should continue to support national library associations to sensitize the public and the community at large about the relevance and importance of using e-books. 2. librarians registration council of nigeria and nigeria library association should organise seminar with specific focus on ebook skills, capabilities and knowledge for librarians to support e-learning techniques among the users thus ensuring an educated crop of professionals with the confidence in e-books and related services to the users. 3. library stakeholders should lobby government and publishers to highlight the importance of access to affordable e-books in the libraries and solving the problem of embargo among others. availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 4. library stakeholders should continue to work with national associations and libraries to lobby governments to improve universal access to and use of computers and ict infrastructure in public libraries and school libraries to enable client access to e-books. references abdoulaye, k & raed, s. (2012). usage of electronic book: a study of e library database in united arab emirates, desidoc journal of library and information technology, vol. 72, (2):95-100. andersen, arthur. (2001). electronic books: internet research. available at http: www.ebookscenter.dk/nyt/electronic_boo ks.pdf cassidy, e. d., martinez, m., & shen, l. (2012). not in love, or not in the know? graduate student and faculty use (and non-use) of ebooks. the journal of academic librarianship, 38(6), 326–332 dillon, dennis. (2001). e-books: the university of texas experience, part 1. library hi tech., vol.19, no.2:113-125.s folb, b. l.; wessel, c. b. & czechowski, l. j. (2011). clinical and academic use of electronic and print books: the health sciences library system e-book study at the university of pittsburgh. journal of the medical library association, 99(3), 218228. hawkin, d.t. (2000). electronic books: a major publishing revolution online 24(4):14-28. healey, leigh watson. (2002). the voice of the user: where students and faculty go for information. available at: http://www.outsellic.com. henke, h. (2002). survey on electronic books features. available at: http://www.openebook.org/doc_li brary/surveys/features/downloadf ormats/ebook_su rvey.pdf jamali, h. r.; nicholas, d. & rowlands, i. (2009). scholarly e-books: the views of 16,000 academics: results from the jisc national ebook observatory. aslib proceedings, 61(1), 33-47. lynch, c. & tenny (1999). the battle to define the future of the book in the digital world. first monday, vol. 6, no. 6. available at: http://www.firstmonday.org/issue s/ issue6_6/lynch/index.html. mccarty, j. e. (2001). why your patrons will love e-books (and you should too). colorado libraries, 27(3), 46-48. muir, l. & hawes, g. (2013). the case for e-book literacy: undergraduate students' experience with e-books for course work. the journal of academic librarianship available at: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib/2013. 01.002 nariani, r. (2009). e-books in the sciences. if we buy it will they use it? science and technology librarianship. available at www.istl.org/09-fall/article3.html. nicholas, d. et al. (2008). uk scholarly ebook usage: a landmark survey. aslib proceedings, 69(4), 311334 payare, lal (2014). usage of ebooks by the ph.d and m. phil students of science discipline in the panjab university library, chandigarh. international journal of availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 information sources and services 1 (3), nov-dec. nicholas, d., rowlands, i., clark, d., huntington, p., jamali, h. r., & olle, c. (2008). uk scholarly ebook usage: a landmark survey. aslib proceedings: new information perspectives, 60(4), 311-334. sarah thompson and steve sharp, (2009), “e-books in academic libraries: lessons learned and new challenges,” serials 22, 2 shelburne, w. a. (2009). e-book usage in an academic library: user attitudes and behaviors. library collections, acquisitions, & technical services, 33, 59–72. soules, a. (2009). the shifting landscape of e-books. new library world, 110(1/2), 7-21. woody, w. d., daniel, d. b., & baker, c. a. (2013). e-books or textbooks: students prefer textbooks. computers & education, 55, 945– 948. author biography nafisa rabiu cln is of the department of library and information science, university of ilorin, ilorin, nigeria. he can be reached at rabiu.nafisa@yahoo.com njideka nwawih ojukwu cln is head e-library federal university lokoja kogi state, nigeria. she can be contacted @ ojukwu@fulokoja.edu.ng. popoola, biliamin oladele cln is with the university of medical science, laje road, ondo city, ondo state. he can be contacted at genuinescripts@gmail.com. availability and accessibility of e-books in nigerian libraries: a survey 61 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 gender differences in students’ utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeria hadiza m.ahmed ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeria abstract the study determined gender differences among students in the utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri. one objective,with corresponding hypotheses guided the study. the survey research method was used. the population for the study comprised 13,995(thirteen thousand, nine hundred ninety five) nondegree, undergraduate, and postgraduate students that registered the use ramat library, university of maiduguri. a sample of 170 registered respondents was selected using stratified sampling technique. data was analysed using descriptive statistics of percentage and frequency counts as well as inferential statistics of chi-square. hypothesis was tested at 0.05 levels significance. results showed significant difference in students’ accessibility and utilization while no significant difference in challenges of electronic information resources according to gender. based on the findings and within the limitation of this study, it was concluded that gender was not a barrier in the utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri. this study, thus recommended among others that registered students should utilize and access electronic information resources available in the ramat library for the purpose of enhancing learning outcome. keywords: gender, e-resources, ramat library, access, nigeria 62 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 introduction utulu (2006) observed that the issue of the gender gap in the digital divide and the impact of new technologies on gender in particular on the economic and political spheres of women lives are of major importance. this is because gender influences factors such as income, time, constraints, literacy, education, language and cultural context that effect access to facilitie, training and employment in information technology. according to mcginty and moore (2008), gender issues have been in the forefront of impassioned public discussion regarding higher education. waldman (2003) reported that the faculty member use of electronic resources was influenced by such factors as computing skills of academics. gender as a possible factor influencing the use electronic information resources and ict has widely identified in the literature yet, steinerova and susol (2007) noted that research on gender differences still remains open. the literatures are also replete with studies on human information behaviour which shows tendencies of men and women to manifest differences in the characteristics when using digital resources. in spite of this, studies on gender based differences among nigeria information professionals are pertaining to use of electronic information resources appear to be little or non-existent. igun (2010) reported that there is no significant difference in the challenge encountered by librarians in south-south zone of nigeria in their utilization of ict due to gender. while, steinerova and susol (2007) assert that gender as cultural and social construction of a personality can be manifested in qualities and behaviour of men and women. fallows(2005) has shown that women appreciate especially the communicative features of the internet, while men are more likely to use online transactions, get information, play games and use entertainment. the general objective of the study is to establish the differences, if any, that which exist between male and female on gender utilization of electronic information resources. similarly, jenson (1999) reported computer inexperience for female use as an important factor in determining their attitude and anxieties towards computers. 0ne objectives 1. determine gender utilization of electronic resources in ramat library university of maiduguri, nigeria. hypotheses the following hypotheses were tested: ho1: there is no significant difference in students’ accessibility of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeria. ho2. there is no significant difference in gender utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeria. ho3: there is no significant difference between gender and students’ programme on challenges of utilizing electronic information resources by students in ramat library, university of maiduguri, literature review in a study on gender analysis of electronic information resources use, manda and mukangara (2007) used a sample of 100 postgraduate students using stratified proportionate random sampling to select the sample. data were analysed using cross –tabulation and qualitative descriptions and they reported that gender is associated with the use of electronic information resources and male postgraduates’ students were more likely to use electronic information resources than female students. the findings further showed that even when their attitude towards the use electronic information resources or training in the use of eresources, the relationship between gender and electronic information resources use was maintained. ikolo’s (2010) study on gender difference based on use of electronic gender differences in students’ utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeria 63 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 resources revealed that the gender digital divide is manifested in the low number of female users of icts compared to men. in their contribution, ford, miller and moss (2001) observed that females tended to experience more difficulty finding information online, feel less competent and uncomfortable using the internet, use internet less frequently than males and make use of a less varied set of internet applications. a study by obaje, sani and lawal (2008) on internet access and usage by staff and students university of jos revealed that there exits difference in the usage of internet by gender between january-december, 2006, were males 6520 (88%) and 925 (12%) were females only. similarly, amkpa’s (2007) study on gender and age difference in computer use and attitude among students of university of maiduguri used 350 part iv students from five faculties. data generated were analysed using chi-square. he reported that male and female students differ significantly in their attitude toward computer applications which has implications in their job acquisition and educational pursue. this agreed with the studies of koohang (1986) found that neither age nor gender was seriously correlated to computer anxiety, computer confidence or liking but that computer experience was. however, sex seems to enjoy information sources use. colley, gale and harris (1994), on effects of gender role identify and experience on computer attitude components. ikolo and okiy (2012) found that females use internet more than males in their study on gender differences in computer literacy among medical students in selected southern nigerian universities. bassi and camble (2011) reported that there exists a statistical difference between males and females in using electronic resources as females have more difficulty in finding information online than males. ono and zovadry (2003) also found women to be less frequent and less intense users of the internet. on the other hand, bimber (2000) argued that the gender gap in the internet is larger where more intensive web use is concerned, women are substantially less likely to be frequent users , equally likely to be infrequent users, and more likely to be intermediate users. scealy phillips & stevenson (2002) these findings appear to reinforce the widespread assumption that men prefer to use the web for information gathering and entertainment and women prefer to use the internet for communication. ozoemelem’s (2009) on use of electronic resources by postgraduate students of the department of library and information science university of abraka reported that there is high frequency of usage of e-resources by both male and female postgraduate students there gender gap in electronic resources usage is quite negligible. bimber (2000) attributed this finding to a combination of gendered technology embodying male values, content that favours men, sex differences in cognition and or communication and socio economic differences. furthermore, mcguigan (2001) reported that the level of computing and internet experience with which students enter higher education might dictate whether or not they will use the library’s electronic resources. tella and mutulu (2008) noted that one of the recurring themes in underutilization of icts is the lack of relevant competences with females often cited as more affected than males. similarly, jenson (1999) reported computer inexperience for female use as an information factor in determining their attitude and anxieties towards computers. fallows (2005) has shown that women appreciate especially the communicative features of the internet, while men are more likely to use online transactions, get information, play games and use entertainment. alshankity and aishawi (2008) examined the gender differences in internet usage among faculty members in saudi arabia and did not see a significant gender differences in the overall internet usage. enochsson (2005) has hadiza m.ahmed 64 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 shown that the socio-cultural background of gender still leaves women with more computer anxiety and feelings of lower self-efficiency. methodology the descriptive survey method was the design adopted for this study. it was aimed at examine information on gender differences between male and female in ramat library, university of maiduguri .the population of the study was made up of 13,995 as non-degree, undergraduate and postgraduate students that have registered for the use of ramat library, university of maiduguri the stratified sampling technique was used to select a sampling size of 170 of the registered students was selected in ramat library which is representing 68% of the population. data was analysed using frequency counts and percentage scores and inferential statistics of chi-square to test hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. findings hypothesis 1. there is significant difference on gender utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library table 1 summary of chi-square analysis on gender utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library gender responses df χ 2 p. value strongly agreed agreed undecid ed disagreed strongly disagreed male 21(12.4%) 20(11.8%) 12(7.1%) 37(21.8%) 10(5.9%) 4 10.26 .036 female 11(6.5%) 13(7.6%) 5(2.9%) 21(12.4%) 20(11.8%) field work, 2013. critical value χ 2 .95 for 4 degree of freedom is 9.46 table 1 shows the summary of chisquare analysis on gender utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library by students. result indicates the distribution of respondents according to gender differences. the chi-square calculated value of 10.265 at degree of freedom 4 on the table value 9.46, p< 0.05 respectively. by this therefore, the null hypothesis regarding gender difference in utilization of electronic information resources was rejected. this means that male students have the same usage of electronic information resources. so there is significant difference of at 0.05 at significant levels. the implication of this result was that there is significant difference in gender utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library. hypothesis 2: there is no significance difference between male and female students’ program on challenges of utilization electronic information resources by students in ramat library gender differences in students’ utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeria 65 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 table 2 summary of chi-square on challenges of utilization of electronic information resources by students in ramat library program gend er responses df χ 2 p.value strongly agreed agreed undecid ed disagree d strongly disagree d postgraduate male 3(6.4%) 8(17.0%) 12(25.5% ) 6(12.8%) 4(8.5%) 4 4.693 .320 female 4(8.5%) 5(10.6%) 3(6.4%) 1(2.1%) 1(2.1%) undergraduate male 9(9.0%) 10(10.0% ) 11(11.0% ) 11(11.0% ) 12(12.0%) 4 5.340 .254 female 12(12.0% ) 5(5.0%) 8(8.0%) 5(5.0%) 17(17.0%) nondegree male 4(17.4%) 3(13.0%) 2(8.7%) 3(13.0%) 2(8.7%) 4 4.257 .372 female 1(4.3%) 1(4.3%) 3(13.0%) 4(17.4%) 0(.0%) field work, 2013.scritical value χ 2 .95 for 4 degree of freedom is 9.49 significance level 0.05 and also critical value χ 2 .99 for 4 degree of freedom is 13.3 at significance level 0.01. (not significant) table 2 is summary of chi-square analysis on challenges of utilization of electronic information resources by students in ramat library. the result of this analysis shows the gender distribution of the respondents on postgraduate, undergraduate and non-degree students. the chi-square calculated value for postgraduate, undergraduate and non-degree were 4.693, 5.340 and 4.257 at degree of freedom 4 on the table value 9.46, p> 0.05 respectively. this showed that there was no significant difference in challenges facing male and female students of different programs utilizing electronic information resources in ramat library. therefore, the null hypothesis regarding gender difference in challenges of the utilization of electronic information resources is upheld. this implies that there is no gender difference in challenges of utilization of electronic information resources on students in ramat library . hypothesis 3: there is significance difference on students’ accessibility of electronic information resources in ramat library. table: 3 summary of chi-square analyses on students’ accessibility of electronic information resources in ramat library programme responses df χ 2 p. value highly accessible accessible fairly accessible not accessible post graduate 6(3.5%) 24(14.1%) 13(7.6%) 4(2.4%) 6 40.367 .000 undergraduate 10(5.9%) 20(11.8%) 30(17.6%) 40(23.5%) nondegree 10(5.9%) 7(4.1%) 4(2.4%) 2(1.2%) field work, 2013. critical value χ 2 .95 for 6 degree of freedom is 10.6 hadiza m.ahmed 66 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 table 3, shows the summary of chi-square analysis on students’ accessibility of electronic information resources in ramat library, giving the distribution of respondents on postgraduate, undergraduate and non-degree students. the chi-square calculated value 40.367 at degree of freedom 6 on the table value 10.6 respectively. by this result, hypothesis one was rejected. this means that there is significant difference on students’ accessibility of electronic information resources at the 0.05 significant levels. the essence of these results of hypotheses testing proves that there is significant difference on students’ accessibility of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeria. discussions the findings of the research showed that there is significant difference in gender in the utilization of electronic information resources. the finding supports ford; miller and moss (2001) work which reported that females tended to experience more difficulty finding information online but these disagrees with the observation of ozoemelem (2009) on use of electronic resources by postgraduate students of the department of library and information science university of abraka who reported that there is high frequency of usage of electronic resources by both male and female postgraduate students therefore gender gap in electronic resources usage is quite negligible. a study by obaje, sani and lawal (2008) on internet access and usage by staff and students of the university of jos revealed that there exits difference in the usage of internet by gender between january-december, 2006, were males 6520 (88%) and 925 (12%) were females only. ikolo and okiy (2012) found that females use internet more than males in their study on gender differences in computer literacy among medical students in selected southern nigerian universities. ikolo’s (2010) study on gender difference based on use of electronic resources revealed that the gender digital divide is manifested in the low number of female users of icts compared to men. in their contribution, ford, miller and moss (2001) work which reported that female tended to experience more difficulty finding information online, feel less competent and uncomfortable using the internet, use internet less frequently than males and make use of a less varied set of internet applications. similarly, amkpa’s (2007) study on gender and age difference in computer use and attitude among students of university of maiduguri used 350 part iv students from five faculties. data generated were analysed using chi-square. he reported that male and female students differ significantly in their attitude toward computer applications which has implications in their job acquisition and educational pursue. this agreed with the studies of koohang (1989) on attitude towards computer, anxiety, confidence, liking and perception of usefulness and colley, gale and harris (1994) on effects of gender role identify and experience on computer attitude components. secondly, the findings of this study showed there is no significant difference between the gender and students programme on challenges of utilization of electronic information resources. this finding agrees with kumar (2009) who reported that an academic library has a function as a central gate way for library users to access, locate, transform, and utilize information resources in a variety of printed and electronic formats via applications, databases networks, platform, and system. deng (2010) in his assessment towards access and use of electronic resources, publishers try to produce and develop qualitative collections which are further collected and managed in better ways by librarians to substitute services and satisfy their users. igun (2010) reported that there is no significant difference in the challenge encountered by librarians in south-south zone of nigeria in their utilization of ict due to gender. on their part musoke and kinengyere (2008) gender differences in students’ utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeria 67 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 found out that although most institutions had access to e-resources, access was still limited by lack of skills, lack of awareness of available resources or lack of interest, time and commitment to use the resources. tompseth and alsop (1997) reported that barriers to library use of electronic information resources include lack of skills on how to use information sources, lack of appropriate reward for electronic scholarly communication as well as lack of consistent technical support and provision. adebayo (2013) examined the challenge associated with cataloguing electronic resources in six randomly selected university libraries southwest nigeria and revealed lack of adequate physical description of some electronic resources and inadequate workflow in cataloguing sections as well as copy right issue among others.” bidyut, bajpai and chakraborty (2013) observed that an electronic resource has posed new challenges for library professionals to manage the electronic information resources properly. santhi, radhakrishanan, and swaroop (2010) examined “the relationship between computer literacy of academic staff and their use of electronic information resources” and investigated” the impact of other factors such as age, gender and educational background on the use of electronic information resources.” lastly, there is significant difference on students’ accessibility of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeria. adegbore (2011) pointed out accessibility and desktop access, home access, ease of retrieval and hyperlinks to outside content were the arguments cited most often as the advantages of electronic journals. the disadvantages mentioned most often were lack of back issues and problems with reading a text from the computer screen. kumar (2009) noted that an academic library has a function as a central gateway for library users to access, locate, transform, and utilize information resources in a variety of printed and electronic formats via applications, databases, networks, platform, and system. oketunji (2004) argued that the convergence of icts as a basis for the provision of information in the educational arena has created need for libraries to access and exploit icts in support of their core business. he observed that as the amount of information available in electronic form grows, so are the challenges that libraries face in their efforts to deploy appropriate information and communication technologies (icts) to deliver or enable users access to electronic information sources(eis). bropphy (1993) argued that libraries must ‘’reach a position where the acquisition of information skills is acknowledged as one of key learning objectives for every student entering a university, so that no student leaves without being fully equipped to cope up with the information intensive world-the information society-as an end-user.’’ langlois (1998) submitted that: new information technologies and in particular the internet, is drastically transforming access to information in changing the learning and research process, how we search, discover, teach and learn. never has an invention had such an impact on education. iyoro (2004) examined the contribution of accessibility to learning processes and reported that respondents made use of the library when information was easily and conveniently accessible to them. according to agaba (2005) the shift from printed forms of information resources to electronic information materials should lead to better quality and efficient and effective research, if used by academic staff and students. jagboro (2007) revealed that respondents use the internet to access research materials and for e-mail. the study concludes that the use of internet for academic activities would improve significantly with more access in department. ferguson, collins and grogg (2006) revealed that when e-journals first become common, libraries typically provided access to them in two ways: via static web pages and the library catalogue, libraries created one or more web pages which included links, hadiza m.ahmed 68 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 holdings information, and notes on access. ozoemelem (2009) stated that students rarely access and make use of electronic resources. according to ajayi and adetayo (2005) if nigeria is to advance, the young people are to grasp the opportunities now open to them; they must be given access to books, periodicals, technical data and opinion which will bring them into contact with cultural, scientific, technical and social ideas. winker (2005) reported that gender studies can then make a concrete contribution to the task of overcoming the gender differentiated in equalities in the access to and the use of the internet. anunobi and okoye (2008) revealed that consortium of nigerian university libraries (nulib) has subscribed to ebsco host, internet portals include access to global online research in agriculture (agora), health internetwork access to research initiatives (hinari), online access to research in the environment (oare), database of african theses and dissertation (datad), and many offline databases including medline. these are global information resources which can be accessed electronically through academic library gateways. mallaiah, kumbar and patil (2008) stated that the extent to which library resources and services satisfy the needs of its users will determine how effective and efficient a particular library is. for a library to be worth its salt, the resources and services it renders must strive to meet the needs of its users. conclusion and recommendations from the finding of the study, it is clear that there is no basis for gender differences in ramat library. both male and female must be accorded the same priority in scheme of things especially on issues related to opportunities for enhancement of capacity through the utilization information resources. this is because the hypotheses revealed that there is significant difference in gender use of electronic information resources, while the second result there is no gender difference in challenges of utilization of electronic information. finally, it shows there are significant differences on students’ accessibility of electronic information. it was concluded that gender was not a barrier in the use of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeriia. it is therefore recommended that: management of should seek opinion of the students on effective service delivery in their libraries. the library management should train their staff on the acquisition of relevant skills on regular basis. the library management should not take gender as a factor to consider in building and development of ramat library. references aishankity, z. & aishawi, a.(2008)gender differences in internet usages among faculty members; the case study of saudi arabia. the paper appears in: hum. syst. int. conference, 27-37 adebayo, o. (2013).challenges associated with cataloguing electronic resources in selected university libraries in south west nigeria. chinese librarianship: an international electronic journal, 36. available: at http//www.iclc.us/cliej/cl36adabayo.pdf. adegbore, a.m. (2011). university faculty use of electronic resources; a review of the recent literature; pnla quarterly, the officially publication of the pacific north west library association, 75(4) agaba,d. m.(2005) assessment of the use of makerere university electronic information resources by academic staff: challenges and prospects. available gender differences in students’ utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeria 69 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 at: http ://www .up .ac .zaldspace/bitstream/2263/6426/1/agaba.pdf ajayi, n. a. &adetayo, j.o. 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(1993).networking in british academic libraries.british journal of academic librarianship. 8(10), 49-60 colley, a.m; gale, m. t & harris, t. a.(1994).effect of gender role identity and experience on computer attitude components. journal of educational computing research, 10(2), 129-137 deng, h. (2010). emerging patterns and trends in utilizing electronic resources in higher education environment; an empirical analysis new library world, 111 (3/4), 87 103 enochsson, a. (2005) a gender perspective on internet use consequences for information seeking inform. res.10 (4) 237.accessedfromhttp://information.net/ir/1 0-4/paper 237. html. fallows, d. (2005) how women and men use the internet. washington, d. c:pew internet and american life project. available at http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/pip-women and men.online.pdf ferguson, c.l., collins, m. d. d &grogg, j.e. (2006).finding the perfect e-journal access solution …the hard way. technical services quarterly, 23 (4), 27-50 ford, n; miller, d. & moss, n.(2001). the role of individual difference in internet searching: an empirical study. journal of the american society for information science and technology, 52(12), 10 -49-1066 ikolo, v. e. & okiyi, r. b. (2012) gender differences in computer literacy among clinical medical students in selected southern nigeria universities .http:// www.stanford .edu/ group/ siqss/ it and society/vo1io5/vo1io5ao4.pdf. ikolo, v.e. (2010).gender digital divide and national ict policies in africa. in adomi e.e handbook of research in library and information sciences. london: igi publications. igun,s.e.(2010) challenges posed to nigerian university librarians by the utilization of information communication technology(ict) comkujikkmu,j.l.info.sci.12(1) 9-20 jenson,j.(1999) girls ex-machine:aschoolbased study of gender culture and technology. a phd thesis, simon fraser university. jagboro, k.o. (2007). a study of internet usage in nigerian universities; a case study of obafemi awolowo university, ileife, nigeria. first monday, 8(2) koohang, a.a. (1986). a study of attitude toward computer anxiety, confidence, liking and perception hadiza m.ahmed http://www.up.ac.zaldspace/bitstream/2263/6426/1/agaba.pdf http://www.up.ac.zaldspace/bitstream/2263/6426/1/agaba.pdf http://information.net/ir/10-4/paper http://information.net/ir/10-4/paper http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/pip-women 70 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 of usefulness. journal of research on computing in education. winter1989, 137-150 kumar, m. (2009). academic libraries in electronic environment paradigm shift. a paper presented at international conference on academic libraries, (ical) 105 losh,s.c.(2003) gender and education digital gaps:1983-2000.itandsoc.1(5);56 71available at http://www. standford. edu/group/siqss /itandsociety /vo1io5 /vo1io5ao4.pdf langlois, c. (1998). information technologies and university teaching, learning and research. paper presented at workshop on the role of universities in the information society help at czech technical university, prague, czech republic september 2527, accessed at http://www.cvut.cz/aseii/cc/ics/nii/schedul e/langlois.2html.on 10th january,2008 manda, p.a. & mukangara, f. (2007). gender analysis of electronic information resources use; a case of university of dares salaam tanzania, university of dares salaam library journal, 9(1), 3152 mcguigan, g.s. (2001). databases versus the web: discussion of teaching the use of electronic resources in the library instruction setting. internet reference service quarterly, 6(1), 39-47 mcginty, s. & moore, a. c. (2008) role of gender in reviewer’s appraisals of quality in political science books: a content analysis. the journal of academic librarianship, 34(4), 288-294 musoke, m. & kinengyere, a. (2008). changing strategies to enhance the usage of electronic resources among academic in uganda with particular reference to makerere university. in: rosenberg d, editor. evaluating electronic resource programs and provision, case studies from africa and asia, oxford; inasp.79-100. obaje, m. a., sani, a & lawal, v. (2008). internet access and usage by staff and students: a case study of university of jos main library, bauchi road campus. information technologists, 5(1), 160-170 oketunji, i. (2004).library development and the role of information and communication technologies. paper presented at the national workshops on strategies for managing techical services in libraries and information centres, nigerian library association, cataloguing classification and indexing section, lokoja, 17th -24th oct 2004, 13 ono, h., & zavodny, m. (2003). gender and the internet. social science quarterly, 84(1), 111-121 ozoemelem, a. o. (2009). use of electronic resources by postgraduate students of the department of library and information science of delta state university, abraka, nigeria. library philosophy and practice, 11(2), 1-23 santhi, l., radhakrishnan, n. & swaroop, b. s. rani (2010) use of electronic information source and computer literacy by academics: a case study of affiliated engineering colleges under combotore anna university at karur district, tamil nadu (lndia). pearl: a journal of library and information science,4(2),137-141 scealy, m., phillips, j.g., & stevenson, r. (2oo2). shyness and anxiety as predictors of patterns of internet usage, cyber psychology& behaviour, 5(6), 501-515 susol, j. & sterinerova,j.(2007).user’s information behaviour-a gender perspective. infor. res.12 (13) available at http://www.information.net/ir/1213/paper.320.html tella, a. & mutula, s.m.(2008) gender difference in computer literacy among gender differences in students’ utilization of electronic information resources in ramat library, university of maiduguri, nigeria http://www/ http://www.cvut.cz/aseii/cc/ics/nii/schedule/langlois.2html.on 10th %09january,2008 http://www.cvut.cz/aseii/cc/ics/nii/schedule/langlois.2html.on 10th %09january,2008 http://www.information.net/ir/12-13/paper.320.html http://www.information.net/ir/12-13/paper.320.html 71 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 undergraduate students at the university of botswana: implications for library use malay,j.lib.infor.sci.13(1) 59-76 tompseth, c. & alsop, g (1997). a study of human communication issue in interactive scholarly electronic journals. retrieved may 20, 2012 from http: // www. uko . in . ac. uk/services/e/jb/papers/ tavistock/kingstonhtml utulu, r. (2006). gender and information technology in developing countries. benue state, university. journal of education, 7 (5), 146-161 waldman,m.(2003) freshmens’ use of library electronic resources and self efficacy info.res.8 (2) paper no 150.available at http://information.w.1996.net/ir/82/paper 150.html. winker.g.(2005).”internet research from a gender perspective searching for differentiated use patterns.”journals of infomation, communication and ethics in society,3(4)199-207 http://www.tuhurburg.de/agentec/winkerker/pdf/internet resaerch.pdf . hadiza m.ahmed http://information.w.1996.net/ir/82/paper http://www.tu-hurburg.de/agentec/winkerker/pdf/internet resaerch.pdf http://www.tu-hurburg.de/agentec/winkerker/pdf/internet resaerch.pdf http://www.tu-hurburg.de/agentec/winkerker/pdf/internet resaerch.pdf the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state umaru f. aliyu page 1 the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state by umaru f. aliyu university library, abubakar tafawa balewa university (atbu) bauchi, nigeria abstract this paper examines the problems faced by students using ict facilities to satisfy their information needs. survey research method was employed by the researcher where a sample of 900 respondents was drawn from the three institutions of higher learning in bauchi state. questionnaire was used throughout to solicit response from the respondents. about 721 (80.11%) of the questionnaire issued was collected and used for analysis. the findings of the research revealed that, about 53.95% (389) of the respondents lack the skills required for utilizing ict facilities to explore e-resources for their information needs. other problems such as power supply, cost of maintenance, network problems, etc were also identified. some suggestions such as provision of uninterrupted power supply, training programmes should be offered to the students. keywords: ict facilities, tertiary institutions, information needs, ict skills, studen6ts introduction in this technological age, the introduction and utilization of ict facilities by information seekers to get in touch with their information needs is of paramount importance. the importance of information was stressed by uwaifo (2009) when he emphatically stated that, information is an essential ingredient required for any form of development: educational, political, economic, and social and lots more. apart from its immense contribution to effective and efficient access to information, ict facilities add to information user’s skills required to explore the available resources around the world through internet. the internet and its various information resources over the past few decades have thus become an the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state umaru f. aliyu page 2 all-important technological tool in the production, marketing and use of information worldwide, (ajala, 2010). the impact of icts on the information services, was stressed by lancaster and sandore (1997), where they noted that, the remote access to the library’s electronic resources using computer, modems and network has made the library more accessible, and has potentially attracted a new population of users who have the capability to use libraries without physically entering it, and perhaps more importantly, remote seekers of information can now get direct access to what have traditionally been classified as library information resources without depending on the library’s intermediary role. information and communication technologies consisted of both hard and software used to gain access to global information and at the same time used for strong information. the access to global information is made possible through computer facilities. odufuwa (2006) identified four components of computer system to include: input devices, central processing unit, output devices and external or auxiliary store. the access to information by the users is made possible through on-line searching strategies which allow users to have access to global information stores or data bases. according to ukachi (2009) the accessibility to information resources is made possible through the host computer or across computer. this implies that, the users can search the data bases from remote computers or terminals interactively through a system called on-line information retrieved system. information in virtually all subjects and disciplines are available in vast quantities and on wide variety of sources electronically. students seek information for a lot of reasons ranging from examination, to do assignments, for final year research works or to kill boredom amongst others (ajala and ebijuwa, 2010). kaurand verma (2006) cited by ajala and ebijuwa (2010) found out that users of information regularly used all the resources available to them such as cd-roms, web resources, on-line databases and audio video tape to satisfy their information needs for their academic and other purposes. challenges poses by information and communication technologies students of higher institutions of learning many researches conducted by scholars revealed that, a lot of obstacles have appeared to impede the efforts of information users to satisfy their information needs from information and communication technologies facilities. many problems were identified by scholars. for instance uwaifo (2009) mentioned the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state umaru f. aliyu page 3 erratic power supply, which deters the users of information from getting access to required information they need using ict facilities. however, effective utilization of ict facilities in tertiary institution of higher learning may be properly achieved when we consider the fact that, some challenges which appeared to have retarded the easy flow of information were still adamant. ogbomo (2011) identified challenges associated with the use of ict facilities to include infrastructure related challenges. these, according to him, would involve a deliberate effort by policy makers and planners to consider the building, electrical wiring, heating cooling and ventilation, etc. to provide conductive environment for ict facilities operations. other problems also identified by ilaonisi and osuagwu (2010) included paucity of ict infrastructure and lack of access, high enrollments, inadequate funding and absence of funding allocation to technology, high cost of ownership and cost to the consumer and policy implications of the mismatch between the advertised capabilities of ict technology and the aims of individual educational institutions. the student in nigeria educational institutions lack the skills in operation of ict facilities, this was supported by asugwu, others (2009) where they said, the users could not retrieve the needed information due to lack of knowledge in the operation of ict facilities available for retrieval, storage and dissemination of information. similarly, abisoye (2010) pointed out that, both librarians and other information users should possess the necessary skills in the operation of ict facilities to accelerate easy access to information e resources. statement of the problem information and communication technology is a new innovation within information circle. alakpodia and ikolo (2010) opined that, organizations of all types around the globe are utilizing ict facilities for not only cutting the cost but for efficiency and effectiveness of the system. based on these reasons, therefore students of the tertiary institutions of higher learning ought to have acquired necessary skills required to eliminate the huddles posed by the facilities these problems arose from lack of ict skills needed by the respondents use the facilities to network problems and cost of maintenance of the facilities, etc. the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state umaru f. aliyu page 4 objectives of the study the main objective of this research is to find out the ability of students of tertiary institutions in utilizing the ict facilities to satisfy their information needs. the specific objectives are as follows:  to examine the level of exposure to ict facilities by students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state.  to determine whether the students of tertiary institution use ict facilities to access information for their academic activities;  to determine whether the students are satisfied with the efficiency of ict facilities in meeting their information needs.  to identify the problem areas faced by students in using ict facilities; and  to offer suggestions on how the academic libraries would provide an effective and efficient services to students of their institutions. research questions this research is set to answer the following questions:  what is the level of exposure attained by the students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state of ict facilities?  do the students use ict facilities to access their information need?  are the students satisfied with the efficiency of ict facilities to access information for their academic activities need?  what are the problems faced by the students in using ict facilities, and  how would the academic libraries provide effective and efficient services to the students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state? research methods for the purpose of this study, descriptive research design was employed. structured questionnaire was used for the collection of data from the sample of three (3) tertiary institutions in bauchi state, as follows: abubakartafawabalewa university bauchi (atbu) federal college of education (fce) azare and college of legal and islamic studies (clis) misau. the selection for the population of the the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state umaru f. aliyu page 5 institutions of higher learning was done randomly. the population for the study are students of these institutions of bauchi state who utilized ict facilities in libraries, cyber café or personal computers to accomplish their information needs. a sample of three hundred (300) was drawn from the three (3) tertiary institutions in bauchi state. nine hundred (900) copies of the questionnaire were distributed. seven hundred and twenty one (721) were collected and used for analysis. the data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. findings and discussions the objective of this research is to find out the challenges posed by ict facilities to students of tertiary institutions of higher learning in bauchi state. the findings of the research are presented in tables showing the frequency and the percentages of the respondents. out of 900 copies of the questionnaire issued 721 were collected and analyzed. table 1: response rate higher institutions questionnaires collected questionnaire issued no. of invalid questionnaire a.t.b.u bauchi 300 261 39 clis, misau 300 234 66 f.c.e, azare 300 226 74 total 900 721(80.11%) 179(19.89%) table 1 indicated that, 721(80.11%) of the questionnaire were returned, while 19.89% (179) questionnaire were not retrieved. the questionnaires were distributed tithe sampled students of the tertiary institutions in bauchi state regardless of levels or programmes they belongs to. table: 2 level of exposure to ict facilities by students of tertiary institutions level of students exposure to ict facilities frequency percentage (%) highly exposed 87 12.07 exposed 305 42.30 not exposed 329 45.63 total 721 100 the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state umaru f. aliyu page 6 table 2 indicated that, 12.07% (87) respondents are highly exposed to the ict facilities, while 42.30% (305) of them are only exposed to it. about 45.63% (329) respondents are not exposed to ict facilities in accessing information for their academic activities. students of tertiary institution of higher learning have begun to cope with challenges posed by revolution in information circle which brings about the utilization of ict facilities in storing and retrieving of information with ease by the users. majority of the respondents (54.37%) are exposed to ict facilities as a result of either acquiring formal or informal training on operating ict facilities. the result of the findings confirmed the findings of ani and ottong (2010) who reported that, “51.5% of undergraduate students in university of calabar acquire the it skills informally”. ojedokun and owolabi (2003) pointed that, “it would thus appear that not every respondent who claimed internet competence had formal training on internet use”. the process involved in acquisition of skills is not limited within the walls of classroom, but constant interaction with the objects would help toward this directions. table 3: utilization of ict facilities by students of tertiary institution utilization of ict facilities frequency percentage (%) yes 308 42.72 no 413 57.28 total 721 100 table 3 reveals that, 308 (42.72%) respondents indicated to have been using ict facilities for their academic activities, while 57.28% (413) of the respondents were not using the facilities at all for information seeking activities. ukachi (2009) pointed that many studies advocated that ict facilities have transformed higher education by providing greater access, new frontier to research and learning and richer contents. lancaster and sandore (1997) reiterated that many users presently, especially students prefer to use ict facilities to satisfy their information needs. iyande and ajani (2008) noted that students used ict facilities to source information through internet. according to them 43.8% agreed to be using ict facilities whereas 4.3% indicated that they had never used ict facilities. this means that students value utilization of ict facilities to have an effective access to information resources available electronically. as indicated however, majority of the respondents represented by (57.28%) were yet to get to use ict. the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state umaru f. aliyu page 7 table 4: students’ satisfaction with ict facilities in information services students satisfaction frequency percentage (%) very satisfied 82 11.37 satisfied 274 38.00 not satisfied 365 50.62 total 721 100 table 3 shows the students’ satisfaction with ict facilities in information services revealing that, 82(11.37%) respondents were very satisfied with the effectiveness with its services. thirty eight percent (274) respondents indicated their satisfaction with its roles in information retrievals, while 50.62% of the respondents (365) of them said they were not satisfied with the services of ict facilities. about forty nine percent (356) of the respondents have agreed to derive satisfaction with the services of ict facilities. this position taken was not unconnected with the efficiency and effectiveness of the services coming through the facilities. as indicated however, 50.62% of the respondents were not satisfied with the services of ict facilities as a result of ignorance or lack of accessibility to it. table 5: problems faced by student utilizing ict facilities problems with ict facilities frequency percentage (%) lack of skills to operate ict facilities 389 53.95 problem of power supply 173 23.99 problem of network 65 9.02 security threat affecting service delivery 52 7.21 cost of maintenance 42 5.83 total 721 100 the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state umaru f. aliyu page 8 table 5 indicated that, majority of the respondents (53.95%) lack the skills required to operate the ict facilities. the problems of power supply was said to have been the problem associated with ict facilities as indicated by 23.99% (173) of the respondents. of all the respondents, about 9.02% (65) associated the problems with network, while 52 (7.21) and 42 (5.83%) of the respondents point to the problems with security threat affecting the service delivery and the cost of maintaining the system respectively. ict facilities was found to be arevolution within the information cycle especially in the areas of retrieving, storing, dissemination of information. ajala and ebijuwa (2010) pointed that, internet access in the university environment provides the library with a means of delivering to its users e-resources and ability to connect to sites which are beyond the scope of the library collections. with all the advantage of ict facilities within the realm of information cycle, some problems emanated which in one way or the other impeded on the effort of information users to satisfy their information needs. according to uwaifo (2009), skilled manpower like computer scientists, system designers, system analysts, are lacking in many of the university libraries in nigeria. aniand ottong (2010) identified such problems like power supply, cost of acquiring basic and formal it literacy program, lack of access to it, etc. nwaingwe (2005) had reported similar findings in her study, that, “finance” and “power failure” were major problems impeding it utilization in nigeria. the low level of it utilization was attributed to certain circumstances beyond students such as lack of access and the cost using these vital learning facilities by the students. table: 6 factor needed for effective services by academic library factors for effective services frequency percentage (%) uninterrupted power supply 122 16.92 acquiring skills in operating ict facilities 251 34.81 minimal cost of maintenance 236 32.73 effective services by network service provider 112 15.53 total 721 100 research question 6 which tried to find out the ways the libraries would overcome the problems with ict facilities shows that, 122 (16.92%) of the respondents suggested that, there should be uninterrupted power supply in the library, while 34.81% (251) of the respondents emphasized the acquisition of skills the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state umaru f. aliyu page 9 in the operation of ict facilities. about 32.73% (236) of the respondent suggest less cost of the maintenance of the facilities. fifteen percent of the respondents said there should be effective services by network service providers. introduction and implementation of basic ict literacy programmes in the curriculum of senior secondary schools in nigeria is necessary to prepare students to face the challenges of effectiveness and efficiency in the use of it in learning in the competitive global environment. ani and ottong (2010). tertiary institutions and other cyber café operators should provide standby generators to affect continuity in information service provision. conclusion and recommendation information and telecommunication technologies as a new innovation in information cycle brought about changes on the level of efficiency and effectiveness in accessing information by the users. upon all the advantages of ict facilities, to information seekers, some problems associated with these facilities were found to be unavoidable. the findings of this research revealed that, 53.95% (389) of the respondents lack the skills in operating the facilities. other problems identified were power supply, cost of maintain the facilities, network problem etc. with all these problems, about 49.37% (365) of them show their satisfaction with the facilities. as a result of the findings of this study and conclusion, following recommendations are made:  educational programmes should be organized by tertiary institutions of higher learning to expose students to skills in operating ict facilities.  the federal government of nigeria should look for the possible ways of reducing the tariff on importing the ict facilities to make it affordable to information users.  standby generators should be mounted in all ict centers to ensure continuity of ict operations.  concerned efforts should be made by the bauchi state government in providing more ict facilities to tertiary schools and provide those without them  the charges made on students for ict centres utilizing ict facilities should be made affordable to allow students have access to them. the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state umaru f. aliyu page 10  qualified ict facilities operators and technicians should man ict centres and cyber café for provision of access to information to users. references abisoye, o. a (2010) challenges facing the digitalization of university libraries in nigeria: a case study of federal university of technology, minna. international journal of information and communication technology. vol. 7 no 2 ajala, i.o, adegun a. i and adetunji, a and oyewumi, o.o (2010) the impact of internet use on teaching and research by ladokeakintola university of technology (lautech) academic staff _international journal of information and communication technologies vol. 7 no. 2 ajala, i.o and ebijuwa (2010) use of internet and e-resources by agricultural students in a nigerian university _ international journal of information and communication technology vol 7 no. 2 ani, e.o and ottong, e. j (2010) information technology literacy and utilization in nigerian universities: study of undergraduate students in university of calabar,calabar nigeria. international journal of information and telecommunication technology vol.7 no 2. asugwu, a. e dikwa, l.h and mathew, j (2009) problem of implementing virtual library in university libraries in nigeria: an overview. borno library; archival and information science. vol.8, no 2 iloanusi, n.o and osuagwu, c.c (2010) an evaluation of the impact of ict diffusion in nigeria’s higher educational system. the challenges posed by information communication technologies (ict) facilities to students of tertiary institutions in bauchi state umaru f. aliyu page 11 iyande, a .k and ajani f.o (2008) accessibility and utilization of information technology for effective learning by part time university student of olabisi university, ago-iwoye. gate way library journal.vol 11, no 1 kaur, and verma, r (2006) use of electronic resources at tiet library patiala. a case study ifla bullentin, 43(3) nwaingwe, u.c (2005) utilization of information technology for information services in owere municipal information centres. nigerian library and information trend.journal of nla imo state chapter.3 (½). ogbonyemi, a l (2011) application of information and communication technology to technical service in libraries. communicate: journal of library and information science. vol. 12. no 2 ogbomo, e.f (2011) issues and challenges in the use of ict in education. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management 10(1) ojedoku, a.a and owalabi, e. o (2003) internet access competence and the use of the internet for teaching and research activities by university of botswana academic staff.an international journal of information and telecommunication technology (ict). vol.7 no 2 ukachi, n.b (2009) impact of information and communication technologies on reference services: case study of selected academic libraries in south west, nigeria. bornu library archival and information science. vol. 8 no 2 uwaifo s.o (2009) barrier to the use of information and communication technologies by staff in nigerian university libraries.borno library, archival and information science.vol .8, no 2. 105 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 students’ perception of e-resources in an academic library: the federal university of agriculture, abeokuta experience dorcas o. bakare, bamidele o. bamigboye & monika c. chiemenem bumdots4eva@yahoo.co.uk federal university of agriculture, abeokuta,ogun state,nigeria abstract this paper examines students’ perception of e-resources in academic libraries: case study of the serial’s section of ‘nimbe adedipe library, federal university of agriculture, abeokuta, ogun state, nigeria. the survey research method was adopted for this study. a structured questionnaire was designed and used to collect data for this study. the population under study constitute the number of students that came to the serial's section over a period of a month which was four hundred and forty-one students’ (441). the method used for the selection of the population was simple random sampling. data were collected from the selected students using questionnaire as the main instrument for data collection. the questionnaire was designed to identify the important variables to be measured. these are perception of students to e-resources, access to e-resources, usability of e-resources and challenges encountered in using these e-resources. copies of the questionnaire were given to students as they came into the serial's section. 500 level students’ were 168, while 400 level students’ were 159, also 300 level students were’ 49 making a total of 376 undergraduate students‘ and post-graduate students’ were 65 students’ respectively. all the questionnaires was dully completed and found usable for the study. findings revealed that both postgraduate students’ and undergraduate students’ perception of e-resources are on the positive side because they perceive it as been useful for their research and this is having high impact on usage of these resources at the serial section of the library. keywords: e-resources, e-services, serial’s section, perception, awareness, challenges mailto:bumdots4eva@yahoo.co.uk 106 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 introduction the importance of the serial’s section in academic libraries cannot be over emphasized. the serial’s section manages journals, newspapers, magazines and other periodicals that support university curricular needs and compliment the general monograph and reference collections. afolabi (2011) quoting nwalo (2003) described serials as publications issued in successive parts, at regular or irregular intervals and intended to be continued indefinitely. there are many kinds of serials. these include; newspapers, magazines, newsletters, journals, indexes, abstract, reports proceedings and transactions of societies etc. out of them all, journals are the most important to researchers because much of articles therein are products of research and it may never appear in any other publications. with the advent of information communication technology in delivering library services, many of these serial’s materials can now be found in electronic format. libraries are even acquiring databases that are of relevance to their institutions. an example of this specialized database is the essential electronic agricultural library (teeal) which is made accessible to library patrons at the serial’s section of ‘nimbe adedipe library at the federal university of agriculture, abeokuta, ogun state, nigeria. teeal as it is popularly called is a specialized database for agricultural based disciplines. also within the serial’s section of ‘nimbe adedipe library, there are also other e-resources that are made available for library patrons, which are hinari, ebscohost, agora, jstor, national virtual library of nigeria, aluka, bioone, on-line nigerian newspapers, and intuite. it is on this premise that the researcher aim to ascertain students’ perception of these eresources, usability of these resources and the challenges encountered in using these resources. research objectives the main objective of this study is to determine students’ perception of eservices in academic libraries: case study of the serial section of ‘nimbe adedipe library, federal university of agriculture, abeokuta, ogun state, nigeria. while the specific objectives are: a. to determine the types of eresources in the serial’s section of ‘nimbe adedipe library b. to determine the perception of students about e-resources in the serial’s section of ‘nimbe adedipe library c. to analyse the challenges encountered in using e-resources in the serial’s section of ‘nimbe adedipe library d. to determine the purpose of using e-resources e. to determine the level of awareness of e-resource f. to determine the frequency of use of e-resources literature review serials are rapidly morphing into networked electronic resources and services. the anglo american cataloguing rules (1988) define serial as a 'continuing resource issued in a succession of discrete parts usually bearing numbering that has no predetermined conclusion for example, print and electronics journal, magazines, continuing directories, annual reports, newspapers and monographic serves'. hammed and osunrinade (2011) quoting aina (2004) also describes serial as a distinctive title which is issued in parts, and each issue is published indefinitely. it includes periodicals, journals, newsletters, newspapers and magazines, etc. a periodical such as newspaper or magazine students’ perception of e-resources in an academic library: the federal university of agriculture, abeokuta experience 107 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 has a distinctive title and is issued more frequently than once a year containing articles. while non periodical serials are publications that are issued in successive parts once a year or less frequently, yearbooks annuals or monographic series are examples of non-periodical serials. the provision of information and the access to the services of the library has been greatly influenced by the advent of (ict) information communication technology. this development has affected serial’s section of the library, the resources of the library and the services provided. it has also affected the users in one way or the other. for easy accessibility and usability, these serials materials are now mostly converted to electronic format which can now be accessible anytime through the library network. also, various newspapers can also be accessible online and the databases also can be acquired by the library for the use of library patrons. achonna (2012) opined that a good percentage of students are aware and have easy access to use the e–journal resources. they are also aware of the potential benefits they stand to derive by exploiting the resources. however, they were hindered by some problems, among which is lack of skill in the use of the e – journal resources, power outage which limits access to the resources; inadequate computers which may hinder students from having access to the resources. research has shown that academic staff prefers electronic journals to print. brown (2007) who worked on academic staff use of e-journal, found that 84% of the respondent prefers e-journal. according to him, having access to journal is seen as important by majority of the respondents. sarasvady (2007) corroborated this further when he posited that, 58% of his respondents preferred electronic journals to print version. chandran (2014) quoting nallathamb and kanakaraj (2012) found that the majority of the respondent in the engineering colleges use electronic resources daily. bashorun and adisa (2011) quoting shuling (2007) concluded that nearly 80 percent of respondents knew little about electronic resources and nearly half the respondents use both printed and electronic resources, followed by print periodicals. halima (2011) quoting madhusudhan (2008), opined that seventy-eight percent (78%) of the respondents feel that the use of the ugc – infonet e-journals has created high dependency value on their research work and they needed current article alert services and electronic document supply services. also oduwole and akpati (2003) investigated the accessibility and retrieval of electronic information at the university of agriculture library, abeokuta, nigeria. the 425 participants responded out of a survey population of 1,000, giving a response rate of 53.87 percent. the study revealed that electronic information cuts across all members of the university community that it was to a greater extent easy to use and were satisfied with their search outputs. the constraints identified included insufficient number of terminals available for use despite high demand and inadequate electricity supply. chandran (2000) concluded in his own study that the majority (95.12%) of the respondents were aware of electronic resources in the library but only 4.88 % of the respondents were not aware of it, the types of electronic resources used most by the respondents were e-journals and e-databases with usage rates of 26.01% and 24.39% respectively. only 4.88% of the respondents used all types of electronic resources and the purpose of using electronic resources mostly by the respondents (34.14%) was “to prepare for projects” while the purpose of using electronic resources lest by the dorcas o. bakare, | bamidele o. bamigboye & monika c. chiemenem 108 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 respondents (6.51%) was “to write book reviews”. halima (2011) concluded in her own study that majority of lecturers 92 (90.6%) and research scholars 56(80.0%) prefer to use e-journals, second highest of users prefer e-mail and www with 82 (73.2%) and 60(53.6%) among lecturers, whereas 36(52%) and 46(65.6%) among scholars. 32(28.6%) of lecturers and 30(42.9%) of research scholars made use of e-research report. the rest of the electronic resources, bibliographic databases, e-newspapers, emagazines were comparatively less used. her study also revealed that 73 (65.2%) lecturers and 46(65.7%) scholars usually used e-resources, 30(26.8%) lecturers and 20(28.65%) scholars used e-resources sometimes, whereas 9(8.04%) lecturers and 4(5.75%) scholars used e-resources rarely. the study indicated that scholars used the library more frequently than lecturers. methodology the instrument used for data collection was the questionnaire. the population under study constitute the number of students that came to the serial's section over a period of a month which is four hundred and forty-one students’ (441). the method used for the selection of the population was simple random sampling. data were collected from the selected students using questionnaire as the main instrument for data collection. the questionnaire was designed to identify the important variables to be measured. these are perception of students to e-resources, access to e-resources, usability of eresources and challenges encountered in using these e-resources. copies of the questionnaire were given to students as they come into the serial's section. 500 level students’ were 168, while 400 level students’ were 159, also 300 level students were’ 49 making a total of 376 undergraduate students‘ and post-graduate students’ were 65 students’ respectively. all the questionnaires were dully completed and found usable for the study. figure 1: users’ status figure 1 showed the breakdown of the target population by status. the table revealed that of the 441(100.0%) respondents, 65 (14.7%) were post-graduate students’ while 376 (85.3%) were undergraduate students’. table 2 revealed that of the 65 (14.7%) respondents which were post-graduate students’, 29 (44.6%) were male while 36 (55.4%) were female. also from the same table 2, 376 (85.3%) which is the number of undergraduate students’, 181 (48%) were male while 195 (52%) were female. students’ perception of e-resources in an academic library: the federal university of agriculture, abeokuta experience 109 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 this indicated that more female undergraduate and post-graduate students’ makes use of the serial’s section of the library. figure 2: distribution of users’ by gender figure 3: awareness of e-resources figure 3 was used to measure the level of awareness of e-resources and from the table, it can be deduced that 59 (90.8%) and 6 (9.2%) indicated yes and no respectively among post-graduate students. while 296 (78.7%) and 80 (21.3%) also indicated yes and no among undergraduate students’. this indicating that majority of both post-graduates and undergraduates students’ using the serial’s section are aware of e-resources within the section dorcas o. bakare, | bamidele o. bamigboye & monika c. chiemenem 110 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 figure 4: types of e-resources used the deduction from figure 4 implies that of all e-resources at the serial’s section, teeal and agora has the highest number of usage with undergraduate having 157 (33%) and 94 (20%) respectively. while post-graduate has 98 (29%) and 76 (23%) respectively. implication of these figures points to the fact that both undergraduate and post-graduate students make use of teeal and agora more than any other e-resources in the section. students’ perception of e-resources in an academic library: the federal university of agriculture, abeokuta experience 111 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 figure 5: perception of students to e-resources the data from figure 5 shows that the perception of post-graduate student to e-resources is that it has helped them in their research work with 145 (34%) and undergraduate students’ too perceived the same way with 123 (32%). dorcas o. bakare, | bamidele o. bamigboye & monika c. chiemenem 112 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 figure 6: purpose of using of e-resources figure 6 measured the purpose of using e-resources with post-graduate student identifying that the main purpose of using e-resources is for their research with 148 (28.6%) followed by choosing project topics 123 (23.7%) and the third purpose is for choosing seminar topics with 112 (21.6%) respectively. while, undergraduate students’ main purpose for using e-resources is for choosing project topics 105 (30.9%), followed by for carrying out assignment 75 (22.1%) and for research 67 (19.7%) respectively. students’ perception of e-resources in an academic library: the federal university of agriculture, abeokuta experience 113 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 figure 7: challenges encountered in using the e-resources figure 7 measured the challenges encountered in using e-resources at the serial’s section and the major challenge is poor internet facility 145 (36.7%) and 133 (32.2%) for both postgraduate and undergraduate students’ respectively. while power outage 134 (33.9%) 127 (30.8%), and insufficient computer systems 45 (11.3%) 78 (18.9%) also ranked as major challenges for all categories of students’. dorcas o. bakare, | bamidele o. bamigboye & monika c. chiemenem 114 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 figure 8: frequency of use figure 8 measured the frequency of usage of e-resources and for post-graduate students’ 57 (25.7%) use e-resources daily, 87 (39.2%) use e-resources weekly, 43 (19.4%) use e-resources monthly, 23 (10.4%) use e-resources rarely, while 12 (5.4%) have never use e-resources at the serial’s section of the library. also for undergraduate students’, 45 (22.6%) use eresources daily, 67 (33.7%) use eresources weekly, 32 (16.1%) use eresources monthly, 34 (17.1%) use eresources rarely, while 21 (10.6%) have never use e-resources at the serial section of the library. on the whole, the study sought to investigate students' perception to eresources in academic libraries. therefore, the study revealed that majority of both undergraduate and post-graduate students' are aware of e-resources at the serial's section of 'nimbe adedipe library which is the main library at the federal university of agriculture, abeokuta, ogun state, nigeria. the study also revealed that of all e-resources in serial's section of the students’ perception of e-resources in an academic library: the federal university of agriculture, abeokuta experience 115 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 library, teeal and agora has the highest number of usage among students'. the perception of both undergraduate and post-graduate students' to these e-resources is that it helps them with their research work, they use these e-resources because of its numerous advantages and also because it is relevant to their field. two of the major challenges faced in using these e-resources according to respondents is poor internet connectivity and power outage. conclusion and recommendations based on findings from the study, it was observed that post-graduate students’ and undergraduate students’ of the federal university of agriculture, abeokuta, ogun state, nigeria have the same perception to e-resources at the serial section of the ‘nimbe adedipe library. the perception is that it has helped them in their research work thereby implying a huge impact on the usage of these e-resources with all its attendant advantages despite all the challenges faced. for better service delivery at the serial’s section of ‘nimbe adedipe library, the university management should endeavour to: a. provide funds for subscription to more electronic primary and secondary sources b. subnet the library by giving her certain percentage of the bandwidth enough to accommodate her patrons c. organize training for her patron’s because it is essential for the better use of electronic resources in the library since a good number of users are searching electronic literature on their own. in conclusion, although majority of these students are aware of these e-resources, and they use them, they are of the opinion that the management of the library can help cushion the effects of these challenges faced in really getting the maxima output of the usage of these e-resources which is highly beneficial to their research work. references achonna, a.u. (2008). awareness, access and usage of e-journal resources of the library, by the student of yaba college of technology, yaba-lagos nigeria. samaru journal of information studies vol.8 (1), pg 25-34 afolabi, a.fand abidoye, j.a. proceedings of the 1 st international technology, education and environment conference (c) african society for scientific research (assr), pg 620-628 aina, l.o. (2004). proceedings on improving the quality of library and information science journals in west africa: a stakeholders conference held at the conference centre, university of ibadan, nigeria. pg 78-81 anglo american cataloguing rules (1988). second edition. revision. prepared by the joint steering committee for revision of aacr. edited by michael gorman and paul winkler chicago: american library association, bashorun, m. t, isah, a, and adisa, m.y (2011). user perception of electronic resources in the university of ilorin, nigeria (unilorin). journal of emerging trends in computing and information sciences. vol. 2, no. 11. retrieved from http://www.cisjournal.org chandran d (2000). use of internet resources and services in: s.v. university (tirupati) environment . in: vengan r (eds.), information services in a dorcas o. bakare, | bamidele o. bamigboye & monika c. chiemenem http://www.cisjournal.org/ 116 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 networked environment in india (pp.124127) ahmedabad: inflibnet. halima, s.e (2011). library philosophy and practice. available at http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin /egberongbe.htm hammed, a.b and osunrianade, o.a. (2010). journal of research in education and society vol. 1 nos. 2 & £, 2010, 3540. nallathamb and kanakaraj (2012) madhusudhan, m. (2008). use of ugc infonet – journals by the research scholars of university of delhi”, library hi tech, vol. 26. no. 3. pp. 369 – 386. nwalo, k.w. (2003). fundamentals of library practice: a manual on library routines . ibadan : stirling – horden. p9 oduwole a. a. and akpati, c. b. (2003). accessibility and retrieval of electronic information at the university of agriculture library abeokuta, nigeria 52(5): 228 – 233, available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchre gister sarasvady, s., et al. (2007). study of the use of electronic resources for implementing library consortium (india) http://www.isica.ac. in/serial/consortia/cbs07-07.pdf . shuling, w. (2007). investigation and analysis of current use of electronic resources in university libraries. library management 28 (1/2): 72-88 students’ perception of e-resources in an academic library: the federal university of agriculture, abeokuta experience http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister http://www.isica.ac/ 51 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 utilization of reference resources and services by users of benue state public library, makurdi, nigeria akpe precious doo department of library and information science, mautech, yola murtala aliyu department of library and information science, mautech, yola abstract this paper focuses on the utilization of reference resources and services by users of benue state public library, makurdi. related literature on the study reviewed shows that reference services are very important and needed by library clientele. the study attempted to identify the types of reference resources and services available for use by the subjects of the study as well as the extent to which they address the needs of users. the study found out among other things that the patrons utilize to a moderate extent the reference services provided to them. they also utilize the reference resources and services mostly for their course work and research works. findings of the study also show that the users derive to a moderate extent satisfaction with the services provided to them by the library. finally from the findings of the study it has been recommended that provision of current information resources and employment of dedicated and experienced reference staff will guarantee user satisfaction and solve information apathy. keywords: reference services, reference sources, public library, makurdi, nigeria 52 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 introduction reference service is the totality or the culmination of all library activities aimed at facilitating the use of library and its resources (aboyade: 1983). reference service can be described as the services provided by library to its users so as to meet the information needs of its community; this in turn makes the library relevant in contributing to the socio-economic, educational and political development of the community where the library is situated. in other words, reference service in libraries is most often defined as direct personal assistance to readers. if the three common functions of libraries are acquisition, organization and dissemination of information, then reference service is directed primarily towards the dissemination function. reference service can best be defined and approached in understandable terms of functions since there are several definitions for the term. the nature of reference service differs remarkably among libraries in terms of type and size. that is, school libraries undertake reference work in a different manner than the librarians who work in other institutions or in business settings; reference services provided in academic libraries differ in some respects from the reference services offered in public libraries. the size and characteristics of the potential user groups vary greatly. a librarian in a special library may serve thirty library users, while a school librarian may have three hundred children who regularly visit the library. thus, the primary process of reference service is always the same that is, translating a request into terms that can be met by different reference sources. it is always the duty of the reference librarian to listen to the patron, find out and translate his/her information needs and provide the correct sources to satisfy those information needs. the reference service however, may range from a minimal level of help to users in locating information, on the one hand, to the actual delivery of information to clients, on the other. reference service is the most demanding and the most intellectual and brain tasking aspect of librarianship; the performance of which can make or mar the effectiveness of the overall service of the library, or the image of the library profession as a whole. the reference department of a library is usually referred to as the “showcase” or the window/mirror of the library. this is because reference service embraces a variety of activities; such services bring reference librarians directly in contact with those who use or patronize the library. relevant to this, is the importance of information in the acquisition of knowledge (bankole: 1998). similarly, reference work is defined as the personal assistance given by the librarian to individual readers in pursuit of information (rothstein, 1961). this involves not locating the material where the required information can be found but also locating the information and sorting out what information is relevant from a mass of information. in short, reference service involved with all aspects of information both theoretical and practical. in library services, failure to locate any required information leads to a user’s frustration. misinformation and disinformation have the same effect. a satisfied user, on the other hand, serves as a public relations officer for the library. thus assistance to readers is a great task that embraces an enormous range and variety of activities. many users want to know more and more about less and less; they want to acquire more knowledge; and they want to know more about their society and their historical cultures. objectives of the study the objectives of this study are to: 1. identify the types of reference resources available for use in the benue state library board, makurdi. . 2. examine the types of reference services provided to meet the information needs of her clientele. utilization of reference resources and services by users of benue state public library… 53 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 3. determine the extent to which the resources and services address the needs of the users. 4. determine the problems militating against the utilization of these resources and services. 5. suggest ways in which the identified problems could be overcome. research questions this study sought to find answers to the following research questions. 1. what are the types of reference resource and services available for use by patrons? 2. to what extent do users in the study utilize reference resources and services of the library? 3 .to what extent do the available resources and services meet the information needs of the users? 4. what are the problems militating against the provision and utilization of reference resources and services in this study? 5. what strategies can be adopted to overcome the problems militating against the provision and utilization of information resources and services? review of related literature a reference work is a compendium of information, usually of a specific type, compiled in a book for ease of reference. that is, the information is intended to be quickly found when needed. reference works are usually referred to for particular pieces of information, rather than read beginning to end. the writing style used in these works is informative and emphasizes facts. indexes are commonly provided in reference books. updated editions are published as needed, in some cases annually. typical reference books include dictionaries, encyclopedias, and compendia. many reference works are available in electronic form and can be obtained as software packages or online through the internet. alafiatayo, (1997) in his study of university libraries in nigeria used a total number of 600 respondents as the population sample for the study. the instruments used for data collection in his study were questionnaire and personal interview. the findings of the study pointed to the fact that the type of reference assistance to users in university libraries in nigeria do not probably go beyond conservation to moderate level. some of the factors which have been identified to be responsible for such a situation are the fact that none of the libraries have laid out objectives to guide its reference services, inadequate personnel, organizational structure of the library and ‘ignorance’ of the users particularly patrons among others. therefore, considering the present level of library potential in nigeria, the liberal and maximum level of reference service is recommended. in another development, klumpp, (2007) carried out a study on reference service; patron, instructors and librarian in the 21st century in umcp (university of mckeldin). two hundred undergraduate students were used as respondents in the university campus. instrument used for data collection was questionnaire and simple percentage was used for the data analysis. in the report it was found out that, the undergraduate are unaware of the many services and resources which are available in the library. and also that the undergraduate students are reluctant to ask for assistance in the use of information resources and services while some are intimidated by the complexity and large size of the library. suggestion was made that reference services ought to recognize the need for generally experience in working with the special needs of naive users. in addition, system of training and evaluation targeted specifically at the need of these users should be part of reference services. sheri (1993) opines that reference service and resource are of paramount importance to users. they are services that formalized provision of information in diverse form by a reference librarian who is interposed between the questioner and the available information resources as well as to interpret the sources in the light of the question asked towards the akpe precious doo | murtala aliyu 54 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 operation of reference services. in the same line of thinking amkpa (2000), is of the opinion that information resources and services provides numerous benefit to users. benefits such as meeting their information needs, hence, nigerian public libraries need to improve their services so as to equip the users with the skills of accessing relevant information and effective utilization of information resources and services. first step towards improving the services is by implementing a better reference services. the library among other services should provide relevant information resources and services for patrons, to cope with the changing needs of users, the need to impart some basic knowledge and skills of reference resource and services to their staff and users (luban:2007). according to sheri (2007), patrons make use of information resources because they are information bearing materials that can meet their information needs. he further opined that the services (personal assistance) usually given to library users in pursuit of information by the librarian in charge of the reference collection also enables the user to meet their information needs. from sheri’s study, it was found out that, the purpose of utilization of information resources and services by users is to meet the various information needs of library users such as writing a term paper, seminar essay, lectures, education, entertainment, courses work, assignment, leisure and self improvement. the level of satisfaction derived from usage of reference resource and services according to heaton (1996), appears to dwindle over time. in his study also carlso (2008) observed that users were once satisfied with the resources and services offered in the hornbake library. the study indicated that forty nine percent of users use information resources and services on the reference desk while 51% went with the new technology of referencing. the remaining 49% indicated they were satisfied with the references and services available to them. the problems of provision of information resources and services and their corresponding utilization by patrons were recorded by carlso, (2008) to include among others; lack of adequate reference collection which is the working tool of reference librarian. from the studies it is observed that quality reference collection is hard to come by. the librarian depends on overseas publishing houses and marketing agent for their collection. this dependency in itself is a problem, more especially now that the prices of these resources have escalated due to production cost and the devaluation of our domestic currency. secondly, because of transnational distance materials ordered take months, at times years before they arrive. by the time this information resources finally arrive in nigeria and are cleared from the port agencies and other relevant agencies most of the imported information materials become obsolete. indeed a lot of changes might have taken place this makes them useless. another major problem is that of inadequate qualified staff. those who possess a wide range of intellectual capacity, interest, desire to assist the users, flair for organizing document, ability to research literature and adequacy of the resources of the library. the quality of staff usually reflects on the quality of reference service delivery. such qualities earlier discussed are lacking in many reference librarian. this is partly because most of them are not well trained either while in library school or on the job training. also because some took up the library profession without thinking about problems involved in becoming a successful librarian. users of information resources themselves constitute a problem to the provision of effective reference services. klumpp (2007) in his study recognize this problem that users are unnecessarily selfish in the way and manner they make use of library resources. some either tear pages of sheets of book, journals, and other information resources they consider most useful or some times steal a whole document. this behavior is very disturbing to a conscious reference librarian or readers who may want to make use of a piece of information in a document only to find out that it cannot be found. lack utilization of reference resources and services by users of benue state public library… 55 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 of skill on the part of patrons in using reference resources and services was high and difficulty in locating reference resources on the right shelf was also identified in the study. another problem was inadequate use of information resources for academic and self improvement by patrons. methodology the research design used for this study was survey. the area of study was benue state library board, makurdi. benue state library board, makurdi. the study covered only the patrons in the reference section. the population of this study constitutes two hundred and sixty patrons. the sample for this study was 125 respondents drawn from the total population of two hundred and sixty (260). this was sampled using random sampling technique. for the purpose of generating data, questionnaire was used. the questionnaire was titled “utilization of reference resource and service by patrons of the state library makurdi questionnaire (urrsbslmq)”. the data collected was analyzed using frequency charts and percentages. findings a total of 125 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to the respondents out of which 110 were returned. this indicates a response rate of 88%. table 1: resources and services available s/n resources no. freq. percent 1. encyclopedia dictionaries directories bibliographies glossary constitutions 110 110 110 110 110 110 30 40 10 10 5 15 27.28 36.37 9.091 9.091 4.55 13.63 b. services available library instructions information services asst. in the use of resource photocopying cas sdi 110 110 110 110 110 110 30 5 50 12 7 6 27.28 4.55 45.45 10.91 6.36 5.45 table 1 shows the available reference resources and services in the study. from the study, it is found that the most available reference resources are dictionaries, encyclopedias and constitutions these are indicated by 36.37%, 27.28% and 13.63% respectively. on the other hand, the table reveals that the most available reference services are assistance in the use of r.r, library instructions and photocopying. these are represented by 45.45%, 27.28% and 10.9% respectively. the table also showed that the least available resources and services are glossaries, (4.55%) information services (4.55%) and sdi (5.45%). akpe precious doo | murtala aliyu 56 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 table 2: extent of utilization of resources and services. s/n resources regular often occasional never f % f % f % f % 1. encyclopedia dictionaries directories bibliographies glossary constitutions 18 15 03 16.36 13.63 2.72 30 10 3 7 27.28 9.091 2.72 5 5 14 4.55 4.55 12.72 b. extent of services utilization 1. library instructions information services asst. in the use of resources photocopying cas sdi 5 2 8 6 4 4.55 1.81 7.27 5.45 3.63 7 10 6.36 9.09 8 18 12 10 20 7.27 16.36 10.9 9.09 18.18 from table 2, the extent of utilization of reference resources and services was captured. the table showed that the most regularly used reference resources are encyclopedias (16.36), those often used (27.28%) again was found to be encyclopedias. those occasionally used were found to be constitutions (12.72%). on the part of services, it was found that the most regularly utilized reference service was photocopying (7.27%), often used, photocopying (9.09%) and occasionally used (10.9%). the least utilized were found to be sdi (3.63%) and library instructions (4.55%) respectively. table 3: level of satisfaction derived from resources and services. s/n resources highly satisfied moderately satisfied fairly satisfied not satisfied f % f % f % f % 1. encyclopedia dictionaries directories bibliographies glossary constitutions 8 7 7.27 6.36 8 4 2 14 7.27 3.63 1.81 13 10 10 11.8 9.09 9.09 12 10 4 2 2 10 10.9 9.09 3.63 1.81 1.81 9.09 b. services 1. library instructions information services asst. in the use of resources photocopying cas sdi 5 5 20 4.55 4.55 18.18 10 23 29 7 1 9.09 20.91 26/36 6.36 0.91 6 4 5.45 3.63 table 3 sets out to establish the level of satisfaction derived by patrons from the resources and services of the library under study. the table reveals that the patrons are generally fairly satisfied with resources of the library. this is indicated by 11.81%, on the whole, a respondent percentage utilization of reference resources and services by users of benue state public library… 57 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 of 10.9 indicated they are not satisfied with the resources provided by the library under study. as regard to the services rendered by the library, it was found that patrons are moderately satisfied with all services. this is indicated by 26.36% for photocopying, 20.91% for assistance in the use of reference resources, 9.9% for library instructions and 7.36% for cas. table 4: problems of provision and utilization of resources and services. s/n problems no. freq. % inadequate manpower 110 10 9.09 poor funding 110 50 45.45 lack of modern facilities 110 30 27.27 non current collections 110 15 13.63 others 110 5 4.55 b. problems of utilization lack of adequate reference resources 110 7 6.36 lack of skills to use the reference resources 110 52 47.27 mutilation of reference resources 110 13 11.81 lack of knowledge of existing reference resources 110 8 7.27 inadequate staff asst. 110 10 9.09 poor reference services 110 10 9.09 lack of knowledge of existing reference services 110 20 18.18 the table shows that the most pressing problems in the area of provision of the said resources and services are; poor funding (45.45%), lack of modern infrastructural facilities (27.27%) and noncurrent collections (13.63%). in terms of utilization, the study shows that the most critical problems include but not limited to lack of skills to use the resources and services (47.27%), lack of knowledge of existing resources and services (18.17%) and the others as indicated in the table. table 5: strategies to be adopted to overcome the problems of provision and utilization strategies no. freq. % better funding 110 60 54.55 provision of modern infrastructure 110 20 18.18 provision of effective reference services 110 10 9.09 employment of qualified staff/training 110 5 4.54 more security measures 110 5 4.55 provision of adequate reference resources 110 10 9.09 akpe precious doo | murtala aliyu 58 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 table 5 showed the strategies to be adopted to overcome the problems of provision and utilization. 54.55% indicated better funding, 18.18% indicated provision of modern infrastructural facilities and provision of effective reference services (9.09%). discussion of findings the importance of information in the life of every living individual cannot be overemphasized. this explains why libraries acquire and organize a wide range of information resources, reference materials inclusive. the findings of this study show that the basic reference resources provided by the library under study include but not limited to encyclopedias (27.28%), dictionaries (36.37%), constitutions (13.63%) among others. the study provide for her patrons such reference service as assistance in the use of resources (45.45%) library instructions (27.28%) and photocopy services (10.91%). also from the findings of this work, it was discovered that the study population utilized the available resources and services to a moderate extent and that their purpose of utilization is for research works. the study again found the level of satisfaction to be a reflection of the extent of usage. thus, it was found that the patrons get a moderate level of satisfaction from the use of resources and services. despite the fact that these resources and services and funding are found to be sine qua non for the patronage of research needs, some problems are discovered from this study to be impediments to the library under study. the results of this study revealed among others, problems such as funding, inadequate reference resources and services and poor utilization skills. this corroborates carlso (2008) findings in a study he conducted on utilization of resources and services in hornbake library and came out with above mentioned findings. to curb the above mentioned problems, the study recommends proper funding to address the problems of inadequate resources and services. this again is in line with carlso (2008) earlier suggestion. summary of findings from the analysis made, the following major findings were arrived at: ithe study population is provided reference resources of varying types, except abstracts. in the same vein they are provided a number of reference services except general information services. iipatrons utilize to a moderate extent the reference services provided to them. iiithe study population utilizes the reference resources and services mostly for their course work and research works. ivthe population derives to a moderate extent satisfaction with the services provided to them by the library. vproblems of provision and utilization of reference resources include inadequate reference resources and services; poor utilization skills and inadequate funding among others. vithe strategies to be adopted to overcome the problems highlighted include proper funding of the library; proper staffing; tightening up of the security etc. vii conclusions and recommendations there are various ways by which people get information. some get it from organized sources like the libraries and others through discussion with colleagues etc. patrons of benue state library board utilize reference resources and services of different types to meet their information needs for their course work and research works. from the above findings it is recommended that provision of current information resources and employment of dedicated and experienced reference staff will guarantee user satisfaction and solve information apathy. it is also recommended that the budgetary allocation for the state library board need to be reviewed to reflect and accommodate all their mandatory services including reference service to users. utilization of reference resources and services by users of benue state public library… 59 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 references aboyade, b.o (1983), keynote address on reference services in nigerian librarianship, lagos librarian 10(2) p.8 adomi, e.e (2004). collection development and management benin city; ethiope publishing cooperation. aina, l.o (2002). research in information science: an african perspective. lbadon strirling horden publishers (nig) ltd. ajayi, n.a and adetayo, j.o (2005). utilization of library books to enhance academic excellence in nigeria-tatiary institution: a case study of hezekiah oluwasamin library; oau, ile-ife. journal of social science 10(2):119-122. alafiatayo, (1997). refernce services in the university libraries in nigeria: two case studies. abu thesis. ameh, o.a. (2007). an appraisal of reference and users services in the national library of nigeria. nigerbiblio: vol. 11 nos1&2, jandec,2007. p33-44. american library association (1983). the ala glossary of library and information science. chicago: ala. amkpa, s.a(2000). students use of university of maiduguri library: an evaluative study. gateway library journal. 2&3. p70-80. bankole, b.s (1986), special libraries. ala world encyclopedia of library and information services. 2 nd ed. chicago, american library association, p.782. carlso, j. s. (2008). utilization of resources and services in hornbake library. retrieve from: http://www. mlanet. org/education/irpl dad, h and khan, s.(2006). a guide to library and information science question and answers. ishmabad: poorab academy publishers. edoh, t., sambe j. and adejoh, a. (2002). a decade of academic excellence benue state university at ten (19922o02). makurdi: the return press ltd. edoka, b. e. (2000). introduction to library science. onitsha: palma publishing and link company ltd. heaton, g.t. (1996). rethinking the provision of reference service in academic medical school libraries. jan; 84(1): 1724. retrieved from http: //mlanet.org/education/irpl. iman, a. a.. etal (2008). library and information studies. nigeria; eagle publishers. kent, a. (ed). (1983), encyclopedia of library and information science. new york: marcel dekker, inc., vol.25, pp.210-224. klurnpp, j. f. (2007). reference service; students, instructors librarians in the 21st century: a report of the team in university of mckeldin (umcp) retrieved from: www.google.com/referenceserviceacc essed. kumar, k. (1987). reference service. 5 th revise ed. delhi: vikas publishing house pvt ltd. luban, j. (2007), summary of undergraduate students viewpoint on reference services. retrieved from: http://www.mlanet.org/education/irpl macleod, f. (2007), university provision of library services to undergraduate students. retrieve from: http: //www.mlanet.org.education/irpl akpe precious doo | murtala aliyu http://www.google.com/referenceserviceaccessed http://www.google.com/referenceserviceaccessed http://www.google.com/referenceserviceaccessed http://www.mlanet.org/education/irpl 60 information impact | vol. 6(1) june, 2015 madu, e.c. (2010), reference service in the libraries and information centers in the 21st century. in madu, e.c and ezeani, c. n. (ed), modern library and information science for information professionals in african. ibadan: text links publishers. markum, d.g. and george, g. (2003), utilization of library resources in college. retrieved from: http//www.clir. org.pubs/.dlib/pub/oabs.htm 1/→ nwalo, k. n. (1996). reference source and services. ibadan; external studies, university of ibadan. retrieve from: www.aiol.infor/../28319. olanlakun, s.o (2003), perspective reference services in library the nigeria perspective. lagos journal of library and information science. 1(1) sept. pp 85-90. oyedum, g.u (1999), reference services and emerging trends in information technology. paper presented at the workshop on reference and information service organized by m.a research and information management consultancy services, zaria, kaduna state. oyedum, g.u (2005), introductory notes on reference and bibliography. minna, mairo press. raganathan, s.r. (1961). reference service 2nd ed. bombay: asia publishing house. rothstein, s. (1961), reference service: the new dimension in librarianship. college and research libraries. 22: p. 3-14 sheri, p. (1993), reference source and services in libraries. retrieved; www.osra.org/itlp; /bartlkotrlikhiggins.pdf utor, j.k. (2008), reference sources and services. makurdi: lanrad print. wyer, j.i (1930), reference work: a textbook for students of library work and librarians. chicago: american library association. utilization of reference resources and services by users of benue state public library… http://www.aiol.infor/28319 wyer, j.i (1930), reference work: a textbook for students of library work and librarians. chicago: american library association. user satisfaction as a marketing strategy in the 21 st century library yemi-peters, oladimeji eyitayo, mlis, cln, maic omoniwa, moses adekunle, ph.d, cln, faic achunmu, chinyelu mary, cln abstract the introduction of information technology and globalization has led to an increase in competition among the information providers. libraries must improve the quality of their services to enable them take the challenges of information in the 21 st century. this therefore calls for a better understanding of the specific needs of the library users in order to provide the appropriate type and level of service that meets those needs. this paper takes an insight into how library user needs can be satisfied with the services provided by the library, factors that affect user satisfaction and recommendation were also given on how to ensure that the library meet up with the users’ expectations. keywords: library, library services, ict, 21 st century, marketing strategy, user and user satisfaction yemi-peters, oladimeji eyitayo is a librarian/lecturer, kogi state university, anyigba, email oyemipeters@yahoo.com. omoniwa, moses adekunle,phd is university librarian, kogi state university, anyigba, e-mail:omoniwam@yahoo.com, achunmu, chinyelu mary is a postgraduate student of library and information sciesnce, nmamdi azikiwe university, awka, e-mail:ola_edo@yahoo.com. 106 yemi-peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary introduction libraries are established with the aim of providing information resources and services to meet the users‟ information and knowledge needs. meeting the information needs of the users requires that the library provides the actual information resources and services that will satisfy the needs of its users. but one of the greatest challenges for libraries today is how to re-establish themselves as one of the first and foremost gateways to which users can turn for assistance in navigating their way through the vast amount of information that is available in a variety of formats (naidu 2009). the very existence of libraries is dependent on users of the effectiveness of that information service. to provide an efficient should identify specific community needs which it will target its services as different users need different services. this identification is essential for the systematic development of the needed resources and the planning of suitable s effective utilization of such resources. this paper therefore, examines how libraries can fulfil the purpose of their existence by providing quality services to its users to ensure that they are satisfied. the library user and the differen that could influence a user from patronizing the library like competence, tangible, assurance, accessibility are examined. the paper submits that the best form of marketing library services is user satisfaction. the library user the user of a library is its most crucial component as the library processes revolve around them. aina (2004) describes a “user” as a term broadly used to include all those peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary established with the aim of providing information resources and ‟ information and knowledge needs. meeting the information needs of the users requires that the library provides the actual information resources and ll satisfy the needs of its users. but one of the greatest challenges for establish themselves as one of the first and foremost gateways to which users can turn for assistance in navigating their way through the vast amount of information that is available in a variety of formats (naidu 2009). the very existence of libraries is dependent on users‟ satisfaction. how well this purpose is served is a measure of the effectiveness of that information service. to provide an efficient service, a library should identify specific community needs which it will target its services as different users need different services. this identification is essential for the systematic development of the needed resources and the planning of suitable services for the effective utilization of such resources. this paper therefore, examines how libraries can fulfil the purpose of their existence by providing quality services to its users to ensure that they are satisfied. the library user and the different services offered by the library are also discussed. factors that could influence a user from patronizing the library like competence, tangible, assurance, accessibility are examined. the paper submits that the best form of marketing ser satisfaction. the user of a library is its most crucial component as the library processes revolve around them. aina (2004) describes a “user” as a term broadly used to include all those 107 peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary established with the aim of providing information resources and ‟ information and knowledge needs. meeting the information needs of the users requires that the library provides the actual information resources and ll satisfy the needs of its users. but one of the greatest challenges for establish themselves as one of the first and foremost gateways to which users can turn for assistance in navigating their way through the vast amount of information that is available in a variety of formats (naidu 2009). the very existence of ‟ satisfaction. how well this purpose is served is a measure service, a library should identify specific community needs which it will target its services as different users need different services. this identification is essential for the systematic ervices for the this paper therefore, examines how libraries can fulfil the purpose of their existence by providing quality services to its users to ensure that they are satisfied. the t services offered by the library are also discussed. factors that could influence a user from patronizing the library like competence, tangible, assurance, accessibility are examined. the paper submits that the best form of marketing the user of a library is its most crucial component as the library processes revolve around them. aina (2004) describes a “user” as a term broadly used to include all those user satisfaction as a marketing strategy in the 21 st century library who make adequate and effective use of the services offered by a library and the term also encompasses various terms such as patrons, client, reader, customer, consumer, e.t.c. according to nwalo (as cited in anyira, 2011), the library user is undisputedly, the most important person in any library setting. nwalo (as cited in anyira, 2011) further states a library user is anybody who visits the library with the purpose of exploiting its resources to satisfy his information need. the underlined word "visits" as used in the 21st century, include remote access to the library portal or website. a library user is anybody who visits the library to make use of one or more of the library‟s services and they have been categorized by different authors. whitakers (as cited in anyira, 2011) classified users into general readers, subject readers, special readers and non-reading users. aina (2004) categorized users into children, pupils, students, adults, professionals, researchers and lecturers, policy makers and planners, artisans (urban and rural-based), hearing and visually handicapped, and physically handicapped. anyira (2011) also categorized users based on their skills and the groups are unskilled user or computer illiterate user, semiskilled user or semi-computer literate user, skilled user or computer literate user. as the users have been categorized based on different issues, they also have their different information needs which a library must strive to meet. library users, whether literate or non-literate, skilled or unskilled, children, professionals and other categories make use of the library for one reason or the other. kumar and phil (2009) opined that the major objective of every library or information system is to satisfy the information needs of its users. information need of a user refers to that specific information needed by a user that is critical to survival. it can also mean information that will enable the user resolve uncertainties and problems. the information need of a user can be influenced by some 108 yemi-peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary factors like the discipline of a user, the use in which the information is to be put, the range of information sources and services available, the background, motivation, professional orientation and other individual characteristics of the user, the consequences of information use and the social, political and economic system surrounding the user. a user can require information regarding his profession or how to update his knowledge in his chosen profession. a user can equally visit the library to seek for information on job vacancies. library users in an academic library usually visit the library for information on their research work, assignments and general reading for personal self development. a user country and the government policies and plans and examines how those plans and policies affects him (anyira, 2011). for instance, in this era of the removal of fuel subsidy, a user can visit the library for information concerning the issue of fuel subsidy removal, its meaning, benefits and its effects on the masses. also, a library user who is a farmer can require information on the farming practices that are best for his type of land in order to yield bountiful harvest. a user can seek information on how to stay healthy and also understand the causes of most major ailments and how to avoid them. f instance, a user that has information that hand washing with soap and water can prevent diseases like diarrhoea will always strive to abide by it. also, information on hiv/aids will enable a user to accommodate patients living with hiv/aids. a library u also require general information on how to perform some creative acts like crafts making, tailoring, carving, painting; e.t.c. users can also require information on the location of some strategic and recreational places in a city or a country. in g peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary factors like the discipline of a user, the use in which the information is to be put, the of information sources and services available, the background, motivation, professional orientation and other individual characteristics of the user, the consequences of information use and the social, political and economic system surrounding the user. a user can require information regarding his profession or how to update his knowledge in his chosen profession. a user can equally visit the library to seek for information on job vacancies. library users in an academic library usually visit the or information on their research work, assignments and general reading for personal self development. a user‟s information need can be on what is happening in his country and the government policies and plans and examines how those plans and ts him (anyira, 2011). for instance, in this era of the removal of fuel subsidy, a user can visit the library for information concerning the issue of fuel subsidy removal, its meaning, benefits and its effects on the masses. also, a library user who is a armer can require information on the farming practices that are best for his type of land in order to yield bountiful harvest. a user can seek information on how to stay healthy and also understand the causes of most major ailments and how to avoid them. f instance, a user that has information that hand washing with soap and water can prevent diseases like diarrhoea will always strive to abide by it. also, information on hiv/aids will enable a user to accommodate patients living with hiv/aids. a library u also require general information on how to perform some creative acts like crafts making, tailoring, carving, painting; e.t.c. users can also require information on the location of some strategic and recreational places in a city or a country. in general, library users 109 peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary factors like the discipline of a user, the use in which the information is to be put, the of information sources and services available, the background, motivation, professional orientation and other individual characteristics of the user, the consequences of information use and the social, political and economic system surrounding the user. a user can require information regarding his profession or how to update his knowledge in his chosen profession. a user can equally visit the library to seek for information on job vacancies. library users in an academic library usually visit the or information on their research work, assignments and general reading for ‟s information need can be on what is happening in his country and the government policies and plans and examines how those plans and ts him (anyira, 2011). for instance, in this era of the removal of fuel subsidy, a user can visit the library for information concerning the issue of fuel subsidy removal, its meaning, benefits and its effects on the masses. also, a library user who is a armer can require information on the farming practices that are best for his type of land in order to yield bountiful harvest. a user can seek information on how to stay healthy and also understand the causes of most major ailments and how to avoid them. for instance, a user that has information that hand washing with soap and water can prevent diseases like diarrhoea will always strive to abide by it. also, information on hiv/aids will enable a user to accommodate patients living with hiv/aids. a library user can also require general information on how to perform some creative acts like crafts making, tailoring, carving, painting; e.t.c. users can also require information on the location of eneral, library users user satisfaction as a marketing strategy in the 21 st century library make use of the library for different purposes and reasons and it is therefore expected that a library will provide services that will meet these different information needs. library services in 21 st century the developing role of the library has created a set of new and complex challenges for those delivering library buildings and services. the libraries of the 21st century are no longer simply familiar repositories for books. they have changed and expanded, been rethought and redesigned. libraries now provide an increasing range of different services, using a multitude of media, and reach a more diverse audience than ever before. (worpole, 2004). in view of the above statement, libraries in this 21 st century should be seen to be pro active in-terms of the services deliver to their users. the library as an institution is saddled with the responsibility of providing resources and services that will meet the needs and expectations of its users. the exact nature and intensity of the services provided by a library depends on the mission of the library, the category of its users and the library type. corroborating this, basser (1996) stated that as the library rapidly evolves into something that looks quite different than it did just a few decades ago, it is critical that librarians not only become aware of this evolution, but that they actively intervene to help reshape the institution in ways that are consistent with the core mission of libraries. changes to libraries are inevitable, and if librarians do not get actively involved in shaping those changes, it is likely that the 21st century library will carry very few of the core missions and values that have historically been associated with libraries. in addition to the role and expectation of library services in the 21 st century, the university of the state of new york (2010) reports indicate that libraries continue to 110 yemi-peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary undergo tremendous transition as they move to virtual services in response to changes in technology and the expectations of their patrons, and as they facilitate not only the use of existing information, but also production of new information through online communities and efforts to preserve local history. however, to be able to achieve the goal of library service delivery in the 21 st century and beyond, adapting the report of the university of the state of new york (2010) to assure that tomorrow‟s libraries continue to be a vibrant and vital part of all lifelong learning experience, all libraries must:  improve the marketing of library services to all clientele and communities by rebranding libraries while addressing the erroneous perceptions about the need for   libraries in a digital world.    develop better tools for advocacy, and identify library champions at all levels of governance:    university and school boards, town and city management, state education department, etc.    collaborate to integrate services and collections of all types of libraries while developing a transparent and seamless world of library services that are   ubiquitous and instantaneous, yet personalized and flexible, serving all ages and needs.    seek operational and cost efficiencies in light of technological opportunities, energy efficient facilities, and online service delivery methods.    develop economic justifications for the investments that governments, communities, individuals and philanthropic organizations are asked to make in  111 user satisfaction as a marketing strategy in the 21 st century library libraries, and enhance the role of libraries as economic drivers for their communities.  recruit technologically savvy staff and train current staff in virtual librarianship while influencing higher education to appropriately educate tomorrow‟s service   providers.    function at the front lines of e-resources (including e-books) purchasing, licensing, digital rights management, digital curation, resource-sharing, and   preservation; and advocate for the delivery of open content as embodied in initiatives such as the digital public library of america or the berlin declaration on open access to knowledge in the sciences and humanities.    actively address issues concerning the privatization of information and its impact on traditional models of library services, defending residents‟ rights to free access,   free lending and the inter-sharing of materials among libraries.    create collaborative partnerships with all cultural and educational organizations in the state to offer our residents the most comprehensive educational opportunities   available anywhere in the world. (the university of the state of new york, 2010).  user satisfaction and library services according to norliya (2009) satisfying users‟ needs in the academic libraries has been the primary objective of libraries and librarians. the concept of user satisfaction in the library literature likewise has evolved to include a broader focus on the users‟ 112 yemi-peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary perspective of the library. in view of this, user satisfaction and library service are seen as sine qua non to effective service delivery in 21 st century library. with the advent of modern technologies like internet, electronic books and cd-rom, library services are now made easily available and accessible to users who are faced with a variety of alternative channels of information delivery. ezeala and yusuff (2011) acknowledged that much of the world's best information are now in electronic form and are only accessible on-line. only the users of those libraries that have implemented icts can benefit from such rich services available for research and development. in the same vein, (a vision for 21 st century library service in british columbia, n.d) affirm libraries are community hubs, with creative spaces suitable for a number of individual and collaborative activities, only one of which is seeking and accessing information. library spaces are more adaptable than ever before. technology enables greater flexibility as physical collections shrink and more information is stored online. libraries offer relevant, creative, useful and flexible spaces, in which local populations can congregate, interact and create. library services are less about what products are available in a physical building, and more about the user‟s experience while visiting. more so, libraries also need to ensure that their services meet their users‟ needs and expectations to the highest degree. hence, libraries are now forced to compete with other agencies in terms of service quality and user satisfaction. business or internet service centres now attempt to provide some of the services traditionally offered by libraries. whittaker (as cited in naidu, 2009) agree that “undoubtedly any library that aims at reaching the highest level of service, that is, to provide for the needs of users as individuals is attempting to be user centered”. 113 user satisfaction as a marketing strategy in the 21 quality of service is a user‟s perception of how well a service meet or exceeds his /her expectations. it can equally mean a service which satisfies the user resulting in a good experience. cullen (as cited in norliya, 2009) stated attention to customers and the services they want and receive are of utmost importance. the library needs to ensure that it‟s “services both meet customer needs and customer expectations to the highest degree. this means that the library needs to compete both in terms of service quality and customer satisfaction”. library service is the combination of services process and its delivery and the quality should start from the top management and carried uniformly to the security man in the library. thus, for a library to deliver quality services to its users, the user‟s personal needs and expectations have to be incorporated into the development library program and services. therefore, quality in the librar defined as permanent user satisfaction because it is only a user who regards the services of the library as being of a high quality from his subjective point of view that will remain a satisfied library user in the long run. the very existence user‟s satisfaction. for instance, a user who has some unpleasant experiences from the library may give up patronising same library. therefore, it is very necessary for libraries and librarians to understand the users and thei reham, shafique and mahmood (2011) maintain user satisfaction and optimization of resources have become important areas for libraries to maintain awareness of. many libraries especially the university libraries are focusing on evaluat and their satisfaction with their services. user surveys can provide useful perceptions of service quality in libraries. based on this assertion, rust and oliver (as cited in geetika, satisfaction as a marketing strategy in the 21 st century library ‟s perception of how well a service meet or exceeds his /her expectations. it can equally mean a service which satisfies the user‟s expectation od experience. cullen (as cited in norliya, 2009) stated attention to customers and the services they want and receive are of utmost importance. the library ‟s “services both meet customer needs and customer expectations st degree. this means that the library needs to compete both in terms of service quality and customer satisfaction”. library service is the combination of services process and its delivery and the quality should start from the top management and carried iformly to the security man in the library. thus, for a library to deliver quality services ‟s personal needs and expectations have to be incorporated into the development library program and services. therefore, quality in the librar defined as permanent user satisfaction because it is only a user who regards the services of the library as being of a high quality from his subjective point of view that will remain a satisfied library user in the long run. the very existence of libraries is dependent on ‟s satisfaction. for instance, a user who has some unpleasant experiences from the library may give up patronising same library. therefore, it is very necessary for libraries and librarians to understand the users and their information needs. reham, shafique and mahmood (2011) maintain user satisfaction and optimization of resources have become important areas for libraries to maintain awareness of. many libraries especially the university libraries are focusing on evaluation of the users and their satisfaction with their services. user surveys can provide useful perceptions of service quality in libraries. based on this assertion, rust and oliver (as cited in geetika, 114 century library ‟s perception of how well a service meet or exceeds his /her ‟s expectation od experience. cullen (as cited in norliya, 2009) stated attention to customers and the services they want and receive are of utmost importance. the library ‟s “services both meet customer needs and customer expectations st degree. this means that the library needs to compete both in terms of service quality and customer satisfaction”. library service is the combination of services process and its delivery and the quality should start from the top management and carried iformly to the security man in the library. thus, for a library to deliver quality services ‟s personal needs and expectations have to be incorporated into the development library program and services. therefore, quality in the library service is defined as permanent user satisfaction because it is only a user who regards the services of the library as being of a high quality from his subjective point of view that will remain of libraries is dependent on ‟s satisfaction. for instance, a user who has some unpleasant experiences from the library may give up patronising same library. therefore, it is very necessary for libraries reham, shafique and mahmood (2011) maintain user satisfaction and optimization of resources have become important areas for libraries to maintain awareness of. many ion of the users‟ needs and their satisfaction with their services. user surveys can provide useful perceptions of service quality in libraries. based on this assertion, rust and oliver (as cited in geetika, yemi-peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary 2010) define satisfaction as the “customer fulfillment response,” which is an evaluation as well as an emotion-based response to a service. therefore, to meet users‟ satisfaction means finding out what users want and concentrate upon providing it. user satisfaction in library factors influencing user satisfaction simmonds (as cited in adeniran, 2011) stated several factors that can influence user‟s satisfaction; these factors include responsiveness, competence and assurances, tangibles and resources. in a divergent view, ball (2007) mentioned that particular influence has been exerted by the diversification of media and technology in the past five to ten years. a number of new services offered to the customer today arose on the basis of digital data. however, since traditional library services have been complemented rather than replaced, the range of library services has multiplied as a result of modern technology and new media. affirming the above assertion, covey (as cited in naidu, 2009) mentions that the world wide web has made a dramatic change to library collections and services. this rapid development in information and communication technology and the changes in needs and expectations of users mean changing roles for libraries and librarians. this rapid change has enabled higher education institutions and library personnel to understand the importance of assessment in improving the quality of library services and meeting the needs and expectations of users. . ways to satisfy users in the library for users in the library to be satisfied with the services rendered by the library, the library should study and know its users and their information needs. thus, the library 115 user satisfaction as a marketing strategy in the 21 st century library should conduct user studies. aina (2004) is of the opinion that user studies help the library to know their users, determine their information needs, their information seeking behaviours and also sources of information that will be used in meeting their information needs. according to rocio, libia and ivan (1987) the first step in any user study is to determine clearly and precisely what it is intended to achieve with basic objectives should be:  to determine types of users;    to identify their information needs;    to establish priorities in relation to these needs;    to establish the level of satisfaction of needs;    to determine user behaviour in relation to information,    to evaluate the services provided for the restructuring of information and/or the establishment of new services if necessary.  however, in his study, thakuria (2007) mentions of the methods that can be used to conduct user studies to measure users‟ satisfaction, which are: i) conducting sample survey. ii) data collection. iii) process and analysis of data. iv) interpret and present the data. v) finding out result. other method includes: the feedback obtained from the above methods enables a library to evaluate its services, know who its users are, their information needs and how to satisfy them adequately. to 116 yemi-peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary improve the quality of its services and satisfy its users, thakuria (2007) opine the users‟ satisfaction is based on many factors like: a) a source of upto-date information, knowledge, accessing facilities and assistance. b) the library should organize its facilities visible to the users; otherwise they may not have it and get dissatisfied. c) accessibility: the library resources and services should be easily accessible. books should be arranged in shelves in proper classified order, so that the users can locate books quickly. in case of electronic library the electronic database like opac will help the users to find out the books in stacks. d) tangibles: the tangibles of libraries, namely the building, furniture and other physical facilities, collection, staff, machines etc. should be sufficient and appropriate and useful for the users. e) courtesy / friendliness: the library staff should be very courteous and friendly with the users. f) physical appearance / atmosphere/ cleanliness/ comfort: the appearance of library, its facilities, collection, staff and services should be attractive and pleasant. a welcoming atmosphere should be must furniture, floor, racks, documents etc. should be neat and clean. g) processreliability / communications: the processing part of the library should be dependable and efficient that suffices the expectations of the users. the way of communication, assistance and guidance also greatly affect the satisfaction of the users. h) some useful criteria to measure users‟ experience in a library are: i) speed of services delivery (access time, location, processing, etc.) 117 user satisfaction as a marketing strategy in the 21 st century library ii) value added services such as xerox service, cas, sdi etc. iii) technology used. conclusion the existence of library users is the raisin d‟être of the library. hence various types of libraries should identify their users and their information needs and determine how to satisfy those needs as a library. therefore, the users of a library should be constantly studied to determine whether they are satisfied with the services provided by the library or not, and in order improve upon these services. also, user satisfaction depends to a large extent on the ability of the library to integrate user needs into the development of the library. when this is done, it is possible to provide richer information and to totally fulfil the information needs of our users. this therefore, means that for users information needs to be met, the right type of teaching and research materials, equipment, information and communication facilities, furniture and qualified personnel, relevant to the information needs of the users must be procured and made available to the users. in carrying out this study, we have found the under listed as useful recommendations that would help libraries achieve the goal of satisfying the needs of their users.  there should be appropriate interaction and effective communication between the library and the users to enable the users‟ needs to be known and addressed   promptly.  118 yemi-peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary  the library should continuously monitor changing user an extensive period of time. this will help to recognize the gap between current  library services and actual users   the library management should ensure that the right professionals are selected and recruited for the handling of the library trained, developed and empowered to satisfy the us   user education and library orientation programme should be organised constantly so as to introduce users to library resources and services in order to sensitize them  to their importance, and how they can make use of the r solving their information needs.   the management of the library in an academic library should seek audience with the academic staff on what the library should provide in order to ensure that what  is needed is what is provided.   the library management should also provide suggestion boxes in the library as this will go a very long way in meeting the needs of their users.   marketing strategies, public relations and the concept of customer care training should be imbibed by the lib staff in the library.  finally, fulfilling user needs is an important aspect of library management and regular evaluation of user needs against existing services and the library collection is a necessary management technique for the continuous upgrading of the services provided by the library. therefore, the management staff in academic libraries should be aware of peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary the library should continuously monitor changing user-behaviours and needs over an extensive period of time. this will help to recognize the gap between current services and actual users‟ needs.  the library management should ensure that the right professionals are selected and recruited for the handling of the library‟s services. the recruited staffs should be trained, developed and empowered to satisfy the users by solving their problems. user education and library orientation programme should be organised constantly so as to introduce users to library resources and services in order to sensitize them to their importance, and how they can make use of the resources and services in solving their information needs.  the management of the library in an academic library should seek audience with the academic staff on what the library should provide in order to ensure that what is needed is what is provided.  the library management should also provide suggestion boxes in the library as this will go a very long way in meeting the needs of their users.  marketing strategies, public relations and the concept of customer care training should be imbibed by the library staff from the top management to the security  finally, fulfilling user needs is an important aspect of library management and regular evaluation of user needs against existing services and the library collection is a necessary management technique for the continuous upgrading of the services provided by the library. therefore, the management staff in academic libraries should be aware of 119 peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary behaviours and needs over an extensive period of time. this will help to recognize the gap between current  the library management should ensure that the right professionals are selected and ‟s services. the recruited staffs should be  ers by solving their problems.  user education and library orientation programme should be organised constantly so as to introduce users to library resources and services in order to sensitize them  esources and services in the management of the library in an academic library should seek audience with the academic staff on what the library should provide in order to ensure that what  the library management should also provide suggestion boxes in the library as this marketing strategies, public relations and the concept of customer care training rary staff from the top management to the security  finally, fulfilling user needs is an important aspect of library management and regular evaluation of user needs against existing services and the library collection is a necessary management technique for the continuous upgrading of the services provided by the library. therefore, the management staff in academic libraries should be aware of user satisfaction as a marketing strategy in the 21 st century library the current requirements of their clients/users and work towards providing the needed information resources to satisfy them. references a vision for 21 st century library service in british columbia, (n.d). draft concept paper (internal discussion paper confidential). retrieved april 24, 2013 from http://www.bclibraries.ca/home/site-files/21st%20century%20vision%20oct2010.pdf adeniran, pauline (2011). user satisfaction with academic libraries services: academic staff and students perspectives. international journal of library and information science vol. 3(10), pp. 209-216, november 2011. retrieved from http://www.academicjournals.org/ijlis/pdf/pdf2011/nov/adeniran.pdfaina, l. o. (2004). library and information science text for africa. ibadan: third world information services. anyira, i. e. (2011). the anatomy of library users in the 21 st century. library philosophy and practice 2011 issn 1522-0222. retrieved from http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/anyira-anatomy.htm ball, rafael (2007). user satisfaction – the key to a library‟s success. series iii: epublications of the institute ils of the jagiellonian university. ed. maria kocójowa no 5. library: the key to users‟ success. retrieved from http://epub.uniregensburg.de/5197/1/ubr11371_ocr.pdf besser, howard (1998). the shape of the 21st century library. milton wolf et. al. (eds.), information imagineering: meeting at the interface, chicago: american library association, pages 133-146. retrieved from http://besser.tsoa.nyu.edu/howard/papers/peters.html ezeala, lily oluebube & yusuff, eunice olufunmilola (2011). user satisfaction with library resources and services in nigerian agricultural research institutes. library philosophy and practice 2011 issn 1522-0222. retrieved from http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/ezeala-yusuff.pdf geetika, shefali nandan (2010). determinants of customer satisfaction on service quality: a study of railway platforms in india. journal of public transportation, 120 yemi-peters, oladimeji eyitayo, omoniwa, moses adekunle & achunmu, chinyelu mary vol. 13, no. 1, 2010. retrieved from http://www.nctr.usf.edu/jpt/pdf/jpt131geetika.pdf kumar, b. r. & phil, m. (2009). user education in libraries. international journal of library and information science vol. 1(1) pp. 001-005 june, 2009. retrieved from http://www.academicjournals.org/ijlis naidu, yegisthree (2009). user perceptions of service quality and the level of user satisfaction at the mangosuthu university of technology library, umlazi, durban. master dissertation. pietermaritzburg, south africa: university of kwazulu natal. retrieved from http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10413/590/naidu_y_2009 _th esis.pdf?sequence=1 norliya, a. k. (2009). evaluating users‟ satisfaction on academic library performance. malaysian journal of library & information science,vol.14, no.2, august 2009: 101115. retrieved from http://ejum.fsktm.um.edu.my/article/750.pdf rehman, shafiq ur, shafique, farzana & mahmood, khalid (2011). a survey of user perception and satisfaction with reference services in university libraries of punjab. library philosophy and practice issn 1522-0222. retrieved from http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/rehman-shafique-mahmood.pdf rocio, herrera c., libia, lotero m. & ivan, rua r. (1987). user need. international reader in the management of library, information and archive services. a unesco publication. retrieved april 25, 2013 from http://www.unesco.org/webworld/ramp/html/r8722e/r8722e00.htm#contents thakuria, p. k. (2007). concept of quality in library services: an overview 5th convention planner -2007, gauhati university, guwahati, december 7-8, 2007 inflibnet centre, ahmedabad. retrieved from http://ir.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/handle/1944/1370/46.pdf?sequence=1 the university of the state of new york (2010). creating the future: a 2020 vision and plan for library service in new york state. recommendations of the new york state regents advisory council on libraries to the new york state board of regents retrieved from http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/adviscns/rac/2020final/2020final.pdf 121 user satisfaction as a marketing strategy in the 21 st century library worpole, ken (2004). 21st century libraries: changing forms, changing futures. building futures. retrieved from http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110118095356/http:/www.cabe.or g.uk/files/ 21st-century-libraries.pdfs preservation of records in university libraries in the southsouth zone of nigeria blessings amina akporhonor (p.hd), prof doris o. bozimo page 1 preservation of records in university libraries in the southsouth zone of nigeria by blessings amina akporhonor (p.hd) prof. doris o. bozimo department of library and information science delta state university,abraka. email bakporhonor@yahoo.com abstract the purpose of the study is to investigate the preservation of records in federal and state university libraries in south-south zone. the descriptive survey method using the expose facto design was employed. eight-three (83) copies of questionnaire were administered but seventyseven (77) copies were responded to using frequency count and simple percentages. findings revealed that federal university libraries preserved records more by the use of proper storage and proper handling than state university libraries. from the findings, it was recommended that state university libraries should preserve their records by using proper storage and proper handling. this will go a long way to help extend the lives of records in state university libraries. keywords: presentation of records, archives, conservation of records, university libraries introduction preservation is an expensive venture but it is nothing compared to the amount that will be spent or repair and restoration due to neglect of rare and valuable records. the first statement of principles for the preservation and conservation of library and archival materials was published in the international federation of library association and institution (ifla) journals (1979). the principles is designed to encourage those responsible for preservation to realize the consequences of neglect and together with their scientific and technical experts, formulate a positive policy for the future of the materials in their collections. baker (1981) posits that preservation is the art of anticipating and preventing decay. by implication, records will naturally age, deteriorate and decay and whatever measure is taken to make them last longer will be of great importance. boomgarden (1985) noted thatpreservation is the action taken to anticipate, mailto:bakporhonor@yahoo.com preservation of records in university libraries in the southsouth zone of nigeria blessings amina akporhonor (p.hd), prof doris o. bozimo page 2 prevent, stop or retard deterioration. by this definition information, professional must be conscious of measures to employ so as to avoid or reduce deterioration. the international federation of library association and institutions (ifla, 1986) defined preservation as to include all managerial and financial consideration including storage and accommodation provisions, staffing levels, policies, techniques and methods involved in preserving library and archival materials and the information contained in them. this also applies to records. camble (1990) referred to it as the specific individual and collective measures taken for reprint, restoration, protection and maintenance of archives. rosenberg (1993) is convinced that everyday care of library books should be given a special emphasis in preservation efforts. this conviction is derived from the fact that the quality and care handling of books ultimately contributes to the longevity of the books. it also goes for the care and handling of records in university libraries especially in nigeria. university libraries are great producers of records. for a university library to function effectively and carry on with its services, there is usually one form of record or the other, records, are synonymous with human activities and existence. the term ‘record’ derives its origin from the latin word ‘recorderi’ meaning to be mindful of, or to remember (esse, 2000). it refers to recorded information, regardless of form or medium, received and maintained by an agency, institution, organization or individual in pursuance of its legal obligation or in the transaction of business of any kind (charman, 1990). morris (1992) identified four basic types of records that could be prepared and kept in a library. these include: financial records, organization records, service records and statistical records. financial records refer to financial transactions for or on behalf of the library. organization and service records, like manual are generated in the administration office. they are used for the day to day running of the university; statistical records are record gotten from the statistics taken in circulation, reference and serial section (akporhonor, 2011) this study sought to provide empirical data on how records are being preserved in federal and state university libraries in the south-south zone of nigeria. preservation of records in university libraries in the southsouth zone of nigeria blessings amina akporhonor (p.hd), prof doris o. bozimo page 3 statement of the problem the records of a university library constitute her corporate memory. it supplements human memory and serves as guide for effective planning and decision making. records are invaluable to university libraries administration. in order to take advantage of past experience, accurate and good record keeping are the bedrock for planning for the future in university libraries. as the library system and its institution expand, so do their problems of planning organization, preservation. although a lot of records are generated daily from the activities of the administrative division of some of these university libraries, very few studies have focused on the extent to which these records are preserved. accordingly, the study seeks to provide empirical data on how record are preservein federal and state university libraries in the south –south zone of nigeria. objectives of the study the study is carried out to determine how records are maintained by federal and state university libraries in the south-south of nigeria. specifically, the purpose of this study is to: (i). determine how records are preserved by the federal and state university libraries in south – south zone of nigeria. research question the research question below guided the study: (i). how are records preserved in the federal and state university libraries in the south -south zone of nigeria? literature review the importance of preserving university library records cannot be overemphasized. before the advent of preservation techniques, documents were stored under conducive environmental conditions in order to safeguard them from deterioration. the preservation strategy advocated for the records serve them well because the paper that was used to create records did not contain seeds of their own destruction. the same preservation approach cannot be used with reasonable success with the paper produced during the late nineteenth and preservation of records in university libraries in the southsouth zone of nigeria blessings amina akporhonor (p.hd), prof doris o. bozimo page 4 twentieth centuries because they were faulty. from about 1849, paper manufacturers stopped using cotton and lignin in the production of paper in favour of the cheaper ground wood pulp (foot, 1994) it resulted in the production of acidic paper with high lignin levels and a short live span. when paper made of wood pulp reacts to humidity and heat, it becomes brittle. according to ogden (1999) scientific research has shown that wood pulp paper becomes brittle if stored in poor conditions. causes of paper deterioration are due to high acidity level, high temperatures, relative humidity, light, dust and biological agents and disaster (akussah, 1991). alegbeleye (1985) classified the factors responsible for paper deterioration broadly into three, namely: inherent, external or environmental and structural factors. dareport (1982) and obiku (1990) identified other problems of conservation as deterioration widely resulting from the effect of chemical, physical and biological agent due to the nature of information materials. according to ritzenthler (1993) the rate of deterioration of documents particularly paper documents is dependent upon the chemical stability of the materials making up the document and external influences such as the environment, storage conditions and handling procedures. in addition to abuse the mismanagement as well as disaster can also cause untold damage to document. alegbeleye (1993) defined disaster from the perspective of records management as any event that result in the sudden removal of records and documents from accessibility and use. akussah and fosu (2001) grouped causes of disasters into two main categories. they are natural and man-made disaster. man-made disaster are those induced by man, while natural disaster of library and archives include flood, fire, earthquakes, cyclone, terrorist, actions wars and explosion, theft and vandalism, biological agents, power failure and mishandling. if records are damaged, the university library simply cannot reconstruct the information they contain. recent headlines prove that it is not necessary to wonder whether or not a disaster can destroy an organizations memory. the bombing of the world trade centre in 1992, huricane andrew 1993, the 1993 flood in midwest, the 1989 san francisco earthquake are all events that underscore the importance of planned protection for records (brumm, 1996). marrelli (1996) added that a variety of methods exist to protect records physically and to ensure their stability and security. environmental control and the use of preservation of records in university libraries in the southsouth zone of nigeria blessings amina akporhonor (p.hd), prof doris o. bozimo page 5 quality storage containers and good handling practices will help extent the life of records. the step available to protect and preserve records will vary depending on the availability of resources of different university libraries. the essential principle involved with ensuring the physical protection of records need not to be overly complex. kenney (1993) emphasized that the subject of preservation can be highly technical and most trained conservators have a background in the science of chemistry. it is important to remember that remedial item-by-item conservation is an expensive service requiring the participation of skilled and trained conservation specialist. apart from the control of environmental factors in storage areas, the most common methods of protecting federal and state university library records are dispersal, duplication and storage (brumm, 1996) research methods the study employed a descriptive survey method using expost facto design. the population for this study was made up of university librarians, their deputies and all heads of division/section/units of the ten (10) federal and state universities in the south-south zone. the choice of the categories of people is justified by the fact that only heads of division/section/units together with the universities librarians and deputies handle records. the population of this study is 83. the sample for the study is the same as the population of professional library staff in the ten (10) federal and state universities libraries of the south-south zone of nigeria. the choice of the researcher to use the entire population conforms with the view of egbule and okobia (2001) when they stated that the entire population can be studied or investigated when the population is not too large. the research instrument that was used for this study was the questionnaire. the research question was answered using frequency count and simple percentage. findings and discussion analysis of response rate a total of 83 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to the respondents in the four federal and six state university libraries in the south-south zone of nigeria, out of this number, 77(92.8%) as shown in table 1 were retrieved from the respondents. preservation of records in university libraries in the southsouth zone of nigeria blessings amina akporhonor (p.hd), prof doris o. bozimo page 6 university library status librarians /head of division/s ec/unit number administered number of completed and retrieved questionnaire percentage university of port harcourt library, port harcourt fed 8 8 8 100 john harris library university of benin, benin fed 9 9 8 89 universities calabar library, calabar fed 8 8 8 100 universities of uyo library, uyo fed 8 8 8 100 ambrose ali university library, ekpoma state 8 8 8 100 rivers state university of science and technology library, calabar state 9 9 8 89 cross river state university library, calabar state 8 8 8 100 delta state university library, abraka state 9 9 9 100 akwaibom state university of technology library, awkaibom state 8 8 6 75 niger delta university library, wilberforce island, yenogoa state 8 8 6 75 total 83 83 77 92.8% source: field work (2009) the 77 that were retrieved were used for the study table 2: institutional data table 2.0 federal and state universities used in the study s/n status frequency percentage 1 federal university libraries 4 40 2 state university libraries 6 60 total 10 100 preservation of records in university libraries in the southsouth zone of nigeria blessings amina akporhonor (p.hd), prof doris o. bozimo page 7 table 2.0 above shows that 10 university libraries were used for the study of which four were federal and six states. the percentage for federal is 40% and state is 60% bringing the total to 100%. 3.0. response to research question this section gives the analysis of discussion of the research question research question how are record preserved in the federal and state university libraries in the south-south zone of nigeria table 3.0: preservation of records in the university libraries preservation in university libraries status of university agree/strongly agreed disagree/strongly disagree total n % % control of environment factors federal state 29 35 87.87 79.54 4 9 12.13 20.46 100 100 proper storage federal state 31 36 93.94 81.82 2 8 6.06 18.18 100 100 proper handling federal state 31 36 93.94 81.82 2 8 6.06 18.18 100 100 duplication federal state 25 41 75.76 93.18 8 3 24.24 6.82 100 100 dispersal federal state 21 25 63.64 56.82 12 19 36.36 43.18 100 100 regular cleaning federal state 25 37 75.75 84.09 8 7 24.25 15.91 100 100 from table 3.0, more federal university libraries than state university libraries agree and strongly agree that proper storage and proper handling was undertaken with 31 (93.94%) as against 36 (81.82%) respectively. for dispersal of records as a form of preservation more federal university libraries agreed and strongly agreed with 21 (63.64%) as against 25(56.82%) for the state university libraries. the finding in the table above revealed that federal university libraries undergo more preservation than state university libraries. this may be due to the fact that federal university libraries are relatively older than state university libraries. this finding agreed with that of marrelli (1996) when he added that environmental preservation of records in university libraries in the southsouth zone of nigeria blessings amina akporhonor (p.hd), prof doris o. bozimo page 8 control a d the use of quality storage conditions and good handling practices will help extend the life of records. conclusion and recommendations the finding of the study revealed that federal and state university libraries preserve their records by proper storage and proper handling with federal university preserving more. in the light of the finding, the following recommendations were made: a). adequate storage facilities should be provided for records maintenance in state university libraries, to help extend the life of their records. b). proper handling and the use of disposal for records will also help extend the live of records in state university libraries. references akussah, h. (1991). the preservation of traditional library and archival materials in the harsh ghanaian environment.african journal of library, archival and information science. 1 p. 16 akprohonor, b.a. (2011). management of records in university libraries in the south-south zone of nigeria.delta state university; unpublished ph.d thesis. alegbeleye, g.o (1983). conversion of the bibliography resource in nigeria; problems and prospects. departmental seminar paper (unpublished). lagos librarian, 21, 2 -15 alegbeleye, g.o (1983). disaster control planning for libraries, archives and electronic data processing centre in africa. ibadan: option books and information services. 108-109 baker, e.n (1981). conversion and preservation: a problem of library management: a british view, libri, 31(3) .197 preservation of records in university libraries in the southsouth zone of nigeria blessings amina akporhonor (p.hd), prof doris o. bozimo page 9 boarngarden, w. (1985). preservation planning for the small special library, special library sunned, 1(2). 46 canible, e (1990).the teaching of conservation preservation in nigeria library schools. paper presented at the nigeria library association (nla) 28 th agm/conference, yola charman, d.(1990). records surveys and schedules’ selected guidelines for the management of records and archives. a ramp reader, paris unesco dareport, w (1982). determination of library collections. london: university press. esse, u.o.a (2000 july 18-19). preservation and management of public records: the role of federal and state governments” proceedings of the inaugural meeting of national committee on archival development. p. 8 foot, m. (1994). aspect of mass conservation and institution (ifla) journal 20(3)321-330 international federation of library association and institution (ifla) (1986). the ifla core programme preservation and conservation (pac) vienna, austira.v ol. 12: pp 305-306. international federation of library association and institutions (ifla) (1979. 27 th august) copenhagen, denmark. retrieved, december, 2009, from infla sage pub.com/content/vols/issue2 kenny, a. r (1993).preservating archival materials through digital technology.a cooperative demonstration project.hhaka ny: cornell university. marreli, n. (1996). implementing preservation management a how-to manual for archives (ottawo on reseaudes archives du quesbec) morris, b.j (1992). administering the school library modern centre (3 rd ) usa: reed publishers. preservation of records in university libraries in the southsouth zone of nigeria blessings amina akporhonor (p.hd), prof doris o. bozimo page 10 obiku e. (1990) deterioration of library collection deterioration and preservation calliberscentres press. ogden, s (1999). preservation of library and archival materials. a manual 3 rd (ed) available at http://www.ned.org. retrieved 19 th january, 2008. ritzenthaler, m.l (1993). preserving archival and manuscript. chicago: society of american archivist, p 45 rosenberg, d. (1993). everyday care of books in libraries.proceedings of the pan african conference on the preservation and conservation of library and archival materials.hague. ifla 77-87. http://www.ned.org/ a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen page 1 a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen abstract this study investigated the availability of library and equipment tools used in selected academic libraries in ibadan, nigeria. a structured questionnaire was developed to elicit information from the personnel of the selected libraries on the equipments and tools available in their respective libraries. the data were collated, analyzed and interpreted based on standard statistical method. the results of the study revealed that equipment in academic libraries in ibadan were grossly inadequate for processing and information services that, the relationship between libraries size and equipments available in academic libraries is not statistically significant and that staff output is affected by equipment availability. this was found to be as a result of inadequate funding, poor infrastructural facilities and more attention given to ict facilities by most of the libraries. based on the outcome of the study, it was recommended that adequate funds be made available to the libraries to procure library equipment on regular basis and that staff productivity be enhanced by adequate provisions of tools and equipments. keywords: library equipment, academic libraries, ibadan, oyo state introduction equipment in any setting is a panacea to efficiency and productivity. library system is not an exception to this rule as there are several tools and equipments which enhance service delivery. maidabino (2010) citing gelfand (2005) calls the library, “the only centralized location where new and emerging information technologies can be combined with knowledge resources in users-focused, services-rich environment that supports today’s social and educational patterns of learning, teaching and research” library services can only be achieved through the availability of adequate library equipments which facilitate collections acquisitions and processing. anunobi and okoye (2008) state that “academic libraries are faced with hybrid challenges of managing resources and are challenged to acquiring the necessary skills.” one challenge is the issue of inadequacy of equipments and tools with which the library personnel work. library science, more accurately labeled librarianship, is a professional area of study designed to prepare individuals for careers as librarians. librarians are a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen page 2 primarily concerned with such tasks as evaluating, processing, storing and retrieving information (halsey 2009). librarians also help library patrons use collections, software and online public access catalogs (opacs). according to oni (1992), facilities constitute a strategic factor in organizational functioning. this is so because they determine to a very large extent the smooth functioning of any social organization or system including library. he further stated that their availability, adequacy and relevance influence efficiency and high productivity. the equipments range from buildings housing the library collections, other equipments as well as library staff. these equipments play pivotal role in the actualization of the aims and objectives of academic libraries by satisfying the physical and emotional needs of the staff and students as well as other category of library users. knezevich (1975) emphasized that the physical needs are met through provision of safe structure, adequate sanitary facilities, a balanced visual environment, appropriate thermal environment and sufficient shelter space for his work and play. his emotional needs are met by creating pleasant surroundings, a friendly atmosphere, and an inspiring environment. this study therefore provides an overview of the different types of library equipments and tools and explains in detail their usage and importance to library and information services. literature reviews the central mission of a library is to collect, organize, preserve access to knowledge and information. in fulfilling this mission, libraries preserves a valuable record of culture that can be passed down to succeeding generations. libraries are an essential link in this communication between the past, present and future. whether the cultural record is contained in books or in electronic formats, libraries ensure that the record is preserve and made available for later use. libraries provide people with access to the information they need to work, play, learn and govern. in order to meet the challenges as highlighted above, academic libraries and the staff therein need to be provided with adequate tools and equipments with which to carry out laudable services to achieve its mission. bureau of india standards (2011) provide that a library should have a stack room, a librarian’s room and a reading room having seating capacity of 40 to 120 chairs. the stack room should be big enough to accommodate between 6,000 and 10,000 a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen page 3 books. the library-in-charge would need to plan actual library size and seating capacity of ‘reading room’ keeping in view the optimum number in an adult education setup, the variety of library services it is planning to offer, and the members of the adult community who would be coming to visit the library for social interactions. the library equipments and tools like furniture, fitting and accessories should be of standard pattern and design, so that users feel comfortable in using them. people in many professions use library resources to assist them in their work. people also use library resources to gain information about personal interests or to obtain recreational materials such as films and novels. students use libraries to supplement and enhance their classrooms experiences, to learn skills in locating sources of information, and to develop good reading and study habits. public official use libraries to research legislation and public policy issues. one of the most valued of all cultural institutions, the library provides information and services that are essential to learning and progress. reference books such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories and picture books are costly and heavy in weight. they must be handled with care. normally, books and other reading materials in a library are organized into different collections such as book collection, rare book collection, periodical collection and reference collection etc. books are arranged according to classified order. beside, when some books are more in demand than others in such cases the library may consider creating a separate sequence of books in great demand. reference books are also arranged in classified order. periodicals are arranged by journal title. shelving and shelf rectification of reading material in different collections must be done preferably every day to ensure that shelf arrangement of books and other reading material is as per prescribed order. shelf rectification is undertaken to ensure that books and other reading are kept on the shelves as per prescribed order. in case they are not, necessary rectification is done to restore their orders on the shelves. this is important so that one could trace books on shelves from their prescribed locations on the shelves when required. other activities of library maintenance are: taking out worn out books and other materials for repair or binding, sending new books and journals for shelving, display of new books and other reading materials received in the library, preparing stack room guides, and shelving volumes returned after use, etc. library may also perform a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen page 4 stock verification on periodical basis, with a view to weed out books, as per its policy and writing off-books etc. it facilities information technology (it) is for better management and exchange of information for more efficient communication and ultimately for the benefit of the people using it (bryson, 1990). information is a dynamic and unending resource that affects all disciplines and all walks of life as it supports education, research and development. as libraries and information canters deal mainly with information, majority of their technical applications will be in the collection, handling, storage and dissemination of information or information technology. technologies, especially computer and telecommunication technology have highly revolutionized the field of library and information services. they facilitate collections, storage, organization, processing, analysis, presentation, communication and dissemination of information. with the introduction of new technology, libraries are expected to use various types of technology to provide information, more quickly and in greater volume than before. the advantage of it applied to information retrieval is the immediate and local access to a much wider range of library resources. information technology has also made an impact on the alerting services, mainly by providing speedy access to information that appears initially and the news and business services of one kind or another in electronic form. electronic delivery of materials has also made a major impact on information service operations providing increased flexibility, customization of services and opportunities for entirely new types of services in the widespread information transfer (varalaksmi, 1992). the advancement in technology will continue to improve the effectiveness of the libraries and become indispensable for handling information between libraries and library patrons to librarian and vice versa (kumbar, 1996). objectives of the study the overall objective of this study is to investigate the adequacy or otherwise of the equipments used in selected academic libraries with a view to making useful suggestions toward improving library information services. the specific objectives are to: a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen page 5  determine the equipment and tools available for use from library services in selected academic libraries.  determine the criteria for acquiring the equipments used in selected academic libraries.  determine whether or not staff output are affected by availability or otherwise of library equipments in academic libraries research questions/hypotheses the following research hypotheses will be tested in the course of this study hypotheses one: there will be a significant relationship in the output of staff and equipments available in academic libraries. hypotheses two: there will be significant relationship in the size of library and equipments available in academic libraries. methodology the design of the study is a descriptive survey on library equipments available for use in selected academic libraries. the instrument used for this study was developed as library equipments survey questionnaires (lesq) which was used to elicit information from the respondents. the instrument is divided into three sections. the friedman test was used to analyze the data collated in section a and the pearson correlation matrix where (df=39, r.obs=5, at p<0.05) was used in analyzing the data in section b. section a: demographic variable of the respondents the items included in this part were respondents gender, age, highest educational qualification, department/section/division, and length of service. section b this part of the survey contains ten items measuring output of library staff in selected academic libraries. respondents were asked to answer yes or no questions about their belief in availability of library equipment and its applications to library practices on a 2-point scale: 2= yes and 1= no. a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen page 6 section c this part contains seven items assessing the staff output based on the availability of equipments in the library, types of equipments available in libraries as well as criteria for acquiring such library equipments. population and sample the study targeted library staff (the professional, para-professional and nonprofessionals) in the three academic libraries in ibadan. all categories of staff in the population were included in the survey. a librarian in this study is assumed to mean a full time professional with at least a master degree in library science. a para-professional in this population is assumed to mean a staff with at least a diploma certificate in library science while a non-professional means a staff of the library without a formal training in the field of library and information science. table 1: list of the surveyed libraries and librarians libraries number of librarians kenneth dike library, university of ibadan. (kdl) 21 ss peter and paul seminary library (ssplib) 2 the polytechnic ibadan library (polylib) 8 lead city university library (lcul) 20 the selected libraries comprised four academic libraries situated in ibadan, oyo state. the libraries were censured and within each library, librarians were also censured. presentation of findings the outcomes of the survey are presented as follows. table 1 shows the libraries under study as well as the number of librarians in each of the libraries. from the table, kenneth dike library has the highest number of librarians closely followed by lead city university. a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen page 7 ict resources of surveyed libraries the libraries in this survey use various types of electronic equipment and communication technologies to ensure the smoothness of library activities as evident in the table below. table 2: ict facilities of surveyed libraries library name kdl sspplib polylib lcul computers 227 8 16 37 computers connected to internet 177 8 3 37 cd-rom nil nil nil nil photocopier 10 2 1 6 printer 10 1 3 2 scanner 6 1 1 3 table 2 revealed that the ict equipment and facilities are moderately available in the surveyed academic libraries with kdl having almost all the it facilities surveyed while the sspplib had the least. this is partly due to the size of the library as well as the volumes of the collections and readership involved. table 3: equipment availability and adequacy library equipments name of library kdl polylib ssplib lucl photocopier yes yes yes yes document scanner yes yes yes yes binding equipment yes yes yes no microfiche reader yes nil nil yes display board yes no no no information on new arrivals yes no no no issue and return counter yes no no no stand for magazines yes yes no yes cabin with seating capacity yes yes yes yes catalogue cards yes yes yes yes racks for library books yes yes yes yes librarians information boards yes no no no soft board yes yes yes yes a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen page 8 key: yes means adequate; no means not adequate; nil means not available at all table 3 indicated that the kenneth dike library responded in the affirmative to all the equipment surveyed while the ssplib has the least positive responses. however, it was observed that even though where the equipments are available they are grossly inadequate considering the size of the libraries and collections therein. hypothesis one this hypothesis states that there will be no significant relationship in the level of equipments and staff output in academic libraries. this hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance and the result is presented in table 4 table 4: availability of equipment and staff output variable number of respondents mean standard deviation r p remark equipment 45 26.73 3.35 0.09 `0.03 significant staff output 45 26.75 3.22 correlation is significant at the 0.05 level from the table 1, it could be seen that there is a significant relationship in the output of staff and the equipment available in the library with correlation coefficient r being 0.09 and p is 0.03. hence the hypotheses is accepted. this means that there is a significant relationship in the output of staff and the equipments available in academic librarians in ibadan hypothesis 2 this hypothesis is states that there will be significant relationship in the size of library and equipments available in academic libraries. the result of the findings is as shown in table 5. a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen page 9 table 5: library size and equipments variable number of respondents mean standard deviation r p remark library size 45 21.06 3.57 0.15 0.81 not significant library equipment 45 21.32 3.23 table 5 shows that, the relationship between library size and equipments available in academic libraries is not statistically significant (p>0.05). the null hypothesis that states that “there is no significant relationship between library size and equipments” was therefore accepted. this implies that library size has no significant relationship with equipments availability in academic libraries. discussion the foregoing results have revealed that library equipments have a significant relationship with staff output in academic libraries in ibadan. it means that availability and adequacy of the right equipments, tools and facilities have a positive impact on the efficiency and productivity of library staff. this is agreement with the findings of knezevich (1975) as well as oni (1992) who found that facilities have great impact on productivity and strategic planning and development of a library is guided mainly by the goals and objectives of the parent institution of which the library is a part. furthermore, the second hypothesis revealed that the size of an academic library has nothing to do with equipment availability. this is obvious as equipment and facilities acquisitions depend on the policies of the academic libraries as well as the parent institution (dahwan, 2009). it is the duty of the library management to offer proactive services for effective use of all types of library materials. the finding of this study also indicated that the surveyed libraries concentrate more on the acquisition of ict facilities and equipments without corresponding increase in the manual tools and equipment. this is contrary to the findings of zabed (1998). this is a paradigm shift from conventional librarianship and it must not be allowed to subdue the conventional practice. a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen page 10 conclusion the need to provide adequate working tools, facilities and equipments for efficient and productive service delivery cannot be overemphasized. this study has revealed that most of the academic libraries surveyed in ibadan tend to concentrate more on collection acquisition with no corresponding improvement on equipment and tools for operations and library services. researchers have however shown that availability of resources and facilities and in leading their human capital are known to give better performance. library management involves functions such as planning, organizing, leading and controlling. planning is about systematically making decisions about the library goals. organizing is about assembling and coordinating human, financial, physical, informational, and other resources needed to achieve library goals. leading is about functions that involves efforts on the path of the librarian to stimulate high performance by employees and controlling about monitoring various library operations and services through adequate provision of equipment and tools. based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made; there is a need to set up a library advisory committee, which would perform the role of advising the library on its growth and development. it will also act as interface between the library management and the top management in the academic institution and between the users groups, for ensuring smooth functioning of the library operations and services without compromising on policies set out for library development. it is a good practice to undertake budget planning exercise in consultation with the library advisory committee for developing collections, library equipments, library furniture, media equipments etc. in order to promote and enhance library service productivity and efficiency. also, adequate equipment should be procured on regular basis for effective service delivery. this could be achieved by regular feedback from library staff who are directly involved in handling such equipments as well as heads of various sections and units of the library. if this is done it will go a long way in improving staff productivity in academic libraries. a survey of library equipments in academic libraries in ibadan, oyo state e.o.l eguavoen page 11 references aunobi, c.b &okoye, i.b (2008). the role of academic libraries in universal access to print and electronic resources in developing countries.library philosophy and practice.available: http://unllib.unl.edu/lpp/anunobiokoye.html bureau of india standards available at www.bis.org.in/lis accessed on april 21, 2012 halsey, richard .s. (2009) information science.microsoft ® encarta ® 2009 [dvd]. redmond, wa: microsoft corporation, 2008. knezevich, s.i (1975), administration of public education. new york: harper and row. kumbare m (1996). use information technology in library services. herald of library science, 1-2(53): 17-22 maidabino, abassatiku (2010). collection security issues in malaysian academic libraries: an exploratory survey. library philosophy and practice. available: http://unllib.unl.edu/lpp/ munshi .n (1998). assessing of information technology and its impact on libraries and information centers in bangladesh.bangladesh j.lib.inf.sci. dhaka: university of dhaka, 1(1):77-78 oni, j.o (1992),resources and resource utilization as correlates of schools academic performance in the secondary pre-vocational education in ogun state nigeria.unpublished ph.d. thesis, ibadan: university of ibadan. varalaksmi ksr (1992). emerging trends in information and its impact of library environment: international information. communication and education. new york delhi: essess zabed asm (1998). library automation in bangladesh: problems and prospects. bangladesh j. lib. inf. sci. dhaka: university of dhaka, 1(1): 39-46. http://unllib.unl.edu/lpp/anunobi-okoye.html http://unllib.unl.edu/lpp/anunobi-okoye.html http://www.bis.org.in/lis accessed on april 21 http://unllib.unl.edu/lpp/ information needs of lecturers in the faculty of business administration, university of nigeria, nigeria 149 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 information needs of lecturers in the faculty of business administration, university of nigeria, nigeria benjamin u. ugwoke medical library, college of medicine, university of nigeria, enugu, nigeria george e. asogwa university library, enugu state university of science and technology, nigeria abstract the degree of knowledge acquired by lecturers is important in every progressive teaching and learning in a higher institution. the information needs of 30 lecturers in the faculty of business administration, university of nigeria enugu campus were investigated in this study. a structured questionnaire was used in collecting the data. majority of the lecturers were found to be within lecturer 1 and senior lecturer. areas of their information needs were found in the following order: research support for journal articles; research support for conference/workshop papers; information on current development in their field; help for teaching the students. others were research support for book production; general knowledge; current affairs and health matters. the lecturers made use of the internet; their colleagues; mass media and the library in meeting their information needs. they encountered insufficient updated textbooks in library, slow internet service and insufficient current journal in the library as major problems in getting their information needs met. they suggested upgrading internet services; provision of current and relevant journals, updated textbooks; provision of a separate section for them in the library, their needs studied and their active participation in selecting materials for the library. keywords: information needs; lecturers; business administration; university, nigeria, libraries, internet, textbooks benjamin u. ugwoke and george e. asogwa 150 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 introduction according to afolabi (2003), information is that external response which modifies an individual’s knowledge state. at different times, new knowledge appears in almost every field of human endeavour. to aina (2004), the term information is used interchangeably with news, or facts required for settling a state of uncertainty. information is described as mankind’s accumulated knowledge derived from all subjects in all forms and in all formats capable of helping the users acquire knowledge (akambi cited by ugah, 2010). to agboola (2010), information is nothing but a class of events. it occurs to meet a particular purpose. thus, in this case, information exists and the “purpose” is to meet the needs of the lecturers. in other words, an unfulfilled need which can be met by the provision of existing information is an information need. we use information to enhance our knowledge and then apply that knowledge to improve what we do (ackland, 2010). pursuit of higher education in nigeria, especially in the areas of managerial and administrative endeavour is a necessity in the development efforts of the people. it leads to proper placement of human and material resources in their functional positions for effective monitoring and evaluation. the university of nigeria, nsukka was established in 1960 to offer higher education to nigerians and other nationals. its faculties of business administration, environmental studies, health sciences and technology, medical sciences, law and dentistry are located at its enugu campus which is about seventy kilometers from the main campus of the university. while the faculties of business administration, law and environmental studies are administered by the deputy vice chancellor, the faculties of medical sciences, dentistry, health sciences and technology are administered by the provost of the college of medicine. the faculty of business administration has four academic departments: accountancy, banking and finance, management and marketing. the academic staff of these departments instructs the students and also guides them in the conduct of their researches. they are concerned with equipping the students with the required knowledge and skills for handling managerial and administrative positions in the society. a central library with an internet unit serves information needs of not only the lecturers from this faculty but also lecturers from the faculties of law and environmental studies. the faculty has produced many successful business managers, who are found at different parts of the country and abroad. it has also produced many financial managers working in banks and related institutions. as people who are in charge of teaching and learning in the faculties, and who also conduct researchers, these lectures need information not only for themselves but also for their students. objectives of the study the study is aimed at identifying the following: i. the information needs of the lecturers in the faculty of business administration, university of nigeria, enugu. information needs of lecturers in the faculty of business administration, university of nigeria, nigeria 151 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 ii. sources of information they consult to meet their information needs. iii. problems they encounter in their efforts to get their information needs met; and iv. the desired changes in the library and information system for effective services. literature review there is need for knowing and attending to the information needs of users of libraries, especially libraries attached to higher institutions, as means of ensuring effective services. efforts are made to acquire specific information sources that the users need but are not available in the library (ugah, 2010). it has also been found that some nigerian academics do not find in their libraries adequate, relevant information that would help them achieve their academic objectives effectively. the library in a nigerian university is one of the areas visited by the national universities commission (nuc) during accreditation exercise (okogwu and akidi, 2011). information can be made available to people orally or through the use of documents. it can also be stored and sent to others electronically. information means knowledge communicated or received in relation to a particular subject (olowonefa and musa (2011). it has been reported that the expectation of faculty staff is often high when seeking information and they feel frustrated when such expectation is not met (akinade cited by mbashir and adeoti, 2008). lack of current, relevant information materials and sometimes lack of knowledge of how to obtain the information in the library often constitutes part of the frustration. it is interesting to note that the internet has come to help all readers in nigerian higher institutions. however, internet services cannot replace academic libraries in the country ( ukpebor, 2011). at a higher level of education such as in a university, libraries provide relevant information resources necessary for sustaining teaching, learning and research functions (ugboma and edewor, 2012). it is noteworthy that not every important information for the academics can be found on the internet. agboola (2010) has found that many nigerian academics look for information on the internet and also make use of updated textbooks in their various disciplines for the purpose of teaching. on the other hand, abubakar and choji (2007), pointed out that in a library system, there are electronic and print sources of information, but some lecturers by-pass the library for the electronic sources. this is in line with the view of ukpebor (2011), who has stated that updating the lecturers’ knowledge in their various fields would require the services of the internet. provision of information and communication technology (ict) facilities in an academic library enhances access to the relevant information by members of the academic community (opaleke, 2013). for this reason, libraries in developing countries are encouraged to subscribe to the internet which is a tremendous storehouse of knowledge (chigbu, 2003). the academic staff of michael otedola college of primary education, lagos state, nigeria, attest to the fact that the internet makes research work easier for them (jegede, towolawi and monu, 2011). to ochogwu (2010), the aim of establishing libraries and other information organizations in modern benjamin u. ugwoke and george e. asogwa 152 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 societies is to meet information needs of the different user communities. libraries and the internet services in an academic environment help in meeting the needs of the academics. aguolu (1983) stated the following six functions of nigerian universities which are supported by their libraries and information centres: i. conservation of knowledge ii. pursuit, promotion and dissemination of knowledge through teaching; iii. advancement of knowledge through research – pure, applied and development oriented; iv. provision of intellectual leadership; v. development of human resources for meeting manpower needs; vi. promotion of social and economic modernization. lecturers in the faculty of business administration, university of nigeria, enugu campus participate in the dissemination and advancement of knowledge through teaching and researches. they also participate in the development of human resources and intellectual leadership to meet manpower needs of the nation. thus, they need to be assisted by the services of their libraries and information centres. methodology the survey design method has been used for this study. the population consisted of the thirty (30) lecturers in the faculty of business administration. they ranged from graduate assistants to professors. since the population was not up to one thousand, there was no need for sampling (nworgu, 2006). a questionnaire entitled information needs of lecturers in the faculty of business administration, university of nigeria, enugu-campus was used for data collection. the questionnaire sought information on the status of the respondents, their areas of information needs, sources they consulted, problems encountered and the desired changes. the authors participated in administering copies of the questionnaire to the respondents. they were helped by four research assistants: one in each of the departments. out of the fifty three copies of the questionnaire, thirty copies were properly completed and returned. this study was carried out in 2013/2014 academic session. data were analyzed using tables, relevant headings, simple frequencies, percentages and means. an item whose mean score was up to 2.50 represented a positive response, while an item whose mean score was below 2.50 meant a negative response. findings table 1: summary of the demographic data of the respondents male 18 female 12 age percentage (%) frequency 18 – 30 3.33% 1 31-40 6.66% 2 41 – 50 86.66% 26 51 – above 3.33% 1 total 100% 30 information needs of lecturers in the faculty of business administration, university of nigeria, nigeria 153 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 of the 30 respondents used for this study, 18 were males while 12 were females. age ranged from 41-50 years ranked highest while those from 50 years and above ranked the least. table 2: categories of the lecturers category frequency percentage % 1. professors 1 3.33 2. reader 0 3. senior lecturer 13 43.33 4. lecturer 1 13 43.33 5. lecturer 11 0 6. assistant lecturer 1 3.33 7. graduate assistant 2 6.66 total 30 100 the data presented in table 2 further show that i (3.33%) professor; 13 (43.33%), senior lecturers; 13 (43.33), lecturers; 1 (3.33) assistant lecturer and 2 (6.66%) graduate assistants responded to the questionnaire. data in this table show that most of the lecturers were in the categories of lecturer 1 and senior lecturer. therefore, most of the information sought was to meet information needs of these lecturers, who were often involved in teaching and research. table 3: areas of information needs of the respondents s/no information need x decision 1 help for teaching the students 2.97 accepted 2 research support for journal articles 3.43 accepted 3 current development in your field 3.23 accepted 4 general knowledge 2.67 accepted 5 current affairs 2.63 accepted 6 research support for book production 2.93 accepted 7 research support for conference/ workshop papers 3.27 accepted 8 administrative matters 2.40 rejected 9 information on business and economic matters 2.40 rejected 10 sources of employment 2.13 rejected 11 health matters 2.57 accepted the data in table 3 show that research in support of journal articles (3.43) constituted the major area of the needs of the lecturers; this was closely benjamin u. ugwoke and george e. asogwa 154 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 followed by research support for production of conference/workshop papers (3.27). lecturers in the faculty were concerned about their professional development and academic needs of the students. moreover, information on current development in the lecturers’ fields was also emphasized, (3.23). the rest of the areas of information needs were in the following order: help for teaching students (2.97); information on general knowledge (2.67); research support for book production ( 2.93); information on current affairs (2.63); and the needs for materials on health matters (2.57). the lecturers where also interested in current affairs and maintenance of their health as they handled their teaching/learning functions. table 4: sources of information consulted by the lecturers. s/no item frequency percentage % a library 18 60 b consultation with colleagues 22 73.3 c internet services 28 93.3 d mass media 19 63.3 from the data in table 4, we can see that most of the lecturers 28(93.3%) sought information from the internet, and some of them 22(73.3%) also interacted with their colleagues for useful information. twenty nine 29 (63.3%) of them made use of helpful information from the mass media even as 18 (60%) visited the library for relevant information. the need for current information in support of teaching/research made most of the lecturers to resort to the internet services. information from their colleagues and the mass media equally met their needs. they did not depend on the library as they did to the other sources. table 5: information materials the lecturers consulted s/no item x decision 1. journals and periodicals 3.53 accepted 2. updated textbooks 3.53 accepted 3. reference works 3.00 accepted 4 newspapers 2.67 accepted 5 online databases 3.50 accepted 6 internet websites 3.27 accepted 7 cd-roms 2.07 rejected 8 conference proceedings 2.87 accepted 9 magazines 2.70 accepted 10 government publications 3.00 accepted the data in table 5 show that the lecturers consulted information materials in the following order: journals and periodicals (3.53), updated textbooks (3.53). online databases (3.50), internet websites (3.27), reference works (3,00) and government publications (3.00). others were conference proceedings (2.87), magazines (2.70), newspapers (2.67) and cd-roms (2.07). it is clear information needs of lecturers in the faculty of business administration, university of nigeria, nigeria 155 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 from table 4 that the lecturers consulted mostly materials they hoped would provide them with current information: print and electronic sources. table 6: problems encountered by the lecturers in their efforts to satisfy their information needs. 1 time constraint-family problems 2.33 reject 2. insufficient current journals in the library 2.90 accepted 3. insufficient updated textbooks in the library 3.27 accepted 4 unreliable colleagues 1.97 rejected 5 many materials in the library are not relevant 2.23 rejected 6 large population of students to attend to their needs 2.27 rejected 7 too many administrative works 2.53 accepted 8 lack of studying spaces in the library 1.23 rejected 9 slow internet services 3.00 accepted 10 lack of studying spaces in the ict unit. 2.03 rejected from the data in table 6, it can be seen that the lecturers had textbooks (3.27), slow internet services (3.00), many administrative works (2.53) and insufficient current journals (2.90) as problems. thus, insufficient, current print materials and slow internet services constituted the major problems. table 7: suggestions for improvement in the services of both the library and the internet unit. a more current and relevant journals in the library 3.37 accepted b post-graduates and academic staff should have a section in the library. 3.17 accepted c. more current and updated textbooks 3.30 accepted d lecturers needs should be studied 2.80 accepted e lecturers should participate actively in selecting materials for the library. 3.10 accepted f upgrading on internet services 3.43 accepted g. library to close at 10:00pm 2.17 rejected the data in table 6 show that the lecturers were in support of the suggestion for improved services as follows: upgrading of the internet services, (3.43), provision of more current and relevant journals in the library (3.37); more current and updated text books (3.30); postgraduate and academic staff should have a section in the library (3.17).they also suggested that lecturers should participate actively in selecting materials for the library (3.10), and lecturers’ needs should be studied (2.80).most of the suggestions were on provision of more current, relevant information and maintenance of effective internet services. discussion of findings it is found in this study that most of the lecturers were in the categories of lecturer 1, and senior lecturers. lecturers in these categories usually have more course works than others in a benjamin u. ugwoke and george e. asogwa 156 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 university set up. thus, they need to be equipped with current, relevant information for teaching/learning function. the lecturers were desirous of publishing journal articles and books as required for their promotion. while they desired to publish their own works, they needed to consult articles written by their professional colleagues as available in the library. it means that the library should principally provide adequate, relevant current books and journals in the fields of the lecturers. this observation is supported by bassey and biao (2005), who point out that current books and journals are good sources for research, teaching and career development. emphasis on sources consulted by the respondents was on the internet. the reason for this development could also be as maintained by bassey and biao (2005), who are of the view that the essence of having electronic sources is to ensure faster and better access to current knowledge. every reasonable researcher looks for current and relevant information. it has also been found that interactions with professional colleagues helped the lecturers in updating their level of information stock. they also recognized the value of relevant information from the mass media. all these sources of information are good, but not as comprehensive and reliable as print and electronic information often found in the library. moreover, a breakdown of the types of materials consulted by the lecturers showed high level of patronage for updated textbooks, journals and online databases. these sources of information are essential for serious academic works. inadequate current textbooks and journals in the library was among the problems pointed out by the lecturers. this is a common feature in many nigerian libraries, but effective information delivery requires a reverse of the trend. conclusion and recommendations lecturers who are very active in their duties are happy when they are able to access new knowledge. the new knowledge keeps them abreast of new developments in their fields of study and subsequently brings about quality teaching and research. lecturers in this study need current and quality information resources to meet their information needs, which are mainly teaching and research. it is therefore recommended as follows: 1. the recommended ten percent budgetary allocation by the national universities commission for the development of libraries in the federal universities should be implemented. if the money is made available to the libraries, they will be able to buy as many current books and journals as expected. the internet services as an area in the library will be adequately equipped for active utilization by the lecturers in meeting their information needs. 2. the library should give more attention to the provision of more current journals, updated textbooks and electronic sources of information. 3. there should be provided a separate department/section for the lecturers and post-graduate students. this will show a good sign of academic support on the part of the library. provision of relevant resources requires that the lecturers be allowed information needs of lecturers in the faculty of business administration, university of nigeria, nigeria 157 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 to participate actively in their selection. 4. lecturers should be allowed to participate in selection of library materials for acquisition. references abubakar, d. and choji, g. (2007). the information-seeking behabour of social science faculty of the university of jos, nigeria. global review of library and information science 2, 95-110. ackland, p. (2010). ten years to vision 2020: why information matters. community eye health journal 23, (74), december, 4142. afolabi, a.k. (2003). information needs information sources and information seeking behavour of commercial vehicle drivers in ondo state. gateway library journal 6(2), december, 89-97. agboola, i.o. (2010). information seeking behavior of academics in nigerian agricultural university. nigerian library link 8 (1), april, 75-86. aguolu, c.c. (1983). the quality and availability of learning materials in nigerian universities. nigerian library and information science review 1(1), may 1-18. aina, l.o. (2004). library and information science text for africa. ibadan: third world information service limited. bassey, b.a. and biao e.p. (2005). problems and expectations in the use of the library: a survey of natural and social scientists in the university of calabar and uyo. nigerian library link 111(1&2), october, 40 -51. chigbu, e.d. (2003). the role of libraries and librarians in the new information age. the nigerian library link 1(1), 168 179 . jegede, o.r., rowolawi o. k and monu j.o (2011). the influence of internet on research activities: the experience of michael otedola college of primary education, epe, lagos. fountain of knowledge journal of library and information science (1), january, 72-82. mbashir, a.l and adeoti v.f (2008). the usage of library by faculty staff: kogi state university, anyigba in perspective. nigerian libraries 41, 41-54. nworgu, b.g.(2006). educational research: basic issues and methodology 2 nd edition nsukka; university trust publishers. ochogwu, m.g. (2010). educating library and information science professionals to bring library services to all. global review of library and information science 6, 1-7. okogwu, f.i and akidi j.o. (2011). the role of the library in the accreditation of nigerian university academic progress. nigerian libraries 44(2), december, 89-97. olowonefa g.s and musa i.f (2011). availability and accessibility of information sources to distance learning student: a case study of university of abuja. nigerian libraries 44, (2), december, 7588. benjamin u. ugwoke and george e. asogwa 158 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 opaleke, j.s (2013). integration of information and communication technology (ict) system into library operation in kwara state owned tertiary institutions’ libraries. fountain of knowledge and information science 3(1), june , 1-8. ugah, a.d.(2010). effect of availability and accessibility of information sources on the use of library services in the university libraries in south-eastern nigeria. nigerian library link 8 (1), april, 1-19. ugboma, m.u and edewor n, (2012). the gender dimension of use of libraries in nigerian polytechnics. nigerian libraries 45(2), december, 5361. ukpebor, c. (2011). a survey of internet use by lecturers and students in engineering faculties in edo state, nigeria. nigerian libraries 44 (2), december, 58 74. university of nigeria (2004). university of nigeria calendar: 20042006. enugu: university of nigeria calendar editorial board. benjamin u. ugwoke studied at the university of ibadan, nigeria where he obtained his diploma in librarianship in 1982. he proceeded to the enugu state university of science and technology (esut), where he obtained b.ed (library studies/agricultural science, 2 nd class upper division). he later studied at the department of library and lnformation science, university of nigeria , where he obtained his master degree (mls). he is a certified librarian of nigeria, and a member of the nigerian library association. he is the ag. medical librarian, college of medicine, university of nigeria, enugu campus. he has published a number of books and professional articles in reputed journals . he is married and blessed with children. g.e asogwa works with enugu state university of science and technology library, enugu, enugu state. he studied library and information science at the federal college of education, eha-amufu. he holds bachelors’ degree in education and masters degree in library and information science from university of nigeria, nsukka. asogwa is also presently the co-ordinator of library and information science in the faculty of education of the university. information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 uloma doris onuoha babcock university,nigeria abstract this study investigated attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates in the department of information resources management, babcock university. the descriptive research approach was used for the study. the population was made up of 214 students. stratified sampling technique was employed for sample selection. a questionnaire titled “attitude to plagiarism and information management behaviour questionnaire (pimb)” was used for data collection. data was analysed using percentage count, pearson’s product-moment correlation and one-way anova. findings revealed that respondents have a positive attitude towards plagiarism. the most popular form of managing information was found to be the creation and tagging of related files in folders while the least used methods were the use of cloud (e.g. dropbox) and social bookmarking sites. a significant relationship was found to exist between attitude to plagiarism and personal information management behaviour. there was, however, no significant relationship between the level of study and attitude towards plagiarism. based on the findings, the study concluded that education is necessary for curbing the menace of plagiarism in higher institutions and therefore, recommended that faculty should keep educating students’ on issues pertaining to plagiarism while students also endeavour to utilise cloud and bookmarking applications as these would improve their management of personal information. keywords: babcock university, information resources management, information behaviour, plagiarism. introduction the 21 st century has been described as “the information society” because of the abundance of information associated with technological advancement. information is now easily accessible irrespective of geographic location. the abundance of information opens a wealth of knowledge for university students, from where they could either learn or steal. stealing the ideas of others otherwise known as plagiarism is recognised as a plague which attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria information impact: journal of information and knowledge management 2016, vol. 7 (1) 19 – 31 issn: 2141 – 4297 (print) issn: 2360 – 994x (e-version) article information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 must be expunged from academic institutions as most institutions now offer literacy programmes to educate students on the management and right attitude towards the use of information. attitude to plagiarism is often reflected in the perception and behaviours associated with plagiarism (pupovac, bilic-zulle, mavrinac & petrovecki, 2010). while some students perceive plagiarism as wrongdoing, others do not see it as a serious issue (ryan, bonanno, krass, scouller & smith, 2009) and as such do not give serious thought to organising and managing information. as future information professionals, students of information resources management (irm), are being trained to work as information providers and consultants and as such are exposed to techniques for finding, organising and managing information which is expected to aid their academic and professional life. while much is expected of the student of irm, they, like any other individual, could have a negative or positive attitude towards plagiarism which could drive their disposition towards the management of personal information. personal information management is necessary for coping with the quantum of information in today’s society as it ensures that information collected is well organized and stored for easy retrieval. unfortunately, some personal factors such as attitude to plagiarism may affect the personal information management behaviour of students, thereby, adversely affecting their ability to organise and retrieve used information. this study, therefore, investigates attitude towards plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of irm undergraduates at babcock university. objectives of the study this study aims to achieve the following objectives:  ascertain the attitude of irm students towards plagiarism.  determine the personal information management behaviour of irm students.  establish the relationship between attitude to plagiarism and the attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 personal information management behaviour of irm students.  ascertain the difference between students’ level of study and their attitude towards plagiarism research hypotheses to aid the achievement of objectives, the following null hypotheses were stated: h0 attitude to plagiarism will not be significantly related to the personal information management behaviour of irm students h0 students’ level of study will not be significantly related to their attitude towards plagiarism literature review though an old concept, plagiarism has been the focus of most recent studies, as the increase in plagiarism is associated with the ease of copy and paste of digital resources (trinchera 2001; cromwell, 2006; underwood & szabo 2003). outlining the forms of plagiarism, wilson (2007) points out that it entails copying and presenting other peoples’ work as one's own, copying or paraphrasing other peoples’ work without proper citation and buying essay/papers. a study carried out in egypt by nejati, ismail and shafaei (2011) found out that the most common forms of plagiarism behaviours among egyptian students are “giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation”, with 40% of male and 41% of female students sometimes doing it, and “changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit”, with 34% of male and 33% of female students doing it. whitley (1998) in a study covering 25 year period, however, identified the major reasons why students cheat as i)perceiving that social norms allow cheating and ii) holding favourable attitude towards cheating. although some students may recognise plagiarism as a form of academic dishonesty thereby, refraining from it. harris (2015) points out that some do not consider plagiarism as wrong doing but rather see it as an acceptable practice. likewise, ashworth, bannister and thorne (1997) reporting on plagiarism in the uk, affirm that plagiarism is a far less meaningful concept for students than faculty and ranks relatively low in their value system. in singapore, a study by attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 lim and see (2001) revealed that students are morally ambivalent about academic cheating and are tolerant of dishonesty among their peers. expressing similar opinion, iyer and eastman (2006) as cited in egan (2008) noted high levels of cheating among peers. while studying the attitudes of pharmacy and medical biochemistry students towards plagiarism, pupovac et al. (2010) found out that plagiarism is perceived as not very important (63%), harmless (59%), justified under special circumstances (42%), and sometimes necessary (35%). in another survey of college student attitudes towards internet plagiarism by scanlon & neumann (2002) nearly 90 % of 698 students in nine universities agreed that copying and pasting text from the internet or traditional sources without proper citation is wrong, yet about 25% admitted to having copied without proper citation in nigeria, the story is not different as babalola (2012) while studying the awareness and incidence of plagiarism affirmed negative attitude towards plagiarism as the majority of the respondents were found to have been involved in different forms of plagiarism. among the respondents for the study, 69.2% admitted to copying and pasting portions of text from the internet; 65.7% often copied verbatim from a textbook or journal without using quotation marks; 58.5% often included references they did not use in their work and 46.7% submitted assignments without references. adeniyi and taiwo (2006) in a similar study involving students in colleges of education found out that 476 (34.3%) have copied material word for word from written source at least once while 407 (29.3%) have fabricated/falsified bibliography at least once. some studies have tried to relate formal learning to attitude towards plagiarism. rathore, waqas, zia, mavrinac and farooq (2015) in their study which explored the attitudes of faculty members and medical students in pakistan towards plagiarism attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 found out that year of study did not affect attitudes towards plagiarism. likewise, the study by anderson et al. (2007) as cited in rathore et al. (2015), revealed that there is no relationship between attending formal courses and academic dishonesty. on the other hand, poorolajal, cheraghi, irani, cheraghi and mirfakhraei (2012) in their study which investigated knowledge, attitude and the practice of plagiarism affirmed that educational programme may increase knowledge and improve attitude towards plagiarism. to avoid plagiarism, salde (2004) as cited in sharma (2010) advocates proper documentation of sources. documentation is an aspect of personal information management which deals with the organisation and maintenance of personal information collection for use and repeated re-use (jones, 2008). the importance of personal information management is affirmed by leicestershire county council (2011) which asserts that personal information management ensures that documents are preserved in a way that they remain reliable and remain useable. kelly (2006) opines that students manage their information using a variety of spaces (e.g., home desktop, laptop, personal directory in the university network, personal usb flash drive). a study by stewart, basic & erdelez (2012) on students’ management of information found online revealed that retrieved documents are stored mainly by saving citations or urls in the form of word documents and notes. sending an email to self and printing copies of the work were found to be less popular. a similar study by capra (2009) revealed that stored information mostly by saving as a bookmark/favourite (98%), sending email to self (57%), writing it down on paper (36%), copying the url into a file (23%), saving the web page on a hard drive (17%) saving on del.cio.us or other bookmarking sites (11%). majid, san, tun and zar (2010) in a more in-depth study, found out that students mostly organise retrieved online information using attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 hierarchical folders and tagging/labelling. the majority of the respondents were found to retrieve stored information mainly by going through created folders, using free text search facilities. methodology the descriptive research approach was used for the study. the population was made up of 214 students listed in the department of i.r.m for 1 st semester 2015/2016 academic session. stratified sampling technique was employed for sample selection. a questionnaire titled “attitude to plagiarism and information management behaviour questionnaire (pimb)” was used for the study. to distribute the questionnaire, a compulsory course was identified at each level of study (100 – 400 level). lecturers in charge of the identified courses were met by the researcher to coordinate the distribution and collection of the questionnaire after teaching. data collected was analysed using percentage distribution, pearson’s product moment correlation and one-way anova. findings and discussion table 1: respondents level of study level of study no. of students frequency of questionnaire returned percentage (%) 100 34 19 16.2 200 57 53 45.3 300 33 20 17.1 400 90 25 21.4 total 214 117 100.0 the highest response rate came from students in the second year of study. while the least response rate was from 100 level students. although, 400 levels had the highest number of the student population, most of them did not take part in the study. while some 400 level students were out on field work for their final year research project, some of those who were around did not show interest and as such did not participate in the study. table 2: attitude to plagiarism attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 s/n statement sa a d sd 1 student who plagiarize are not doing the society any harm 10(8.5%) 26(22.2%) 46(39.3%) 35(30.0%) 2 plagiarism is a system of recycling and as such should be encouraged 12(10.3%) 28(23.9%) 49(41.9%) 28(23.9%) 3 since plagiarism does not deprive the original author of his/her work, it should not be taken seriously 18(15.4%) 26(22.2%) 53(45.3%) 20(17.1%) 4 plagiarism is not as bad as cheating in an examination 15(12.8%) 30(25.6%) 36(30.8%) 36(30.8%) 5 plagiarism should not be a punishable offence 16(13.7%) 35(29.9%) 44(37.6%) 22(18.8%) 6 plagiarism is justifiable under special circumstance 9(7.7%) 47(40.2%) 39(33.3%) 22(18.8%) 7 submission deadliness are responsible for plagiarism 24(20.5%) 33(28.2%) 48(41.0%) 12(10.3%) 8 plagiarism cannot be avoided 20(17.1%) 37(31.6%) 32(27.4%) 28(23.9%) 9 all student plagiarize 25(21.4%) 40(34.2%) 35(29.9%) 17(14.5%) 10 someone who has the permission of his/her friend to copy their assignment cannot be said to have stolen 21(18.0%) 46(39.3%) 33(28.2%) 17(14.5%) as indicated in table 2 majority the respondents have a positive attitude towards plagiarism. this is affirmed through their rejection of statements which seemed to uphold plagiarism. a total of 69.3% of the respondents, for instance, rejected the idea that students who plagiarise are not doing the society any harm. this was also followed closely by the rejection percentage (65.8%) recorded for plagiarism as a system of recycling which should be encouraged. although most negatively worded statements were rejected by at least half of the respondents, 57.5%, however, accepted that copying a friend’s work with permission does not qualify as stealing (plagiarism) while 55.6% affirmed that all students plagiarise. table 3: personal information management behaviour s/n personal information management behavior sa a d sd 1 i create and tag folders for related files on my computer desktop/my document 37(31.6%) 59(50.4%) 18(15.4%) 3(2.6%) attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 2 i make conscious effort to note reference for materials i consult which i save as a file on my personal computer or write down on a piece of paper 33(28.2%) 60(51.3%) 18(15.4%) 6(5.1%) 3 i save documents as single files in my personal computer 33(28.2%) 54(46.2%) 24(20.5%) 6(5.1%) 4 i retrace used information by checking the download application on my desktop 26(22.2%) 60(51.3%) 25(21.4%) 6(5.1%) 5 i create a backup of my documents using external harddrive, cd, flash drive, etc. 49(41.9%) 34(29.1%) 26(22.2%) 8(6.8%) 6 to retrace information retrieved online, i make use of the bookmark application on my personal or pin them to my browser 30(25.6%) 45(38.5%) 32(27.4%) 10(8.5%) 7 i e-mail important document to myself 30(25.6%) 44(37.6%) 29(24.8%) 14(12.0%) 8 i always make printed copies of materials i consider important 31(26.5%) 42(35.9%) 31(26.5%) 13(11.1%) 9 i transfer folders am working with to a cloud (e.g., dropbox) 24(20.5%) 36(30.8%) 47(40.2%) 10(8.5%) 10 i use online bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us or diggo 17(14.5%) 23(19.7%) 60(51.3%) 17(14.5%) the personal information management behaviour of the respondents as seen in table 3 reveals that respondents employ a variety of methods for managing personal information. most of the respondents (82%) create and tag folders of related files on their computers. likewise, 79.5% make a conscious effort to record references of consulted materials. the least used methods for managing information were seen to be the use of cloud (e.g. dropbox) and the use of social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us or diggo. table 4: attitude to plagiarism and personal information management behaviour variable mean std. dev. n r p remark attitude to plagiarism 35.5965 6.37453 117 .675** .001 sig. personal information management behavior 11.4239 3.21353 **sig. at .01 level attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 the result of computed pearson’s product moment correlation (ppmc) coefficient shows that a positive correlation exists between the two variablesattitude to plagiarism and personal information management behaviour of irm students (r = .675**, n= 117, p < .05). the result as shown in the bracket reveals the p-value as .001 which implies that the null hypothesis is to be rejected. table 5: level of study and attitude towards plagiarism sum of squares df mean square f sig. between groups 165.860 3 55.287 1.914 .131 within groups 3263.952 113 28.885 total 3429.812 116 the result of the one-way analysis of variance as indicated in table 5 shows that there is no significant difference between students’ level of study and their attitude towards plagiarism (f = 1.914, p > 0.05). the null hypothesis is therefore accepted. discussion from the findings, it is evident that respondents’ have a positive attitude towards plagiarism. however, the fact that a little above average are of the opinion that all students plagiarise calls for concern as it could imply an indirect admission of guilt on a personal or corporate level. also worrisome, is the fact that majority of the respondents (57.3%) expressed the opinion that someone who has the permission of his/her friend to copy their assignment cannot be said to have stolen as this represents a distorted view of plagiarism. the findings of this study, however, are in disagreement with the findings of babalola (2012); pupovac et al. (2010) whose studies revealed a negative attitude towards plagiarism. the findings, gives credence to the assertion of iyer and eastman (2006) as cited in egan (2008) who noted high levels of cheating among peers. the reason for this may be attributed to the fact that copying an assignment with permission was not regarded as cheating or stealing by attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 majority of the respondents. on the management of personal information, majority of the respondents were found to make conscious effort to record references of consulted materials. the method mostly used for managing personal information was found to be the creation and tagging of related files in folders while the least used methods were the use of cloud (e.g. dropbox) and the use of social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us or diggo. the findings support kelly (2006) who opined that students manage their information using a variety of spaces. the findings were, however, in partial agreement with the findings of capra (2009), whose study revealed various methods through which respondents manage information, but noted that bookmark/favourite and sending email to self were mostly used. a significant relationship was established between attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of irm students. the result is not surprising as students of irm take several compulsory courses in the use and management of information which would have given them sound understanding not only in the ethical use of information but also in the organisation and management of information. the finding partially supports poorolajal, cheraghi, irani, cheraghi and mirfakhraei (2012) whose study revealed that educational programme may increase knowledge and improve attitude towards plagiarism. there was no significant difference established between respondents’ level of study and their attitude towards plagiarism in this study. the finding gives credence to that of rathore et al. (2015) in whose study it was also established that year of study did not affect attitude towards plagiarism. conclusion and recommendations plagiarism continues to plague the academic community, therefore, making it a matter of discussion in academic circles. as a form of academic dishonesty that can cripple academic growth, urgent attention attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 is, therefore, needed to curb plagiarism through personal information management practices as this could ensure that used information are handy when the need for re-use arises thereby, promoting ethical use of information based on the findings, the following recommendations are made:  faculty members should continue to educate students on issues pertaining to plagiarism to sustain positive attitudes towards plagiarism.  lecturers should be more observant when marking assignments as this would give them the opportunity to discover cases of copied assignments when they occur. such cases, if spotted, should not only be punished but should also serve as forums to educate students on the ills of copying others. specifically, students should be made to realize that copying from their peers even with their permission is an act of plagiarism.  in managing personal information, students should explore the use of cloud and online bookmarking applications as these would help them connect easily to online information saved on various devices. references adeniyi, e. o & taiwo, s. a. (2006). a study of incidence and prevalence of academic dishonesty among nigerian college of education students. journal of sociology and education in africa 4 (2). retrieved from http://www.journalsbank.com/ejhss _4_7.pdf ashworth, p., bannister, p. & thorne, p. (1997). guilty in whose eyes? university students’ perceptions of cheating and plagiarism in academic work and assessment, studies in higher education,22 (2), 187–203. babalola, y. t. (2012). awareness and incidence of plagiarism among undergraduates in a nigerian private university afr. j. lib. arch. & inf. sc. 22 (1), 53-60 capra, r. (2009).a survey of personal information management practices. paper presented at personal attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria http://www.journalsbank.com/ejhss_4_7.pdf http://www.journalsbank.com/ejhss_4_7.pdf information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 information management, asis&t 2009 workshop, november 7-8, 2009, vancouver, bc, canada. retrieved from: pimworkshop.org/2009/papers/cap ra-pim2009.pdf cromwell, s. (2006). what can we do to curb student cheating?. retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_ admin/admin/admin375.shtml/ egan, (2008). a cross-cultural and crossgender comparison of attitudes to plagiarism: the case of malaysian and australian business students .asian forum on business education journal 1 (1), 19 – 33 harris, r. (2015). anti-plagiarism strategies for research papers. retrieved from http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag .htm jones, w. (2008). keeping found things found: the study and practice of personal information management. san francisco: ca: morgan kaufmann kelly, d. (2006) evaluating personal information management behaviors and tools, commun. acm 49(1) 84-86. leicestershire county council (2011). information management strategy 2009-2011. retrieved from http://www.leics.gov.uk lim, v. k. g. & see, s. k. b. (2001). attitudes towards, and intentions to report, academic cheating among students in singapore, ethics and behaviour, 11 (3), 261–275. nejati, m., ismail, s. & shafaei, a. (2011). students’ unethical behaviour: insights from an african country. global business and management research: an international journal 3(3 & 4): 276-295 poorolajal, j., cheraghi, p., irani, a.d., cheraghi, z. & mirfakhraei, m. (2012).construction of knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire for assessing plagiarism iranian journal of public health 41(11):5458. pupovac, v.; bilic-zulle, l.; mavrinac, m. & petrovecki, m. (2010). attitudes toward plagiarism among pharmacy and medical biochemistry students – crosssectional survey study. biochemia medica 20(3):307-313. retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.11613/bm.201 0.039 rathore, f. a., waqas, a., zia, a. m., mavrinac, m. & farooq, f. (2015). exploring the attitudes of medical faculty members and students in pakistan towards plagiarism: a cross-sectional survey. peerj 3:e1031; doi 10.7717/peerj.1031 ryan, g.; bonanno, h.; krass, i.; scouller, k. & smith, l. (2009).undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy students’ perceptions of plagiarism and academic honesty. american journal of pharmaceutical education, 73 (6), 1-8 attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin375.shtml/ http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin375.shtml/ http://dx.doi.org/10.11613/bm.2010.039 http://dx.doi.org/10.11613/bm.2010.039 information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 scanlon, p. m., & neumann, d. r. (2002). internet plagiarism among college students. journal of college student development, 43: 374–385. sharma, r. (2010). a step-by-step guide to students: how to avoid plagiarism. journal of education research. 4 (2):143-153 stewart, k. n., basic, j. & erdelez, s. (2012). odi and information literacy: personal information management in a world of information overload. proceedings of the american society for information science and technology 49 (1), 1–4 trinchera, t. (2001). cut and paste plagiarism: what it is and what to do about it. community & junior college libraries. 10 (3): 5-9 underwood, j. & szabo, a. (2003). academic offences and elearning: individual propensities in cheating’, british journal of educational technology 34(4): 467–77. wilson, d. (2007). crime or confusion why do students plagiarise? retrieved from: http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/sci s/connections/issue_60/crime_or_c onfusion__why_do_students_plagiarise.html whitley, b. e. (1998). factors associated with cheating among college students: a review. research in higher education, 39, 235–274. author biography uloma doris onuoha is associate professor at the department of information and resources management at the faculty of management science, babcock university, nigeria. she has published a number of articles in local and international journals. she can be reached at ud_onu@yahoo.com. attitude to plagiarism and the personal information management behaviour of undergraduates at babcock university, nigeria http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/issue_60/crime_or_confusion_-_why_do_students_plagiarise.html http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/issue_60/crime_or_confusion_-_why_do_students_plagiarise.html http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/issue_60/crime_or_confusion_-_why_do_students_plagiarise.html http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/issue_60/crime_or_confusion_-_why_do_students_plagiarise.html effect of user education on library use information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 blessing solomom uwakwe imo state university owerri cajetan o. onyeneke imo state university owerri immaculatta ngozi njoku imo state university, owerri. abstract the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of user education on the law students’ use of the library : a case study of the faculty law library imo state university owerri. the survey research design was used for the study while questionnaire instrument was used for data collection. the population of the study consists of all the registered users of faculty of law library. six research questions were answered and the analysis was done using mean scores. the findings of the study reveal that imo state university law students have understanding of the concept of user education. the study also finds out that user education programme has positively affected the law students use of the library and their academic performance. the study identified some problems that hinder effective user education as over population, lack of infrastructure, inadequate and trained personnel, lack of instructional materials,, limited time allocated to the programme, unconducive environment and inadequate space. the study concludes that since the library occupies a central place in the achievement of educational objectives of law students, and this has made user education indispensible in the library, adequate resources should be committed to the programme to ensure that its objectives are realized based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made on how to remedy the problems. introduction libraries are made for use. this justifies the large investment of its human and material resources, as well as library’s organizational structures and systems. describing library use, ama and chikiezie, in maduako (2013) pointed out that it is the act of perusing the library stock, seeking and obtaining assistance from library staff, finding information and borrowing a book from library. it also includes studying one’s own material in the library. thus all the activities carried out in the library by the effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact: journal of information and knowledge management 2016, vol. 7 (1) 70 – 85 issn: 2141 – 4297 (print) issn: 2360 – 994x (e-version) article information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 user, whether assisted or otherwise, to meet his or her information needs may be described as library use. to a large extent, library use measures the effectiveness and efficiency of library resources and defines/informs the fundamental policy objectives of libraries. ogunmedede and emeahara (2010) observe that no matter how large the stock of a library is, if the services and its resources are not fully utilized, such a library will be a white elephant project. this underscores the proper planning, design of the facilities as well as adoption of library policies and programmes with the aim of ensuring proper and effective use of the libraries. one of these programmes is known as user education. user education is a process whereby potential users of the library are made to learn how to make efficient and effective use of the library and its resources through the acquisition of knowledge and skills in identification, location, retrieval and exploitation of information (iheaturu 2012). user education can be in the form of orientation/training programmes, workshop, seminar, “know your library programmes” occasionally organized by the library for both new and old library users. these programmes/activities may be packaged in hard copies, i.e. manuals, handouts or in soft copies i.e. compact disc. the fundamental objective of user education is to expose, acquaint and inculcate in the clients, the basic knowledge or understanding and skills which are necessary for effective and efficient use of the library sevices and resource. the advent and advancement of technology as well as the development of computer systems, have given rise to unprecedented increase in volumes of published materials, both in print and non print forms and compelled modern libraries and the librarianship profession to pursue and adopt new age tools and methodologies in the discharge of its activities. for instance, libraries have embraced the digital age and adopted several electronic methods and devices in the discharge of library services. they include: the online public access catalogue (opac) used for online search and cataloguing, internet devices also used for information/data search and browsing, e-mail devices used for library registration, browsing etc. effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 the adoption and implementation of these new age tools and technologies obviously place on library service providers the responsibility of carrying library use along through the design/packaging of quality user education programme to enable library clients to acquire effective and efficient access and utilization of library services. the quality of user education programme determines the rate of use of any library and also actualizes the sustainable optimal user satisfaction. the corollary to this is that a poorly packed user education may account for low rate of use of library resources and services, which equally runs counter to the user satisfaction policy of the library. the effectiveness of any library is measured by the use made of its resources and services. this justifies all the efforts librarians put in, in organizing library resources so that they can be fully utilized. one of such efforts is the instruction given to library patrons to acquaint them with the library, its resources and services with a view to enabling them retrieve needed information without difficulty. studies have shown that many students do not use the library. some of them are not even aware of the existing information materials in the library. those who use the library find it difficult locating needed materials because they lack the knowledge of the search tools which would help them locate information materials needed. consequently, the library resources are under utilized and this seems to account for students inability to do meaningful research which ultimately results in poor academic performance. this has become an issue of concern, thus this study is carried out to determine the effect of user education on the law studies utilization of the resources of faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri. background to the study imo state university was established in 1992 following states creation in 1991. at the inception of the university, college of legal studies, as was called then, was established in 2001/2002. in keeping with the decision of the university senate the university change from college system to faculty system and consequently college of legal studies changed to faculty of law. effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 (students’ handbook, faculty of law 2012). at the inception of the faculty of law, a library was established to support the academic programme of the faculty which is teaching, learning and research. the law library is saddled with the responsibility of providing legal information materials, making them available and accessible to law students and faculty members. to actualized this, law library acquires, processes, preserves, and disseminates resources such as books, journals, law reports, law journals, bound preiodicals, government publications etc. the law library also has e-library and internet connections with high bandwith access. according to the recent library statistics, the faculty of law library has about 200 registered users. the law students and the faculty members depend heavily on relevant library materials to meet their information needs. to assist the users, law librarian gives instruction on library use regularly to teach them on the techniques of library use. also in the university curriculum, a course on use of library is taught as part of general studies programme for fresh students. all these are efforts and strategies designed to educate the library patron on how to effectively utilize the library resources and services. this study is therefore intended to examine the effect of user education on the utilization of the resources and services of faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri. research question the study was conducted to answer the following research questions  what is the law students’ understanding of the concept of library user education as a course.?  what is the course content of user education programme the law students were exposed to?  what is the effect of user education programme on law students?.  what are the methods implored in teaching user education?  what is the law students’ perception of user education programme?  what are the problems that hinder effective library user education programme in the faculty? effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 literature review various terminologies have been used to discuss ways of teaching library patrons how to use the library resources. some of this term are user education, bibliographic instruction, user instruction, information literacy, library orientation etc. these terms are used interchangeably to describe formal and informal library programme on how to maximally utilize library resources (akalum, 2006). this is useful to make library users acquire necessary skills required to make them competent library users. several literatures abound by different scholars and writers on the concept of user education in librarianship. maduako (2013) defines user education as a planned process and techniques that is armed at equipping library users with the basic skills to help them make optimal use of the resources available in their library. iheaturu (2012) corroborating this defines user education as a process whereby potential users of information are made to learn how to make effective and efficient use of the library and its resources through acquisition, location, retrieval and exploitation of information. it is any effort or programme which will guide and instruct existing and potential users individually or collectively with the objective of facilitating the recognition of their information need, effective and efficient use of information services and the assessment of these services (sujatha, 1993.) user education consists of all types of activities designed to teach users about library facilities, services, organization, resources and search strategies in order to equip them with basic skills to enable them make optimal, effective, efficient and independent use of information resources and services available in the library (akimbola, ogunmede & emahara: 2010). the indispensability of user education as instrument for effective utilization of library resources is not in question. this is because the extents to which the library resources are used depend largely on users’ skill and knowledge of information search and retrieval. esse and ugwumba (2014) are of the opinion that there cannot be a connection between user and materials or tools without proper education given to users who may not have prior knowledge or idea on the use of such materials or tools. onyesikuru (2000) effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 notes that effective use of library is expected to be one of the principal objectives of establishing libraries. he insists that for this to be achieved, librarians must instruct the students on how to use the library; they have to familiarize them with the technique of library use and information retrieval. esse quoting ishola (2005) avers that the need for user education has become more urgent as most students come into the university without background. he noted that even where students are probably exposed to the use of the library, the size of the library resources and the organization are complex so they must be introduced to it. jain (2006) opines that increase in data base in various disciplines has made the need for user education imperative. moreover, the use of ict in library operations and services has also expanded the demand to train the users on how to access needed information. aligu (2011) states that changes brought about by the use of ict facilities in storing, retrieving and dissemination of information poses challenges on the library users hence the need to instruct them on how well to use them to retrieve information. he insists that the application of ict into library system demand from an exposure to ict facilities and be taught on how to use them. user education is not taught in a vacuum. there are goals and objectives guiding the programme which must be pursued and realized. iheaturu in edom (2007) outline the following as the objective of user education. teach the children how to make efficient use of the library, make the students aware of the resources of the library in the widest sense, contribute to the personal and intellectual development of the student and to develop his ability to continue with independent learning after his formal education, provide him with capacity to conduct research, obtain and access relevant information and present his findings in a manner acceptable to his peers. dillroric (1975) insists that the objective of user education is to make the student have knowledge of the basic kinds of print and non-print materials, knowledge of basic bibliographic tool and how to use them, knowledge of the subject areas related to the primary areas of interest and how to find reference to them. maduako (2013) quoting ncce guidelines (1994) summaries the objective of user education and opines effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 that it is aimed at making library user aware of the available and scope of library resources and services. edom (2007) contributing on the objective of user education programme avers that it involves all the planned instrument given to library users to enable them make use of the library, explain the information resources and return the piece of information needed with minimal assistance by the library staff. edoka (2000) asserts that the objective of user education is to help the user make best use of overall library resources. he outlines the following as the objective of user education over information resources available to them: to develop skill necessary to retrieve required materials; to develop knowledge of materials in readers subject area; to develop skill in presenting bibliographic references; to develop skill required in making advanced studies; to create a positive attitude to information searching which will stimulate the user to make use of the resources available in different libraries. there are various methods of impacting the skill on the use of library. uhegbu (2001) asserts that the success or failure of any user education programme depends to a large extent upon methods adopted to teach it. ania (2004) states that it could be one-on-one session, library orientation formal or classroom instruction. as important as user education is, it has been characterized with numerous challenges. joseph (2005) identifies the following as problems of user education: overdependence on one day orientation progarmme; lack of collective curriculum for user education programme in nigerian universities; use of unqualified personnel to teach the course. edom (2007) itemizes the problems as follows: inadequate time, large number of students, inadequate number of instructors/lecturers, inadequate facilities/equipment, high cost of a.v materials, the attitude of lecturers, the attitudes of students, use of library combined with use of english. methodology the research design adopted for the study is the survey method using questionnaire as instrument for data collection. the population of the study is 2000 comprising of all the registered users of imo state university law library. the sample size is 200 representing 10% of the total population. effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 questionnaire is the instrument for data collection. the data collected was analyzed using frequency count. the research questions were answered using mean score and rating scale. any mean above the scale or benchmark mean of 2.5 was accepted while those below was rejected. findings and discussion research question 1: what is the law student understanding of the concept of library user education as a course? table 1:distribution of response on the understanding of the concept of user education. concept of user sa a d sd x remark 1. library use is taught in my school 50 140 6 4 3.2 positive 2. the concept of library use is clear to me 70 125 4 1 3.3 ,, 3. it is an instruction given to library users to build good library culture in them 80 105 13 2 3.3 4. it is an instruction designed to enable library users make optimal use of the library 90 109 1 3.5 5. it is designed to expose library users to the structures found is the library 60 140 3.3 6 it is designed to teach library users the organization of library materials 50 150 3.3 7. it is designed to teach library users the reties and regulations of the library 70 128 1 1 3.3 grand mean 3.3 table 1 shows the responses on the students understanding of the concept of user education. all the items on table 3 were accepted because they have the mean score above the grand mean of 25. the overall mean rating is 5.3 indicating positive response to the question. this result reveals that the respondents agree that they have understanding of the concept of library use education programme. this implies that they know what they stand to gain from the course. this understanding will propel them to be serious with the programme and attend lecturing regularly. eze (2004) commenting on this states that understanding of the concept of the user education programme will no doubt have positive impact on students use of the library which ultimately will affect their academic performance. research question 2: what is the course content of library use education programme law students were exposed to. table 2: distribution of responses on the course content of user education. course content of user education sa a d sd x remark effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 1. i received instruction how to use the library 180 80 8 2 3.4 2. i received instruction on how to use the catalogue 50 140 6 4 3.2 3. i was taught in how to use indexes 15 180 5 3.1 4. i received instruction on the organization of lbrary resource 20 125 3 2 3.1 5. i was given instruction on library rules and regulation 70 124 4 2 3.3 6 i received instruction on how to identify useful reference materials 160 5 25 3.5 7. i received instruction on how to document research reports 100 90 4 6 3.4 8. i was taught on how to do online searching 69 120 10 1 3.3 9. i was taught on how to retrieve materials from the library using eternal tools 70 125 2 5 3.3 10. i was exposed to various information materials available in the library. 50 150 11. i was given instruction on how to soft information 20 180 3.1 grand mean 3.5 table 2 shows the mean rating scores of the respondents on the content of user education. all the items on table 2 received higher response rate on agree than disagree which indicates a positive response to the question. this is confirmed by the mean response score recorded by the items which are all above the expected mean of 2.5. the result of the analysis reveals that the content of user education given to law students is in line with the objective of the programme. the major object of user education is to inculcate in library users the skill to make use of the library, exploit the information resources and retrieve the needed information with minimal assistance and supervision by the library staff. this findings in in line with iheaturu’s (2002) outline of the objectives of user education which includes: making students aware of library resources, contribute to the personal and intellectual development of the students and to develop his ability to continue independent learning after his formal education, provide him with capability to conduct research obtain and access relevant information and present his answers in a manner acceptable to his peers. aguolu and aguolu (2002) corroborating this, insist that user effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 education must be designed to acquaint students with the full, resources of the library. research question 3: what are the methods improved in leading user education. table 3: distribution of responses on the methods of library user education programme. sa a d sd x remark 1. library tour 20 160 15 5 3.0 positive 2. lecture method 200 3.0 positive 3. demonstration method 50 100 35 15 3.0 positive 4. library orientation 40 15 8 2 3.1 positive grand mean 3.3 table 3 shows that the overall mean rating response on methods employed in teaching user education is 3.3. this is above the grand mean of 2.5. this indicates that the majority of law students agree that the items mentioned in table 5 consists of various methods used in their schools to teach user education programme. some of these methods include library tour, lecture method, library orientation and demonstration methods. uhegbu (2001) insisted that the success or failure of any user education program depends to a large extent upon methods adopted to teach it. research question 4: what is the effect of user education programme on law students?. table 4: distribution of responses on the effect of user education on law students. effect of user education sa a d sd x remark 1. it has greatly improved my ability to retrieve needed information from the library 70 100 10 20 3.1 2. i can use the catalogue effectively to retrieve materials 90 90 20 3.4 3. it has enhanced my use of index as retrieval tool 80 108 5 7 3.4 4. it has enlightened on the various structures of literature in my field and related areas. 50 150 3.3 5. it has increased my motivation to use the library 20 175 5 3.1 6 it exposed me to the bibhographic database of the library 15 160 15 10 3.0 7. it inculcated in the ability to think critically 100 100 3.5 8. it made me aware of the scope of library resources 200 3.9 9. i have understanding the arrangement organization and organization of materials in the library. 10 190 3.1 effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 10. i acquired skill for independent learning 60 127 10 13 3.2 11. it enhanced my capacity to carry out research 80 120 3.4 12. it acquired skill to citate references and document my research report 40 150 6 4 3.1 13. it made me the aware of the value of the library in my academic pursuit 18 180 2 3.1 14. it build in me the culture of reading 15. it made me to become library friendly 38 150 2 10 3.1 16. i am able to retrieve needed from the library without difficulty. 70 125 5 3.3 grand mean 3.0 the analysis on table 4 reflects the respondent opinion on the effect of user education on their use 0f the library. all the items on the table recorded a high response score with the overall mean rating of 3.0. this is above the grand mean of 2.5. this indicates that the course user education has positively affected the law student of imo state university. the implication of the finding is that imsu law student can effectively and efficiency use their library resources. the finding of this study is in with previous studies that found out that library user education has a positive impact on quality of students’ education. tiekel (1995) found out that there is a significant relationship between library user education and students, grades. prorak (1994) studied user education for music students and found a significant relationship between user education and music students grades. iheaturu (2002) confirming this states that user education makes students to learn how to make effective use of the library and its resources. edom (2007) opined that effective & efficient use of the library and its resources is the bedrock of academic excellence. research question 5: what is the law students perception of user education programme? table: distribution of responses on students’ perception of user education programme. option frequency % very relevant 100 50 relevant 80 40 irrelevant 15 75 very irrelevant 5 2.5 effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 table 5 shows the respondents perception to the relevance of the library use education. 100(50%) indicated that it is relevant, 80 (40%) considered it to be relevant while 15 & 5 (75 & 2.5%) of respondent said it is irrelevant and very irrelevant respectively. the result of the analysis reveals that library user education is relevant to the law students of imo state university. this confirms the opinion of ogunmodede and emeahara (2010), edom (2007), bello (2003) and osagie (2003) that user education programme is useful to students both in caring out class assignment and in their overall academic performance. research question6: what are the problems that hinder effective library use education programme in tour school. table 6: distribution of responses on the problems that hinder user education programme in tour school. problems sa a d sd x remark 1. over population 90 110 3.3 2. lack of instructional materials 60 110 20 10 3.1 3. inadequate & qualified staff 80 115 3 2 3.4 4. students negative attitude to the programme 100 90 10 3.3 5. limited time allocation 200 3.0 6 unconducive environment 80 120 3.4 7. inadequate facilities 87 100 3 10 3.3 8. inadequate accommodation/space 50 95 50 5 3.0 9. high cost a.v. materials 50 100 40 10 3.0 grand mean 3.5 table 6 shows respondents opinion on the problems hindering effective user education in imo state university library. all the items on table 6 recorded a high responses rating with the overall mean of 3.2 which is above the grand mean of 2.5. the result of the analysis reveals that all the items on table 6 are problems hindering user education in the university. some of these problem includes over population. lack of instructional materials, inadequate and unqualified staff, negative atitudes of both staff and students to the programme, unconducive environment, limited time allocated to the programme as well as inadequate accommodation/ space. in support of this finding idowu (2008) observed that timing of the programme, quality of effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 course delivery and funding of the programme are some of the areas that affects the programme which must be reappraised. edem & lawal (1996) contributing to improved user education programme in nigerian university libraries identified lack of personnel, lack of professional for teaching and practical work. conclusion and recommendations the library has been described as the “life wire and the pivot of academic activities within the university system. it’s role in teaching and learning processes cannot be overstressed. for optimum utilization of the library and its resources user education programme was introduced. the major objective is to inculcate in the library users basic knowledge and skill to make effective use of the library resources. this study dwelt on the effect of user education on the law students’ use of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri. the study found that. the law students of imo state university have understanding of the concept of user education. the course content of user education the law students were exposed to are in line with the objectives of the programme. the methods adopted in teaching of the programme includes library tour lecture method, demonstration method and library orientation. user education programme has positively affected the law students’ use of the library as well as their academic performance. the law students perception of the user education programme is that it is very relevant to them both in their use of the library and in their academic pursuit the problems that militate against effective user education include over-population, lack of instructional materials, inadequate and unqualified staff, students negative attitude towards the programme, limited time allocated to the programme, unconducive library environment, inadequate space/accommodation. to remedy these problems, the following recommendations are proffered. effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 adequate and qualified librarians should be employed to teach user education programme. this will help to solve the problem of over population. when there is enough and qualified instructors to handle the course, the number of students assigned to a particular teacher will reduce. this will create room for adequate monitor of the students as well as guarantee quality teaching and learning of the course. the course should be made compulsory and more credit load assigned to it. again attendance to lectures should be made condition for examination. students who abscond from class for certain number of times should not be allowed to write examination. this measure will help to check the students negative attitude towards the programme. the time allocated to the teaching of the course should be relevant. more time should be allocated to the course and the scheduling should be made to connect to students. conducive and enabling environment should be made available for the teaching of the programme. this calls for provision of more and larger spaces to accommodate the students. the facilities and the environment of the classroom should be made conducive for learning. instructional materials such as audiovisual materials, public address system and projectors should be made available. this will help to make the course interesting and stimulate students interest towards the course. the course should be designed to be more practical oriented to complement the theoretical aspect of it. references aguolu c.c. & aguolu, i.e. (2002). libraries and information management in nigeria seminar essays on themes and problems. maduguri: ed: lwk. akimbola, o. o (2007). significance of user education programme on the use library. international journal of research in education 4(1&2): 188-192. bello, a.s. (2003). library user education evaluation at ibadan polytechnic. nigeria library and information science review 21(1) 1-6. edem, u.s. and lawal, o.o. (1996).towards improved user education programme on nigerian university libraries. african effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 journal of library, archival and information science 6(1) 31-36. edoka, b.e. (2000). introduction to library science onitsha: palms. edom, b.o. (2007). the impact of user education on the university libraries in nigeria. heartland journal of library and information science 1(1) 43-48. esse, o & ugwumba, c (2014). effect of library instruction on the satisfaction with the use of library and its services: a case study of undergraduates in five universities in southern part of nigeria. european scientific journal, 10(13). idowu, a.o. (2008). overcoming anxiety in library use among undergraduates students in universities. an over new. lagos state university official bulletin no 585. iheaturu, a.m. (2002). enhancing user education through systematic evaluation. nigerian library and information. nigeria library and information science trend, 1(1) 46-5. ishola, s. o (2005). user education in the institutions of higher learning in nigeria. nigerian libraries 16(3):102. joseph, m. (2005). encouraging user education in nigerian academic libraries towards effectiveness. journal of research in education 2(1&2) 24-30. maduako, p.m. (2013). user education and library use in college education in abia and imo state library .library philosophy and practice retrieved from http://digiatlcommons.un/libphi/ pract ogumadede, t.a. and emeahara e.n (2010). the effect of library use education as a course on library patronage. a case study of lauct ech library ogbomoso nigeria. library philosophy and practice retrieved from www.webspages.uldahoedu/...//p p2010.htm. osagie, z.n (2003). uses education, in territory institutions in nigeria. lagos journal of library and information science 1(1) 32-36. oyesiku, m.a. (2000). the dimension of the use of law libraries in tertiary institution: a case of ogun state university law library. gateway library journal, (2&3): (51-88). prorak, d. (1994). teaching method and psychological type in bibliographic instruction, effect on students learning and confidence ro 33 (11). sujatha, g. (1993). designing user education programme for distance learning in academic libraries roles in national development mandras: tr publishers. tiefel, v.m. (1995). library user education examining its past, projecting its future. library trend; 4(2) 318-338. uhegbu, a.a. (2001). the information user: issues and themes.enugu, jacobs classific publications ltd. effect of user education on law students’ use of the library: a case of the faculty of law library, imo state university, owerri, nigeria http://digiatlcommons.un/libphi/pract http://digiatlcommons.un/libphi/pract http://digiatlcommons.un/libphi/pract http://www.webspages.uldahoedu/.../pp2010.htm http://www.webspages.uldahoedu/.../pp2010.htm http://www.webspages.uldahoedu/.../pp2010.htm information impact | journal of information and knowledge management vol 7 (1) 2016 author biography blessing solomom uwakwe phd, cln is serials librarian imo state university owerri cajetan o. onyeneke phd,cln is virtual librarian imo state university owerri immaculatta ngozi njoku cln is faculty librarian, faculty of engineering library imo state university, owerri. impact of staff organizational culture on the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria 159 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 impact of staff organizational culture on the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria wavi pur mamza, mussa dauda bassi & zainab abdullahi mohammed department of library and information science, modibbo adama university of technology, yola, nigeria abstract this study surveyed the impact of library staff organizational culture on the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the northeast zone of nigeria. the objectives of the study were to determine: the level of implementation of automation of libraries in federal universities of the northeast zone of nigeria, the perception of library staff on organizational of values and norms on the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria. one research question was raised, and two null hypotheses were tested. survey method was used. structured questionnaire was administered on one hundred and twenty-five [125] professional and non-professional library staff members of the three federal universities: (abubakar tafawa balewa university bauchi, modibbo adama university of technology yola and, university of maiduguri) as the population for the study. data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics to answer the research question while chi-square was used to test the null hypotheses. the findings of the research question revealed that, implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria was very low. the tested null hypotheses revealed that, organizational value and norm were highly significant. the study therefore recommends among others that: the federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria should ensure proper reconciliation between organizational and library staff corporate values and the federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria should see to it that the corporate norms of library staff are not infringed if implementation of an automated system would be achieved. keywords: implementation: library automation: federal universities: north eastern nigeria. wavi pur mamza, mussa dauda bassi & zainab abdullahi mohammed 160 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 introduction the history of university library development in nigeria dates back to preindependence time when the university of ibadan and its library was established in 1948. since independence in 1960s, there has been unrelenting upsurge in the establishment of educational institutions at all levels, especially, university education. it must be realized that university libraries, being integral parts of the universities, generally emerged simultaneously with their parent institutions. ogunsola (2004) also revealed that the proliferation of universities, despite the economic recession in the country since 1980s, has increased the problems of universities and their libraries so much that now their future seems uncertain. tiamiyu (2000) noted that library automation involves using the computer as a productivity-enhancing tool to perform some or the entire data and informationprocessing task in libraries. underwood (1990) explained that the concept, implementation of automation is the stage where commitment is made by management to the introduction of new system is expressed in decision to seek a supplier; the conceptual is to become actual. chin and berne (1995) opined that, implementation of automation process itself in any organization is an improvement in decision-making process and hence, it is a change. successful implementation can only be achieved when there is a change in employees’ attitudes and patterns of behaviour to the new pattern. nok (2006) disclosed that schools that have automated their libraries report that students actually check out two to three times more items after automation than they did before automation. searches are possible for the youngest users and visual search is helpful for remedial learners, and catalog card electronically displayed helps the student know details about materials available on a particular field (jones 2007). ajibola (2000) lamented that; librarians must appreciate automation because of its ease of use. for example, items can be cataloged using vendorsupplied catalog records. librarians can circulate items with ease and have an accurate account for each student’s activities. interaction with students is enhanced when the library is automated. hosting the library to the web, for access wherever teachers, students, and parents have access to a web browser is a wonderful benefit that occurs for little cost and with practically no additional work for the librarian. networked library software provides for access in each classroom if so desired, as well as via the web for access to the contents of the library beyond the school’s walls (mutula & mooko, 2008). the concept “corporate culture” as explained by schershorn (1993) is a set of common values, attitudes, and behaviours which are perceived as being of the organizationthis include ethical standards, flexibility of management, creativity of employees, concern for public welfare, and the need for compliance with the law. adeyoyin (2006) noted that culture is rooted in deeply held belief and it reflects what has worked in the past. it is a way of sharing beliefs, attitudes, assumptions, and values, which may not have been explicitly articulated. it is a very powerful instrument of change, because, it shapes the way people act and interact and strongly influences how to get thing done. corporate culture consists of values. adeyoyin (2006) noted that, it is a moral dimension that influence beliefs and attitudes of individuals in an organization such as honesty, loyalty, ethical performance, etc. that is, values influence a person’s or group’s perception of situation or problems and they form the basis of impact of staff organizational culture on the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria 161 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 human activities as they influence choice, preference, and decision in an organization. bryson (2004) observed that corporate values are the basis of human activities, which influence choice, preference, and decision. choice of alternative action among decisions greatly affects the growth of organizations without which, error or even failure may occur in achieving a task as a result of error or wrong choice of action. horton and hunt (1980) defined corporate norms as standards of behaviour that are typical of or accepted within a particular group or society. it is a concept of what is expected to exist; standardized expected ways of feelings and acting where members of the society generally acknowledge and with some deviations, follow more or less perfectly. an organization that has a clear knowledge of what is expected to exist in its workings will not by any means have a problem of achieving a particular task; this applies to the implementation of library automation. cohen, et al (1995) opined that, corporate culture norms are the cements that hold a group or employees together because they tell members exactly what behaviour is believed desirable to foster the group’s goals and maintain its existence. previous researchers such as ogunsola (2004) and mullins (2004) revealed that, lack of training workshops, employees’ survey, assistance with portfolio building, time needed to introduce and consolidate the change required and, the timescales agreed for assessment are some of the reasons responsible for the non-implementation of automation of libraries in federal universities of nigeria. it is envisaged that library staff corporate culture of values is related to implementation of automation in an organization. cloke and goldsmith (2002) noted that inability to reach consensus by the library staff on corporate values, leads to organizations’ inability to achieve its implementation plans. it is also assumed that corporate culture of norms of employees can influence change such as implementation of automation in an organization. fineman, sims, and gabriel (2003) revealed that, corporate norms guide employees’ actions without which, there will be variation of behaviour in organizations, and it affects implementation of change. it is in recognition of the above-envisaged existing relationship between organizational culture and implementation of automation that prompted the need for this study to determine the impact of organizational culture of value and norm on the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north-east zone of nigeria. objectives of the study the objectives of the study were to determine: 1. the level of implementation of automation of libraries in federal universities of the northeast zone of nigeria. 2. the perception of library staff on the impact of corporate culture of values on the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities of the north-east zone of nigeria. 3. the perception of library staff on the impact of corporate culture of norms on the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities of the north-east zone of nigeria. research questions the study sought to answer the research question, which states that: 1. what is the level of implementation of automation of libraries in federal universities in the north-east zone of nigeria? hypotheses. wavi pur mamza, mussa dauda bassi & zainab abdullahi mohammed 162 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 ho1. there is no significant impact of organizational culture of values on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north-east zone of nigeria. ho2. there is no significant impact of organizational culture of norms on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north-east zone of nigeria. literature review mullins, (2004) pointed out that, effectiveness of implementation of automation is based on the consideration of training workshops, progress meetings, employees’ survey, and assistance with portfolio building. the biggest problem for most organizations was the time needed to introduce and consolidate the change required and the timescales agreed for assessment. that even with good planning, circumstances can change, and having made a commitment to be assessed by a certain date, organizations find themselves under pressure to meet the datelines. undoubtedly, it pays as peace and robson (2004) found, not to try and rush it and to set realistic timescales. for this, employees should be given reasons behind the contemplated change; the benefits that will accrue to employees as a result of the change have to be discussed with them. the assumption is that if employee is told what to benefits from change, his resistance to it may decrease. adeleye (2005) revealed that corporate value evolves usually overtime and they represent a collective experience of both employees and the managers without which, managers would have to start from the scratch each time they involve in decision-making. librarianship has strong corporate values, which may not always fit the changing environment. demands for access and availability for example, may be frustrated by our desires to preserve and protect materials. even with interlibrary loan and interlibrary cooperation, there is still a gap in meeting the demands of the library clienteles across the continent, especially in the developing nations of the world. users are sometimes restricted from accessing some materials because of their sensitive nature and more importantly, the preservation of such materials are for future generations (gilsdorf, 2007). similarly, clampitt (2005) argued that, effective organizations use values to structure information to provide a focused reminder to employees knowing well that, they can pay attention to an infinite array of information ranging from listening to the latest gossip to reading an ever-expanding stream of electronic communication. variation of behaviour in an organization has an adverse effect/impact in decision-making. romani (2004) opined that, a corporate norm expresses what is usually appropriate in an organization as norms indicate to individuals what they must do, links individuals to behaviours. change in individuals’ behaviour in an organization affects their perceptions toward a task. organizations need to have something to govern their affairs and that is, the corporate norms. bryson (2004) commended the need for a set of corporate norms that as a service organization, an information service corporate culture should be the set of norms that affect employees’ behaviour in areas of clientele/customer service satisfaction, and a concern for equality and innovation in service delivery. adeyoyin (2006) also stated that, group accepts norms in various degrees, that is, some are accepted completely, others only partially. and so if a norm is broken, members will usually react in some kind of negative ways-with a dirty impact of staff organizational culture on the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria 163 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 look, a sarcastic comments, a joke that has a cutting edge, even a physical punishment, such as a ‘friendly’ punch on the arm or some other negative responses. methodology for the purpose of this research, survey method was used as it focuses on people and their opinions, attitudes, motivation and behaviour (kerlinger 1964). a structured questionnaire was administered on fifty-six (56) librarians and sixty-nine (69) nonprofessional library staff totaling a hundred and twenty five (125) from the three libraries in federal universities of the north east zone of nigeria: abubakar tafawa balewa university bauchi, modibbo adama university of technology yola, and university of maiduguri. data collected was analyzed using simple percentage to answer the research question while inferential statistics of chi-square was used to test the null hypotheses. findings out of the one hundred and twenty-five (125) copies of the questionnaire administered, one hundred and five 105 (95.5%) were adequately filled and found usable to test the null hypotheses. that is, 25(14.3%) from futy, 15(23.8%) from atbu while unimaid formed the bulk of the respondents with 65(61.9%). the finding indicated that out of the one hundred and five (105) respondents, majority of them were males scoring 65(61.9%) while 40(38.1%) respondents were females. research question: what is the level of implementation of automation of libraries in federal universities in the north-east zone of nigeria? table 1: level of implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria items responses yes % no % total 1 availability of ict facilities in the library 94 89.5 11 10.5 105(100) 2 acquisition of computer literacy 47 44.8 58 55.2 105(100) 3 availability of software package for library use 39 37.1 66 62.9 105(100) 4 connection of library to internet 83 79 22 21 105(100) 5 automation system coverage in library processes 33 31.4 72 68.6 105(100) average 59 56.36 46 43.64 105(100) the finding revealed that, 94(89.5%) respondents indicated that the libraries had acquired ict facilities while 83(79%) indicated that their libraries were connected to internet. however, 58(55.2%) respondents have no computer literacy while 66(62.9%) indicated that there was none availability of software package for library use. also, 72(68.6%) of the respondents indicated that, none of the libraries use automation system in carrying out their library processes. ho1: there is no significant impact of organizational culture of values on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north-east zone of nigeria. wavi pur mamza, mussa dauda bassi & zainab abdullahi mohammed 164 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 table 2a: cross tabulation of organizational culture of values of observed and expected frequencies perceptions on corporate culture sa a d sd total f0 fe f 0 fe f0 fe f0 fe cost benefit 60 45 4 1 53 2 4 2 3 105 105 105 105 105 525 speed 4 2 45 59 53 1 4 3 3 accuracy 40 45 55 53 6 4 4 3 flexibility 40 45 57 53 6 4 2 3 directness 3 6 45 60 53 5 4 4 3 total 225 265 20 15 table 2b: 2x4 chi-square contingency table for the test of the impact of organizational culture of values on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria options sa a d sd total x 2 df p-value decision p< 0.05 observed 45 53 4 3 105(100) 80.105 3 000 s expected 26.3 26.3 26.3 26.3 105(100) significant at 0.05 level of significance. the result in table 2b shows that, the calculated x 2 is 80.105 while the p-value at 0.05 level of significance at 3 degree of freedom is 000. since the calculated x 2 of 80.105 is greater than the p-value of 000 at 0.05 level of significance with 3 degree of freedom, the null hypothesis which stated that, there is no significant impact of organizational culture of values on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria is rejected. this implies that, there is significant impact of organizational culture of values on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north-east zone of nigeria. ho2: there is no significant impact of organizational culture of norms on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria. impact of staff organizational culture on the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria 165 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 table 3a: cross tabulation of organizational culture of norms of observed and expected frequencies perceptions on corporate culture sa a d sd total f0 fe f0 fe f0 fe f0 fe friendliness 42 38 50 44 10 16 4 7 105 105 105 105 105 525 convenience 38 38 47 44 14 16 6 7 familiarity 30 38 42 44 19 16 9 7 appearance 40 38 45 44 17 16 10 7 compliance 37 38 36 44 20 16 6 7 total 190 220 80 35 table 3b: 2x4 chi-square contingency table for the test of the impact of organizational culture of norms on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria options sa a d sd total x 2 df p-value decision p< 0.05 observed 38 44 16 7 105(100) 35.381 3 000 s expected 26.3 26.3 26.3 26.3 105(100) significant at 0.05 level of significance. the result in table 3b shows that, the calculated x 2 is 35.381 while the p-value at 0.05 level of significance at 3 degree of freedom is 000. since the calculated x 2 of 35.381 is greater than the p-value of 000 at 0.05 level of significance at 3 degree of freedom, the null hypothesis which stated that, there is no significant impact of organizational culture of norms on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria is rejected. this implies that, there is significant impact of organizational culture of values on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north-east zone of nigeria. summary of findings based on the analysis, the following are the major findings of the study: 1. the level of implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the northeast zone of nigeria was low; 2. there was significant impact of organizational culture of values on the library staff in the implementation of wavi pur mamza, mussa dauda bassi & zainab abdullahi mohammed 166 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria, 3. there was significant impact of organizational culture of norms on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria. discussion the low level of implementation of automation in all the libraries is a pointer to the fact that, there are problems bedeviling the implementation of automation in the affected libraries. although, there were commendable efforts toward acquiring ict facilities, it was also affirmed that the libraries had been connected to the internet. some of the reasons uncovered as responsible for non implementation of automation include: low level of computer literacy and poor planning as the libraries had no software package to use. this is in line with nok (2006) who suggested that, the introduction of an automated system into a library or an information service with no prior experience of the use of computers would have a major impact on staff and would constitute a serious experience. value has significant effect on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria. the existence of wide gap revealed between the calculated values clearly explains that, the cost benefit, speed, flexibility, and accuracy of an automated system were inadequately sounded to the understanding of both professional and nonprofessional library staff of the universities. this finding is in agreement with mullins (2004) who noted that, when all members of an organization are not conversant with the organization’s values, employees would have problems in organizing themselves whether in participation during decisionmaking or in actualizing conceptions during implementation processes. that the, valuebased relationships have to be strengthened by recognizing and encouraging behaviour that upholds their values. the significance of norms on library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria is alarming. this implies that friendliness, compliance, and familiarity of an automation system were not properly acknowledged and accepted by the employees of federal universities of the north east zone of nigeria and, this has greatly affected the implementation of automation in the respective libraries. this finding is in agreement with the views of lewin’s ((1951) ‘behaviour modification model’ that in order to effect change in an organization, those forces (corporate culture values and norms of the library staff) which maintain behaviours in its present forms against the new change, must be reduced through adequate awareness such as seminars, lectures, conferences, and induction courses. the inability of the libraries concerned with regard to creating awareness on the capabilities of ict for information storage, processing and retrieval to their employees has created a vacuum for not accepting the positive action/change. conclusion the universal acceptance that the world is becoming a global village is un-debatable, as this depends upon information and communication technology (ict) as evidenced by the big role it is playing. library automation and internet services have become the major shareholders in information handling that had softened librarian’s work with high output. developed and developing nations are deriving tremendous advantages from this technology impact of staff organizational culture on the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria 167 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 for updating the knowledge of their researchers and scientists as can be seen in communication, business, education, health, manufacturing, etc, with instant and up-todate information. however, the finding revealed that implementation of automation in the libraries studied was very low while the effects of corporate culture of values and norms were highly significant. this failure may not be unconnected with lack of proper planning and non involvement of staff by the management in effecting the new change. recommendations based on the findings of this research, the following recommendations were made: 1. the federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria should ensure proper planning of implementation of automation processes such that, vital areas such as staff training (computer literacy), selection of programmes such as software packages for library use, etc. are seriously considered; 2. the federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria should ensure proper reconciliation between organizational and library staff corporate values. 3. the federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria should see to it that the corporate norms of library staff are not infringed upon if implementation of an automated system would be achieved. references adeleye, a. (2005). management. kaduna, nigeria: apani publications. adeyoyin, s. o. (2006). managing the library’s corporate culture for organizational efficiency, productivity, and enhanced service. ibadan: world information service. ajibola, b. (2000). computer communication. in ajibola, b. and tiamiyu, m. (ed). library automation for the information age (pp. 114-123). ibadan: center for leveraging information for productivity. bryson, j. o. (2004). effective library and information center management: information policies (2 nd ed). oxford: butterworth. chin, l. and berne, k. (1995). general strategies for effective changes in human system. new york: holt, rinehart &winston, inc clampitt, p. g. (2005). communicating for managerial effectiveness (3 rd ed) london: sage publications. cloke, k., and goldsmith, j. (2003). the end of management and rise of organizational democracy. new york: prentice hall. cohen, l. r. (1995). effective behaviour in organization: cases, concepts, and students experience (6 th ed). boston: mcgraw hill & irwin. fineman, s., sims, d and, gabriel p. (2003). organizing and organization (2 nd ed). london: sage publication. gilsdorf, j. w. (2007). organizational culture: managing change. london: longman. horton, p.b. and hunt, c. l. (1980). sociology: international students edition (5 th ed). michigan: mcgraw-hill book company. wavi pur mamza, mussa dauda bassi & zainab abdullahi mohammed 168 information impact vol. 6 (2) 2015 jones, d. w. (2007). benefits of automating the school library. http://www.msn.com/ edu/~mbolin/nok.html retrieved on 20 th september 2008. lewin, k. (1951). field theory of social science. new york: harper & row. mullins, l. j. (2004). management and organizational behaviour (7 th ed). harlow: prentice hall. mutula, s. m. and mooko, n. p. (2008). knowledge management. in aina, l. o., mutula, s. m., and tiamiyu, m. a. (ed). information and knowledge management in the digital age: concepts, technologies, and perspectives (pp.101-121). ibadan: world information service. nok, g. (2006). challenges of computerizing a university library in nigeria: the case study of kashim ibrahim library, ahmadu bello university zaria. library philosophy and practice, 8 (2) http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~ mbolin/nok.html accessed on 25-52007. ogunsola, l. a. (2004). nigerian university libraries and the challenges of globalization: the way forward.15 (.2-3). electronic journal of academic and special librarianship retrieved on 10/5/2008 pearce ii, j. a. and robinson jr., r. b. (2004). strategic management: strategy formulation and implementation (3 rd ed). india: aitbs. publication. romani, l. (2004). culture in management; the measurement of difference. in harzing, a. and ruysseveldt, j. (ed). international human resource management. london: sage. schershorn jr., j. r. (1993). management for productivity (4 th ed). new york: john wiley. tiamiyu, m. a (2000). developing automated library system in developing countries: issues and strategies. in ajibola, b. and tiamiyu, m. (ed). library automation for the information age (pp.63-80). ibadan: center for leveraging information for productivity. table 2a: cross tabulation of organizational culture of values of observed and expected frequencies table 2b: 2x4 chi-square contingency table for the test of the impact of organizational culture of values on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria table 3a: cross tabulation of organizational culture of norms of observed and expected frequencies table 3b: 2x4 chi-square contingency table for the test of the impact of organizational culture of norms on the library staff in the implementation of automation in libraries of federal universities in the north east zone of nigeria journal of information and knowledge management 2023, vol. 14, no. 157,-171: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.10 to cite this article: ekeruche, a. c., & echedom,.a..u. (2023) interpersonal skills as correlate of career development among librarians in academic libraries in south-south nigeria. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 14:1, 157171, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.10 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.10 interpersonal skills as correlate of career development among librarians in academic libraries in south-south nigeria 1 augustina chinwe ekeruche 2 anthonia u. echedom 1 college of education library, warri, delta state, nigeria 2 department of library and information science, nnamdi azikiwe university, awka, nigeria abstract this study examined interpersonal skills as correlate of career development of librarians in academic libraries in south south, nigeria. correlational survey design was adopted to conduct the study. the population of the study is 301 comprising of librarians in south-south, nigeria. there was no sampling. questionnaire was used as the method of data collection data collected were analyzed using inferential statistics. for the research questions, analysis was done using pearson product moment correlational coefficient (ppmc) and point biserial correlation coefficient (r) while multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. the study revealed among others that; there is a high positive relationship between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in academic libraries, and there exist a significant relationship between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in academic libraries and it revealed low negative relationship between work experience of librarians and their career development in academic libraries and there is a significant relationship between work experience of librarians and their career development in academic libraries. high possessions of interpersonal skills increase librarian’s career development significantly in academic libraries in south-south nigeria. based on the findings, the study recommended among others; that library management should engage librarians in a lot of interpersonal skills and communication in the course of their job, the university management should train librarians while on the job, and their skills need to be updated through training and development program, orientation, induction, inventory, conferences, workshop and seminars in order to enhance their interpersonal skills and research. keywords interpersonal skills, career development, academic libraries, librarians, nigeria contact augustina chinwe ekeruche @ augustinaa30@gmail.com 2023 the authors published with license by information impact a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 158 introduction interpersonal skills entail relationship among workers. papandrea (2021) stated that most human resource manager and recruiting agencies look out for interpersonal skills like communication skills, problem-solving and conflict resolution, emotional intelligence and positivity, leadership, and teamwork. therefore, librarians must acquire interpersonal skills. according to kerr (2019), one of the most in-demand „soft' skills is interpersonal skills. when we communicate with others, we show these characteristics and behaviors. also, the most basic aspect of interaction, such as one's attitude toward others and body language are crucial aspect of one's interpersonal abilities. beqiri (2018) postulated that effective interpersonal skills are required to form connections and establish relationships. also, beqiri outlined the type of interpersonal skills to include; verbal communication, active listening, body language, openness, negotiation skills, decision making and problem-solving skills, conflict resolution, assertiveness, positive attitude, teamwork and empathy. there is a growing recognition that the need for interpersonal skills apply to internal peer and management relations as well as to user-contact activities. librarians need good communication skills, record-keeping skills, teaching skills, information research skills and the ability to evaluate material and to be organized. librarians also need computer skills and they should know how to preserve the documents from damage. management skills may also be useful as librarians are involved in team management (koganuramath & angadi, 2018). librarians need to be friendly, maintain enthusiasm, pleasing personality, helpful and patient when dealing with users, able to remain calm and polite under stress, accurate, quick and efficient; able to work on their own, self-motivated, able to ask for help if it is needed. information is an intangible substance that must be sent by the speaker and received by an active listener. koganuramath and angadi (2018) affirmed that interpersonal skills and communication skills are two “must-have skills” for librarians to be able to publicize themselves in the librarianship profession, the skills they have to offer, the library products, and services as well as manage a good public relations. aliu and eneh (2011) posited that in this 21st century, librarians should possess the following good interpersonal communication skills, which include; possession of calm, welcoming facial expression that elicits warmth and readiness to assist, use of a tone of voice appropriate to the nature of the transaction, communicate in a cordial, receptive and encouraging manner, provide the clientele the freedom and relaxed mind to state his/her information needs in his/her own best understanding without being harassed and employ an open-ended questioning method to encourage the patron to expand on his request. a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 159 librarians most possess the interpersonal skills for answering reference queries pellack (2003) posited that librarians who have a knack for interpersonal skills do very well both at the reference desk and interacting with their co-workers. pellack, further postulates that reference librarians are expected to interact effectively with a variety of clientele with skills such as approachability, showing interest and verbal and non-verbal cues and these are the hallmark of interpersonal skills. rothwell (2004) notes that communication skills are critical to landing a job, receiving promotion and performing effectively in the workplace. good interpersonal skill is one of the factors that distinguish a reference librarian. interpersonal communication in reference services facilitate understanding of users‟ queries and enhance the articulation of answers to users' inquiries. therefore, librarians should acquire interpersonal skills to enhance their carrier development career development according to indeed editorial team (2020) is a profession, occupation, trade or vocation and is also referred to as a career. a career can also be seen as what librarians do for progression which can vary from requiring rigorous training and education to those that a particular task can be accomplished. to affirm that, trisliatan et-al (2018) states that librarian‟s career development in the university‟s (academic) library is the process of recruitment which places more emphasis on bureaucratic aspect rather than the suitability of their educational background and ability. therefore, career development is a set of individual improvement capabilities process that they undergo to achieve a desirable career, which is aimed at adjusting between the needs and goals of employees with career opportunities that are available in companies currently and in the future (prajapati, 2020). statement of the problem career development is the gateway that supports librarians to enhance their skills and knowledge which in turn boosts their capabilities, increases efficiency, mastery in their routines, and a better understanding of their career. from the literature, the skill that is a must-have for librarians to succeed is interpersonal skills. academic librarians must have interpersonal skills to establish good rapport with colleagues in order to serve effectively. inadequate interpersonal skills may lead to poor performance in their career. in the context of academic libraries in the south-south region of nigeria, there is a need to examine the correlation between interpersonal skills and career development among librarians. interpersonal skills encompass the ability to communicate effectively, collaborate with others, and build positive relationships within a professional setting. career development refers to the growth, advancement, and overall professional success of librarians in their chosen field. despite the recognized importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace, there is limited research focusing specifically on the relationship between interpersonal skills a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 160 and career development among librarians in academic libraries in the south-south region of nigeria. this knowledge gap hinders the understanding of the impact that interpersonal skills may have on the career trajectories and job satisfaction of librarians in this specific context. preliminary investigation conducted by the researcher revealed that a lot of librarians have been stagnant for years because they fail to meet up with requirement for publication. librarians whether aged or young need time, support, mentoring, experience and monetary and infrastructural support to build their research competencies to the peak. consequently, it is assumed that no university can rise above the level of services offered by her library. thus, for a university library to remain afloat and for efficient and effective services, competent, experienced, vibrant, young, skilled, educated and dedicated librarians are needed to drive this objective. the researchers had observed that most librarians in academic libraries in nigeria seemed not to be concerned about advancement in their career. this could be lack of concern for career advancement and poor interpersonal skills. it is against this backdrop that this study seeks to examine interpersonal skills as correlate of career development of librarians in academic libraries in south south, nigeria. objectives of the study the study intends to determine how interpersonal skills correlate with career development of librarians in academics libraries in south south, nigeria. specifically, the study seeks to find out: 1. the relationship between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south south, nigeria. 2. the relationship among interpersonal skills and research competence of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south south, nigeria 3. the relationship between work experience of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south south, nigeria. research questions the research questions that this study will address are: 1. what is the relationship between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south south, nigeria? 2. what is the relationship among interpersonal skills and research competence of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south south, nigeria? 3. what is the relationship between work experience of librarians and their career development in university libraries in south south, nigeria? a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 161 hypotheses the following hypotheses were formulated for the study: 1. there is no significant relationship between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in southsouth, nigeria. 2. there is no significant relationship among interpersonal skills and research competence of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in southsouth, nigeria. 3. there is no significant relationship between work experience of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in southsouth, nigeria. review of related literature there is a growing recognition that the need for interpersonal skills apply to internal peer and management relations as well as to user-contact activities. librarians need good communication skills, record-keeping skills, teaching skills, information research skills and the ability to evaluate material and to be organized. librarians also need computer skills and they should know how to preserve the documents from damage. management skills may also be useful, as librarians are involved in team management (koganuramath & angadi, 2018). librarians need to be friendly, maintain enthusiasm, pleasing personality, helpful and patient when dealing with users, able to remain calm and polite under stress, accurate, quick and efficient; able to work on their own, self-motivated, able to ask for help if it is needed. however, tanawade (2011) affirmed that interpersonal skill is wholly applied to internal peer and management relations as well as to user-contact activities. librarians need good communication skills, record-keeping skills, teaching skills, information research skills, and the ability to evaluate material and to be organized. librarians information is an intangible substance that must be sent by the speaker and received by an active listener. koganuramath and angadi (2018) affirmed that interpersonal skills and communication skills are two must-have skills for librarians to be able to publicize themselves in the librarianship profession the skills they have to offer, the library products, and services as well as manage a good public relations. aliu and eneh (2011) posited that in this 21st century, librarians should possess the following good interpersonal communication skills, which include; possession of calm, welcoming facial expression that elicits warmth and readiness to assist, use a tone of voice appropriate to the nature of the transaction, communicate in a cordial, receptive and encouraging manner, provide the clientele the freedom and relaxed mind to state his information need in his own best understanding without being harassed and employ an open-ended questioning method to encourage the patron to expand on his request. librarians with low interpersonal skills perform below expectation while those with high skills perform better. pellack (2003) posited that librarians who have a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 162 a knack for interpersonal skills do very well both at the reference desk and interacting with their co-workers. pellack, further postulates that reference librarians are expected to interact effectively with a variety of clientele with skills such as approachability, showing interest, and verbal and non-verbal cues and these are the hallmarks of interpersonal skills. rothwell (2004) notes that communication skills are critical to landing a job, receiving a promotion, and performing effectively in the workplace. good interpersonal skill is one of the factors that distinguish a reference librarian. interpersonal communication in reference services facilitates understanding of users‟ queries and enhances the articulation of answers to users' inquiries. work experience also influence career development of librarians positively or negatively. according to animasahun and oludemi (2013) working experience has always been viewed as a predictor of career commitment. working experience is often used as standard criteria for recruitment purposes with the view that those with more years of experience in a given field are more likely to be committed and perform better. this therefore means that those below ten years in the service, that are not committed, seem to have taken their career as a source of livelihood rather than a career path. jones, zanko and kriflik (2006) reported that tenureship had a positive association to career commitment. it can be understood that the longer an individual stays in a career the more committed such individual a study conducted by farroq, et al (2016) on current and required competencies of university librarians in pakistan. the findings of the study revealed that there is a significant gap between the perceptions of university librarians about their present skills and requirements. also, there is no significant relationship between the length of job (i. e experience), grade, and skills of academic librarians similarly, another study conducted by exner, (2019) on the development of research competencies among academic librarians this study found that the experience of being a researcher-librarian is one of learning sharpened by the library context. a study conducted by gbaje, yani and odies (2018) on assessing the competencies and skills of academic librarians in nigeria: for scholarly communication. the study discovered among others, a high percentage of the sampled academic librarians use commercial and open access publishing platforms and open access policies and copyright career development is the process of learning and improving your skills so that you can do your job better and progress to better jobs. according to half (2021), career development does not happen overnight; rather, it is a continuous process that you work on during your professional life, with no one-size-fits-all solution. many of the conventional signs of achievement, such as getting a promotion, earning a pay raise, or excelling at performance appraisal time, are all part of developing a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 163 your career. informa uk limited (2021) affirmed that analyzing the career path of librarians can be a daunting thought, and it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to planning your progression. barnett (2019) postulates that librarians must consult job descriptions of roles they find interesting, as this will make the job be done effortlessly. barnett, further stated that starter librarians must do a gap analysis of their skill set so that they could plan their continuing professional development (cpd) around plugging those gaps, and the methods that can be employed include attending conferences and training courses. trisliatanto, et-al (2018) posited that a librarian‟s career development can be achieved by doing many different things, for example, by getting a promotion, doing an assessment, doing scientific research, and bettering the resources. they further categorized the factors of career development of librarians into three which are; motivation factors, human capital factors and librarian functional factor. more so, tucker (2008) affirmed that librarians can develop their careers via acquiring university certification or development acquired from the professional body they belong to. this involves striving to get a higher degree which will lead to increased profile, better wages and fulfillment. tucker, also emphasized the need for librarians to pitch tent with professional bodies/ associations that align with their career path. balarabe, et al (2016) published resolved career projection of librarians to include graduate assistant, assistant librarian, librarian ii, librarian i, senior librarian, deputy university librarian, and university librarian. methodology the study used correlational research design. nworgu, (2015) states that a correlational design is a research design where a researcher seeks to establish relationship between two or more variables. this study seeks to explore the relationship between interpersonal skills and career development of librarians in academic libraries in south -south nigeria. the population of the study comprised of 301 (three hundred and one) professional librarians working in academic libraries in southsouth, nigeria. see appendix a. the researcher choose librarians for they are the ones that manned the resources in the library and also because they can be easily reached without much difficulty. the study adopted census sampling technique. the australian bureau of statistics (2013) affirmed that the census sampling technique provides a true measure of the population by eradicating sampling errors. therefore, the entire population was used which is 301 (three hundred and one) librarians in academic libraries in southsouth, nigeria. the study used structured questionnaire as the method of data collection. the internal reliability coefficient for the questionnaire items on career development is 0.925 while the reliability coefficient for interpersonal skills of librarians was kr-20 0.830. descriptive and inferential statistics was adopted for the method of data a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 164 analysis. the pearson product moment correlation coefficient r and point-biserial correlation were used respectively to analyse the research questions why multiple regression was used to test the hypotheses. results research question 1 what is the relationship between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in southsouth, nigeria? table 1: pearson r on the interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in academic libraries sources of variation n librarians research competences r librarians career development r remark librarians research competences 301 1 0.89 high positive relationship librarians career development 301 0.89 1 in table 1, it was reported that a very high positive relationship of 0.89 exists between librarians‟ interpersonal skills and librarians‟career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. research question 2 what is the relationship among interpersonal skills, research competence of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria? table 2: summary of regression analysis on relationship among interpersonal skills, research competence of librarians and their career development in academic libraries r r-square adjusted r-square remark 0.95 0.90 0.90 very high positive relationship table 2 shows that a very high positive relationship of 0.95 exist among interpersonal skills, research competences of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. research question 3 what nature of relationship exists between work experience of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria? a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 165 table 3: point-biserial correlation (rpb) on work experience of librarians and their career development in academic libraries sources of variation n work experience rpb librarians career development rpb remark work experience 301 1 -0.10 low negative relationship librarians career development 301 -0.10 1 in table 3 it was recorded that a low negative relationship of -0.10 exists between work experience and librarians career development in academic libraries in southsouth, nigeria. hypotheses testing hypotheses 1 there is no significant relationship between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in university libraries in south-south, nigeria. table 4: t-test on the relationship between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in academic libraries n df cal. t p-value remark 301 299 8.81 0.00 significant table 4 reveals that at 0.05 level of significance and 299df, the calculated t 8.81 with p-value 0.00 which is less than 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected. hence, there is a significant relationship existing between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. hypothesis 2 there is no significant relationship among interpersonal skills, research competence of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. table 5: summary of regression analysis on the relationship existing among interpersonal skills, research competence of librarians and their career development in academic libraries r r-square adjusted r-square df cal. f pvalue remark 0.95 0.90 0.90 299 1351.79 0.00 significant table 5 reports that at 0.05 level of significance 3df numerator and 299df denominator, the calculated f1351.79 with p-value 0.000 which is less than 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected. this goes to mean that a significant relationship exists among interpersonal skills, research competence of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. hypothesis 3 there is no significant relationship between work experience of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 166 table 6: t-test on the relationship between work experience of librarians and their career development in academic libraries n df cal. t p-value remark 301 299 3.41 0.00 significant table 6 reports that at 0.05 level of significance and 299df, the calculated t 3.41 with pvalue 0.00 which is less than 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected. hence, there is a significant relationship existing between work experience of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. summary of findings based on the analysis conducted, the following findings emerged; 1. there is a very high positive relationship of 0.89 between librarians‟ interpersonal skills and librarians‟ career development in university libraries in south-south, nigeria. 2. there is a very high positive relationship of 0.95 existing among interpersonal skills, research competences of librarians‟ and their career development in university libraries in south-south, nigeria. 3. there is a low negative relationship of -0.10 between work experience and librarians career development in university libraries in south-south, nigeria. 4. there is a significant relationship existing between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in university libraries in south-south, nigeria. 5. there is a significant relationship among interpersonal skills, research competence of librarians and their career development in university libraries in south-south, nigeria 6. there is a significant relationship existing between work experience of librarians‟ and their career development in university libraries in southsouth, nigeria. discussion of findings the findings of this study showed that there is a very high positive relationship of 0.89 between librarians‟ interpersonal skills and librarians‟ career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. this has shown that librarians in southsouth, nigeria possessed high interpersonal skills. the study agrees to the study conducted by jeyshankar (2018) wherein the study revealed that there is a positive relationship between interpersonal skills and library and information science professionals. on the hypothesis tested, it revealed a significant relationship existing between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in university libraries in south-south, nigeria. koganuramath and angadi (2018) affirmed that interpersonal skills and communication skills are two must-have skills for librarians a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 167 to be able to publicize themselves in the librarianship profession the skills they have to offer, the library products, and services as well as manage a good public relations. the outcome of this study revealed a very high positive relationship of 0.95 existing among interpersonal skills, research competences of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. this entails that the respondents are highly competent in term of research for carrier development. the current study is related to the outcome of the study conducted by siddiqi, et-al (2015) findings of the study revealed that there is a positive relationship between interpersonal skills, analytical skills and career development. on the hypothesis tested, it revealed that there is a significant relationship existing between interpersonal skills of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. tanawade (2011) affirmed that interpersonal skill is wholly applied to internal peer and management relations as well as to user-contact activities. the findings of this study showed that there is a low negative relationship of -0.10 between work experience and librarians career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. the study implies that librarians in south-south, nigeria have inadequate work experience as this might affect their carrier development. the outcome of this study is contrary to the study conducted by onifade, okoro and boakye (2018) on the work and career progression of experienced librarians in nigeria and ghana universities. the findings revealed that there are no clearly defined continuing education policies for experienced librarians and their carrier in the two countries. on the hypothesis tested it revealed there is a significant relationship existing between work experience of librarians and their career development in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. in a view of animasahun and oludemi (2013) working experience has always been viewed as a predictor of career commitment conclusion this study was conducted to determine how interpersonal skills correlate with career development of librarians‟. the present study concludes that interpersonal skill has great influence on librarian‟s career development and work experience influence career development of librarians positively or negatively. finally, high possession of interpersonal skills increases librarian‟s career development significantly in academic libraries in south-south, nigeria. recommendations based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made: 1. the library management should engage librarians in a lot of interpersonal skills and communication in the course of their job, during user registration, promotion/marketing of library services and resources, during reference/information services. this will bring drastic changes and positive a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 168 impacts both in the library landscape, library services and their carrier development 2. it is essential that university management should train librarians while on the job, and their skills need to be updated through training and developments program, orientation/induction, inventory, conferences, workshops and seminars in order to enhance their interpersonal skills, and research competencies. 3. library administrators should consider improving librarians‟ skills by on the job rotation that is, transfer of personnel from one division to another within and outside the library to gain more experience, as this will eradicate all forms of disparity and lack of work experience among librarians. references aliu, i.m., & eneh, a.c. (2011).the relevance of communication skills to library services.journal of information and knowledge management, 2(2), 1-11. balarabe, a.a., anunobi, c., nkiko, c., & idiodi, e.o. (2016). a compendium of the association of university (aulnu) and nigeria university libraries. zaria: abu press limited barnett, j. (2019). the accidental librarian: career progression advice for early-career librarians. retrieved from https://www.wiley.com/network/librarians/library-impact/the-accidentallibrarian-career-progression-advice-for-early-career-librarians beqiri, g. (2018). key interpersonal communication skills you need to improve. retrieved from https://virtualspeech.com/blog/interpersonal-communication-skills chijioke, p. i. (2011). satisfaction and performance of librarians in federal university libraries in southeast, nigeria (master‟s thesis, library and information science dictionary of library and information science (2005).definition of university library; west port, green wood publishing, pp. 403 half, r. (2021).career development. retrieved from https://www.roberthalf.com.au/career-advice/career-development indeed editorial team. (2020). what is a career? definition, paths, and examples. retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/careerdevelopment/what-is-a-career https://virtualspeech.com/blog/interpersonal-communication-skills https://www.roberthalf.com.au/career-advice/career-development a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 169 informa, uk limited. (2021). being a librarian: professional development. retrieved from https://librarianresources.taylorandfrancis.com/white_paper/being-alibrarian-professional-development/# jeyara, w. j. (2017). job satisfaction level of teacher librarians of national batticaloa district of sri lanka;quest journals journal of research in humanities and social science 5(6), 34-41,retrieved from www.questjournals.org kerr, m. (2019).what are interpersonal skills: definition & examples? retrieved from https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/interpersonal-skills koganuramath, m., & angadi, m. (2018).interpersonal skills for effective library management. retrieved from http://eprints.rclis.org/4972/1/interpersonalskills.pdf kumar, r. (2014). impact of organizational climate on job satisfaction: a study of bharti airtel india limited in shimla zonal office. international journal of development research, 4(5), 958-964 nworgu, b. g. (2015). educational research: basic issues and methodology; university trust publisher, nsukka. enugu olubunmi, a.o. & oduwesun, o. (2017).job satisfaction as correlates of carrier commitment of librarians in selected universities in ekiti and ondo state, nigeria, international journal of library and information studies, 3(1), 1-15. papandrea, d. (2021). interpersonal skills you need to succeed at work. retrieved from https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/interpersonal-skills pellack, l.j. (2003). interpersonal skills in the reference workplace. retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/38936948.pdf prajapati, s. (2020).what is career development? retrieved from https://www.businessmanagementideas.com/human-resource-management2/career-development/what-is-career-development/20203 rothwell, j.d. (2004). in the company of others: an introduction to communication. (2nd ed.). new york: mcgraw-hill. tanawade, m.s. (2011). effective interpersonal skills for library management.indian streams research journal, 1(1), 184-186. https://librarianresources.taylorandfrancis.com/white_paper/being-a-librarian-professional-development/ https://librarianresources.taylorandfrancis.com/white_paper/being-a-librarian-professional-development/ https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/interpersonal-skills http://eprints.rclis.org/4972/1/interpersonal-skills.pdf http://eprints.rclis.org/4972/1/interpersonal-skills.pdf https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/38936948.pdf a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 170 trisliatanto, d.a., yuwinanto, h.p., srimulyo, k., suntari, m.d., & kusumawardhani, l. (2018).librarian: analysis factors of career development. in: proceedings of the 1st international conference postgraduate school universitas airlangga: "implementation of climate change agreement to meet sustainable development goals" (icpsuas 2017). advances in social science, education and humanities research. surabaya: atlantis press. tucker, j.c. (2008). development of mid-career librarians. retrieved from https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017 & context=lib_articles appendix a distribution of librarians according to their institution s/no. universities no. of librarians 1 university of benin, benin city 25 2 university of calabar, calablar 29 3 university of uyo, uyo 25 4 federal university of petroleum resources, effurun 21 5 federal university, otuoke 10 6 university of port harcourt, port-harcourt 26 7 akwa ibom state university of technology, uyo 15 8 ambrose alli university, ekpoma 16 9 cross river state university of science and technology, calabar 13 10 delta state university, abraka 16 11 river state university of science and technology 11 12 edo university, uzairue 3 13 niger delta university, yenogoa 14 14 igbinedon university, okada 8 https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017 a.c.ekeruche, & a.u.echedom 171 15 benson idahosa university, benin city 16 16 novena university, ogume 9 17 obong university, obongntak 5 18 rhema university, obeama-asa-rivers state 6 19 samuel adegboyega university, ogwa 8 20 edwin clark university, ughelli 4 21 michael and cecilia ibru university, agbaro-oto 4 22 wellspring university, evbuobanosa 3 23 western delta university, oghara 6 24 ignatius ajuru university of education, port harcourt 8 total 301 source: field survey, 2023 journal of information and knowledge management 2023, vol. 14, no. 1, 40-53: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.3 to cite this article: ajayi, j.l, haliso, y, & unegbu,.v.e (2023) information literacy skills as predictor of electronic information resources use by lecturers in select private universities in south-west, nigeria. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 14:1, 40-53, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.3 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.3 information literacy skills as predictor of electronic information resources use by lecturers in select private universities in southwest nigeria 1 jide lawrence ajayi 1 yacob haliso 1 vincent e.unegbu 1 department of information resources management, babcock university, ilishan-remo, ogun state, nigeria abstract this study examined the influence of information literacy skills on electronic information resources (eirs) use by lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria. survey research design was adopted for the study. the target population for this study comprised 3201 lecturers in fifteen selected private universities in south-west, nigeria which were established between 1999 and 2007. out of 3201 study population, the researcher used taro yamane statistical formula to get a sample size of 356. a multistage sampling technique was adopted for the study. bourley proportional distribution formula was used to distribute the figure proportionally across the selected universities to ensure that the universities were proportionally represented. data were collected with a validated questionnaire. the internal consistency of the instrument was measured using cronbach’s alpha test which ranged from 0.74 – 0.96. a response rate of 76.2% was recorded. data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. findings from the study revealed that information literacy skills (βeta=0.441, t (275) = 8.156, p<0.05) has a positive and significant influence on eirs use by lecturers of universities in south-west, nigeria. keywords electronic information resources, literacy skills, social media, access, contact jide lawrence ajayi @ babcockuniversity.edu.ng 2023 the authors published with license by information impact j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 41 introduction electronic information resources (eirs), an offshoot of ict are becoming indispensable for teaching, learning and research activities. the eirs are significantly providing better opportunities for lecturers to have easier access to needed information. they are vital information research and teaching-learning tools that are making accessibility of relevant and updated information quicker and faster than the traditional print information resources. it is therefore germane to state that eirs have lots of advantages over print resources. some of the advantages of eirs over print resources are: easier accessibility of information resources, faster or speedy retrieval of needed information and not limited by geographical demarcation or physical boundary called library building. eirs give room for multiple users to access same information simultaneously unrestricted. importantly, accessibility and use of eirs are dependent on information literacy a skill of the lecturers. information literacy has been explained by many researchers. webber and johnston (2003) cited in ekong & ekong, (2018) explained information literacy as the capability of individuals to locate, being able to critically evaluate information sources and to make effective use of information acquired in decision making and knowledge creation. in addition, information literacy competence entails the ability of any user to be able identify information needs, search for relevant resources to meet those needs, analyze, evaluate, synthesize and communicate the resultant knowledge (tella, 2015). in the current age, students and scholars have at their disposals, innumerable eirs and databases. individuals are faced with diverse and abundant information choices in their academic environment, workplace, and personal lives. information is available through libraries, the internet, community resources centre, peer groups, multiple media sources, as well as in religious circles. on daily basis, people are bombarded with information emanating from the radio, television, newspapers, magazines, journals, books, e-mail, wikis, facebook, twitters, etc. (anunobi & udem, 2015). with increase in the volumes of information, it is expected that there should be a corresponding increasing search skills competence and ability required for synthesizing and accessing the right and relevant information to meets daily needs. as a result of multiple sources of information in this information age, it is a must for university lecturers to possess relevant information literacy skills that would enable them to acquire relevant information and translate such to desired knowledge. studies carried out by adeleke and emeahara (2016 ) and ndagi and madu (2018)revealed that there was as trong positive correlation between information literacy skills and utilization of electronic j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 42 resources. the studies revealed further that information literacy skills had great positive effect on the utilization of electronic resources. the big six information literacy model propounded by eisenberg and berkowitz (1990) which deals with information literacy knowledge and skills was the model upon which this study was based. it is a model that consists of six components. it incorporates skills in a systematic approach to information problem solving. it is a process model for information problem-solving. it integrates information search and use skills along with technology tools in a systematic process to find, use, apply, and evaluate information for specific needs and tasks. the big6 skills comprise a unified set of information and technology skills that are systematically arranged in systematic order to lead lecturers to easy understanding of electronic information resources accessibility and utilization. through the big6, people learn how to recognize their information needs and how to progress through a series of stages to solve information problems effectively and efficiently. the six steps of the big six information skills model are measured by the following indicators: task definition, information seeking strategies, location access, and use of information, synthesis and evaluation. statement of problem there is an unsubstantiated claims going round that despite the efforts of the academic libraries in creating awareness about the availability of various types of eir in their libraries, the lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria are not making effective use of the e-resources acquired with huge financial resources. low use of electronic information resources could have negative impact on academic survival and research productivity of the lecturers. therefore, there is need to investigate the level of information literacy skills of lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria, because accessibility of eir requires having some level of information literacy skills. objectives of the study the main objective of this study is to investigate social media engagement and electronic information resources use by lecturers in selected private universities in south -west, nigeria. the specific objectives are to: i. determine the level of information literacy skills of the lecturers in selected private universities in south-west, nigeria; ii. determine the influence of information literacy skills on electronic information resources use by lecturers in selected private universities in south-west, nigeria. j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 43 research question the research question below guided the study: what is the level of information literacy skills of the lecturers in selected private universities in south-west, nigeria? hypothesis the null hypothesis below guided the study and was tested at 0.05 significant levels: information literacy skills has no significant influence on electronic information resources use by lecturers in selected private universities in south-west, nigeria. scope of study the population scope of this study comprised of three thousand, two hundred and one (3201) lecturers in fifteen selected private universities in south-west, nigeria which were established between 1999 and 2007, having a record of at least fifteen years of existence. methodology survey research design was adopted for the study. the target population for this study comprised 3201 lecturers in fifteen selected private universities in south-west, nigeria which were established between 1999 and 2007. out of 3201 study population, the researcher used taro yamane statistical formula to get a sample size of 356. a multistage sampling technique was adopte d for the study. the first stage involved the use of purposive sampling technique to select the fifteen private universities established between 1999 and 2007 in the study area. at the second stage, bourley proportional distribution formula was used to distribute the figure proportionately across the fifteen selected universities to ensure that the universities were proportionally represented. data were collected with a valida 3ted questionnaire. the internal consistency of the instrument was measured using cronbach‟s alpha test which ranged from 0.74 – 0.96. a response rate of 76.2% was recorded. data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. table 1: sample size for the study s/n university population sample size 1 babcock university 500 56 2 bowen university 380 42 3 covenant university 420 47 4 pan-atlantic university 133 15 5 crawford university 134 15 6 bells university technology 224 25 7 crescent university 132 15 8 ajayi crowder university 160 18 j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 44 9 lead city university 131 14 10 redeemers university 250 28 11 joseph ayodele babalola university 211 23 12 achievers university 131 14 13 caleb university 145 16 14 fountain university 124 14 15 wesley university of science and technology 126 14 total 3201 356 designed by the researcher, 2023 research question: what is the level of information literacy skills of lecturers in selected private universities in south-west, nigeria? data collected on the research question was analyzed using descriptive statistics. table 2: level of information literacy skills of lecturers in private universities level of information literacy skills very high high low very low mean sd ability to formulate and identify a need for information 3.56 .36 ability to identify a topic using simple language 172(61. 9) 105(37.8 ) 1(0.4) 3.62 .49 ability to formulate questions based on specific information need 165(59. 4) 111(39.9 ) 2(0.7) 3.59 .50 ability to identify information need using e-resources 163(58. 6) 114(41.0 ) 1(0.4) 3.58 .50 ability to recognize a need for information to achieve a specific purpose 155(55. 8) 120(43.2 ) 3(1.1) 3.55 .52 ability to use several sources to increase familiarity with topic 118(42. 4) 123(44.2 ) 35(12. 6) 2(0.7) 3.48 .53 j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 45 knowledge of information seeking strategies 3.33 .58 knowledge of using encyclopedia to understand background information to a particular topic is 130(26. 8) 122(43.9 ) 26(9.4 ) () 3.37 .65 knowledge of using abstracting and indexing journal 131(47. 1) 111(39.9 ) 34(12. 2) 2(0.7) 3.33 .71 knowledge of using bibliography or reference list on the book to find other documents on the topic is 130(46. 8) 122(43.9 ) 26(9.4 ) 3.32 .71 knowledge to effectively use library catalogues [both card catalogue and online public access catalogue (opac)] 118(42. 4) 123(44.2 ) 35(12. 6) 2(0.7) 3.28 .70 ability to locate and access information 3.44 .45 my ability to use google scholar to find a research article online 144(51. 8) 115(41.4 ) 19(6.8 ) 3.45 .62 ability to select appropriate information search tools to access the needed information 137(49. 3) 127(45.7 ) 13(4.7 ) 1(0.4) 3.44 .60 ability to access the accurate eirs found on the internet 137(49. 3) 127(45.7 ) 13(4.7 ) 1(0.4) 3.44 .60 ability to find all the documents about a particular author in the library catalogue through access points search (either by author, title, subject or keywords) 135(48. 6) 128(46.0 ) 15(5.4 ) 3.43 .59 ability to use information 3.57 .38 j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 46 ability to communicate and present information to others in appropriate and usable format 170(61. 2) 104(37.4 ) 4(1.4) 3.60 .52 ability to use the information gathered for teaching-research purposes 164(59. 0) 110(41.0 ) 3.59 .49 ability to select materials and summarize them in my own words for personal use 165(59. 4) 110(39.6 ) 3(1.1) 3.58 .51 ability to use acquired information as a lead to produce an article or thesis 148(53. 2) 128(46.0 ) 2(0.7) 3.53 .51 ability to synthesize information 3.36 .56 ability to formulate right keywords in searching for information online 148(53. 2) 102(36.7 ) 28(10. 1) 3.43 .67 ability to cite bibliographic references in search reports using appropriate style (e.g. apa, chicago) 133(47. 8) 122(43.9 ) 23(8.3 ) 3.40 .63 my ability to narrow my search on a particular topic using the boolean operator is … 125(45. 0) 117(42.1 ) 35(12. 6) 1(0.4) 3.32 .70 ability to remove unwanted documents from my search using the boolean operator 126(45. 3) 114(41.0 ) 37(13. 3) 1(0.4) 3.31 .71 ability to evaluate information 3.49 .43 ability to competently evaluate information no matter the source 143(51. 4) 131(47.1 ) 143(51 .4) 3.50 .52 j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 47 ability to evaluate print sources based on its criterion 145(52. 2) 123(44.2 ) 10(3.6 ) 3.49 .56 ability to draw conclusions based upon information i got on the internet 147(52. 9) 118(42.4 ) 13(4.7 ) 3.48 .58 ability to evaluate online sources based on its criterion 145(52. 2) 123(44.2 ) 9(3.2) 1(0.4) 3.48 .58 grand mean = 3.46 decision rule: ifmean is 1.0 to 1.74 = very low; 1.75 to 2.49 = low; 2.50 to 3.24 = high; 3.25 to 4.0 = very high. respondents were asked to indicate their level of information literacy skills. as presented in table 4.5, the level of information literacy skills of the lecturers was examined with six main items which were sub-divided into twenty five items. the results from the findings revealed that the level of information literacy skills of lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria was very high (x̅= 3.46 on a scale of 4). further analysis shows that all the measures for information literacy skills for this study: ability to use information (x̅= 3.57), ability to formulate and identify a need for information (x̅= 3.56), ability to evaluate information (x̅= 3.49), ability to locate and access information (x ̅= 3.44), ability to synthesis information (x̅= 3.36) and knowledge of information seeking strategies (x̅= 3.33) were considerably very high. the results with very high mean scores for each of the main items suggested that the lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria possessed very high information literacy skills. analyses of the six main items with the sub-items under each of them are presented below: ability to formulate and identify a need for information had a group mean of x̅=3.56.all the sub-items attracted very high mean scores: ability to identify a topic using simple language attracted the highest mean of (x ̅=3.62), ability to formulate questions based on specific information need (x̅=3.59), ability to identify information need using eresources (x̅=3.58), ability to recognize a need for information to achieve a specific purpose (x̅=3.55) and ability to use several sources to increase familiarity with topic (x̅=3.48). this implies that lecturers in universities in south-west, nigeria possessed very high level in formulating and identifying a need for information. j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 48 importantly, ability to use information had a group mean of x ̅=3.57. all the sub-items had very high mean scores. for instance, the item, ability to communicate and present information to others recorded the highest mean (x ̅ = 3.60) while item on ability to use information to produce an article or thesis polled the lowest mean (x̅=3.50), which is still higher than the criterion mean (x̅=2.5). this implies that lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria possess very high level of ability to use information. moreover, under the ability to locate and access information, the lecturers possessed very high level of information literacy skill for locating and accessing information(group mean =3.44).sub-item analysis showed that ability to use google scholar to find a research article online(x ̅= 3.45), ability to select appropriate information search tools to access the needed information(x̅=3.44), ability to access the accurate eirs found on the internet (x̅=3.44) and ability to find all the documents about a particular author in the library catalogue through access points search (x ̅=3.43) were rated very high. in addition, an assessment of knowledge of information seeking strategies of the lecturers indicated a group mean score of x̅=3.33. all the sub-items were above the criterion mean of 2.5. also, the analysis of all the sub-items indicate very high levels: knowledge of using encyclopedia to understand background information was (x ̅=3.37), knowledge of using abstracting and indexing journal (x ̅=3.33), knowledge of using bibliography or reference list was (x ̅=3.32) and knowledge to using library catalogues (x̅=3.28). this result shows that lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria possess very high level of knowledge of information seeking. furthermore, ability to synthesize information attracted a group mean score of x ̅=3.36, with all its items being above the group mean. ability to formulate right keywords in searching for information online, polled a very high mean score of x ̅=3.43, while subitem on ability to remove unwanted documents from searching using the boolean operator had the lowest mean score of x ̅=3.31, though still higher than the criteria mean of 2.5.this showed that the lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria possessed very ability in synthesizing information. ability to evaluate information sub-items attracted a group score of x̅=3.49. all its subitems being above the group mean. ability to evaluate information no matter the source (x ̅=3.50), ability to evaluate print sources based on its criterion (x ̅=3.49), ability to draw conclusions based upon information on the internet (x̅=3.48) and ability to evaluate online sources based on its criterion (x ̅=3.48) polled very high mean scores. j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 49 this signifies that lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria possessed very high ability in evaluating information. hypothesis for the study: information literacy skills have no significant influence on electronic information resources use by lecturers of universities in south-west, nigeria. to test this hypothesis, multiple linear regression method was adopted. the results and conclusions are explained below. table 3: simple regression model on influence of information literacy skills on electronic information resources use unstandardized coefficients standardiz ed coefficient s t sig. b std. error beta (constant) 1.602 .258 6.213 .000 information literacy skills .605 .074 .441 8.156 .000 dependent variable: electronic information resources use. f (1, 276) = 66.158, p<0.05. r2 =.194, adj. r2 =.191 the result relating to the study hypothesis is presented in table 3. the result revealed thatinformation literacy skills (βeta=0.441, t (275) = 8.156, p<0.05) has a positive and significant influence on electronic information resources use by lecturers of universities in south-west, nigeria. the f-test (1, 276) is 66.158 showed that there is sufficient evidence to substantiate the model's usefulness in eirs use. the r2 (0.194) of the regression model indicates that 19.4% of the variation in eirs use is explained by information literacy skills of lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria. the finding suggested that information literacy skills are vital predictor of eirs use by lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria. the regression model is presented as: electronic information resources use = 1.602 + .605 information literacy skills this implied that eirs use increases by .605 when information literacy skills go up by 1 index unit. based on the f ratio and adjusted coefficient of determination with p-value less than conventional probability of 0.05, the null hypothesis (h01) which states that information literacy skills have no significant influence on electronic information resources use by lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria was hereby rejected. the finding suggested that information literacy skills contribute positively to eirs use by lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria. j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 50 discussion of findings this study investigated the influence of information literacy skills on electronic information resources use by lecturers in selected private universities in south-west, nigeria. to carry out this study, one research question and one hypothesis were tested. the discussion of findings was based on the results of the research questions and hypothesis of the study, which were derived from the objectives of the study. consequently, the study reviewed the relationship between information literacy skills and eirs use. the research question for the study was formulated to establish the level of information literacy skills of lecturers of private universities in south-west, nigeria. the result as presented on table 2 showed that the level of information literacy skills of lecturers of in selected private universities in south-west, nigeria was high(x ̅= 3.46, on a scale of 4). five dimensions were used to measure information literacy skills of the lecturers and all the dimensions revealed high use. the implication of this analysis is that the private universities in south-west, nigeria are versatile in all areas of information literacy skills, most especially in the area of identifying a need for information. the results of this study contradict that of odunlade, and ojo (2012) who found that lecturers in universities and colleges of education in southwest, nigeria lack information literacy skills. a research hypothesis was formulated to establish the influences of the independent variables (information literacy skills) on the dependent variable (electronic information resources use by lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria). hypothesis one was formulated to investigate the influence of information literacy skills on the use of eirs by lecturers in selected private universities in south-west, nigeria. the hypothesis states that information literacy skills will not significantly influence electronic resources use by lecturers in selected private universities in south-west, nigeria. the hypothesis was rejected because findings in table 4.9 revealed a positive influence of the level of information literacy skills of lecturers on eirs use. the finding of this study corroborates that of odede and zawedde (2018) which revealed that the use of eirs is determined by competency in the various dimensional constructs of information literacy skills. moreover, in agreement with the result of this study that there is a link between information literacy skills and the use of eirs, adebayo and esse (2019) revealed that low patronage of scholarly electronic journals in the library was largely as a result of lack of information literacy skills among library users. similarly, adeniran and onuoha (2020) found out in the study they carried out on the “influence of information literacy skills on postgraduate students‟ use of electronic resources in j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 51 private university libraries in south-west, nigeria”that a direct relationship exists between information literacy skills and e-resources use among postgraduates students in south-west, nigeria. also, echem and wokoma (2022) found out in the study they carried out on „information literacy skills and use of electronic resources by undergraduate students of university of port harcourt‟ that electronic resources have significant relationship with information literacy skills. moreover, the study carried out by bankole, ajiboye and otunla (2015) on use of electronic information resources by undergraduates also agreed with the finding of the present study. their findings revealed that the major barriers hindering effective use of electronic resources were insufficient skills and difficulty in finding relevant information. moreover, findings by the study carried out by ndagi and madu (2018) revealed that there is strong positive correlation between information literacy skills and utilization of eirs is perfectly in agreement with the findings of this study. conclusion to meet up with global standard and to be able to make meaningful contributions and impacts in this information and knowledge age, the use of eirs is very crucial for lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria. the lecturers need to use eir to have access to qualitative, updated, reliable and valid information resources because they need various kinds of information resources for effective teaching, productive research outcomes, and for the purposes of impacting knowledge to students and for self-development. however, the lecturers neither use eirs effectively without possessing information literacy skills nor without engagement with social media platforms. findings from the study revealed high level of eirs use and high level of information literacy skills by lecturers in private universities in south-west, nigeria. moreover, the findings indicated that there was significant positive influence of both information literacy skills and social media engagement on electronic information resources use by lecturers in selected private universities in south-west, nigeria. in addition, the results from the study revealed that there was a joint influence of information literacy skills and social media engagement on eirs use by lecturers in selected private universities in south-west, nigeria recommendations based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made: 1. for sustainability and improvement in the use of eirs by the lecturers, there is need for the school management as well as librarians of private universities in south-west, nigeria to ensure that lecturers are sponsored to conferences, seminars and workshops j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 52 where they could improve on their information literacy skills regularly for more effective and efficient use of eirs. 2. the study recommends that academic libraries in private universities in south-west, nigeria should create awareness, educate and encourage the lecturers through library orientation, workshops and seminars on the need to acquire up-to-date information literacy skills so as to be able to accessing and utilizing eirs effectively. references adeleke, d.s. & emeahara, e. n. (2016). relationship between information literacy and use of electronic resources by postgraduate students of the university of ibadan.library philosophy and practice (e-journal). pp 1 – 16. adeniran, p. o., & onuoha, u. d. (2018). influence of information literacy skills on postgraduate students‟ use of electronic resources in private university libraries in south-west, nigeria. communications and network, 10(04), 164. anunobi, c. & udem, o. k. (2014). information literacy competences: a conceptual analysis. journal of applied information, science and technology, 7 (2) belo, m. a. & ogunjinmi, t. t. (2020). influence of social media networking on usage of eir in academic libraries in nigeria. library philosophy and practice (e-journal) odede,i. r. and zawedde, n. (2018). information literacy skills in using electronic information resources. library philosophy and practice eisenberg, m. b. & berkowitz, r. e. (1990). information problem-solving: the big six skills approach to library and information skills instruction. norwood: ablex publication corporation. ekong, u. o., & ekong, v. e. (2018). impact of information literacy skills on the use of e-library resources among tertiary institution students in akwa ibom state. nigerian journal of technology, 37(2), 423–431. ifijeh, b. a.; ogbomo, m. o.; and ifijeh, g. (2018). utilization of academiclibrary resources for research productivity among lecturers in private universities insouth-south nigeria. library philosophy and practice (e-journal). igwe, k. n., ugwuogu, u. o., echem, m. e. and ukaegbu, b.c.n. (2019). information literacy programme in nigerian university libraries. in c.o. nnadozie, c.p. uzuegbu, m.c. nwosu, k. n. igwe and j.o. akidi (ed.)university librarianship: issues and perspectives in nigeria (pp. 209225). lagos: zeh communications. mwantimwa, k. & elia, e. (2017). utilisation of e-resources to support teaching and research in higher learning institutions, tanzania. university of dar es salaam library journal vol. 12, no 2, pp-98-123 j.l.ajayi, y.haliso, & v.unegbu 53 ndagi, s. s. & madu, e. c. (2018). effect of information literacy skills on use of electronic library resources by lecturers in universities in north central nigeria. international journal of applied technologies in library and information management 4 (3) 02 13 22 okuonghae, o., & ogiamien, l. o. (2016). information literacy skills as correlates of library user satisfaction among undergraduates in nigeria. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 7(2), 46–55. tella, a. (2015). information literacy and lifelong learning: a review of literature. in j. s. keengwe (ed). promoting active learning through the integration of mobile and ubiquitous technologies (pp 223 – 234). usa: igi global. 88 journal of information and knowledge management 2022, vol. 13, no. 2, 88-97: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.7 to cite this article: agbo, d.a. & eyinnah, u. a.(2022) effectiveness of information service delivery through marketing of library resources and services. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 13:2, 88-97, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.7 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.7 effectiveness of information service delivery through marketing of library resources and services 1 dorathy amaoge agbo 1 uche augustine eyinnah 1 umichael okpara university of agriculture, abia state, nigeria abstract this study examined the effectiveness of information service delivery through marketing of library resources and services. a descriptive survey design was used for the study with a population of 119 library staff. complete census was adopted as the entire population was used for the study. the instrument for data collection was structured questionnaires. in analyzing the data, descriptive statistics such as percentages, mean and frequency tables were used. the findings of the study showed that the library services that are available for marketing in the university library include lending services, reservation services, interlibrary loan, document delivery services, current awareness services amongst others. the study also revealed that the respondents showed mixed attitude towards marketing of information. findings also discovered that different methods are used in marketing of library information resources and services which ranges from exhibition and display, organizing trainings, seminars and workshop, media release through radio and television amongst others. the findings equally showed that the problems militating against marketing of library information resources and services include lack of effective communication between librarians and users, inadequate fund, lack of facilities to market library resources and services, network problem andpoor access to information technologyamongst others. it was recommend that more funds be allocated to developing libraries by the parent organization, that library management should expose librarians to marketing library services through trainings, conferences, seminars, workshop and symposiums and that facilities that are needed for effective marketing of library services should be provided to libraries. keywords service delivery, information, libraries, library resources, marketing contact dorathy amaoge agbo & uche augustine eyinnah oge_dorathyyahoo.com 2022 the authors published with license by information impact 89 introduction the primary concern of every library today is to be self-sufficient in their resources and to provide an ultimate level of services to reach more potential users.this naturally requires a shift from product or services orientation to customer or need orientation (martey,2014). the information industry has grown dramatically in services, revenue and coherence over the last decade. libraries around the world are facing rising cost and dwindling budget due to technological advances and todays dynamic economic climate. as a result, marketing concepts are increasingly adopted within the library environment. marketing covers those activities that connect the organization to those parts of its outside world that use, buy, sell or influence the output it produces and the benefits and services it offers (jose &bhat,2017). webber (2016) pointed out that organisations such as meusums, universities, libraries and charities need to market their causes and their products to gain political, social as well as economic support. libraries and information centres have begun to realize that by using market principles and techniques, they can understand better their user’s needs, justify funding, communicate more effectively with variety of external audiences and achieve greater efficiency and optimal result in delivering product and services that meet the identified needs of their client. four main factors, namely information explosion, technology revolution, escalating library costs and increasing competition by information providers and web-based commercial services providers are responsible for encouraging the library professionals to develop a marketing strategy to its operations and services. libraries therefore need to continue to respond to such challenges in the quest to enhance the use of their resources and services. this study therefore focuses on using marketing as a tool to accomplish library goals and objectives thereby ensuring effectiveness of service delivery in information services. purpose of the study the main purpose of the study is to examine the effectiveness of service delivery through marketing of library information resources and services. the specific objectives are to: i. analyze the library services available for marketing in university libraries ii. ascertain librarians’ attitude towards marketing of library information resources and services iii. assess the methods used in marketing of library information resources and services in libraries iv. discover problems militating against marketing of library information resources and services literature review marketing library services and products is significant in any dynamic library services in a competitive environment. libraries have historically been confident that their product had such intrinsic merit that users would automatically be attracted; they believed that people should use the library. kaane (2016), suggested that with the mushrooming of new information providers, such as cyber café, mega-book stores, online book dealers, the internet community, consultants and other web-based commercial services operators, libraries cannot continue to assume that they are the only source of information that people will consult. librarians have to adopt 90 marketing as a tool if they have to exist in the information environment. sharma and bhardwaj (2019) stated that it is important for librarians to actively market their services. for marketing will enable librarians to spread information and draw attention to their resources and services to the user community. martey (2014), stated that marketing will enable librarians gain competitive edge over their more aggressive and wealthy competitors and this is achieved by letting users and potential users know the advantages of using the libraries. adeyoyin (2015) stated that when libray services are marketed, it creates relationship between the customer and the library which is paramount as libraries are no longer the only source of information provider. he went further to state that marketing brings about recruitment of new customers and the retention and expansion of relationships with existing customers. in another vein, mahesh (2012) argued that marketing is very necessary in today’s and tomorrow’s world because government funding of libraries and information centres has been declining. therefore, libraries and managers must be forced to generate revenues not only for acquiring state of the art facilities, but also for their own survival. this they have to do by marketing their services to users and potential users. to kotler (1995) quoted in rowley (2015), marketing is very important to organizations such as museums, universities, libraries and charitable organizations in order to gain political and social support as well as economic supremacy. gupta (2017) pointed out that marketing is important to identify the information needs of potential users. in his opinion, library and information managers should not only be interested in the group of people who do use their services. they should also be interested in potential users. while abdulsalami and salami (2013) reiterated that marketing is very important as it’s a means of ensuring that librarians and librarianship are integrated in both today and tomorrows global culture. saravanan (2017)emphasized that the challenges of budget cuts, increased user base, the rapid growth of material, rising cost, networking demands, competition by database vendors and complexities in information requirement have made it very necessary to market library services. according to kaane (2016) marketing is necessary component of any organization, be it public or private, due to then three basic reasons; helps institutions to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction, helps institutions to enhance the perceived value of their service and to ensure survival of the institutions. gupta (2017) summarized the reasons for marketing in the following points; to focus on providing an environment in which users can study and work, to focus on the believe that each user has unique needs, requirement and expectations when he or she visits the library, and commitments to helping the user develop skills in order to acquire information from various sources. in a nutshell, information explosion, technology revolution and escalating costs are responsible for encouraging the library profession to develop marketing strategies in its operations and services. 91 methodology a descriptive survey design was used for the study with a population of 119 library staff. complete census was adopted as the entire population was used for the study. the instrument for data collection was structured questionnaires. in analyzing the data, descriptive statistics such as percentages, mean and frequency tables were used. analysis of data table 1: questionnaire distribution and retrieval rate population no of questionnaire distributed no of questionnaire returned % value of questionnaire returned library staff 119 68 57% table 1 presents the questionnaire distribution and retrieval rate. it shows that out of the 119 copies of the questionnaire administered to the respondents, 68 copies representing 57%, were completed and returned with valid informationand was used for the analysisas it’s above 50% bench mark chosen for the study. table 2: mean response on library services available for marketing in university libraries s/n items available not available 1. lending services 2. reservation services 3. translation services x 4. interlibrary loan 5. document delivery services 6. current awareness services 7. electronic mail services x 8. bindery services 9. referral services 10 training and consultation in the use of databases 11. user education 12. online information services x 92 13. literature search services 14. book display 15. reference services 16. selective dissemination of information 17. reprographic services 18. orientation services 19. indexing and abstracting services 20. provision of reading and study facilities table two clearly shows the library services that are available for marketing in the university library. such services like lending services, reservation services, interlibrary loan, document delivery services, current awareness services, bindery services, referral services, training and consultation in the use of databases, user education, literature search services, book display, reference services, selective dissemination of information, reprographic services, orientation services, indexing and abstracting services, provision of reading and study facilities were all indicated to be available. while translation services, electronic mail services, and online information services were indicated not available. table3: mean response on librarians attitude towards marketing of library information resources and services s/n items sa a d sd mean remarks 21. marketing is very essential library activity 18 29 11 10 2.81 a 22. marketing is all about selling and promoting goods 26 32 6 4 3. 18 a 23. marketing is too costly for most libraries 15 30 18 2 2.76 a 24. marketing should be a priority to all academic libraries 12 28 24 4 2.71 a 25. marketing is a waste of time and resources 7 16 37 8 2.32 d 26. not interested in marketing of library resources and services 12 5 45 6 2.33 d 27. marketing will increase user awareness towards the use of library 20 37 6 5 3.06 a 28. fear about marketing publicly 8 28 17 15 2.43 d 29. marketing is unprofessional 6 10 41 11 2. 16 d 30. marketing uses up resources that could be better used to provide more services 6 2 28 26 1.91 d 31. library services is apparent to all and should not 7 16 37 8 2.32 d 93 be marketed 32. marketing is only for tangible goods 17 41 10 2. 10 d keys: sa= strongly agree, a= agree, d = disagree, sd = strongly disagree. table 3 above presented the mean response of librarians on their attitude towards marketing of information resources and services with marketing is very essential library activity scoring (2.81), marketing is all about selling and promoting goods (3.18) marketing is too costly for most libraries (2.76) marketing should be a priority to all academic libraries (2.71) marketing will increase user awareness towards the use of library (3.06) fear about marketing publicly (2.43) marketing is unprofessional (2. 16) marketing uses up resources that could be better used to provide more services (1.91) library services is apparent to all and should not be marketed (2.32) marketing is only for tangible goods (2. 10) marketing is a waste of time and resources (2.32) not interested in marketing of library resources and services (2.33) table 4: mean response onmethods used in marketing of library information resources and services s/n items sa a d sd mean remarks 33. exhibition and display 20 43 5 3.22 a 34. organizing trainings, seminars and workshop 23 45 3.34 a 35. use of social network media 7 16 37 8 2.32 d 36. media release through radio and television 11 38 9 10 2.74 a 37. creating a library webpage 17 41 10 2. 10 d 38. face to face interaction with users 20 41 7 3. 19 a 39. publicity through adverts and announcements 12 34 8 14 2.65 a 40. networking among professionals 10 28 23 7 2.60 a 41. sharing with an online community 12 5 45 6 2.33 d 42. displays of banners leaflets and fliers 11 38 9 10 2.74 a keys: sa = strongly agree, a = agree, d = disagree, sd = strongly disagree. table 4 clearly presented mean response on methods used in marketing of library information resources and services withexhibition and display scoring (3.22) organizing trainings, seminars and workshop (3.34) media release through radio and television (2.74) face to face interaction with users (3. 19) publicity through adverts and announcements (2.65) networking among professionals (2.60)displays of banners leaflets and fliers (2.74) creating a library webpage (2. 10)use of social network media (2.32)sharing with an online community (2.33) 94 table5: mean response on problems militating against marketing of library information resources and services s/n items s a a d sd mean remarks 53. lack of effective communication between librarians and users 18 29 11 10 2.81 a 54. inadequate fund 26 32 6 4 3. 18 a 56. lack of facilities to market library resources and services 15 30 18 2 2.76 a 57. network problem 12 28 24 4 2.71 a 58. poor access to information technology 20 43 5 3.22 a 59. unavailability of local communication experts 23 45 3.34 a 60. inadequate telecommunication services 20 37 6 5 3.06 a 61. lack of internet facilities 20 43 5 3.22 a 62. conservative attitude of librarians 23 45 3.34 a 63. lack of proper training of librarians 20 41 7 3. 19 a 64. lack of media access to marketing of library resources and services 12 34 8 14 2.65 a 65. non computerization and non-automation of library resources and services 10 28 23 7 2.60 a 66. lack of business expertise 12 28 24 4 2.71 a keys: sa = strongly agree, a= agree, d= disagree, sd= strongly disagree table 5 displayed mean response on problems militating against marketing of library information resources and services with lack of effective communication between librarians and users scoring (2.81) inadequate fund (3.18) lack of facilities to market library resources and services (2.76) network problem (2.71) poor access to information technology (3.22) unavailability of local communication experts (3.34) inadequate telecommunication services (3.06) lack of internet facilities (3.22) conservative attitude of librarians (3.34) lack of proper training of librarians (3.19) lack of media access to marketing of library resources and services (2.65) non computerization and non-automation of library resources and services (2.60) lack of business expertise (2.71) findings findings of the study showed that the library services that are available for marketing in the university library include such services like lending services, reservation services, interlibrary loan, document delivery services, current awareness services, bindery services, referral services, training and consultation in the use of databases, user education, literature search services, book 95 display, reference services, selective dissemination of information, reprographic services, orientation services, indexing and abstracting services, provision of reading and study facilities were all indicated to be available. while translation services, electronic mail services, and online information services were indicated not available. this finding is in-line with gorchels (2018) who sated that libraries are saddled with a whole lot of mediums for marketing information products which ranges from current awareness services, user education, selective dissemination of information, exhibitions and document delivery services amongst others. the study alsorevealedthat the respondents showed mixed feelings and attitudes towards marketing of information products. they responded in affirmationin suchareas of marketing like marketing is very essential library activity, marketing is all about selling and promoting good, marketing is too costly for most libraries, marketing should be a priority to all academic libraries, marketing will increase user awareness towards the use of library, while they have casualattitude in such areas like fear about marketing publicly, marketing is unprofessional, marketing uses up resources that could be better used to provide more services, library services is apparent to all and should not be marketed, marketing is only for tangible goods, marketing is a waste of time and resources, not interested in marketing of library resources and services. this corroborates the work of saravanan (2017) in which he posited thatmany librarians though privy to the potentials and benefits drivable from marketing information product are yet to embrace it with momentousness required as some are still unprofessional and fearful about marketing publicly. it wasalso discovered that different methods re used in marketing of library information resources and services which ranges from exhibition and display, organizing trainings, seminars and workshop, media release through radio and television, face to face interaction with users, publicity through adverts and announcements, networking among professionals, displays of banners leaflets and fliers, creating a library webpage, use of social network media, to sharing with an online community. this supports the work of ewers and austen (2016) as they buttressed that face to face interaction with users, exhibition and display, publicity through adverts and announcements amongst others have played effective role in marketing library and information resources. the findings further showed that the problems militating against marketing of library information resources and services include lack of effective communication between librarians and users, inadequate fund, lack of facilities to market library resources and services, network problem, poor access to information technology, unavailability of local communication experts, inadequate telecommunication services, lack of internet facilities, conservative attitude of librarians, lack of proper training of librarians, lack of media access to marketing of library resources and services, non-computerization and non-automation of library resources and services andlack of business expertise. this is in-line with okon and umoh (2014) who reported that the issue of funding, lack of training on the part of the librarian and lack of effective communicationbetween users and librarians are the worst problems confronting marketing of information products. furthermore, the finding also corroborateswebber (2016) who stated that 96 lack of facilities to market library resources and services, lack of media access to marketing of library resources and services and conservative attitude of librarians pose huge threat to information marketing. conclusion/recommendations the importance of marketing library and information services cannot be over-emphasized. however, the existence of libraries is been challenged. this is because access to information is now very fast and relies on technology. users now prefer to turn to the internet to source for information than coming to the libraries. libraries must therefore, redesign their services to cope with the era of information technology by changing from traditional to digital method of providing information to users. based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made:  more funds should be allocated to develop libraries by the parent organization  library management should expose librarians to marketing library services through trainings, conferences, seminars, workshop and symposiums.  facilities that are needed for effective marketing of library services should be provided to libraries  marketing courses should be introduced in library school’s curriculum and should be made compulsory. references abdulsalami, l. t. & salami, p. f. (2013).marketing information services in polytechnics libraries in nigeria.journal of education and practice; 4 (6), pp.10-21.available @ http://www.iiste.org/iournals/index.php/jep/..74886. adeyoyin, s. o. (2015).strategic planning for marketing library services.library management, vol. 26(819), 494-507. ewers, b. and austen.g. (2016).framework for market orientation in libraries. in gupta, d.k. et al (eds). marketing of library and information services: international perspectives.k.g. saur, munchen, p.29. gorchels, l. (2018).trends in marketing services.library trends, vol. 43(3), 494-509. 97 gupta, d.k. (2017). marketing oflibrary and information services: building a new discipline for library and information science education in asia. malaysian journal of library & information science, vol.8 (2), 95-108. jose a. &bhat i. (2017). marketing of library and information services: a strategic perspective.vision: the journal of business perspective, vol. 11 (2), 21 -28. kaane p. (2016). marketing reference and information services in libraries: a staff competencies framework. available online at http://www.ifla.org/iv/ifla72/index.htm mahesh, g. (2012). barriers to marketing of information products and services in libraries.desidoc bulletin of information technology, 22 (3), 35-38. martey, a. k. (2014), marketing products and services of academic libraries in ghana.libri, vol. 50(2) 261–268. okon, m. e. &umoh, m. o. (2014).marketing of information and library services in nigerian university libraries: the way forward.information and knowledge management, vol. 4(6), 28 – 33. rowley, j. e. (2015). from storekeeper to salesman: implementing the marketing concept in libraries. library review, vol. 44(1), 24-35. saravanan, k. (2017). marketing of information services in public libraries: international journal of educational re-search and technology, vol. 9(3), 23 30. sharma, a.&bhardwaj, s. (2019). marketing and promotion of library services. advocacy and marketing, 461-466. webber, s. (2016).marketing information and library services. available @ http://dis.shef.ac.uk/sheila/marketing/default.htm http://www.ifla.org/iv/ifla72/index.htm http://dis.shef.ac.uk/sheila/marketing/default.htm 15 journal of information and knowledge management 2022, vol. 13, no. 2, 15-25: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.2 to cite this article: okonoko, n.v, abubakar, u.n & nwafor, r. a.(2022) challenges of rendering effective library services in library services to users in select university libraries in south-south, nigeria. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 13:2, 15-25, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.2 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.2 challenges of rendering effective library services to users in select university libraries in south-south, nigeria 1 ngozi v. okonoko 2 usman ndasaliu abubakar 2 regina anayochukwu nwafor 1 university of delta library, agbor, delta state, nigeria 2 ibrahim badamasi banbagida university library, lapai, niger state, nigeria abstract this study investigates the challenges of rendering effective library services to users in selected university libraries in south-south, nigeria. a descriptive survey method was adopted for the study in line with the objectives of the study as the instrument used in collecting data. three research questions were formulated to guide the study. the population of the study consists of 116 librarians in all the federal universities libraries in southsouth nigeria. a total of 116 copies of the questionnaire were distributed and 94 copies of the questionnaire were retrieved using descriptive statistics mean and percentage mean score of 2.5 and above and percentage score of 50% were considered as acceptable. the study revealed that the benefits of rendering effective library services to library users are academic advancement, research, reading and promotion. the study also shows challenges for rendering of library services to library users to be obsolete materials, poor budgetary allocation, lack of infrastructural facilities and poor recruitment process. strategies to render effective library services to library users are acquisition of current materials, adequate budget to the library, provision of infrastructures and sound recruitment of staff. the study recommends that acquisition of current materials is critical to good library service delivery, robust budget to the library, provision of state of the art infrastructure facilities and recruitment of competent personnel. the findings of this study will help library management whose libraries are lagging behind to provide all the basic materials/infrastructures needed for effective library services. also, transforming academic libraries will enhance the capability of libraries to contribute positively to the reality of knowledge in the society in contemporary nigerian society. keywords library services, tools, university libraries, south-south, challenges contact ngozi v. okonoko, usman n. abubakar & regina a. nwafor vokonoko@yahoo.com 2022 the authors published with license by information impact 16 introduction the university library has a prominent role to play in supporting higher education to fulfill the objectives of its parent institution by rendering effective services to library users. library services are services outlined in the library in order to solve the information needs of the library users at a particular given time. also, library services entail the entirety of support provided by the library for its users. it can also be seen as the effort made by the library personnel to endeavor with the availability and accessible resources to provide answers to user’s request. according to chukwueke et al. (2018), these services, to a large extent, define the well-being of the library clientele, educationally and otherwise. aina (2004) asserts that the quality of a university is measured by the services provided by the library because of its unique position in the over-all university system. according to the librarians registration council of nigeria (lrcn) (2014),the university library shall carry out the following services: circulation services; inter-library loan services; reference and information services; current awareness services; selective dissemination of information (sdi); user-education; literature searching; compilation of bibliographies; indexing and abstracting services; knowledge management services; preservation and conservation services; bindery services; information literacy services; information media literacy; internet services; archiving services; knowledge management services; preservation services; bibliographic services; consultancy services; photocopying/reprographic services; publication of guides to the library; compilation and maintenance of statistics; e-library services; translation services; statistical data analysis services; internet services; and book editing services. for a library to render its services effectively, infrastructural facilities, current library materials, competent personnel and sound budgetary allocation among others is critical. in recent times, it has been observed that library services have been declining with a lot of challenges which the library management has failed to address. the use of infrastructures facilities such as internet and telecommunication by library staff to render library services comes with couple of challenges. according to adomi (2005), the nation’s poor telecommunication infrastructure has been a subject of debate to researchers and higher institutions. prangya and rabindra (2013) found that lack of infrastructure is seen as one of the obstacles of rendering effective library services. also, the recruitment of incompetent personnel to man sensitive units of the library also 17 poses as threat to effective service in the library. this was supported by peretomode (2010) when he opined that the availability of a competent work force will enhanced library services in the university. furthermore, obsolete library materials in the library are another major challenge. libraries are expected to acquire current materials which should cut across all field of knowledge in the university. nwokike (2019) asserted that obsolete materials in the library hindered library services because most users would like to seek somewhere else for current once. in addition, the budgetary allocations to libraries keep on dwindling every year as the price of library materials has skyrocket. the federal government and state government should as a matter of urgency increased library allocation for effective services. it is in light of this that this topicchallenges of rendering effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in southsouth, nigeria become imperative. statement of the problem the university library is the hub of learning, reading, and research. the users of the libraries are students, lecturers, and staff among others. the librarians ensure that they render effective services in the library in order to satisfy their needs. observation has shown that most libraries in nigeria lack the required library services, facilities and resources to satisfy users’ needs; hence, they cannot effectively promote successful education. it has been observed that literature exist on challenges of rendering effective library services to library users, but no work has been carried out on the challenges of rendering effective library services to library users in selected university libraries with particular reference to south-south, nigeria. it is as a result of this situation that prompted the researchers to embark on this study, in order to find a lasting solution to the problem stated. objectives of the study the general objective of the study is to find out the challenges of rendering of effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in south-south, nigeria. the specific objectives are: 1. to find out the benefits of rendering effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in south-south, nigeria. 2. to find out the challenges of rendering effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in south-south, nigeria 18 3. to find out strategies of rendering effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in south-south, nigeria research questions the following research questions were in line with the objectives: 1. what are the benefits of rendering effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in south-south, nigeria? 2. what are the challenges of rendering effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in south-south, nigeria? 3. what are the strategies of rendering effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in south-south, nigeria? literature review observation has shown that most university libraries in nigeria lack the required library services, facilities and resources to satisfy users’ needs; hence, they cannot effectively promote successful education. dike (2004) in chukwueke et al. (2018) suggested that effective library services play a significant and indispensable role in developing good reading culture in students at all levels of education, which consistently enhance their academic performance. interestingly, some of the major problems of educational development such as mass failure of students in public examinations and poor reading culture could greatly be attributed to inadequate library services. one of such challenges is epileptic power supply. this was supported by adomi (2007) who state that power outages are a problem militating against information/internet provision and use in african countries. similarly ossai-ugbah (2012) claims that this power outages increases the general overhead and running cost thus having a negative impact on the use of social media for marketing library and information services in nigerian university libraries, how then can university libraries be able to effectively use social media for promotion in a cost-effective manner. in yet another line of thought, even when the electricity is available, the current is either too high or too low. it was in this light that akonu (2005) asserts that erratic power supply in nigeria has resulted in the burning of some components which could not easily be replaced. furthermore, power supply in the country is still a mirage till date. the scenario is very sad, virtually all social media applications are powered by electricity but the supply of electricity in nigeria is nothing to write home about. supporting this information is power and its 19 significance to development and education cannot be overemphasized. it is an indispensable tool, a key that supports research and education. interestingly, the library is seen as the store house of various kinds of information; it houses necessary items and resources that could be consulted for the extraction of unique and authentic information. the elementary purpose of the library is to provide adequate resources capable of satisfying the information needs of the clientele. in satisfying the needs of the user, the library must ensure adequate services, quality and useful resources. according to ellis, rosenblum, stratton, armes-stratton (2014), in recognition of the trends and challenges occurring within higher education and academic libraries, libraries organizational review team (ort) sought to redefine professional roles and functions to strategically position the libraries for the future. emezie and nwaohiri (2013) in their paper highlight the challenges to effective information services delivery in the 21st century and these to them include: lack of competency, lack of technology literacy, poor internet connectivity, inadequate power supply and poor funding. in another development, inadequate funding is a serious challenge affecting the activities of academic libraries in nigeria. the government does not fund the library adequately and this has caused a lot of problems. it hinders effective and efficient service delivery. this problem, according to ebiwolate (2010) can be likened to lack of political will. he observed that lack of political leads to negligence on the part of government to fund university library properly; nonapproval of budget; and nonrelease or non-implementation of budget (where approved). inadequate funding has led to poor condition of services, shortage of professional staff; poor human resource management; extreme dilapidated structures and facilities; obsolete resources; difficulty in extending services to the rural areas, inadequate ict facilities and others. similarly, eze and uzoigwe, (2013) findings revealed that certain factors pose problems to academic libraries, such factor as poor funding of the libraries and others which have a bearing on it – poor infrastructure (especially electronic facilities) and high cost of maintaining the facilities. aina (2004) posits that the services of academic libraries in nigeria are grossly inadequate with outdated collections coupled with lack of sufficient professional librarians. the level of patronage of the libraries is low, less relevant materials are acquired; awareness and understanding of the library concept by the community is poor, bureaucratic in-orderliness, poor 20 funding, and lack of zeal to introduce new services. unfortunately, internet facilities installed in some public libraries cannot be maintained. also, okoro (2006), as cited in akanwa and udoanyanwu (2017), expresses in rational terms that there is a direct bearing between the level of funding and the growth of library collection or resources. fund is needed for the acquisition of both print and non-print resources, technological infrastructure, staff development and maintenance of other facilities. libraries are often starved of vital funds that should be used in developing their collection. ebiwolate, (2010), also so sees recruiting of none qualified librarians and support staff as a major problem affecting the rendering of effective library services in university libraries today. the researcher argues that people are not employed based on confidence and merit but on “connections”. this causes drawback in action and inefficiency in any organization bearing in mind that one cannot give what he does not have. eruvwe and omekwu (2021) opined that sociological factors such as “man-know man, connectivity, ethnic consideration, political leanings, federal character principles, nepotism” have been given significant consideration in the value scale of recruitment in the nigerian public sector establishment, including higher institutions of learning. it is no longer news that before an applicant gets a job in any of our public organizations in nigeria he/she needs to know somebody to influence it, without taking into consideration what this people could offer if recruited. this has drastically affected services delivery in various university libraries in africa and the world at large. methodology the study adopted a descriptive survey research design using questionnaire as instrument of data collection. the choice of the methodology used in this study is appropriate because its facts finding in nature. the total population of the study was made up of 116 librarians from the six federal universities in south –south nigeria as shown in the table below. a total of 116 copies of the questionnaire were distributed and 94 copies of the questionnaire were retrieved. data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics precisely mean scores and percentages. the mean score of 2.5,above and percentage score of 50% were considered as acceptable by the respondents, while below 2.5 mean score below 50% score is considered as not acceptable by the respondents. 21 table: 1: the distribution of the population of the study s/n name of the library librarians 1 university of benin library(uniben) 20 2 university of calabar library(unical) 18 3 federal university of petroleum resources effurun library (fupre) 12 4 university of port-harcout library (uniport) 25 5 university of uyo library (uni-uyo) 28 6 federal university of otuoke library 13 total 116 source: this information was gotten from the establishment units of the university under study through personal contact in 2021/2022 academic session. as shown in the table 1 above, the populations of this study consist of 116 recruited librarians in the federal university libraries under study. the breakdown of the number of librarian’s in the federal university libraries in south south nigeria is as follows: university of benin library (20); university of calabar library (18); federal university of petroleum resources effurun library (16), university of port harcout library (25); university of uyo (28); and federal university otuoke library (13) respectively. table 2 research question 1 benefits of rendering effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in southsouth s/n items sa a d sd -x decision 1 academic advancement 43 34 15 2 3.2 accepted 2 research 34 24 22 14 2.8 accepted 3 reading 33 37 15 9 3.0 accepted 4 promotion 34 41 12 7 3.0 accepted the data presented in table 2 revealed that four (4) identified items on the benefits of rendering effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in south-south are: 22 academic advancement (3.2), research (2.8), reading (3.0) and promotion (3.0) respectively. one can infer from the study that there are lots of benefits in rendering effective library service to users. the library management should try as much as possible to provide adequate library materials/infrastructures that would enhance academic advancement, research, reading and promotion respectively. table 3: research question 2 challenges facing the effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in southsouth, nigeria s/n items sa a d sd -x decision 1 obsolete materials 43 32 11 8 3.1 accepted 2 poor budgetary allocation 37 42 15 0 3.2 accepted 3 poor infrastructures 32 36 19 7 2.9 accepted 4 poor recruitment process 23 34 20 17 2.6 accepted the data presented in table 3 shows that four (4) identified items on the challenges facing the rendering of library services to library users in selected university libraries in south-south, nigeria toinclude:obsolete materials (3.1), poor budgetary allocation (3.2), poor infrastructures (2.9) and poor recruitment process (2.6). the finding is supported by aina (2004) when he posits that the services of academic libraries in nigeria are grossly inadequate with outdated collections coupled with lack of sufficient professional librarians. also, ebiwolate (2010) added that poor budgetary allocation to libraries would hinder their services and development. table 4 research question 3 strategies to render effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in southsouth, nigeria s/n items sa a d sd -x decision 1 acquisition of current materials 37 43 12 2 3.2 accepted 2 adequate 34 36 15 9 3.0 accepted 23 budget to the library 3 state of the art infrastructure facilities 38 32 13 11 3.0 accepted 4 sound recruitment process 39 39 13 3 3.2 accepted the data presented in table 4 shows that four (4) identified items on the strategies to render effective library services to library users in selected university libraries in south-south, nigeria are: acquisition of current materials (3.2), adequate budget to the library (3.0), state of the art infrastructure facilities (3.0) and sound recruitment process (3.2) respectively. the findings is in line with akanwa and udo-anyanwu (2017), who suggested funding of libraries will enhanced the growth and development of its library resources. in addition, peretomode (2010) opined that the availability of a competent work force will enhance library services. conclusion effective library services play a significant and indispensable role in developing good reading culture in students at all levels of education, which consistently enhance their academic performance. it also aid in the achievement of the objectives of education at all levels. libraries are therefore established to help render effectively service delivery to enable users as well as the university community delight in reading, learning and using library resources as a lifetime culture which gives them the opportunity to evaluate and use information properly. the federal government and state government should try as much as possible to fund libraries by allocating good and robust budget in order to enhance effective services delivery. also, a good power supplies that will power the library during their service period is critical. the librarians should also ensure that acquisition of current materials is paramount. the library collections should cut across all subject areas been thought in the university. lastly, the recruitment of competent hands is also critical. a sound recruitment without the interference of nepotism and god fatherism will definitely increase improved service delivery. the findings of this study will help library management whose libraries are lagging behind to provide all the basic materials/infrastructures needed for effective library services. transforming academic libraries enhances the capability of 24 libraries to contribute positively to the reality of knowledge in the society in contemporary nigerian society. recommendations the study recommends thus: 1. acquisition of current materials is critical to good library service delivery; 2. a robust budget to the library will definitely enhanced library service; 3. a state of the art facilities will increase the job performance of staff and also enhanced good library services; and 4. recruitment of librarians and support staff should be done on merit. references adomi, e. e. (2007). overnight internet browsing among cybercafé users in abraka, nigeria. the journal of community information, 3 (2). available online at http://www.cijournal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view article/322/319. adomi e.e. (2005). internet development and connectivity in nigeria. programme: the electronic library and information system 39(3) 257-265. aina, l. o. (2004). library and information science text for africa. ibadan: third world. akanwa, p. c., & udo-anyanwu, a. j. (2017). information resources in libraries. supreme publishers. akonu, t. (2005).effective library services to the legislature: the need for a consortium among legislative libraries in abuja. library philosophy and practice (e-journal). https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/4370 chukwueke, c., onuoha, j., & nnadozie, c. o. (2018). effect of library services on the educational development of secondary school students in abia state: a study of igbere secondary school igbere. library philosophy and practice (e-journal). https://sdigitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/1847 ebiwolate, p.b. (2010) nigeria public library service to rural areas: libraries in niger delta states. library philosophy and practice. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article http://www.cijournal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view%20article/322/319 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article 25 ellis, e.i., rosenblum, b., stratton, j. and armes-stratton, k. (2014). positioning academic libraries for the future: a process and strategy for organisational transformation. proceedings of the iatul conferences. paper 13. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/iatul/2014/plenaries/13 emezie, n. a. and nwaohiri, n. m. (2013). 21st century librarians and effective information service delivery. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 4(1):30-43 eruvwe, u. & omekwu, c.o. (2021). challenges recruitment of selection practice of librarians in federal universities libraries in south-south nigeria. international journal of knowledge content development and technology.12(2)158-169 eze, j. u. and uzoigwe, c.u. (2013). the place of academic libraries in nigerian university education: contribution to the 'education for all' initiative. international journal of library and information science, 5(10):432-438 ifidon, s. e. (1997). a practical approach to library collection development. edo state university libray. librarians registration council of nigeria (2014). draft code of ethics and professional conduct for librarians. abuja: lrcn. nwokike, o.a. (2019). evaluating library materials in university libraries south-east, nigeria. library philosophy and practice. (e-journal), 2536 ossai-ugbah, m. s. (2012). a social cognitive theory of internet use and gratifications: towards a new model of media attendance. journal of broadcasting and electronic media, 48(3), 358-377. peretomode, v.f.(2010). human resources management: principles, policies and practice. lagos: ogbinaka publishers prangya, d. & rabindra, k. (2013). access, awareness and use of electronic information resources by research scholars of berhaupur university. a study, american international journal of research in humanitarian arts and social sciences, 3(2). retrieved from http://iasisnot/aurhasspapers/ aurhass13-271.pdf. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/iatul/2014/plenaries/13 403 forbidden forbidden you don't have permission to access this resource. apache/2.4.46 (ubuntu) server at www.ajol.info port 443 113 journal of information and knowledge management 2022, vol. 13, no. 2, 113-117: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.9 to cite this article: aghoghovwia, d.u, & obi, b.b (2022) marketing library and information services in nigeria. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 13:2, 113-117, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.9 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.9 marketing library and information services in nigeria 1 doris u. aghoghovwia 2 boma b. obi 1 college of education warri, delta state, nigeria 2 ignatius ajuru university of education, rumuolumeni, port harcourt, rivers state, nigeria abstract in a rapidly changing world, the perception to adapt to change is inexplicable and a constant as well. there is virtually the possibility of upturning many assumptions such like the issue of marketing library information services (lis) which many libraries/librarians deemed to be unsellable. the scope of marketing in itself is evolving and portray different connotations; to different personalities. the marketing of lis is an ongoing project determined to give the customer a place of pride in terms of providing much needed satisfaction. this is because the whole essence of library and information set up is to serve the clientele also referred to as the king, or the master. most library staff of developing countries have low compliance level to change or innovation especially as it pertains to ict and use of modern gadgets in performing their duties. all these could be linked to the lack of skills/ knowledge needed to handle the sufisticated facilities. there's no doubt that some of the librarians are well equipped in terms of ict compliance level, but there is urgent need to train vast majority of the others who are lagging behind. keywords academic libraries, information service, marketing strategies, library services, contact doris u. aghoghovwia and boma b. obi aghoghovwiadoris@gmail.com 2022 the authors published with license by information impact 114 introduction at the onset of the 21 st century there lay a new awakening (chandratre & chandratre, 2015) to the way of doing things differently from the last century. also staff (2010), opines that the 21 st century is faced with numerous challenges on one hand while on the other hand, humans strive to arrive at safer, more democratic, more prosperous and more equitable world. needless to say that libraries and information centers are equally facing a time of unprecedented change and challenges (gupta, 2004). the libraries and librarians, who are considered as gate keeper of knowledge (chandratre & chandratre 2010), remain the veritable solution to positively influence the managerial gear to meet information needs of the community, the nation and the world at large. in today’s world, several professions and vocations exercise creation of wealth and profit. hithertothe same cannot be mentioned of librarians until recently. gupta (2014), suggests that marketing concept itself is changing and has different meaning for different people. according to him, there has been an increasing procedure on libraries to mobilize resources and become self-reliant. the drive to become merchants is ever rising as there has become a paradigmshift from mere customer or clientele satisfaction, to being reactive to proactive. thus the principle of marketing library and information services (lis) has gradually snowballed from charity to commercial oriented services providers. this paper focuses on the perception of librarians (lis) as of now and whether it is profit driven and what the marketing entails as well as to decipher if lis is difficult to commercialize or not. what is marketing? by and large, there seems to be a little confusion to what is considered marketing. akinnawo (2018), describes marketing as a process by which individuals or groups obtain what they need by creating, offering and exchanging products and services with others. marketing may also imply assuming the library as a business, and in the process sell commodities to consumers (dike, 2009). similarly ibrahim (2010), defines marketing as processthat can satisfy the needs of c7ustomer.thus, it implies sales rather than customer satisfaction? however, only a handful of lis workers have capitalize on full potentials of marketing (gupta, 2004). a veritable tool to understand what marketing entails are as follows: marketing in libraries is an organization with wide philosophy marketing implies management in services delivery. marketing put people to task marketing is not tied to a few group alone, but involves all and sundry marketing is not merely advertising but a subset of the whole. marketing is not selling marketing is open-ended and never really ends gupta (2004), categorized marketing concept into four groups: 1 marketing as a set of techniques. he viewed marketing as an organisation with see philosophy the whole essence begins with market research, analysis of needs and with preferences of the user community. 2 marketing as a philosophy: here the user/customer is the initiator of every library activity. thus the goal is to satisfy the customer often referred to as the king and consequently the focal point of the library( gupta, 2004 ) 115 3 marketing as an approach: the view is not for creation of a new department and engagement of new staff, rather a team work of all including top managers to frontliners 4 customer-driven marketing: this imply an in-depth understanding greater intimacy and mutual trust among library workers and the users. why market library and information services? renborg (1997) reported that ‘marketing ‘’ is not new to libraries, but that it is as old as modern librarianship and the origin of marketing dates back in the 1870’s. one other fact however shows that librarianship is experiencing rapid changes (chandratre & chandratre 2015). various interrnal and external facts are reshaping the roles of libraries. the under listed factors are responsible for initiation of marketing in lis. a. the technology revolution b. the information explosion (rapid growth of reading materials) c. escalating library cost/budget cost d. increased user based services e. networking demands/complexity in information requirement f. reading habits among people decline due to factors like the advertisement on televisions, internet and mobile phones librarians and marketing gupta (2004) states that librarians deals with important and strategic resources otherwise known as concept and that as a practice, it is still unknown to many library and information personnel (chandratre and chandratre, 2015). some lis professionals feel that marketing of library resources is somehow inappropriate for public services institution and see no room for such practice in a not-for-profit profession like librarianship. a few other information services managers feel that marketing is inimical to the nature of their activities. but with increased competition in the world of information, marketing of lis is therefore a factor for survival (gupta, 2004). at the same time, there is a misconception that promotional activities alone constitute marketing. gupta, (2004) also argued that many changes have occurred in marketing of library and information services with the passage of time. freeman amd katez (1978) documented that most libraries and librarians started observing marketing during the early 1970s. they opined that the focus of the libraries were on users' needs, user training and economics of practitioner’s account. tucci (1988) similarly noted that the breed of libraries marketing services were thriving in the 1978-1988 era but no one took the advantage of such opportunities. in other words, there was clear vintage position for marketing of lis, but no political will not take on the golden potential. the whole essence of library and information is hooked to service delivery, hence building reputable relationship with the customer ‘’the king’’ is key (besant & sharp,2000), engaging in internal marketing (dworkin, 2003), building trust and customer loyalty. 116 means adopted by libraries in marketing library and information services to effectively market lis in the 21 st century, the libraries and all its stake holders must embark upon designing information services and resources that would bring satisfaction to clientele or customers (horsfall, 2020). however, the implementation of information communication technology (ict) in the library depends largely on librarians attitude towards it (adekunle et al., 2007). the automation of the library certainly provides a platformthat would enhance the library staff job efficiency and reduce drudgery. but it is a known fact that attitudes tends to affect behaviours and it is an aspect that is most considered in managing staff especially when it comes to change and innovation (spacey and mury, 2004). it is regrettable that the technological change is posing a particular challenge to librarians in developing countries (horsfall, 2020). ramzan (2004) reported that librarians in developed countries adapt quickly to modern technology, but the same cannot be said for most of the librarians in developing countries. this has direct link with poor knowledge of ict and unnecessary phobia for machines and computers. similar projections were made concerning lack of knowledge on ict by library workers of developing countries (mohamed et al.,1992). khan (1995); mohmood (1999). horsfall (2000) respectively, observed that training and knowledge update of library officer are crucial to erasing the fear factor, and non-compliant nature of library staff in developing countries. conclusion traditional libraries/librarians hold the creed that lis are not commercial properties and have their justification for their thoughts. and because, nothing remains static forever, such values have been swept aside with the advent of ict in the 21 st century. both libraries and library officers are now functioning under this new dispensation. the new framework had reorderedproceeding in service delivery in information handling and management. the use of ict in developing country has some draw backs such as lack of skill, and phobia for innovative machines. but consistent training and retraining of library staff, will definitely bridge the gap between them and their counterparts overseas. references adenkule p. a; omoba, r> o: tella a (2007). attitudes of librarians in selected nigerian universities towards the use of ict. library philosophy and practice issn 15220222. akinnawo. t. (2018). frame work and guidline for entreprenuraship development generation strategy in nigeria lagos .afican consulting professional. ltd p. 93. besart, l and d. (2000). upsize this down libraries and relationship marketing information: out look, 4 (3): 17-22. dike (2009). repositioning lis education for knowledge societies, global review of library and information science vol 5 (iv) dworkin. k (2003). internal marketing breaking the barriers, in: an intergrated approach services marketing: a book of readings for library and information services. edited by dinesh k gupta and ashok jambhekar mumbai: allied, 272-278. 117 freeman, j. e and katz r. m (1978). information marketing in: annual revveiw of information science and technology 13, white plains, new york: knowledge industry publication inc. gupta d. k. (2004). marketing of lib. and inf services building and new discipline for library and information science education in asia. malysianjournal of library and information science 8 (2): 95-108). horsefall m. n. (2020). marketing of library and information services in the digital age: challenges and, stratagies and implication. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management 11 (12): 13-20 doi: dx:.org/10.4314/iijjkm.v//i22 ibrahim a. m. (2010). teaching , marketing and entreprneurshipp to lis students. the experience of ahmadu bello university. global review of library and information science 6; 94-102. khan, n. a ( 1995 ). information technology in the university libraries of pakistan : stresses and strains. pakistan library bulletin 26 ( 1 ) : 1 11. mahmood, k ( 1999 ). the development of computerized library services in pakistan : a review of the literature. asian libraries 8 ( 9 ) : 307 328. mohammad . f ., rehman. ,h. , ali,. s. l. and salim,. a. a ( 1992 ). challenges in automating the library services, peshawar: department of library and information science. university of peshawar. tucci, v. k. (1988). information marketing in libraries. in: annual review of information science and technology vol. 23. bv. elsevier science publishers for asis. influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 1 influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d cyprian i. ugwu abstract the purpose of the study was to determine the influence of personal characteristics of librarians on their job satisfactions in university libraries in nigeria. the personal characteristics consisted of age, gender and working experience. survey research design was employed to investigate the influence of these variables on job satisfactions of a sample of 458 librarians from 31 university libraries in nigeria. questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. the questionnaire was adapted from the minnesota satisfaction questionnaires. descriptive statistics and anova were used to analyze the data collected for this study. the findings revealed that the job satisfaction of older librarians was higher than that of the younger ones. it was also found that while gender was not a significant factor, work experience influences job satisfaction of librarians. recommendations were also made based on these findings. keywords: job satisfaction, working experience, university libraries nigeria. introduction management of university library personnel is of paramount importance. to realize the library’s unique function of serving as the one unbiased, non-partisan bureau of information for the people, personnel of the highest competence and integrity are essential. this calls for proper management of university library personnel with a sense of purpose, focus, and direction. to increase efficiency, improve job satisfaction, and raise the employee morale, it is essential that an employee is viewed as a physiological, sociological, psychological and an egoistic creature. people brings to the workplace, a crystallized and complex set of cognition, personal feelings, desires, perceptions, and motives. thus, one is concerned with matters such as security, relations with fellow workers, status, roles and personal needs. however, when an individual’s is unsettled about these, his/her efficiency influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 2 will be impeded. a person whose various dimensions are harmoniously attuned will be more effective in his/her working environment. in fact, the workplace environment should provide a meaningful, satisfying, and challenging atmosphere which will unleash human potential within every individual. from the literature, it would appear that motivation is related to job satisfaction in such a way that one can hardly be explained without reference to the other. this idea is supported by ustun (2002) who opined that job satisfaction is a good measure of motivation in the workplace and that if a person is satisfied with his/her job, the desire to succeed in the job will increase accordingly. drucker (2002) also asserts that happy workers are efficient and productive workers. one can then infer that if librarians in nigerian universities are happy and satisfied, they will be productive in their work. eneasato [1990] interpret job satisfaction as the totality of an individual psychological, social and physical well -being with regard to his work and job performance. this is an agreement with an earlier view by ajayi [1981] that job satisfaction is the pleasurable and positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job experience. for the purpose of this study, it will be seen as the totality of feelings and dispositions of a person has towards his job. though there are studies on the relationship between job satisfaction and librarianship, contradictory report seem to emerge from the literature on such demographic variables as age, gender, sex, work experience and occupational level (cark and osweld, 1996). the present study, therefore, intends to investigate the influence of age, gender and working experience on librariansjob satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. research questions the following research question were formulated to guide the study;  what is the level of job satisfaction of librarians in university libraries in nigeria?  what is the influence of age on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria?  what is the influence of gender on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria? influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 3  what is the influence of working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria? hypothesis the following hypotheses stated in null from were tested at 0.05 level of significance.  age does not significantly influence librarian’s job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria  job satisfaction of librarians in university libraries in nigeria will not be significantly influenced by gender  years of working experience does not significantly influence job satisfaction of librarians in university libraries in nigeria. literature review job satisfaction has been defined as a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job; an effective obsession to one’s job. adeyemo (2006) gives a comprehensive definition of job satisfaction as pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience. job satisfaction is a result of employee’s perception of how well their job pervade those things that are viewed as important. according to oshagbemi (2006), it is generally recognized in the organizational behavior field that job satisfaction is the most important and adequately studies attitude. while hamsari (2006) posited that there are three important dimensions to job satisfaction:  job satisfaction is an emotional response to a job response situation  job satisfaction is often determined by how well outcome meet or exceed expectations. for instance, if organization participants feel that they are working much harder than others in the department but are receiving fewer rewards they will probably have a negative attitudes towards the work, the boss and or co-workers on the other hand, if they feel they are being treated very well and are being paid equitably, they are likely to have positive attitudes towards the job. influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 4  job satisfaction represents several related attitudes, which are most important characteristics of a job about which people have effective response. the concept of job-satisfaction, has been presenting problems of definition. ejiogu in enesato (2006) agrees to this when he noted that “there is yet to emerge a universally accepted definition of job satisfaction”. according to eneasato, however, early attempts were made by scholars like hoppock (1995). he pointed out that “job satisfaction was then seen as a unilateral construct reflecting a generalized affective orientation to all aspects of the work situation”. according to spector (2005) job satisfaction is “an emotional affective responses to a job, or specific aspects of a job satisfaction is assumed to represent a cluster of evaluative feelings about a job”. job satisfaction can thus be described in terms of employee’s general feelings and reactions in relation to his positive appreciation of circumstances surrounding his job. chidebelu (2004), on the other hand, saw job satisfaction as a multifaceted construct, which involves satisfaction with the various aspects of a work situation, that the degree of job satisfaction is determine by the degree to which the job fulfills or allow the fulfillment of the individual need. in other words for one to be satisfied with his job, he has to be satisfied with the various aspects of his work situation such as the pay, promotion, among others, that the degree of one’s job satisfaction could be determined by the degree of one’s job fulfills his needs. the degree could be high, low or moderate. the need could be self-actualization, or esteem, social or safety need. on the other hand thornton (2000) defined job satisfaction as the totality of an individual’s social and psychological well-being relative to his job and job performance. such social and psychological well-being presupposes the inclusion of such factors as interpersonal relations, pay, fringe benefits, promotion, decisionmaking procedure and channels of communication. a critical look at these definitions and explanations of job satisfaction indicates that they all have one thing in common. this common factor is their recognition that job satisfaction is contingent upon fulfillment of individual needs on the job. that is the extent to which personal needs and the individual while performing the task realizes wants. the definitions also recognize the fact that an individuals expression of job satisfaction is an emotional affective personal response, as a result of his influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 5 estimation of the degree to which some facet of job reality are congruent or incongruent with his job values. if the individuals social psychological well -being in relation to his job is not good, it could affect the degree of his satisfaction with his job. from the above concepts of job satisfaction, one could summarize it as the sum total of a person’s feeling as to the extent to which his needs, aspirations and values have been met in his job. it is a personal evaluation of conditions existing on the job such as achievement, promotion, supervision and interpersonal relationship, working condition, salaries and benefits among others. another line of satisfaction research has attempted to identify certain types of people who tend to be more satisfied than others. research on these personal or demographic characteristics typically involves comparing job satisfaction ratings for differentsamples., such as gender, working experience, occupation etc. a survey of available literature shows that there are a lot of personal characteristics of an individual, which are often chosen by researchers to study their relationships with job satisfaction. librarians’ job satisfaction has been the focus of numerous empirical investigations. librarians in nigeria have reported research on job satisfaction with regard to age, gender and working experience. badawo (2006) investigated the levels of job satisfaction of female librarians in nigeria using herzberg’s hygiene/motivator factors of job satisfaction. the study employed the ex-post facto design. a total number of 228 randomly selected female librarians from 35 libraries drawn from the six geopolitical zones of nigeria constituted the sample. descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data collected. the result of study showed that female librarians in nigeria are very satisfied with achievement, interpersonal relationship, recognition, growth/ advancement, work itself, salary, personal life and job security. they were dissatisfied with supervision responsibility and working condition, policy and administration. the study revealed the need for a new approach to librarianship in nigeria by considering the human side of the profession. influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 6 another study was carried out by nzotta (1985) on the factors associated with job satisfaction of male and female librarians in nigeria. using a descriptive survey design, the researcher employed the questionnaire and interview methods to collect relevant data which was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative statistics. from the analyses, it was found that women derived greater job satisfaction from their work than their male counterparts. women were more satisfied with independence, security, ability utilization and working conditions. on the other hand, men were satisfied with variety. in his contributions, chwe (1997) carried out a study on job satisfaction among university library cataloguers in nigeria. the study was aimed at ascertaining the status and the level of job satisfaction among university library cataloguers in nigeria. it also aimed at determining the influence of variables such as age, sex, and marital status, length of service as a professional librarian. the findings reveal that most university library cataloguers in nigeria are dissatisfied with their jobs. also none of the four variables, that is age, sex, marital status and length of service as professional librarians is significantly correlated with cataloguers overall job satisfaction. in another study, clark and osweld (1996) investigated whether job satisfaction is u-shaped in age. the study reveals that overall job satisfaction is ushaped in relation to age and that job satisfaction declines on average until the age of approximately thirty-one year and rises thereafter, research methods the research design used in this study is survey research design. this study was carried out in the university libraries in nigeria. these libraries are situated in all the six geo-political zones of the federation namely: north east; north central; north east; south east; southsouth and south west. the population of this study consisted of all librarians in the 25 federal and 26 state university in nigeria. they are estimated to be 685 in number, a sample of 458 librarians representing 80% of the population of librarians in federal and state universities in nigeria was used for this study. it is the view of the researcher that using 80% as sample is adequate enough to generalize the findings to the entire population. furthermore, the sample size is closer to the total population, in arriving at this sample size, 25 universities representing 60% of the 25 federal influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 7 universities and 16 universities representing 60% of the 26 state universities were randomly sampled using proportionate stratified random sampling. the instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire adapted from the minnesota satisfaction questionnaire (1977) to reflect local conditions and job peculiar to library in nigeria. 50 items were adapted from slightly modified version of the minnesota satisfaction questionnaire (msq) (1977). respondents were requested to check their reponses placed on five-point likert rating scale. the data obtained from the instrument were analyzed using the appropriate statistics to answer the research questions and to test the hypotheses. all the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. findings and discussion the findings of the study are discussed under specific headings covering all the research issues of this study. 458 rrquestionnaires were distributed and retrieved by the researchers; only 330 were found useable and therefore analyzed. level of job satisfaction of librarians in university libraries in nigeria the levels of job satisfaction of librarian in university libraries in nigeria are shown in table 1 below. table 1: frequency and percentages of librarians that exhibit each of the levels of job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. levels no. of respondents percentage (%) very high (80-100) 71 21.5% high (60-79) 178 53.9% moderate (40-59) 71 21.5% low (20-39) 10 3.0% very low (0-19) 0 0.0% table 1 shows the frequency and percentages of librarians that exhibit each of the levels (very high, high, moderate, low, and very low) of job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. majority, 178 librarians exhibited high level job influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 8 satisfaction, representing 53.9%. this is followed by very high and moderate levels of job satisfaction, which recorded 71 librarians exhibiting each of the levels. this translates to 21.5% for each of these levels. only 10 librarians exhibited low level of job satisfaction, representing 3.0%. however, none of the librarians exhibited very low level of job satisfactions. the above result show that majority of the librarians studied are satisfied on their job. however, few are very highly satisfied on the job. influence of age on job satisfaction of librarians in university libraries in nigeria the differences in the job satisfaction of librarians according to their ages are shown in the table below; table 2: mean and standard deviation of the response of librarians on job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria across their ages. age (years) n means std. deviation 20-29 16 3.5515 0.949 30-39 80 3.2625 0.651 40-49 126 3.451 0.7925 50-59 83 3.381 0.6925 60-65 25 3.8515 0.6465 total 330 3.424 0.7119 table 2 shows the mean and standard deviation of the responses of librarians on the job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria across their ages. the mean of the job satisfaction of the librarians within the age bracket 60-65 years is the highest, which is 3.8515. this is closely followed by those within the age bracket 20-29 years, with mean of 3.5515. the librarians in the age bracket 40-49 years have the mean of 3.451, while those in the age bracket 50-59 years have the mean of 3.381. influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 9 finally, the librarians in the age bracket 30-39 years have the mean of 3.2625, which is the least of all the means. the age may therefore be said to be responsible for the difference in the job satisfaction of various age groups of university librarians. the testing of the hypothesis on the influence of age on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria is presented as shown in table below. table 3 summary of anova table for the age influence on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. sources sum of square df mean square f sig. between groups 2898.84 4 724.71 3.69 .006 within groups 63800.57 325 196.31 total 66699.41 329 table 3 shows the summary of anova for the influence of age on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. the results indicated that there is significant influence of ages among the librarians on job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. this is because the significance level obtained (0.006) is less than the significance level (0.05) the hypothesis was formulated. since there are more than two age groups, there is a need to perform post hoc test to know where the significance lies. table 4: post hoc tests for the age influence on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. (i) age (j) age mean difference (ij) std. error sig. 30-39 20-29 -6.156 3.837 .632 40-49 -3.771 2.003 .472 influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 10 50-59 -2.370 2.195 .883 60-69 -11.783 (*) 3.210 .010 60-69 20-29 5.627 4.486 .813 30-39 11.783 (*) 3.210 .010 40-49 8.012 3.068 .148 50-59 9.413 3.196 0.72 table 4 shows that the significant influence exists only between the age brackets (30-39) years and (60-69) years, with the mean difference of (-11.783). this is because the significant level set by the computer (0.010) is less than the significance level (0.05) set for the hypothesis. influence of gender on job satisfaction of librarians in university libraries in nigeria. the differences in the job satisfaction of librarians by gender are shown in table 3 below: table 5: mean and standard deviation of the response of male and female librarians’ to job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. gender n mean std. deviation male 178 3.5115 0.68545 female 152 3.321 0.73065 total 330 3.424 0.7119 table 5 shows the mean and standard deviation of the response of male and female librarians to job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. the mean of job satisfaction of male librarians is 3.5115, while the mean of female librarians is 3.321. this means that there is a difference in the job satisfaction of librarians by sex. the testing of the hypothesis on the influence of gender on the job satisfaction of librarians is shown in the table below. influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 11 table 6: mean, standard deviation and t for gender influence on librarian’s job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. gender n mean std. deviation df t sig. (2 tailed) male 178 70.23 13.709 328 2.444 .015 female 152 66.42 14.613 from the result in table 6, the (t=2.44) is significant. this is because the t obtained (0.02) is less than (0.05) set for the hypothesis. gender therefore has a significant influence on libraries job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. influence of working experience on job satisfaction of librarians in university libraries in nigeria. the differences in the job satisfaction on librarians by work experience are shown in the table below: table 7: mean and standard deviation of the response of librarians on job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria across the years of experience. experience n mean std. deviation 1-10 years 141 3.312 0.7785 11-20 years 77 3.4355 0.653 21-30 years 69 3.483 0.623 31-35 years 43 3.6715 0.665 total 330 3.424 0.713 table 7 shows the mean and standard deviation of the response of librarian on job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria across the years of experience. the librarians within the 31-35 years of work experience have the highest mean of 3.6715. this is followed by that of the librarians within the 21-30 years of work experience, with mean of 3.483. the librarians within the 11-20 years of work experience have the mean of 3.4355.while those within the 1-10years have mean of influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 12 3.312.from these results, the more the working experience the greater the mean. this means that the mean of job satisfaction of librarians varies directly with their years of experience. this also shows that there are differences in the job satisfaction of librarians by work experience. the table below displays the results generated from the data analysis for testing the above hypothesis on the influence of working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. table 8: summary of anova table working experience influence on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. sources sum of squares df mean square f sig. between groups 1849.843 3 616.614 3.100 .027 within groups 64849.570 326 198.925 total 66699.413 329 the result in table 8 indicated that there is significant influence of working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. this is because the level of significance set by the computer (0.027) is less than the significance level of 0.05 set for the hypothesis. since there are more than two working experience groups, there is a need to perform post hoc test to know where the significance lies. table 9: post hoc tests for working experience influence on librarians job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. (i) experience (j) experience mean difference (i-j) std. error sig. 1-10 years 11-20 years -2.453 1.999 .681 influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 13 21-30 years -3.403 2.072 .442 31-35 years -7.171 (*) 2.457 .038 31-35 years 1-10 years 7.171 (*) 2.457 .038 11-20 years 4.718 2.685 .380 21-30 years 3.768 2.740 .596 table 9 shows that the significance influence exists only between the working experience brackets (1-10) years and (31-35) years, with the mean difference of (7.171). this is because the level of significance set by the computer (0.038) is less than the level of significance level (0.05) set for the hypothesis. the result of the analyzed data shows that the majority of librarians (188 or 54%) indicated high level of job satisfaction, whereas (71 or 21.5%) and (71 or 21.5%) respectively indicated very high and low levels of job satisfaction by these librarians. by implication therefore, the librarians in university libraries in nigeria exhibit average level of job satisfaction. it is neither very high, neither is it very low. this goes to show that though these librarians are not entirely not satisfied, yet there is the need to improve their present condition of service and work environment. in line with locke in sempane and rieger (2002), there are dimensions that have been established to contribute significantly to employees’ job satisfaction. these include work itself, pay, promotions, recognition, working conditions, benefits, supervision and co-workers. this is postulated to influence employees opinion of “how interesting the work is, how routine, how well they are doing, and in general, how much they enjoy doing it”. it is therefore becomes imperative to assert that the enhancement of these dimensions in university libraries in nigeria could really enhance job performance and work flow. the result of the analyzed data shows librarians within the age bracket of 60-65 years reported the highest level of satisfaction with a mean score of 77.03. they were found to be highly satisfied with the job variable under review. this group was followed by librarians within the age bracket of 20-29 years with a mean score of 71.41. however, these librarians of the middle ages 30-39 years (mean score of influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 14 65.25) reported the lowest level of satisfaction having indicated the lowest level of satisfaction in terms of the job variables. the data as reported therefore, suggest that age tends to influence the level of satisfaction attained. satisfaction is higher for older librarians between the ages of 60-65 years. this finding is quite consistent with the research findings of daris and kosa in tella (2007) who established and found a meaningful relationship between age and job satisfaction. these two studies showed that the older workers are more satisfied than the younger ones. a possible explanation to this is that librarians at this age are already in management positionsand are not likely to change job while those in the age bracket of 30-39 years reported the lowest level of satisfaction could be said to be experiencing the raw deal of their work environment coupled with those of their senior colleagues. again, it can be seen that for the fact that they are in the mobility age, they are better and quicker to compare their present work environment with other work environments which they desire and work hard to be part of. the result of the study shows that male librarians showed a high level of job satisfaction than their female counterparts. this result tends to contradict nzotta’s(1985) study on the factors associated with job satisfaction of male and female librarians in nigeria. in that study, it was established that women derived greater job satisfaction from their work than their female counterparts as regards independence, security, ability, utilization and working conditions of modern librarianship in nigeria since 1985. it is obvious that the field of academic librarianship in nigeria has greatly changed since 1985 in terms of more government funding, status of librarians, and employment of more males in university libraries. these factors could explain the discrepancy between the study of nzotta(1985) and the present study. still the differences are not significant enough to show a wide gap. it all goes to show that the same procedure and condition applies to all librarians irrespective of their sex or gender. the analysis of data indicates that the higher the working experience, the more satisfaction the libraries derive from their job. it then follows that for one to stay put in a job for so long, would confirm the value of the job and at the same time would moderate the satisfaction of the worker. it goes to show the acquaintance, influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 15 adaptation and convenience of the worker unlike the worker with shorter working experience. conclusion and recommendations job satisfaction among older librarians was higher than the younger ones. it goes to show that the older one becomes as a librarians, the less the distraction from socioeconomic factors.hence, the job satisfaction of older librarians as against the younger librarians. there is no significant difference between the job satisfaction levels of male and female librarians. based on this finding, it becomes necessary to treat all librarians equally as there is no rationale for discrimination based on gender in policy issues of job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria. evidently, the experience one gathers during work over years is bound to help the librarian overcome associated challenges in future. with this victory over challenges, job satisfaction is evident. the following recommendations have been made in line with the findings.  the high level of satisfaction showed by the findings should be sustained through training and re-training programmes for these librarians especially as it relates to retooling them to effectively utilize new tools and innovations or policies in their workplace.  it is also imperative that library managers should look inwards and come out with policies to encourage younger librarians and as the same time re-focus their minds and skills to the nitty-gritty of their profession. this is expected to remove bias, distraction and prejudice in the work and service associated with the librarianship profession.  the library administration should formulate ways of utilizing mentoring of younger librarians by both older and more accomplished librarians from within their libraries or outside these libraries to inspire and spur our younger librarians on their job performance.  library management should improve the job skills of librarians through conferences, seminars and workshops, which enable librarians to acquire the knowledge and skills required in the integration of information technology into the library. references adeyemod.a(2000). job involvement career commitment, organizational influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 16 commitment and job satisfaction of the nigerian police. a multiple regression analysis.journal of advanced studies in educational management 5(6),35-4 i ajayi, 5.1. (1981). job satisfaction and commitment among nigeria university teachers, unpublished ph.d thesis. department of educational management. ibadan. badawo,g (2006). factors affecting the levels of job satisfaction of female librarians in nigeria; a test of herzberg‘s hygiene/motivator factors. samaru journal of information studies 6(1); 6-12 chidebelu, f.c (2004). a comparative study of job satisfaction of librarians in academic libraries in enugu and anambra states of nigeria.unpublished mls thesis.university of nigeria nsukka. chwe, s. (1997). a comparative study of job satisfaction: cataloguers and reference librarians in university libraries. journal of academiclibrarianship4: 139-143. clark, a and osweld, a(1996). is job satisfaction u-shaped in age? journal of occupational and organizational psychology 6:57-81 drucker, p.f. (2002).the practice of management. london: heinemann. gruneberg, m.m. (2007). job satisfaction:a reader. london: macmillian. hamshari, o.a. (2006). job satisfaction of professional librarians: a comparative study of technical and public service departments in academic libraries in jordan: dissertation abstracts international 46:31 79a. herzberg, f., mauser,b ,and snyderman,g (1959). the motivation to work. 2nd ed. new york: john wiley and sons. hoppock, r. (1995). job satisfaction. new york: haper and row. nzotta, b. (1985). factors associated with job satisfaction of male and female librarians in nigeria. library and information science research 7(1)75-84. influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 17 nzotta, b. (1987). a comparative study of the job satisfaction of nigerian librarians.international library review. 19, 161-173. oshagbemi, t. (2000). how satisfied are academics with their primary task of teaching research and administration and management. sustainable higher education 1(2): 124-136. sempane, m and rieger, h (2002). job satisfaction in relation to organizational culture.south africanjournal of industrial pschology28 (2), 20-30 spector, p e. (2007).job satisfaction: application, assessment, causes and consequences. ca: sage publications, inc tella, a and popoola (2007). work motivation, job satisfaction and organizational commitment of library personnel inacademic and research libraries in oyo state.library philosophy and practice. available at :(fule://e:\johmotivationandsatisfaction.htm -(accessed on november 12, 2007). thornton, j.k. (2000). job satisfaction of libraries of african descent employed in arl academic libraries. college and research libraries vol.85: 217232. ustun, a (2002).job satisfaction in information centres: a comparative study in instanbul.library progress international, 22 (1) p23. justina n. ekereph.d is a senior librarian at the university of nigeria, nsukka. cyprian i. ugwu is a principal librarian at the university of nigeria nsukka. influence of age, gender and working experience on librarians’ job satisfaction in university libraries in nigeria justina n. ekere ph.d and cyprian i. ugwu page 18 1 journal of information and knowledge management 2022, vol. 13, no. 2, 1-14: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.1 to cite this article: afolayan, o.t. (2022) knowledge management tools and practices for successful implementation in higher institutions in nigeria. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 13:2, 1-14, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.1 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.1 knowledge management tools and practices for successful implementation in higher education institutions in nigeria oluyinka titilope afolayan department of information and communication science, university of ilorin, ilorin, kwara state, nigeria abstract knowledge management (km) practices have existed for long in higher education institutions (heis); although little attention has been given to successful implementation of km practices as a means of gaining competitive edge and sustainable development. in view of this, this paper discusses knowledge management tools and practices for successful implementation in heis in nigeria. the methodology adopted for this study was a literature search spanning across several studies on km and their extent of application in heis. this paper further discusses elements of km as applicable to heis, km tools that are required for successful implementation of km; and the challenges faced by heis in applying and sustaining km principles in their day to day operations and work processes. policy recommendations were equally made to improving the implementation of km in heis. it was concluded that leadership of heis along with government should show more commitment in the area of funding, procurement of infrastructures and organizing sensitization programmes that would entrench km culture and sustain its practices. keywords knowledge management, tools, higher education institutions, practices, implementation contact dluyinka titilope afolayan afolayanoluyinka@yahoo.com 2022 the author published with license by information impact introduction knowledge management (km) has been viewed from varying perspectives in the literature based on diverse approaches that have aided its use and applications in organizations. notwithstanding, few definitions will be examined briefly for the sake of this paper. for instance, scarborough, swan and preston (1999) defined knowledge management as “any process or practice of creating, acquiring, capturing, sharing and using knowledge, wherever it resides, to enhance learning and performance in organizations”. based on this definition, km can be viewed as comprising specific processes that can enhance the value of knowledge 2 through its use and reuse to facilitate learning among employees in an organization. also, dalkir (2009) gave a more detailed and comprehensive definition of km “as the deliberate and systematic coordination of people, technology, processes, and organizational structure in order to add value through reuse and innovation. this definition has brought to limelight the meaning of km as “people management”, which is, managing people maximally in their roles as carriers, producers and users of knowledge. the application of km in higher education institutions (heis) is of immense importance in this 21 st century due to its vital role in the attainment of competitiveness and innovativeness (el-farr & hosseingholizadeh, 2019). km practices have existed for long in most heis, although little attention has been given to such practices. some of these practices include mentoring, coaching, records management, librarianship among others (shannak & masadeh, 2012). however, in this knowledge economy, heis need to give utmost attention and recognition to km to drive optimal performance and competitiveness. although not much have been achieved by heis in developing countries in terms of km adoption due to reasons such as passivity and inconsistent approaches (ojo, 2014; donate & canales, 2012). in support of this assertion, ohiorenoya and eboreime (2014) reported in their study variations in the implementation of km am ong six nuc accredited nigerian universities; which accounted for differences in their performance. undoubtedly, heis are producers and consumers of two major knowledge which are: academic and organizational knowledge, which centres on teaching, research activities and administrative processes. pinto (2014) elaborated on these two types of knowledge in the context of heis. he defined academic knowledge as “knowledge that emanates from teaching and learning by lecturers and students; while organizational knowledge refers to the overall knowledge of an institution comprising of tacit, documented knowledge, routines, administrative processes, strength, weaknesses, and relationships among others”. these two types of knowledge could either be tacit or explicit in nature. tacit knowledge can be viewed as knowledge that exists in the subconscious of the knower, while explicit knowledge is a documented kind of knowledge that have been captured in the course of interaction in an organization (mohagan, 2016). examples of tacit knowledge are experiences, perceptions views or opinions that may exist in the subconscious mind of an individual, although the person may not be aware of it. on the other hand, explicit knowledge includes documents, books, journals, correspondences, and minutes of meeting that had been captured and 3 documented. these two types of knowledge are complementary to one another; therefore, it can be converted from one form to the other through capturing and codification (subashini, 2010). these types of knowledge could also be captured or preserved in an institution’s memory; and maximized fully for the attainment of success of the institution and their stakeholders. it is therefore required that heis harness their knowledge resources from internal and external sources to drive institutional performance. without any gainsaying, heis globally, are gaining new grounds in sustaining km to drive high performance, competitive edge and innovation in this knowledge era (ohiorenoya & eboreime, 2014). however, the implementation of km in heis in a developing country like nigeria is ridden with quite a number of challenges such as inadequate awareness of the benefits of km by top management, lack of km strategy, lack of funds, lack of management support among others (ojo, 2012).some other studies in the literature have shown that heis are lagging behind in the implementation of km practices due to the academic culture of knowledge hoarding (brewer & brewer, 2010; marouf & agarwal, 2016). notwithstanding these challenges, most heis in nigeria play indispensable roles as knowledge producers, consumers and disseminators through research and non-research activities to meet the needs of diverse stakeholders within and outside the institutions. there are diverse knowledge sources that can be used to drive huge performance and sustainable development in heis. these sources include: students, faculty, departments, academic and non-academic staff, administration, training and placement unit, academic planning unit, library, management information systems unit among others (bhusry, rangan & nagar, 2012). in spite of the diverse knowledge sources, most heis have not been able to fully harness these resources maximally to compete favourably with their global counterparts. however, in a robust km driven hei environment, knowledge that are produced by these sources are supposed to be filtered, organized, and stored in an institutional repository to ensure proper harmonization and use by stakeholders within and outside the institution. by this process, knowledge can be used and re-used continuously to enhance timely decisions. an institutional repository is a structured collection of knowledge generated by all the stakeholders in an institution (bhusry, rangan & nagar, 2012). therefore it serves the following usefulness such as: ease of access, enhanced validity of knowledge, identification of the source of knowledge, maintenance of shared interest among others (kevin & evaristo, 2004). apart from this, a decentralized km portal can also suffice to capture knowledge at 4 the level of faculties, departments and administrative units among others. also, other km tools can also be used to facilitate successful km practices in heis such as knowledge mapping, knowledge directories, knowledge taxonomy among others (mutula & mooko, 2008). in the light of this, this paper would unravel the km elements that cut across heis in nigeria, discuss tools required for successful implementation of km across institutions, as well as challenges that hinder successful implementation of km in nigeria’s heis. this paper would further discuss policy recommendations in the successful implementation of km by these institutions. conclusion and recommendations would equally be made towards improving the successful implementation of km among heis in nigeria. elements of km practices in heis there are essential elements of km practices as identified in the literature that are levellers to successful implementation of km in heis. these elements are required to ensure successful implementation of km in any organization. they include: people, technology, content, leadership, sharing culture and organizational processes (lee & roth, 2009; harper, 2019). each of these practices is discussed briefly below: (ii) people: people constitute the human resource or the workforce in an institution. these are employees that serve in various capacities in discharging their daily functions and assigned duties. in a km environment, people play a pivotal role in the successful implementation of km especially in the area of capturing, processing and sharing of knowledge (omotayo, 2015).people are the main carriers of knowledge, and therefore they need to be continually motivated through incentives, awards, rewards, and training programmes to achieve the goals of km. (ii) technologies: these tools are needed in the successful implementation of km practices. the use of these technologies would allow heis to capture, store and share knowledge across institutions. however, most public institutions constantly face the problem of funding, thereby resulting to lack of requisite technologies across institutions. examples of these technologies include: collaboration and work system, learning systems, knowledge maps, groupware and corporate portals among others. (iii) content: these are documented or non-documented knowledge of an institution. that have been handed down from one generation to another. some of this knowledge can be found in an institution’s repository covering diverse areas. on the other hand, knowledge 5 may be residual, because it exists in people’s head. in a non km driven environment, accessibility and availability to these contents may be problematic due to irregular capturing, mapping and auditing to ensure the right knowledge is captured, stored and used as the need arises. however, in a km driven environment, reverse is the case because the organizational knowledge will continually be subject to auditing, mapping and capturing and storing for future use. (iv) culture: culture can be defined simply as sets of practices, values, assumptions, ethics and codes that are peculiar to a particular group of people or community (schein, 1995). therefore, sharing culture in an academic community involves the practice of continuously passing knowledge from one person or group of persons through a medium or platform. these include students, lecturers, and administrative personnel among others. a sharing culture is essential in a km driven environment, because it allows knowledge to flow freely without any hindrances. this can be accomplished through a reward system to motivate people in sharing knowledge. bock, zmud & lee (2005) affirmed that if shared knowledge is recognized and rewarded, people will be willing to share knowledge without fear or prejudice (v) leadership: leadership is of great importance in the successful implementation of km in heis. therefore, management of heis should support all activities tailored towards achieving the goals and objectives of km and the institution at large. there must be an alignment between the institutional goals and km. anything that falls short of this, will amount to km failure on the part of management. however, in most cases, the level of preparedness of the leadership towards km can be said to be low, perhaps due to lack of awareness of the tenets of km, therefore most times, decisions may not be in support of km practices. also, lack of adequate funds in procuring appropriate km technologies may be a challenge for the management. (vi) organizational processes: organizational processes cut across all facets of an academic institution. there are different tasks of varying processes carried out in diverse manners across faculties, departments and administrative units, such as academic and administrative processes, examination, admission, training, placement, and research among others. therefore, these processes should align with km processes for better productivity and optimal performance (omotayo, 2015). 6 tools required for successful implementation of km in heis quite a number of tools are required for the successful implementation of km in heis. some of these tools are being used by heis, while some are yet to be deployed. the purpose of km tools is to support organizational processes such as capturing, processing and storing knowledge; and creating an enabling environment for knowledge sharing and collaboration (pinto, 2014). therefore, the importance of these tools to heis cannot be overemphasized due to their relevance and applicability. some of these tools are discussed briefly: (i ) capturing tools: these tools support the process of capturing explicit and tacit knowledge in heis. examples of these tools are: word processing, spread sheets, scanners, and scanning software, email and fax server software, voice dictation, intuitive search tools, practice management systems, automated document assembly, and collaborative and communication technology. (ii) codification tools: these tools support the codification process in the processing and storage of knowledge in heis. this can be accomplished through the use of computer databases and other storage and retrieval devices examples of codification tools: knowledge databases, advanced computer storage techniques; sophisticated retrieval techniques such as query languages, multimedia databases and database management systems (iii) intelligent tools and technologies: intelligent tools are used in heis tocapture and codify academic and organizational knowledge to assist in taking vital decisions. these include: artificial intelligence, expert systems, neural networks, fuzzy logic, genetic algorithms, case-based reasoning, agents and knowledge discovery database among others. (iv) communicative and collaborative tools and technologies: these technologies support the transferring of knowledge across space or over a distance. it facilitates the collaboration of ideas among students, lecturers and other stakeholders outside the institution. it brings about a bridge between those that have knowledge and those that do not have. examples of communicative and collaborative tools and technologies are cutting edge technologies such as bulletin boards, discussion groups, emails, discussion databases portals, internet, intranet, extranet and web based portals. these tools facilitate student exchange programmes whereby they can collaborate with other students virtually together without any barrier to geographical location. it also facilitates capture and transfer of tacit knowledge between students and lecturers within and outside the home institution. 7 (v)application tools and technologies: these tools support the application process by codifying, automating and embedding knowledge in the organisational routine. examples include corporate intranets updates, organisational directives (manuals and policy) and decision support systems among others. these tools are used to ensure decisions are arrived at logically without any form of prejudice. (vi) enterprise information portals: enterprise information portals provide a single point of access to information and knowledge held in many forms within an institution. information or knowledge on an enterprise information portal must be accessible and available to the users at a single click. therefore, knowledge must be regularly updated on an enterprise information portal. heis can deploy a decentralized form of eips that will be accessible to students, lecturers and administrative staff as need arises. (vii) knowledge databases and software tools: knowledge databases and software tools are repository of structured explicit knowledge. examples include collaborative hypermedia, summarisation, content management systems, visualisation software, categorisation software, automated document and search and retrieval software. these repositories serve to capture and retrieve knowledge for imminent and future purposes. knowledge repositories typically contain specific types of knowledge for particular business functions. examples of knowledge that can be found in heis knowledge repositories are: client matters, financial information, best practices, knowledge for sales, lesson learned in projects, learning histories, competitive intelligence, patents, academic and conference papers, the different types of knowledge can be classified into three categories: external knowledge, structured internal knowledge and informal internal knowledge. (viii) corporate knowledge maps and directories a knowledge map is a virtual representation of an organization’s knowledge. it can be seen as a navigation aid to codified information and tacit knowledge, showing the importance and the relationships between knowledge assets. it encourages the use and re-use of knowledge. it helps in identifying knowledge sources, expertise and ways of creating bridges to increase knowledge sharing. corporate knowledge maps and directories of explicit and tacit knowledge are repositories that do not provide actual knowledge but points to knowledge, people, documents, collections and data bases where knowledge is stored (harmanpreet, n.d.). 8 (ix) learning and professional development systems these are the tools that can assist staff and students in heis to learn individually and collectively. they include computer-based training programmes, web-based learning, webbased tools, multimedia applications, presentation support systems, the use of virtual reality and the virtual learning environment. for instance, most private institutions in nigeria have embraced the use of these learning systems, and this was well demonstrated during the covid -19 pandemic periodwhen these tools were utilized for teaching and collaboration among students and lecturers. (x) knowledge taxonomy: it is also known as knowledge organization. it refers to the classification of knowledge assets for the purpose of making them accessible to users inthe organization. it is referred to as a high level information search device that are constructed to provide a means of managing knowledge, navigation and access to intellectual capital (herd, 2001).knowledge taxonomy can be used by faculties, departments and administrative units in heis due to its flexibility in use. therefore, the importance of knowledge taxonomy in heis cannot be overemphasized due to its role as a tool in facilitating the sharing of common language of classifying knowledge resources. it also facilitates easy searching and retrieval of knowledge resources through controlled vocabularies in search engines, web contents and online databases (mutula & mooko, 2008). (xi) knowledge packaging:it refers to methods, tools and techniques used for formalizing experiences and know-how and making it available in the form of products and services.the purpose of packaging knowledge within an institution is to facilitate its communication, enhance its understandability, commercialization and use (mutula & mooko, 2008).knowledge packaging involves creating products or services, converting them into useable formats, as well as commercializing them for sale within and outside the institution. knowledge can be packaged in various formats such as abstracts, indexes, bibliographies, catalogues, best practices, brochures, books, bulletins, charts, blogs, diaries, annotations, journals metadata, pamphlets, posters, directories, intranet and portals, knowledge centers, expert systems. the type of format or packaging features will be determined based on the targets or users of the knowledge. most libraries in heis do a lot of knowledge packaging to satisfy their end users and patrons. 9 (d)knowledge auditing (k-audit): it refers to a systematic examination and evaluation of the explicit and tacit resources of an organization (hylton, 2012).it involves a comprehensive investigation of the entire knowledge within a particular institution. it is diagnostic in nature, that is it gives a clear picture of how well an institution’s knowledge resources are being utilized or underutilized to attain business performance. k-audit is people centered because all employees in an organization carry useful or important knowledge, skill and experiences of the org they work for. the benefits of knowledge auditing to heis cannot be overemphasized due to the following reasons: identification of knowledge gaps within an institution, identifying what knowledge is needed to support overall goals, determining individual and team knowledge assets, provision of a map of communication flow, determining best practices across faculties and departments, identifying knowledge barriers and blockages; and lastly it enables heis determine a strategy for km initiatives and projects (hylton, 2012). benefits of km practices as applicable in heis the application of km principles and practices by heis is tied to several benefits at the short and long term. quite a number of these benefits of km have been identified in the literature, however, very few heis have been able to achieve these beneficial outcomes in nigeria (ojo, 2016)the benefits of km is applicable to heis in several areas as identified by researchers globally and locally (e.g. menkhoff, 2020; ramakrishnan, & yasin, 2012; biloslavo & trnavcevic, 2007) as discussed below: (i) research process: a km environment allows research activities to be better managed through capturing, processing and dissemination of research outputs carried out by academic staff and students. these research outputscan be further used to promote socio-economic development. (ii) curriculum development process: km also allows quick curriculum development of various fields by ensuring contents of different curricula are developed in line with best practices, captured and updated as the need arises. it will also allow for inputs from experts in the industry based on their core areas. (iii) better decision making; in a km driven environment, decision making processes are faster based on quicker accessibility to the required knowledge resources.in the context of heis, when there is quicker access to information or knowledge, it will lead to good decisions on the part of management. strategic information caneasily be shared amongst institutions, thereby leading to faster decisions. 10 (iv) faster response to key institutional issues: there are several institutional challenges calling for attention in heis. a good km system will enable a faster response to institutional challenges by management. km helps in fixing organizational problems at a faster rate, by examining similar problems and scenarios that have occurred in the past were resolved using the available knowledge resources. (v) improved academic and administrative services: academic and administrative services can be easily carried out seamlessly with the implementation of km. data are easily captured from source, processed, stored and retrieved for future use through sophisticated and evolving technologies. these technologies facilitate unique and quicker services on academic and administrative matters. (vi) reduced cost and eliminating the “reinventing the wheel syndrome”:without any gainsaying, the implementation of km is quite costly, however, at the long run, km eliminates duplication of several processes within the system; and when this happens, it helps in reducing operational and running cost expenses. challenges faced by heis in the successful implementation of km globally, several researchers have examined challenges faced by heis in the successful implementation of km within and outside nigeria. these challenges vary from inadequate funds, lack of skilled manpower, lack of continuous training, lack of km policy, lack of km professionals among others as identified by authors in the literature(e.g. marouf & agarwal, 2016; ohiorenoya & eboreme, 2014; olayiwola, 2010; brewer & brewer, 2010).these challenges are briefly discussed below: (i) lack of km professionals: in most heis in nigeria, there are very few km professionals that are skilled in setting up km enabled environment. km champions are expected to train and retrain employees to align their work function with km processes. another major role of km professionals is to educate and enlighten stakeholders on the rudiments of km, however, the lack of professionals is one of the challenges faced by heis. (ii) lack of essential km technologies: in the implementation of successful km practices in heis, essential technologies are required in the form of human ware, software and hardware. these technologies are required to capture, organize, store, and retrieve knowledge from databases and repositories. however, most heis are still grappling with inadequate technologies due to lack of funds to procure them as the need arises, and also, lack of knowledge on the use and benefits of such technologies. apart from this, there is lack of 11 skilled personnel to operate the evolving technologies. therefore, training and re-training of personnel cannot be undermined in this regard. (iii) lack of leadership skills that aligns with knowledge management: successful implementation of km in heis is anchored on good leadership. if the leadership of any institution do not aligns with km, in terms of policy enactment and decisions, the followership would not easily imbibe the culture of km especially in terms of aligning their work processes. (iv) lack of sharing culture: most heis are yet to imbibe sharing culture that will serve as a leveller for km. the culture of sharing knowledge is still alien in some academic circles due to the pride of ownership of intellectual property (marouf & agarwal, 2016). the sharing culture should be embraced right from top management to the lowest cadre in the organization. students should share knowledge freely amongst themselves through several channels. however, there are some hindrances to sharing culture in some heis due to reasons such as pride of ownership, lack of rewards for sharing, competitiveness, lack of innovation, hoarding culture among others (ho, cheng, & lau, 2008). (v) lack of awareness of the benefits of km: although km is fast evolving in the 21 st century due to the need to utilize knowledge resources in the attainment of competitiveness and innovativeness. however,some heis are still not aware of the benefits of km and its applications to their day to day processes. surprisingly, ogunbanwo (2019) found a significant difference in level of km awareness between private and public institutions in south-western nigeria. this study has proven that heis are getting to realize the importance of km to their productivity and performance. (vi) inability to capture and reuse knowledge-reinventing the wheel syndrome is a common phenomenon in most of the heis in nigeria. academic and organizational knowledge are not captured as expected, thereby leading to duplication of efforts in diverse areas. apart from this, captured knowledge are not being used and re-cycled to save cost and sustain competitiveness. (vii) lack of km strategy: quite a number of heis in developing countries lack km strategy due to inadequate knowledge of what km entails and lack of an appropriate strategy that would ensure full implementation of km. since km is just evolving in most of these institutions, the right approach to implementing km has not been given adequate attention 12 due to lack of strategy. however, it is worthy of note that the use of another institution’s km strategy may not work due to the peculiarity of every institution along with their varying challenges of km (shannak & masadeh, 2012). therefore, it is expected that each institution carves out her km strategy based on the operating environment that is sustainable and feasible. policy recommendations in the implementation of km in heis in view of the challenges faced by heis in nigeria, the following policy recommendations are hereby made to facilitate successful implementation of km recommendations:  km strategy should be devised by each individual institution in line with their operating environment. no two environments are the same, therefore, km strategy should align with the institution’s operating environment comprising of resources such as people, technology and knowledge.  heis in nigeria should develop her km policy to facilitate successful implementation of km within and outside the institution. this policy should be reviewed from time to time to conform to best practices.  leadership commitment to successful km practices especially in the area of funding and procurement of appropriate technologies.  furthermore, management of heis should create an enabling km environment through sensitization programmes forstudents, lecturers and administrative staff on the tenets of km and its application and  continuous capturing, storing, sharing and use of knowledge resources to drive optimal performance and innovativeness should be given priority by heis. conclusion and recommendations the 21 st century is posed with several challenges for the continual relevance and sustainable development of heis. it is therefore essential that heis harness their internal and external knowledge resources to attain competitiveness and drive unparalleled performance through successful implementation of km, in the light of this; the following recommendations are hereby made to kick start and sustain km in heis: 13 i. management of heis should exhibitlong commitment to km through continuous funding, procurement of infrastructure and sensitization of staff and students to gain support. ii. knowledge auditing should be embraced by heis to identify the knowledge gaps, needs, and available knowledge resources. this would enable heisto be able to evaluate their knowledge resources and the extent of usage and its application. iii. decentralization of km activities to facilitate its effectiveness at the level of faculties, departments and administrative units in heis. this will further entrench the culture and acceptance of km amongst students and staff. iv. training and re-training of staff and students to ensure compliance to the tenets of km. references brewer, p. d., & brewer, k. l. (2010). knowledge management, human resource management, and higher education: a theoretical model. the journal of education for business, 85, 330–335. biloslava, r. & trnavcevic, a. (2007). knowledge management audit in a higher education institutions: a case study. knowledge and process management, 14(3), 1-12. dalkir, k. (2005). knowledge management in theory and practice. butterworth heinemann. donate, j. and canales, i. (2012). a new approach to the concept of knowledge strategy, journal of knowledge management, 16(1), 22-24 el-farr, h.&hosseingholizadeh, r. (2019). aligning human resource management with knowledge management for better organizational performance: how human resource practices support knowledge management strategies? in current issues in knowledge management. london: intechopen. harper, m. (2019). what are the best four components of km? https://www.apqc.org/blog/what-are-best-four-components-knowledge-management harmanpreet, s.s. (n.d.). knowledge management: an information professional view point. retrieved from http://eprints.rclis.org/14211/1/km.pdf ho, j.s.y., cheng, m.y. and lau, p.m. (2008). knowledge sharing in knowledge-based institutions, proceedings of the 10th international business information management association conference, kuala lumpur. huang, l.s. & lai, c.p. (2014). knowledge management adoption and diffusion using structural equation modelling.global journal of business research, 8(1), 39-56. hylton, a., (2012). knowledge auditing. in introduction to knowledge management, communityknowledge:http://www.communityknowledge.co.uk lee, h. & roth, g. l. (2009). a conceptual framework for examining knowledge management in higher education contexts. new horizons in adult education and human resources development, 23(4), 22-37. marouf, l. n., & agarwal, n. k. (2016). are faculty members ready? individual factors https://www.apqc.org/blog/what-are-best-four-components-knowledge-management http://eprints.rclis.org/14211/1/km.pdf http://www.communityknowledge.co.uk/ 14 affecting knowledge management readiness in universities. journal of information & knowledgemanagement, 15(3), 1650024. mohajan, h. k. (2016). sharing of tacit knowledge in organizations: a review. american journal of computer science and engineering, 3(4), 6-19. mutula, s. m. & mooko, n. p. (2008). knowledge management. in l.o. aina, s.m. mutula, &m. a.tiamiyu, (eds.),information and knowledge management in the digital age: concepts, technologies and africanperspectives. (pp 270-299) printmarkventures. ogunbanwo, a.s. (2019). km awareness assessment in nigerian tertiary institutions. retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc6816449/ ohiorenoya, j. o. & eboreime, o. f. (2014). knowledge management practices and performance in nigerian universities. european scientific journal, 10(16), 400-416. ojo, a. (2016). knowledge management in nigerian universities: a conceptual model. interdisciplinary. journal of information and knowledge and management, 11, 331 345. olayiwola, s. (2010). alternative model of funding for academic research in nigerian universities. higher education quarterly, 64: 149–160. pinto (2014). knowledge management in higher education institutions: a framework to improve collaboration. iberian conference on information systems and technologies,cisti, 1–4. scarborough, h., swan, j., preston, j. (1999). knowledge management: a literature review, ipd, london. shannak r.o., masadeh, r.m. & akour, m.a. (2012). knowledge management strategy building: literature review. european scientific journal, 8(15), 143-168. subashini, r. (2010). tacit knowledge – the ultimate essence of an organization. advances in management, 3(8), 36-39. about the author dr (mrs.) afolayan, oluyinka titilope is a senior lecturer in the department of information and communication science, under the faculty of communication and information sciences, university of ilorin, ilorin, kwara state, nigeria. she has quite a number of publications in reputable journal outlets at local, national and international levels. her research interest lies in social informatics, knowledge management and e-governance respectively. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc6816449/ 47 journal of information and knowledge management 2022, vol. 13, no. 2, 47-63: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.4 to cite this article: olulowo, a.o, adedokun, o.t & fawole, o. o.(2022) information dissemination and poverty alleviation: role of the church. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 13:2, 47-63, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.4 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.4 information dissemination and poverty alleviation for sustainable development: role of the church 1 olusegun a. olulowo 2 titilayo o. adedokun 3 oluwatoyin omoyemi fawole 2 university of lagos, nigeria 3 ibells university, nigeria abstract poverty is a global social problem capable of bringing the worst behaviour out of people: corruption, sexual decadence, bribery, diseases, educational deprivation, domestic abuse, unemployment, drug abuse and many more. the aforementioned consequences of poverty are traceable to lack of information or inability of people to access relevant information needed for sustainable development. therefore, the church has a role to play in the development of the people as they engage in providing and disseminating information that could help alleviate poverty. this study aimed at ascertaining information sources provided by the church, the medium of information dissemination by the church, finding out strategies/programs engaged by the church towards alleviating poverty and to suggest strategies to improve poverty alleviation in the nation. the study adopted survey research design. the population of study was christian churches. pastors were the respondents of the study. data was collected using selfdeveloped structured questionnaire. it is believed that this study will serve as an eye-opener to some churches and other religious bodies to see the need to engage in poverty and unemployment eradication. it would also create awareness to the nigerian government on the impact of the church in national development and thereby support the church for its sustainability. the study therefore recommended for the church to take responsibility in making available physical libraries and electronic information centres where people can easily access information. keywords nigerian church, tools, information dissemination, poverty alleviation, sustainable development contact olusegun a.olulowo, titilayo a. adedokun & oluwatoyin omoyemi fawole segunolulowo@yahoo.com 2022 the authors published with license by information impact 48 introduction information aids national development. availability of timely and up-to-date information is vital in the day-to-day activities of human being because it helps in decision-making and reduce uncertainty. access to information is a fundamental human right. the availability of the right information can go a long way in empowering individuals because information is power. information can be available or provided either through creation or acquisition. a library is established to acquire, organize and provide access to recorded knowledge and also to disseminate it to prospective users. the accessibility of acquired information is the speed at which the output (whatever format) of the information is obtained (aina, 2004). a library is described as a social institution where published or recorded knowledge is perused and explored. the existence of a library can help reduce uncertainty, broaden human mind and enlighten individual. library and information professionals have the responsibility of providing information resources in various formats for the use of their customer. they make information accessible to people and create awareness of the available information materials. to make information resources available means stocking the library with relevant materials, which can be accessed by potential users. however, there cannot be proper utilization of information if the available information is not accessible, therefore, the need for information professionals to create access to the available information. more so, information materials must first be processed; that is, organized and arranged in a particular order for easy access. the dearth of information in the society can cause havoc as the bible says “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (hosea. 4:6)”. information and knowledge are the bedrock of power. having access to information empowers individual to take better decision in life, thereby impacting the economy of the nation. according to onwukanjo and joseph (2018), the availability of information resources in the library without their accessibility will render such library underutilized, so also the under-utilization of the information resources. there is the need to alleviate poverty to enhance the quality of life of people. religious education develops in people selfless love for humanity, which is capable of taming the menace of kidnapping and other crimes (ilechukwu, uchem & asogwa, 2015). the endemic crime rate or poverty level in nigeria could be due to lack of information available that can help in the development of individual capacity. it could also be as a result of lack of access to the available information that is capable of educating the people and re-orienting them (onwukanjo & joseph, 2017). it is against this background that this paper investigates what should be the role of the church in nigeria towards information provision and poverty 49 alleviation for sustainable development. hence, the need for the provision of relevant information through the establishment of library or information centers in churches. to this end the paper is set to answer the following questions: 1. are there information sources available in the church? 2. what are the platforms of information dissemination used by the church? 3. what are the perceptions of people on causes of poverty? 4. what are the strategies engaged by the church towards poverty alleviation? 5. what suggestions can the church take in alleviating poverty? statement of the problem poverty is a social problem, one of the united nations sustainable development goals is to eradicate poverty by the year 2030. national bureau of statistics in its poverty and inequality report from september 2018 to october 2019 said 40% of nigerians live below its poverty line of n137, 430 ($381.75) per year. this translates to 82.9 million people in nigerian out of a population of about 200 million. thus, nigeria is a country of extremes. amidst enormous wealth, exists endemic poverty. according to world poverty clock, nigeria is now regarded as the world‟s poverty capital, surpassing the densely populated india. thus, this research is based on the prevalence of endemic level of poverty in nigeria and it seeks to investigates how the church be an instrument for its eradication. to improve the standard of living of the citizen of the nation, several stakeholders such as: non-governmental organizations, governmental groups, religious bodies and peer pressure groups engage in several programmes and initiatives that can help alleviate poverty and better the lives of the people. the church of christ in different denominations have been organizing programmes and initiating efforts to empower their members through education, vocational training, and promoting/supporting small-scale business and providing employment to many. they also serve as avenue to providing information to people on various occasions. poverty is not unconnected to many of the crimes carried out in the world today such as: kidnapping, killings, human trafficking, armed robbery, various revolts and other social vices are somehow associated with poverty or the economic situation of the country (thom-outya, 2010, ayegba 2015). 50 review of literature poverty is a financial inability or state of lacking basic requirement to live normal life. basic requirement such as money, food, water and shelter among many others are the bane of poverty, which causes depression for the less privilege. poverty is universally perceived as a natural catastrophe that can be used to explain the insurgence of a lot of social ills including child mortality rates, spread of hiv/aids, increase in crime rates, historical injustices, hunger, ill health, inadequate or poor housing illiteracy, malnutrition, corruption, sexual decadence, bribery, diseases, domestic abuse and drug abuse, parental issues and unemployment. between 1960 and 1980, the poverty level covered about twenty-eight percent of the population; by 1996, it rose alarmingly to about 66 percent of the population (aliju, 2001). poverty is the situation where a person‟s material resources is not sufficient to meet minimum needs‟, another definition of poverty emphasizes more specific conditions such as „malnutrition‟, „illiteracy‟ and „disease‟, while some also mention „human decency‟ (coudouel, et al., 2002). poverty in nigeria has shown great tendency for astronomic rise in the past couple of decades, which gave the nations low development indicators and makes the country ranked alongside the poorest nations in the world. world bank (2000, 2001) affirmed that about 66 per cent of the nigerian populations now fall below the poverty line of about a dollar a day compared to 43 percent in 1985. the pace at which churches are spreading like a wildfire in nigeria is astronomical. this is because in nigeria there is freedom of worship, thus, places of worship are full, pilgrimages are over-booked and there is evidence of religious fervour all over the places. from the statement above, church growth reveals dimensions of numerical increase in the number of adherents. olulowo (2021) averred that proliferation of churches that translates into numerical growth is not bad in itself; actually, it was from inception meant to be a blessing. this is because the agenda of church planting was not a man-made idea. the idea was first pioneered by the lord and the husband of the church himself, jesus christ of nazareth in a command that he gave to his disciples over 2000 years ago popularly known as the great commission in the book of mark 16:15-18. during jesus‟s ministry here on earth, he ministered to the total needs of men. for instance, he ministered healing to the sick, feed the hungry, and clothed the naked. jesus was also seen to be defending the woman caught in adultery gender discrimination and victimization of her generation, he talked about and secured freedom of man from sin, devil and his cohorts (acts 10:38, mk 5:15, mt 16:9, john 8:311,36 and luke 1:71-74). those that accused the woman caught in adultery were all guilty of sin of 51 injustice for parading only the woman to be stoned to death according to the requirement of the law because it takes two people to commit the sin of adultery. they spared the man and brought only the woman to be judged, that was why when jesus requested that “whosoever has not committed sin among her accusers should first stone her”, nobody could; because their conscience smote them. they all left the scene one after the other because they were equally guilty of sin of injustice and several other hidden sins. poverty due to unemployment can get amplified if poor individuals tend to experience discontinuous, short employment spells throughout their lifetime (aassve, et al., 2005). as against when there is a steady employment, it prevents dominance of poverty and enables individuals to imagine better career prospects that allow higher expected future income. this ease borrowing and investment in one‟s own skills and knowledge (human capital), as well as social capital (ulimwengu, 2008). reinstadler and ray (2010) argue that unemployment rate can have a direct and indirect impact on poverty. unemployment rate increases the likelihood of individual unemployment and an indirect effect through the negative impact of the unemployment rate on the wage bargaining power of the employed, which are at higher threat of being fired or receiving a lower wage when the unemployment rate rises. human capital theory a comprehensive study of poverty requires an effective theoretical understanding of the causes and effective methods of reducing poverty. this study anchors on human capital theory. the theory relies on the assumptions of perfect competition and market equilibrium entailing a strong relationship between wages and marginal productivity (townsend, 1979). the demand side of the labour market is determined by a number of characteristics or skills that workers can supply. the importance placed on the set of skills workers are equipped with gave rise to the development and spread of human capital theory. one strand of neoclassical economics accordingly focuses on individual choices in relation to education, training and mobility (as determinants of human capital) to explain differences in incomes, albeit still with little to no reference to the role played by other factors such as economic institutions and social norms. adult education may have an important role to play for those whose skills are in low demand and/or have not benefited from normal schooling (scott, et al., 2000). conversely, not investing in one‟s own skills risks perpetuating low pay and, therefore, poverty, and further raises the aforementioned cost of investing in human capital, thereby reinforcing the vicious cycle (pemberton, et al., 2013). 52 methodology the study employed a survey research design. population of study covers the different types of christian churches we have in nigeria, that is, the mainline, evangelical, and the pentecostal churches. data was collected using self-structured questionnaire with cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0.77. a total of 150 questionnaire were distributed to pastors and ministers in the churches with an overall response rate of 71%. data gathered was analyzed using descriptive statistics of simple percentages, mean and standard deviation with the aid of spss version 21. the study was carried in lagos and ogun state, nigeria. purposive sampling technique was used to get respondents from each of the church category. table 1a shows the distribution of questionnaire to the respondents and the return rate of questionnaire based on the church category while table 1b reveals the list of participating churches. table 1a: return rate of questionnaire distributed s/n church category no. distributed no. returned return rate 1. evangelical churches 50 43 86.0% 2. pentecostal churches 30 17 56.7% 3. mainline churches 20 10 50.0% table 1b: list of participating churches s/n church category name of church 1. evangelical churches baptist church ecwa 2. pentecostal churches living faith church 3. mainline churches anglican church 53 results and analysis figure 1: respondents church category (n=71) figure 1 shows the distribution of sampled respondents by church categorization. figure 1 shows that majority of the respondents 43 (61.4 %) are the evangelical churches, followed by pentecostals 17 (24.3 %), while the minority are mainline churches 10 (14.3 %) respondents. figure 2: respondents’ gender (n=71) figure 2 shows the composition of respondents by gender. figure 2 shows that majority of the respondents 61(88.6%) are the male respondents, while the minority are females 10 (11.4%) respondents. this is expected as church leadership is male dominated. 54 figure 3: respondents’ duration of engagement: (n=71) figure 3 shows the composition of respondents by length of service or duration of engagement in the church. the results shows that majority of the respondents 26 (36.6 %) have been serving for 1-5years, followed by 17 (23.9%) respondents that have been serving for between 6-10years, followed by 8 (11.3%) respondents who have been serving between 11-15 years while 13 (18.3%) have been serving between 1620 years; those that have served for over 20 years constituted 7 (9.9 %) each. figure 4: respondents’ church average attendance (n=71) figure 4 shows the composition of the respondents‟ church average attendance. the result shows that 38.2% of the respondents had between 51-100 average church attendance; followed by 22.1% of respondents that recorded average church attendance of 20-50; 20.6% of the respondents recorded average church attendance that is between 101-300, while 10.3% of the respondents reported having between 5011000 average church attendance. the minority (8.8%) of the respondents had an average church attendance between 301-500. 55 table 2: percentage distribution of availability of information resources in the church s/n kind of information available (%) not available (%) mean std. dev. 1. educational 88.9 11.1 1.89 .317 2. health and medical 75.4 24.6 1.75 .434 3. vocational training opportunity 74.1 25.9 1.74 .442 4. employment opportunity 71.9 28.1 1.72 .453 5. business opportunity 71.7 28.3 1.72 .454 6. advertisement leaflets/bills 60.7 39.3 1.61 .493 7. financial/loan 54.6 45.8 1.54 .502 8. assets/building 26.8 63.2 1.37 .487 9. daily newspaper 29.6 70.4 1.30 .461 10. sport 28.1 71.9 1.28 .453 table 2 reveals that information that pertains to education (mean=1.89) was top on the list of the available information type that people seek for, followed by health and medical information (mean=1.75) and then vocational training opportunity (mean=1.74). employment and business opportunity information are highly sought after by people having mean =1.72 each. the result shows that information on sport (mean=1.28), daily newspapers (mean=1.30) and assets/building were not available (mean=1.37). table 3: platforms of information dissemination s/n platform of information dissemination yes (%) no (%) mean std. dev. 1. announcement in church 98.6 1.4 1.99 .120 2. social media e.g. whatsapp 95.6 4.4 1.96 .2069 3. face book 84.7 15.3 1.85 .3626 4. church billboard 79.4 20.6 1.79 .408 5. email 58.5 41.5 1.59 .4975 6. church website 42.9 57.1 1.43 .4994 7. church library via print media 31.9 68.1 1.32 . 471 8. twitter 25.5 75.5 1.25 .44014 9. radio 19.6 80.4 1.20 .5554 56 10. television 18.5 81.5 1.19 .90518 table 3 reveals that announcement in church services (mean=1.99) was top on the list of the available platform for information dissemination, followed by whats app messages (mean=1.96) and then through facebook (mean=1.85). church billboard (mean =1.79), email (mean=1.58) are the most used platforms for disseminating information, whereas the following platforms are less used for information dissemination: church website (mean=1.43), church library (mean 1.32), twitter (mean =1.25), while radio (mean=1.20) and television (mean=1.19) were the least used platforms to disseminate information to the people. table 4: strategies engaged by the church towards poverty alleviation s/n strategies sa a d sd mean std. dev. 1. welfare of church members 81.4 17.1 1.4 0.0 3.80 .4374 2. welfare programs outside church 81.4 17.1 1.4 0.0 3.80 .4374 3. eradication of hunger and ignorance 84.3 10.0 4.3 1.4 3.77 .5940 4. caring for the poor 80.0 17.1 1.4 1.4 3.76 .5500 5. providing for the poor 71.0 27.5 0.0 1.4 3.68 .5555 6. advocacy for workers' emolument 69.6 27.5 2.9 0.0 3.67 .5332 7. social teaching 67.6 29.4 1.5 1.5 3.63 .5961 8. reaching the remote areas through evangelism and outreaches 52.2 36.2 10.1 1.4 3.39 .7320 table 4 reveals strategies for church involvement in poverty alleviation programmes such as welfare of church members (mean=3.80) and welfare programs outside the church (mean=3.80) were top on the list of the strategies for church involvement in poverty alleviation programmes, followed by eradication of hunger and ignorance (mean=3.77) and caring for the poor (mean=3.76). providing for the poor (mean =3.68), advocacy for workers' emolument (mean=3.67), social teaching (mean= 3.63), reaching the 57 remote areas through evangelism (mean=3.39) is the least used of the strategies for church involvement in poverty alleviation programmes. table 5: perception of respondents on causes of poverty s/n causes of poverty sa a d sd mean std. dev. 1. unequal distribution of wealth 0.0 43.5 5.8 50.7 3.45 .6072 2. government policies that undermine social justice 0.0 42.6 7.4 50.0 3.43 .6305 3. disobedience to god 44.9 27.7 14.5 2.9 3.25 .8112 4. poverty is not due to laziness 34.8 37.7 20.3 7.2 3.00 .924 5. poverty is not accidental 23.5 52.9 10.3 13.2 2.87 .929 6. lack of formal education/illiteracy 25.7 42.9 24.3 7.1 2.87 .8834 7. human freedom that leads to disdain for god 17.6 47.1 30.9 4.4 2.78 .7888 table 5 revealed causes of poverty such as unequal distribution of wealth (mean=3.45), government policies that undermine social justice (mean=3.43) and disobedience to god (mean=3.25) were top on the list of the causes of poverty, followed by poverty is not due to laziness (mean=3.00). poverty is not accidental and lack of formal education/illiteracy both had (mean=2.87). human freedom that leads to disdain for god (mean =3.78) was the least factor that cause poverty. table 6: suggestions on what the church can do to alleviate poverty s/n suggestions sa a d sd mean std. dev. 1. church should offer basic social services to the public 62.7 37.3 0 0 3.63 .4873 2. church should organize vocational/skill acquisition training to people 58.8 36.8 4.4 0 3.54 .5842 3. provision of humanitarian relief 65.2 27.3 1.5 6.1 3.52 .8085 4. church can provide medical services to people 52.2 46.3 1.5 0 3.51 .5330 5. church can give civic education/enlightenment 52.2 46.3 1.5 0 3.51 .5330 58 programme on family planning 6. church can provide free education or scholarships to people 50.0 44.1 5.9 0 3.44 .6080 table 6 revealed possible suggestions on several things the church could do to alleviate poverty such as offering basic social services to the public (mean=3.63) was top on the list, followed by organizing vocational/skill acquisition training to people (mean=3.54), provision of humanitarian relief (mean=3.52). provision of medical services and giving of civic education/enlightenment programme on family planning were respectively having (mean =3.51) while provision of free education or scholarships to people by the church (mean=3.44) is the least of possible suggestions on several things the church could do to alleviate poverty. discussion of findings findings on strategies for church involvement in poverty alleviation programmes showed that engaging in welfare of church members is the most used strategies as a means for poverty alleviation by the church. the report agrees with onah, okwuosa and uroko (2018) who argues that the church as an important and influencial social actor that has a rich history of social teachings and actions that could be used in the nigerian context. christian denominations adhere to the teachings of jesus christ that uphold in an unequivocal term options for the poor (luke 4:18, mt 25:34–36, luke 6:20– 21, john 13:34). apart from feeding the poor spiritually, the church also has moral duty to attend to the material needs of the poor. on the strategies for church involvement in poverty alleviation programmes, majority of the respondents affirmed that general welfare of church for the non-members is the second most used strategies as a means of poverty alleviation employed by the church. this report was equally affirmed by onah, okwuosa & uroko (2018), the moral duty of the church is not limited to the poor in the church alone but also to the poor outside the church (galatians 6:10). the sharing of material things in the church with non-members is a way by which the church shares the love of god they serve to their world who have not known or met with god thereby increasing the rate at which non-believers submit to the lordship of jesus. this also enhances the numerical growth of the church, followed by eradication of hunger and ignorance. the church always gets involved in caring for the poor within and outside the church by helping them find permanent means of eradicating hunger and ignorance through personal empowerment and 59 training. this helps them to be able to provide for their personal needs and also in helping someone else that they are now better than to meet their needs also. the church‟s option for the poor is part of its vocation in the world (oborji, 2012). acceptance of christianity and her ideals transforms people‟s life spiritually, changes people‟s status and makes people responsible to give back to others as they share with them out of gods bountifulness and goodness. respondents also advocated for prompt and constant payment of workers' emolument, the report of the majority of the respondent is in agreement with the old testament biblical injunction that says that “a labourer is worthy of his reward” (i timothy 5:18; james 5:4). the least used of all the strategies by the church in poverty alleviation is reaching the remote areas through evangelism this is probably because of the endemic rate of poverty especially in the remote areas of nigeria. poverty has been identified as a serious problem in nigeria (action aid nigeria, 2015; taiwo & agwu, 2016; ucha, 2010). poverty in remote areas is characterized by insufficient income and inadequate food intake, lack basic healthcare, lack shelter and safe drinking water, poor environmental cleanliness, lack access to basic education and skills, are ignorant of fundamental human rights and lack access to information (barnes 2010). findings of the study revealed that disobedience to god is the leading cause of poverty. it is not paying attention to god‟s word or instructions and it is sinful. the result also revealed that government policies that undermine social justice also ranked equal with disobedience to god as causes of poverty. this agrees with the fact that the phenomenon of „sin‟ is a disordered or disrupted relationship with god; it also implies wrongful actions or deeds affecting one‟s fellow humans (mcfarland 2011:473). sin can be personal or communal. the sin of the world is designated to be social sin. social sin is a sin that runs through time and space infecting both persons and institutions. the term social sin is mostly used to denote sin as a social occurrence (o‟keefe 1990:27). he understands social sin as follows: structures put in place by government in form of laws or policies that oppress human beings, violate human dignity, stifle freedom, and impose gross inequality. it also connotes situations established by institutions that promote and facilitate individual acts of selfishness and the complicity or silent acquiescence of persons who do not take responsibility for the evil done. the causes of poverty that are top on the list are, unequal distribution of wealth and government policies that undermine social justice. when there is unequal distribution of wealth in the society, it can lead to inter-generational transmission of unequal economic and social opportunities, thereby, creating 60 poverty traps, wasting human potential, and resulting in less dynamic, and less creative societies' (undesa, 2013, p. 22). inequalities can also have a negative impact on almost all sectors in the society. income inequality affects the pace at which growth enables poverty reduction (ravallion 2004). incontinuity in governance that leads to wastage due to abandoned projects and lack of implementation of policies inadvertently cause poverty among the citizens. majority of the respondents affirmed that poverty is not accidental. this agrees with nelson mandela who opined that poverty is not an accident. just like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings. poverty is not due to laziness. the report of the majority of respondents affirmed that poverty is not due to laziness. this is in agreement with the national public opinion poll taken in november 2015 by chile‟s centre for public studies (cep, 2015) which showed that minority of respondents representing 41% of the survey respondents felt that one of the most common cause of poverty was that people were lazy and lacked initiative. the view was more common in rural areas (49.2%) than in urban areas (38.8%). lack of formal education/illiteracy is the least of the causes of poverty. illiteracy leads to poverty due to the fact that individuals with low level of literacy are more likely to experience little employment opportunities and lower income. as a result, they often face welfare dependency, low self-esteem, and higher levels of crime. poverty and education are inextricably linked, because people living in poverty may stop going to school so they can work, which leaves them without literacy and numeracy skills they need to further their careers. possible suggestions on what the church could do to alleviate poverty include: offering basic social services to the public, organizing vocational/skill acquisition training to people, provision of humanitarian relief, provision of medical services and imparting civic education and enlightenment programme on family planning. also, people suggested provision of free education or scholarships to people by the church. this concurs with the study by kariuki (2018). conclusion and recommendations poverty is a social vice that should be eradicated in the society so as to experience sustainable development in nigeria. the church through its corporate social responsibility has been involved in alleviating poverty in the community they are based. information provision and dissemination help in no small matter in eradicating poverty in the society. the advent of technology and social media use serve as great and quick 61 avenue in making people informed and empowered to make decision that would better their lot. information service delivery is a powerful tool that can be used to empower people. there cannot be any reasonable sustainable development without effective information service delivery. from the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made: 1. the church should set up information resource centers/library where people can consult and access information to eradicate poverty which would help to develop them economically. poverty eradication information should be provided, packaged to targeted groups and be disseminated via appropriate platforms. 2. the church through her social ministry department must be unreservedly committed to helping in the training/retraining of youths that the industries have described as unemployable by organizing vocational/skill acquisition to upgrade their knowledge. 3. church should use social media platforms such as whatsapp, facebook, instagram, and email to disseminate information to members and also to the people in general. 4. there should be equal distribution of wealth and nigeria government should formulate policies that geared towards economic development of the nation by providing necessary social amenities across board. 5. the church should be committed to mobilizing professional teachers in the church during the long vacation to organize vacation schools, where students will be trained and empowered to make right choices of career. references action aid nigeria (2015). corruption and poverty in nigeria: a report, actionaid 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(2004). library and information science text for africa. ibadan: third world services. aliju, a. (2001). national poverty eradication program (napep), conception, implementation, coordination and monitoring. federal ministry of economic planning policy paper, abuja. ayegba, u.s. (2015). unemployment and poverty as sources and consequence of insecurity in nigeria: the boko haram insurgency revisited. african journal of political science and international relations 9(3), 90-99. barnes, a. (2010). poverty eradication, millennium development goals and sustainable development in nigeria. journal of sustainable development 3(4), 138. coudouel, aline and hentschel, jesko and wodon, quentin. (2002). poverty measurement and analysis. online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/10490/ mpra paper no. 10490. 62 ilechukwu, l.c., uchem, r. & asogwa, u. 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(2010). a philosophical appraisal of job’s sufferings and its implication to the contemporary christians in lagos state. [unpublished master‟s thesis. olabisi onabanjo university, ago-iwoye, nigeria. olulowo, o.a. (2021). an examination of the causes of kidnapping and its attendant challenges in ogun state, nigeria. journal of religion and human relations, 13(1), 133-171. https://doi. org/10.4102/hts.v74i1.4834 onwukanjo, s.a. and joseph, m.m. (2017). information resources availability and accessibility on user satisfaction: case study of federal university of technology, minna library. journal of applied information science and technology, 10(1), 118-132. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/356259449 pemberton, t.j., degiorgio, m. & rosenberg, n.a. (2013). population structure in a comprehensive genomic data set on human microsatellite variation. g3 (bethesda), 3(5), 891-907. doi: 10.1534/g3.113.005728. reinstadler, a. & ray j. (2010). macro determinants of individual income poverty in 93 regions of europe. ceps-instead working paper no. 20, 10-13. ravallion, m. (2004). pro-poor growth: a primer. policy research working paper series 3242, washington, dc: world bank. ravallion, m., & chen, s. (2013). a proposal for truly global poverty measures. global policy, 4(3), 258 265. dx.doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12049 sachs j.d. (2005). the end of poverty: economic possibilities for our time. new york: penguin group penguin group (usa). scott, w.r., ruef, m., mendel, p.j. and caronna, c.a. (2000). institutional change and healthcare organizations: from professional dominance to managed care. chicago: university of chicago press. http://www.iiste.org/ 63 singh p.k. and chudasama, h. (2020) evaluating poverty alleviation strategies in a developing country. plos one 15(1): e0227176. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227176 suleiman, a.o. (2016). scriptural solution to the implacable poverty widespread in the current administration in nigeria: comparative analysis. intellectual property rights, 4, 172 taiwo, j.n. and agwu, m.n. (2016), problems and prospect of poverty alleviation programmes in nigeria. international journal of business and management review, 4(6), 18–30. thom-outya, b.n. (2010). kidnapping: a challenge to nigeria security system. international journal of social science, 2(8), 107-116. ucha, c. (2010), „poverty in nigeria: some dimensions and contributing factors‟, global majority ejournal 1(1), 46-56. badiane, o. and ulimwengu, j. (2009).the growth-poverty convergence agenda: optimizing social expenditures to maximize their impact on agricultural labor productivity, growth, and poverty reduction in africa. ifpri discussion paper 00906. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258882963 un department of economic and social affairs (undesa). (2013). inequality matters: report of the world social situation 2013. new york: united nations. verbrugge, vd 2000. new international dictionary of the new testament theology. grand rapids, mi: zondervan. world bank (1998). world development report on 1998/99. knowledge for development. washington: oxford university. press. open access: implications for library andinformation service delivery. gladys onyia and alex ozoemelem obuh page 1 open access: implications for library andinformation service delivery. gladys onyia alex ozoemelem obuh abstract this paper describes open access (oa). it discusses two main forms of open access publishing such as open access archives and open access journals. it highlights open access as an initiative to facilitate northsouth as well as southnorth information flow. it presents benefits of open access in library and information service delivery such us access enhancement, digital publishing, easier preservation, subsidization ofauthorfees and well -resourced information delivery. keywords: open access, information,archives, journals, publishing. introduction open access (oa) simply means making materials accessible to users at no cost (giarlo, 2006). according to global network on global public goods, gpgnet (2005) open access is “free availability on the internet, permitting users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing,pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself” berlin declaration (2003) gives a more precise and legal definition that an open access publication is one that meets the following two conditions:  the author(s) and copyright holder(s) grant(s) to all users a free, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual right of access to, and a license to copy, use, distribute, transmit and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works, in any digital medium for any responsible purpose, subject to proper attribution ofauthorship, as well as the right to make small numbers ofprinted copies for their personal use.  a complete version of the work and all supplemental materials, including a copy of the permission as stated above, in a suitable standard electronic format is deposited immediately upon initial publication in at least one online repository that is supported by an academic institution, scholarly open access: implications for library andinformation service delivery. gladys onyia and alex ozoemelem obuh page 2 society, government agency, or other well-established organization that seeks to enable open access, unrestricted distribution, interoperability, and long-term archiving. the salient points common to these definitions are that open access concerns scholarly literature (peer-reviewed or not) that is subject to copyright (not in thepublic domain) and is made available free of charge by depositing it in a longterm reliable, standards-compliant online repository with a license permitting unrestricted access and utilization subject only to proper attribution of authorship and ethical norms. there is some disagreement on the taxonomy and naming of open access mechanisms (bethesda 2003; carl 2005; doaj2007). this paper identifies two main forms ofopen access publishing open access archives: these are repositories in which copies of already published articles are deposited for free access by all. this is also referred to as selfarchiving. however, the scope of open access archives is not restricted to alreadypublished articles, but may also encompass pre-prints, theses, dissertations, manuals, teaching materials and other grey literature. open access archives that are maintained by universities and research institutions for works contributed by their staff and students are called institutional repositories. this is a rapidly growing group. in order for their contents to be accessible worldwide, open access archives have to be oai-compatible; they comply with the open archive initiatives metadata harvesting protocol, which ensures that they are interoperable and searchable by any search engine (carl 2005). open access journals: these are published online and are accessible free of charge. the directory of open access journals which currently covers over 2,500 journals and gives access to over 125,000 articles, defines open accessjournals as “journals that use a funding model that does not charge readers or their institutions for access” (dewatripont,2006).they therefore do not derive their income from subscriptions but rely on alternative business models suber (2007) claims that both the spread of open access archiving policies by funding agencies and universities and the spread of institutional repositories are “unstoppable” trends. although the adoption of open access policies is not immediately accompanied by an equal rush of academics wishing to deposit their work there is no doubt that the open access movement is a significant trend that cannot be lightly dismissed. open access has been hailed as a solution for developing countries (arunachalan, 2003; carl 2005), as it has the potential to facilitate not only north-south information flow but also open access: implications for library andinformation service delivery. gladys onyia and alex ozoemelem obuh page 3 south-north flow, by enhancing the visibility of work published by scholars from developing countries. openaccess and library and information service delivery: librarians generally have responded with a mixture of enthusiasm and caution. many librarians are vocal advocates for open access. potentially, open access wouldsimplify the librarian’s role in the under listed ways:  libraries would own, not merely license, butcopies of electronicjournals.  they would have the right to archive them forever without special permission or periodic payments. long-term preservation and access would not be limited to the actions taken by publishers, with future market potential in mind, but could be supplemented by independent library actions.  if publishers did not migrate older content, such as the back runs ofjournals, to new media and formats to keep them readable as technology changed, then libraries would have the right to do it on theirown.  access and usage would not be limited by password, ip address, usage hours, institutional affiliation, physical location, a cap on simultaneous users, or ability to pay. one would not have to authenticate users or administer proxy servers.  libraries would have the right to lend and copy digital articles on any terms and to any users. they could offer the same services to users affiliated with their institution, walk-in patrons, users at home, visiting faculty, and ill users.  faculty and others could donate digital literature and software without violating their licenses, and without limiting their usability.  all use would be non-infringing use, and all use allowed by law would also be allowed by technology. there would be no need for fair-use and their accompanying risk of liability. there would be no need to err on the side of non-use. faculty could reproduce full-text for students without the delays, costs, or uncertainties of seeking permission.  libraries would not have to negotiate, either as individual institutions or consortia, for prices or licensing terms. andlibrarians wouldnot have to remember, consult, or even retain, complex licensing agreements that differ from publisher to publisher and year to year.  users who object to cookies or registration would have the same access privileges as other users. anonymous inquiry would be possible again for every user. open access: implications for library andinformation service delivery. gladys onyia and alex ozoemelem obuh page 4  libraries would never have to cancel a subscription due to a tight budget or unacceptable licensing terms. researchers would not encounter gaps in the collection corresponding to journals with unacceptable prices or licensing terms (sparc, 2007). more fundamentally, open access resonates with the professional ethos of librarians. at the same time ifla(2004) recognizes the roles of many stakeholders, including publishers, to all of whomit addresses seven open access principles. these deal with:  protection ofthe moral rights of authors  effective peer review  opposition to all forms of censorship  succession of scholarly works to the public domain  measures to combat information inequality  support for development of sustainable open access publishing models  measures to ensure long-term preservation and availability of scholarly literature and documentation. bailey (2006) identifies the following roles for libraries in respect of open access: libraries can provide enhanced access to oa works: this presupposes that librarians will not simply leave it to information users to find these materials themselves, but will actively promote access to them, for example by including selected materials in catalogues or other finding tools. this implies selecting appropriate materials from the large and growing pool, creating metadata, keeping track of their status and availability, developing skills in using search engines and specialized finding tools, and transmitting these skills to library users as part of information literacy education libraries can be digital publisher of oa works: librarians generally have better content expertise and people skills than it specialists, and are better equipped for interacting with authors, dealing with metadata and intellectual property questions, promotion and training, which are bread and butter issues for reference librarians. this could especially be the case in developing countries. anbu (2006) recommends that institutional repositories in african universities should be run by the university libraries. libraries can build specialized oa systems: early library automation systems were developed in and by libraries. more recently some open-source institutional repository software, including dspace, fedora and oalster (bailey 2006) has been open access: implications for library andinformation service delivery. gladys onyia and alex ozoemelem obuh page 5 developed in collaboration with libraries. however, such efforts are likely to be limited to a small numberofwell-resourced libraries in major universities. libraries can digitize oa versions of out-of-copyright works: digitization of rare and specialized materials that are in the public domain is a widespread libraryactivity. to the extent that digitized materials remain in the public domain or are put under a creative commons license, this activity adds to the pool of open access materials available. libraries can preserve oa materials: libraries traditionally play a role in respect of preservation and have moved into the preservation of traditionally published digital resources such as electronic journals. much attention is currently being paid to options for the long-term preservation ofdigital scholarly content, e.g. legal deposit “trusted digital repositories” (opendoar 2006) and the lockss (lots of copieskeep stuff safe) concept (lessig 2002). the long-term preservation of open access resources, which are arguably at greater risk, needs urgent attention, and libraries are the obvious institutions to shoulder this task. libraries can subsidize author fees: this role arises in the case of open access journals using a business model in which the costs of publication are wholly or partly borne by authors or their institutions. in the latter case author fees may be waived or reduced if the institution (usually through its library) takes out an institutional membership. the extent to which this will happen is still uncertain. bailey suggests that by supporting open access journals libraries contribute to the common good. this is in line with the bethesda statement, which proposes that libraries should “develop and support mechanisms to make the transition to open access publishing and to provide examples of these mechanisms to the community” (berlin declaration 2003) however many librarians, mindful of their long-term responsibilities, are cautious and are adopting a wait-and-see attitude. an empirical study by beckett and inger (2007) on how open access archiving affects journal subscriptions indicates that, while librarians show a strong preference for content that is freely available, quality and access factors also weigh heavily. hence preference is given to content that has undergone peer review, and the length of an embargo placed on open access to electronic journal content is a significant consideration. there are also some who fear that some existing library funding for publication subscriptions may be transferred to fund the running of the institutional repository. changes in the economics of scholarly publishing cannot fail to affect the economics of libraries. much depends on how one sees the library ofthe future. if it is seen as a collection of resources, diverting funding away from collection appears to be a problem. if it open access: implications for library andinformation service delivery. gladys onyia and alex ozoemelem obuh page 6 is seen as the knowledge management centre of the university or institution, that would be entirely appropriate. conclusion librarians are concerned with facilitating access to information for all. this is well encapsulated in lfla(2006) core values:  the belief that people, communities and organizations need universal and equitable access to information, ideas and works of imagination for their social, educational, cultural, democratic and economic well-being;  the conviction that delivery of high quality library and information services helps guarantee that access. facilitating access to information for all implies cooperation and sharing. these are central to our ethos. this accounts for our interest in, and in many cases enthusiasm for, open access. but it does not mean that librarians are against publishers. they have no wish for the demise of publishers and we do not begrudge publishers a fairreturn on their investment, provided that the prices that they charge are fairly related to the value they add, which we acknowledge, for example in entrepreneur initiative, mobilizing capital, project management, editorial expertise. quality control and promotion. publishers also need librarians to grow their market by promoting literacy, reading and information use and exposing users to their products. librarians provide publishers with reliable sales for certain categories of publications. a mechanism for the distribution of works no individual scholar could afford, and a single point of contact for their sales team, and also sustain the users who are authors, reviewers, editors and readers. librarians and publishers have a common belief that information makes a difference and has to be disseminated. how dissemination will evolve over the coming decades is not clear. it is expected that open access will be an important factor in the evolution of scholarly publishing, and that both publishers and librarians will have a major role in it. open access: implications for library andinformation service delivery. gladys onyia and alex ozoemelem obuh page 7 references anbu, j.p (2006) institutional repositories: time for african universities to consolidate the digital divide, unpublished paper presented at the africastudies centre/codesria conference ‘bridging the north-south divide inscholarly communication on africa: threats and opportunities in thedigital era “, leiden, the netherlands, 6—8 september, 2006. retrievedjanuary 22, 2011 . from: http://www.ascleiden.nl/pdf/elecpublconfanbu.pdf arunachalam, s. (2003) information for research in developing countries information technology, a friend or foe?, international information and library review 35(2/4) 133-147. bailey, c.w. (2006) open access and libraries.retrieved january 22, 2011. from: http://www.digital-scholarship .com/cwb/oalibraries2.pdf beckett, c. &inger, s. (2007) self-archiving and journal subscriptions: coexistence or competition? an international survey of librarians’ preferences, prc summary paper, 2, retrieved january 22, 2011. from:http://www.publishingresearch.org.uk/documents/self archiving summary2.pdf berlin declaration (2003) berlin declaration on open access to knowledge in the sciences and humanities.retrieved january 22, 2011. from:http:// www.mpg.de / pdf/openaccess/berlindeclarationen.pdf bethesda (2003) bethesda statement on open access publishing. retrieved january 22, 2011. from: http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/bethesda. canadian association of research libraries carl (2005), institutionalrepository project: online resources portal. retrieved january 22, 2011.from: http://www.carlabrc.ca/projects/ institutional repositories/institutional repositories-e html dewatripont, m. 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(2007)open access overview: focusing on open access to peerreviewed research articles and their preprints retrieved january 22, 2011. from:http://www. earlharn.edu/%7epeters/writing/acrl.htm gladys onyia is the polytechnic librarian, delta state polytechnic ogwashi-uku, nigeria. alex. ozoemelemobuh isa lecturer in the department of library and informationscience delta state university, abraka nigeria. http://www.arl.org/ intrusion detection systems: complement to firewall security system adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohammed i. kolo and abdullahi r. ozigi page 1 intrusion detection systems: complement to firewall security system by adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohammed i. kolo&abdullahi r. ozigi abstract the main purpose with firewall is to protect against unauthorized external attacks but it will normally leave the network unprotected from internal attacks or intrusions. fire walls and access control have been the most important components used in order to secure network and its resources. they work to prevent attacks from taking place or getting into the internal network. however the attackers seldom get their way into the internal protected network, by bypassing the security systems offirewalls and other access control measures. these security measures do not know what happens inside once they are bypassed. there is, therefore needforanothersystem that will help detect these threats and possibly remove them. this system, which this paper seeks to explore, is called intrusion detection system. this will make the network and its resources more secured. keywords: intrusion, firewall security, detection,access control, network security. introduction it is very important that the security mechanisms of a system are designed so as to prevent unauthorized access to system resources and data. however, complete prevention of security breaches appears presently, unrealistic. we can, however, try to detect these intrusion attempts so that actions may be taken to repair the damage later. this field of study is called intrusion detection. rebecca (1999) defined an intrusion attempt or a threat to be the potential possibility of a deliberate unauthorized attempt to access information; manipulate information, or render a system unreliable or unusable. intrusion detection could also be defined as the process of identifying and responding to malicious activities targeted at computing and networking resources. the malicious activities here refer to the actions that jeopardize the confidentiality, integrity or availability of information or resources. thus, “an intrusion detection system (ids) is a computer system (possibly a combination of hardware and intrusion detection systems: complement to firewall security system adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohammed i. kolo and abdullahi r. ozigi page 2 software) that attempts to perform intrusion detection”. (martin and markus 2003). “a secure computer system is a system that can be depended upon to behave as it is expected to do” (rebecca, 1999). in other to achieve this, the components that make up the system must, at some point, be trusted. in the first place, the hardware has to be trusted to behave as expected, thus minimizing the possibility of hardware failure. secondly, the installed software must he trusted to behave as expected and thirdly, the users of the system must be trusted to behave as expected. the trust must be extended to all people connected to the internet, that is, they must behave as expected. since trust is a delicate virtue and often abused, a way to protect our computer systems, detect any malicious activity and react upon the detection mustbe found. martin & markus (2003) noted that prevention measures are measures that check assets from being damaged; measures that allow you to detect when an asset has been damaged, how it has been damaged, and who caused the damage; measures that allow you to recover your assets or to recover from damage to your assets. in other words, every protective measure must take into account prevention, detection and reaction (pdr). an intrusion detection system is required in spite of firewall because ofthe following reasons:  it is hard to configure firewall properly  hacker/cracker can get some packets through most firewalls and firewalls don’t know what happens once someone gets through them.  the software contains a software bug (software always has bugs).  bad protocols can be blocked by the firewall but http is allowed through and ‘hack’ in http will pass through.  the firewall can only protect against known problems. model of intrusion detection system a multitude of configurations exist for intrusion detection systems and there are many different opinions designations on what an ids looks like. although, an existing model that was both complete and generic could not be found, figure i is an attempt to develop an intrusion detection system model. intrusion detection systems: complement to firewall security system adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohammed i. kolo and abdullahi r. ozigi page 3 figure 1: an ids model source: field work (2011) each box is considered as a stand-alone component, which performs a single task. the arrows describe the information flow. the boxes with lighter outlines are not necessary for ids to be operational, although almost every ids today utilize them. the components can either be deployed separately or made to reside in the same physical system. the components are described as follows: audit source this serves as the input to the ids. input is the raw data, which can have several different formats depending on the type of ids and where it is located. instances of audit sources are application logs, system calls ip-packets and the output from otheridss. collector classification engine knowledge database response unit response unit event database response intrusion detection systems: complement to firewall security system adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohammed i. kolo and abdullahi r. ozigi page 4 collector the collector samples the audit source, either in real time or periodically, and preprocesses the information. in preprocessing exercise, the sampled information is transformed into an internal standard format, known by the analyzer. a preliminary reduction of data, e.g. the grouping of similar log entries, is often a part of the preprocessing step. if the ids is monitoring some kind of connection-oriented protocol, the connection may cache the network packets for session reconstructions. analyzer classification engine and knowledge database constitute the analyzer. the analyzer is responsible for determining if the data sent by the collector contains signs of an attack. when an attack is found, the analyzer produces one or more events that are passed on to the response unit. (a) knowledge database the long-term memory of the ids is the knowledge database. it contains detailed attack information that varies depending on the type ofids. (b) classification engine the classification engine determines if the data received from the collector is proof of attack. it does this by comparing the data with the information stored in the knowledge database according to one more detection methods. the method could be knowledge-based (which has some kind of knowledge about how attacks look), or behaviour-based (which uses normal behaviour as the basis to determine bad behaviour). if signs of attack are found, an event is constructed containing all the relevant attack-related information. the event is usually classified according to the severity of the attack and then passed on to the response unit. response unit this unit decides which actions to perform depending on the incoming events and the level of severity. the responses could be passive alerting or response (involves notifying the appropriate person or system of the actions to take regarding an attack that has taken place and detected by the ids), reactive response (has to do with stopping the attacker from gaining further access to resources, thereby mitigating effect of an attack), or proactive response (intervenes and actively stops an attack from taking place). intrusion detection systems: complement to firewall security system adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohammed i. kolo and abdullahi r. ozigi page 5 policy rules these rules allow the configuration of the ids that should perform detections and react to intrusions. this it does by allowing one to select a subset of the knowledge database to use in the analyzer and choosing which responses a certain event should trigger in the response unit. since this feature is optional, ids without this module would always use the whole knowledge database for intrusion detection and always respond to attacks in a predefined way. event database the event information produced by the ids is stored in the event database. the policy rule controls the decision taken from response unit regarding the logging of an event. the database can later be used in a number of ways (e.g. doing exhaustive searches, or for generating reports ofattack statistics). types of intrusion detection system (ids) host based ids this type of ids monitors activity on the hosts making up the network. they are responsible for examining user activity. an example of host-based tds is psionic hostsentry (http://www.ypsionic.com/products/hostséntry.html), which is a system that performs loginanomaly detection (lad). hostsentry keeps a record of login time and location for each user as well as activity during each session and uses this information to spot intruders masquerading as legitimate users. tripwire (http://www.tripwire.com/downloads), is another host-based system. it detects changes to file systems on the host it is monitoring by creating a unique fingerprint for each file and generating an alert wheneverthe file’s signature changes. network based ids network-based intrusion detection system (nids) monitors traffic between hosts. it is concerned with the examination of the output of a packet sniffer. a sniffer is a program that reads raw packets off a network, usually after putting the network interface (e.g. ethernet card) into promiscuous mode. in promiscuous mode, the network interface will receive all traffic on the local network segment rather than packets addressed to it. an example of network-based ids is snort (interpol 2004). the following is taken from the snort documentation: “snort is a lightweight network intrusion detection system, capable of performing real-time traffic analysis and packet logging on ip network. it can perform protocol analysis, content searching/matching and can be intrusion detection systems: complement to firewall security system adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohammed i. kolo and abdullahi r. ozigi page 6 used to detect a variety of attacks and probes’. snort can defend a single machine or an entire network segment as it can put the network interface into promiscuous mode (james, 2002). distributed ids when host-based and network-based elements are both employed by some systems, they can be categorized as hybrid intrusion detection systems. an example of a hybrid intrusion detection system is the distributed intrusion detection system (dids). this system has both a host monitor that performs hostbased intrusion detection and a lan monitor that analyses packets on the network. with a fixed centralized host for intrusion detection analysis, there is a problem of higher power demand for the host if the network is enormous. this makes itimpractical for large networks. instead (paul, matt & marcus 2004) suggests that each host runs a process, called a cooperating security manager (csm), which analyzes the activity on that host. the individual csms share informationon users who are active on more than one host. each csm is made up of five components:  the local intrusion detection system component, which detects intrusions on the host on which the csm is running.  the distributed intrusion detection component, which communicates with other csms on the network.  the user tracking system, which keeps a record, of which hosts a user is logged into.  the intruder handling system component, which works out the best course of action once an intrusion, is detected.  the user interface component, which interacts with the security officer. a “suspicion level” is produced for every user on the network indicating how likely it is that the user is acting maliciously. this is crucial, as it is difficult to determine who is or isn’t acting improperly. this kind of ids will be useful to very large networks. techniques of intrusion detection system the types of idss (host-based, network-based and hybrid or distributed system) described above, make use of either misuse detection or anomaly detection to make a distinction between legitimate and malicious use of computer. intrusion detection systems: complement to firewall security system adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohammed i. kolo and abdullahi r. ozigi page 7 anomaly detection technique this technique assumes that all intrusive activities are essentially anomalous. this implies that ifwe could establish a “normal activity profile” for a system, we could in theory; flag all system states varying from the established profile. that is, it works by building a model to represent normal system usage and then monitoring for anything that does not fit this model. this approach is good at detecting new attacks that the misuse technique would miss. however, if we consider that the set of intrusive activities only intersects the set of anomalous activities instead of being exactly the same, we find a pair ofinteresting possibilities: anomalous activities that are not intrusive are flagged as intrusive (false positives). intrusive activities that are not anomalous result in false negatives (events are not flagged intrusive, though they actually are). (john,alan & julia 2000). the block diagram ofa typical anomaly detection system is shown in figure 2 below thus, in anomaly detection systems, the main issues become the selection of threshold levels: so that neither of the above two problems become unreasonably magnified. and the selection of features to monitor. these systems are relatively expensive, owing to the overhead of keeping track of, and possibly updating several system profile metrics. some systems based on this technique are:  statistical approaches, where behavior profiles for subjects are generated.  predictive pattern generation, which takes past events into account when analyzing the data.  neural network, which predicts a user’s next line of action or command, given the window of previous actions or commands. audit data system profile audit state generate new profiles dynamically figure 2: a typical anomaly detection system intrusion detection systems: complement to firewall security system adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohammed i. kolo and abdullahi r. ozigi page 8 misuse detection technique the misuse detection approach to intrusion detection is based on somehow defining what malicious behaviour is and then monitoring for it. the concept behind this scheme is that there are ways to represent attacks in the form of a pattern or signature so that even variations of the same attack can be detected. these systems are similar to virus detection systemsthey can detect many or all known attack patterns, but they are of little use for as yet unknown attack methods. a crucial point to note is that anomaly detection systems try to detect the complement of “bad” behaviour. misuse detection systems try to recognize known “bad” behaviour. the main issues in misuse detection systems are: how to write a signature that encompasses all possible variations of the pertinent attack, and how to write signatures that do not also match the non-intrusive activity. a typical misuse detection system is shown in figure 3 below there are a number of approaches to misuse detection.  expert systems, separates the rule-matching phase from the action phase, with the matching done according to audit trail events.  keystroke monitoring, system monitors keystrokes for attack patterns and is very simple in nature.  model based intrusion detection, here certain scenarios are inferred by certain other discernible activities.  pattern matching, encodes known intrusion signatures as patterns that are then matched against the audit data. it attempts to match incoming events to the patterns representing intrusion scenarios. audit data system profile audit state add new rules figure 3: a typical misuse detection system rule match timing information modify existing rules intrusion detection systems: complement to firewall security system adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohammed i. kolo and abdullahi r. ozigi page 9 conclusion irrespective of the type or techniques employed by an intrusion detection system, it is serves to benefit us in the following ways:  most attacks come from inside, which cannot be prevented by the firewall systems. the intrusion detection systems help to detect such attacks with appropriate measures to remove them.  firewalls sometimes even fail to protect against the external attacks. in such occasions, intrusion detection systems serve as an alternative to detection of attacks or intrusions. although, intrusion detection technology is new (when compared to other security measures, such as firewall systems), it should notbe considered as a complete defense, in the field of network security, its role is indispensable in internet security architecture. it is, therefore, recommended for the following reasons:  firewalls are not capable ofdetecting what happens behind them, that is, what goes on in the internal network.  no one security measure is capable of completely combating the danger of insecurity in the network today, and as such, the intrusion detection systems would contribute their quota to strengthen the network security efforts.  it is true that security issue is a very difficult topic of discussion. it means different things to different people. defining what security means to your organization is the key to building a secure network. the activities going on the network are then evaluated based on this policy. the business of security is that of everyone. and it is only with the cooperation of everyone coupled with the necessary tools such as intrusion detection systems, a formidable security could be built. intrusion detection systems: complement to firewall security system adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohammed i. kolo and abdullahi r. ozigi page 10 references interpol (2004).it security and crime prevention methods. http://www.interpol.int/public/technologycrime/crimeprev/ltsecurity. james f. (2002). combination of misuse andanomaly networkintrusion detection systems. research@kaleton.com., http://www.kaleton.com. john, m., alan, c. and julia a. (2000). defending yourself: the role of intrusion detection systems. ieee software. imchugh@cert.org.amc@sei.cmu.edu hilp://www.sei.cmu.edu/staff/amc/.jhw2isei.cmu._edu. martin a. and markus c. (2003).intrusion detection systems technologies, weakness and trends,stochholnm; urwin paul, d. r., matt, c. and marcus j. r. (2004). internet firewalls: paul(dcompuwar.net cmcurtincinterhack.net, mjr@ranum.com. rebecca g. b. (1999). intrusion detection. london; pearson higher education, adam m. saliu; mohammed b. abdullahi; mohathmed i. kolo&abdullahi r. ozigi are lecturers in the department of computer science federal university of technology, minna, nigeria mailto:amc@sei.cmu.edu strategies for enhancing access to information provision for nomads in nigeria jonas u. ezema and adizetu a. ali page 1 strategies for enhancing access to information provision for nomads in nigeria jonas u. ezema adizetu a. ai abstract this paper examines strategies for enhancing access to information for nomads in nigeria. it describes nomads as special group of people that have been marginalized for long; though they contribute immensely to national development. the paper notes that 9.3 million people makeup nigeria’s nomadic group with literacy rule of 0.28%. it presents strategies such as mobile learning, mobile schools, information repackaging, translation services, book mobile, use of audio visuals, drama and picture books in order to enhance access to information provision for nomads in nigeria. keywords: nomads, library, access to information, pastoralist, literacy, introduction nomadic people commonly known as itinerant in modem day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. sometimes they do stay in one place during the winter and only travel in the summer or the other way around. akinpelu (1994) used the term nomads to refer to “ethnic or socio-professional groups, which travel and migrate on large or small groups, in search of means of livelihood within a community, a nation or across international boundaries. he emphasized that their existence is usually characterized by the absence of fixed domicile. generally, it has been pointed out that nomadic increases in relation to the increasing wants, uncertainty and serious threat to existence.(awotona&daromola, 1989). they stressed that nomads is propelled at the slightest threat to the basic ingredient of human sustenance. it is seen as human ecological reaction to its endangered environment. nomads can be classified into three categories, namely; nomadic pastoralists, the itinerant fishermen and the migrant farmers. the prominent pastoralists in nigeria include: the fulani, shuwa, kwayam, buduman and buduwa. the itinerant fishermen are mainly concentrated on the atlantic coastline, the riverine and the river basin areas in states such as ondo, cross river, delta, rivers, kogi, lagos, akwaibom, ogun states. these people live along the rivers and seas hunting for fish. migrant farmers are almost found in all the states of the federation. these people move away from their home and travel to other localities where there are enough and more fertile land for their farming activities. for instance, in enugu strategies for enhancing access to information provision for nomads in nigeria jonas u. ezema and adizetu a. ali page 2 state, migrant farmers from nsukka local government area travel to opanda/adani in uzo-uwani local governmentarea for farming activities. nomadic groups have been marginalized for long though they contribute immensely to national development. ugwu (2004) opines that this group needs special attention. he contends that the mobile and migratory nature of their work activities, coupled with the fact that they live in remote and inaccessible areas have placed them in disadvantaged position in the area of accessing information. the pastoral nomads are more highly disadvantaged than the migrant fishermen, in terms of access to education, primarily because they are more itinerants. as a result, the literacy rate of pastoral nomads is only 0.28 percent, while that of the other nomads is about 20 percent (fme, 2000). access to information ifla(2008) has come up with a manifesto, which sees unrestricted access to information as in dispensable and fundamental to freedom, equality, global understanding and peace. iflas position is premised on the following:  intellectual freedom is the right of every individual both to hold and express opinion and to seek and receive information, it is the basis of democracy; and it is a central responsibility ofthe library and informationprofession.  freedom of access to information regardless of medium and frontiers, is a central responsibility of the library and information profession.  the provision of unhindered access to the internet by libraries and information services supports communities and individuals to attain freedom, prosperity and development.  barriers to the flow of information should be removed, especially those that promote inequality, poverty and despair. these above mentioned set of principles emphasized that: right of access to information is essential for a civilized society; and that if citizens are to exercise their democratic rights and to make informed choices, they must have access to political, social, scientific and economic information. if our culture is to thrive and to growpeople need access to the widest range of ideas, information and images. strategies for enhancing access to information provision for nomads in nigeria jonas u. ezema and adizetu a. ali page 3 strategies forenhancing information provision for nomads education is both a human right in itself and indispensable means of realizing other human rights. as an empowerment right, education is the primary vehicle by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and obtain the means to participate fully in their communities (unesco, 2003) education is the greatest force that can bring change. it is also the greatest investment that a nation can make for the quick development of its natural and human resources. education has vital role in empowering women, street working children from exploitative and hazardous labour and sexual exploitation, promoting human rights and democracy, protecting the environment andcontrolling population growth. in order to achieve the five main national goals which include; a free and democratic society, a just and equalitarian society a united and dynamic economy and a land full of bright opportunities for all citizens, nigeria’s nomadic people need access to basic educational provision to acquire literacy skills. this can be achieved through the following ways. mobile learning lehnerand nosekabel (2002) defined mobile learning as any service that supplies a learner withgeneral electronic information and educationalcontents that aids in acquisition of knowledge regardless of location and time. mobile learning through the use of wireless mobile technology allows anyone to access information and learning materials from anywhere at any time. according to ajigboye (2010), learners have control of when they want to learn and from which location they want to learn. all humans have the right to access information and learning material to improve their quality of life regardless of where they live, their status and culture. such mobile technologies include among others, mobile phones and note books or pcs. mobile technologies fulfill the basic requirements needed to support learning and the learners evolving skills and knowledge (sharples, 2000) radio can provide instructions and relay messages to nigeria’s pastoral nomads who are always on the move grazing their cattles. aderinoye, ojokheta and olojede (2007) described the pastoral fulani as a captive audience of radio programmes; they have radios which they carry along during herding. the literate world can reach itinerant nomads without disrupting their nomadic life or livelihood. government should therefore introduce many educational programmes using the mobile learning technique to enhance the literacy skills of the marginalized group of nigerians by supplying radios, tv, electronic generators and building of tele-centres. strategies for enhancing access to information provision for nomads in nigeria jonas u. ezema and adizetu a. ali page 4 mobile schools mobile schools use collapsible classrooms that can be assembled or disassembled within 30 minutes and carried conveniently. while a whole classroom and its furniture can be handled by only four pack animal. motor craven are presently replacing pack animals to relocate the classrooms (aderionye; ojokheta and olojede, 2007). atypical mobile unit consists of three classrooms each with spaces to serve 15 to 20 children. some of the classrooms are also equipped with audiovisual teaching aids. there is no doubt that this is one ofthe most ideal school for the itinerant children of school age. information repackaging for the nomads udensi (2010) defined information repackaging as organizing or processing of information in a form that can be understood by the different categories of uses that the various information are meant for. it involves interpreting and converting information into a form that the different target groups can easily understand. ezema (2010) argues that information repackaging is concerned with efforts in transformingthe existing information in the form and medium that would suit a targeted group of people. information can be repackaged through the translation of relevant documents into various local languages of the target groups (nomads), fulani, hausa, yoruba, ijaw etc. information can also be translated in pigin english that can be easily understood by a very large population of the nomad groups. another approach to translation is the use of information sheets such as posters, handbills, pamphlets etc. udensi (2010) observed that important information on different dialects can be taken to the grassroots in different communities. oral information delivery will be more effective method ofreaching out to the less literate groups. book mobile another approach to information repacking is bookmobile. brown (1967 cited by ogbonna 2006) sees book mobile literally as book in motion. this is a process where the library transports books out of the four walls of the library building to the areas where the intended users are located. the target groups that most need this type of information are mainly the disadvantaged group such as the nomads, prisoners, delinquents, patients in the hospitals. the nomads require this type of library services more than any other group because they are always on the “move” or they are itinerants. strategies for enhancing access to information provision for nomads in nigeria jonas u. ezema and adizetu a. ali page 5 audio-visual resources audio-visual resources, commonly referred to as instructional materials form a special collection of library. they are sources of information not readily available or communicated in print media and are recommended as good aids in educational instruction and information repacking for the intended target groups like nomads and others. udensi (2010) stated that audiovisual materials include objects, models, photographs, paintings, drawings, diagram, films, charts, posters, audio recording, video-recording, motion pictures etc. repackaging of information through the use of these materials is actually one of the most effective technique information can be transferred from group or another especially to disadvantaged groups like the nomadic people who are less literate. drama and picture books drama is a practical display of some practices or actions that capture the five senses. during story-telling, the audience, especially the children could act the story. information needs of the nomads and the rural dwellers could be transmitted through this type of medium. in addition, drama gives entertainment and sharpens talents. ogbonna (2006) observed that picture books are usually recommended to be the first to be introduced to learners at their early school age. the abc picture book introduce learners to the letters ofthe alphabet accompanied by words and phrases and build up their language skills which eventually lead to an interest; that will endure or last long into one’s life. again, the number or counting picture books introduce learners to numeracy, counting, addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. picture books generally develop learners’ visual and verbal abilities because they encourage them to observe, talk, discuss, and learn, thereby establishing and enhancing their reading and communicative abilities and literary appreciation of the nomads. conclusion nigeria’s nomadic group represents sizeable population that requires access to basic information in order to attain fundamental human rights in line with the goals of vision 20-20-20. increase in the literacy skills of the nomadic through mobile learning, introduction of mobile schools and other information repackaging techniques can enhance access to the information needs of the nomadic groups of nigeria who have contributed immensely to the socio-economic development of the nation. strategies for enhancing access to information provision for nomads in nigeria jonas u. ezema and adizetu a. ali page 6 references aderiouye, r.a., ojokheta, k.o and olojede, a.a (2007) integrating mobile learning into nomadic education programmes in nigeria: issues and perspectives. the international review of research in open and distance learning 5(3) 74-8 7 ajigboye, s. (2010) mobile e-learning: exploring partnership between education and telecommunication plat form. paper presented at the 2 nd professional summit on information science and technology’ (psist,) held at the nnamdiazikiwe library,unnfrom3 rd -7 th may. akinpelu, j.a. (1994). education for special groups.in 0.0.akinkugbe (ed) nigeria and education: the challenges ahead. ibadan: spectrum books ltd. awotona, a. and daramola, s.a (1996) housing thenomads in nigeria: the cultural perspectives. http://.www.enhr 2007rottevadam.n/documents/w13 paper daramola.pdf ezema, i.j. (2010) information repackaging for the prevention and control of human trafficking in nigeria. paparpresented at the 2nd professional summit on information science and technology (psist) held at the vnamdiazikiwe library, unn from 3 rd -7 th may, federal ministry of education (2000) comprehensive education: analysis project (secondary data report) lagos: fgnijnicef/undp. ifla (2008) intellectual freedom statements.http:i/wwwifla. lehner, f. and nosekabel h. (2002) the role of mobile device in elearning: first experience with a elearning environment. in m. mirad, h.u. hoppe (eds) ieee international workshop on wireless and mobile technologies in education (pp1 03-106) losalamitos, ca: ieee computer society. ogbonna, i.m. (2006) the contribution of the library towards children’s appreciation of reading communication and literate. journal of communication andliterate 2(1)48-56. strategies for enhancing access to information provision for nomads in nigeria jonas u. ezema and adizetu a. ali page 7 udensi, j (2010) information repackaginga necessity in nigerian libraries. in e.g. madu and c.n. ezeani (eds.) modern library and information science for information professionals in africa. ibadan: textlinks publishers pp.22. 232 ugwu, a.b.c. (2004) education for special target groups. enugu: ogah publishers unesco (2003) right to education: scope and implementation. geneva comment l3on the right to education. http//partia.lunesco.ng/education/en/file dowaload.pup/ci44 c 1 98dba 759e8dc5 sf58102 e right.educ.pdf% 20. jonas u. ezemaand adizetu ali are librarians, nnamdiazikiwe library, university ofnigeria, nsukka. factors promoting agricultural research in nigeria universities jibril attahiru alhassan page 1 factors promoting agricultural research in nigeria universities jibril attahiru alhassan abstract the purpose of the study is to determine the factors promoting agricultural research in nigerian universities. stratified sampling technique was used to select respondents from two federal universities in each of the six geo-political zones of nigeria, thus a total of twelve federal universities were used for the study with 471 of the total of academic staff in faculties/schools of agriculture in the twelve universities sampled. a set of structured questionnaire was developed and used to collect data for the study data collected were analyzed using, mean and standard deviation. major findings of the study showed that funding, collaboration and ict promote agricultural research in nigerian universities. the study also found that agricultural sciences research is not well funded in nigerian federal universities as lecturers do not benefit from either university funded research nor government or agency funded research. collaborative research is more prevalent within the country than across borders. furthermore, agricultural research for various disciplines lack national coordination in nigeria, the study recommended adequate funding of agricultural research by universities and government in nigeria. keywords: agriculture, research, ict, nigeria introduction agricultural research is about the oldest in nigeria and is still a leading field of research in the country both in the agric research institutes and the universities. however, research regardless of whether it is of agriculture or other fields requires financing to promote it. the importance of funding for agricultural research is so immense that many scholars have dwelt on the state of agricultural research financing over the years. government and international organizations or agencies fund agricultural research in many developing countries. according to beintema&stads (2004) donor contributions (including world bank loans) accounted for an average of 35% of funding to principal agricultural research agencies in 2000. beintema& mohammed (2006) affirmed that there is perpetual under-investment in public agricultural research in developing countries as such; policymakers and development assistance agencies must find “alternative institutional mechanisms for sustained financing of agricultural research for development. some of such alternative mechanisms they said have been tried in many countries since the mid l980s. they include: joint public-private sector ventures, sale of research products, competitive funds, research foundations, farmer managed levies on production, and greater involvement of universities and private sector research. factors promoting agricultural research in nigeria universities jibril attahiru alhassan page 2 other factors that can promote agricultural research are collaboration and coordination of research as well as ict. as reported by agbamu, (2000) five regional coordinating research institutes (operating under the national agricultural research project) oversee the research needs and coordinate farming system research activities in each ecological region of nigeria. furthermore, the agricultural coordinating unit works with collaborating institutions (research institutes, universities, and adps) in coordinating linkage activities. in mexico university-based national agriculture, livestock and forestry research institute (inifap) is the key organization in the promotion of research-extension linkages at national level. information and communication technology (ict) is a merger of computing telecommunication technologies for information acquisition, storage, retrieval and dissemination. ict has become a global tool often used by individuals, organizations, governments and intergovernmental organizations for personal or official activities. its application cut across all fields of human endeavourlike medicine, commerce, engineering, architecture, education, library services and agriculture. in the academia, it has become a major tool for research especial the internet and its accomplishing facilities such as the world wide web (www). the potentials of information technologies (it) through such tools as the internet and the various online databases in providing access to enormous quantities information. this therefore, makes it dependable tool for scientific research. scientific research is of immense benefit to humanity in all fields; h agricultural science research is of immeasurable importance to all nations world, because research is required to meet the food and economic requirements of the world populace, as well as preserve the natural resources. this is particularly important to developing countries like nigeria where majority of the population live in rural areas where their main occupation revolve around agriculture. in spite of the 22 agricultural research institutes and 21 universities running agricultural sciences and carrying out agricultural research in nigeria, the food situation in the country and the economy of the rural farmer has not changed for better (beintema& ayoola,2004) it is against this backdrop that this investigates the factors promoting agricultural research in nigerian universities. factors promoting agricultural research in nigeria universities jibril attahiru alhassan page 3 objectives of the study the study is aimed at identifying:  state of funding ofagricultural research in nigerian universities  level of collaboration in agricultural research in nigerian universities  impact of ict on the promotion of agricultural research in nigerian universities literature review government funds agricultural research in many countries especially developing countries. an fao document stated that there is a range of reasons for government intervention in the provision of agricultural research services. this is particularly the case in low income, small countries where economies of size combined with low effective demand may make private sector provision unprofitable. in all countries, the public sector is likely to continue to play a significant role in the provision of basic research. in larger countries, it is more feasible to deconcentrate public service research provision. this has the advantage that it may make the research more relevant to local people’s needs but this will only occur if mechanisms are found for local farmers to participate in setting the research agenda. moreover, de-concentrationper se does nothing to foster competition between different potential providers of research services. beintema and ayoola (2004), reported that there are 22 government agencies involved in agricultural research in nigeria. accounting for about two-thirds of the country’s total researchers and spending. they stated further that a significant number of higher education agencies conduct agricultural research but many have only limited capacity. 59 higher education agencies conducting agricultural or agriculture-related research identified, encompassing agricultural universities, schools, faculties, institutes, and departments. the faculties of agriculture and veterinary medicine under the four older universities-ahmadubeilo university, the university of ibadan, the university of nigeria, and obafemiawolowo universityare the primary higher-education agencies involved in agricultural research. in ghana, stads and gogo (2004).reported that agricultural research financing and expenditure growth in ghana stagnated during the l990s, although the number of researchers gradually increased. the agricultural research agencies of the council for scientific and industrial research (csir) accounted for about two-thirds of ghana’s total spending and research staff in 2001. although the government legislated that by 2001 csir agencies should derive 30 percent of their budget from private sources, only the oil palm research institute (opri) reached this factors promoting agricultural research in nigeria universities jibril attahiru alhassan page 4 goal. socially oriented agencies undercsir arc significantly less well-placed to generate their own hinds than the more commercially oriented agencies. government and donor contributions remain the primary sources of funding for agricultural research in ghana while private-sector involvement in agricultural research is minimal. most of ghana’s agriculturalresearch are conducted at ghana’s five main universities: the university of ghana (ug), the kwame nkrumah university of science and technology (knust), the university of cape coast (ucc), the university of development studies (uds), and the university college ofeducation ofwinneba (ucew) (stads&goso, 2003) in south africa, liebenberg,beintema and kirsten (2004), reported that agricultural research in southafrica is far better funded than most-if not all-subsaharan african countries, given it one of the highest spending per scientist and intensity ratios in the region. the agricultural research council (arc) is by far the largest provider of agricultural research in south africa, being responsible for more than 60 percent of the country’s agricultural research expenditure and staff. since 1997, government funding to arc has begun to contract, and total research staff numbers have decreased by one-third. although private-sector involvement inagricultural r&d is minimal; its share of 3 percent of south african total agricultural research expenditure and staff is high, compared to other african countries. since the late 1990s, the universities have become more involved in applied research because ofthe dwindling research capacity in the public sector. research methods descriptive survey design was used for the study; the population of this study comprised the academic staff in the faculties/schools of agriculture in the twenty one federal government owned universities in nigeria that run courses in agricultural sciences. this stood at 1,927 as at 2008/2009 academic session. the sample of the study was made up of 471 lecturers in faculties/schools of agriculture mentioned. the proportionate stratified random sampling technique was first used to select twelve federal universities, two from each of the six geo-political zones in each of the twelve universities selected, 40% of the lecturers were sampled to ensure that sufficient respondents were obtained for the study and to cater for the heterogeneous nature of respondents. the questionnaire was used to collect data. data was analyzed using mean & standard deviation. findings and discussion factors promoting agricultural research in nigeria universities jibril attahiru alhassan page 5 table 1: mean ratings and standard deviations of respondents on funding as a factorpromoting agricultural research in nigerian federal universities s/n items on factors promoting agricultural research x sd decision 1 your agricultural research is regularly funded 1.88 .95 disagree 2 you have benefited from industry or agency sponsored research 1.89 1.00 disagree 3 you benefit from your university research grant 2.27 1.08 disagree 4 you are motivated to do research when it is funded 3.25 .89 agree results in tablel indicate that the responses of respondents varied on the factors promoting agricultural research. they disagreed with items 1,2, and 3 on funding and availability of funding for research. item 1 with a mean of 1.88 indicate a disagreement that research is regularly funded; item 2 has a mean of 1.89 also showing a disagreement that they have benefited from industry or agency sponsored research; white item 3 indicates disagreement that they have benefited from university research grant. respondents agreed with item 4 (mean, 3.25) that funding motivate them to carry out research. table 2: mean ratings and standard deviations of respondents on collaboration as factor promoting agricultural research in nigerian federal universities s/n items on factors promoting agricultural research x sd decision 1 collaborative research with colleagues in your university help promote research 3.13 .81 agree 2 collaborative research with colleagues in other universities in nigeria promote research 2.76 .89 agree 3 collaboration with colleagues in other countries promote agricultural research in nigeria 2.35 .98 disagree 4 some of your previous researches were done on collaborative basis 2.85 .87 agree 5 there is a national coordination for research in your discipline and this promotes research 2.47 .97 disagree factors promoting agricultural research in nigeria universities jibril attahiru alhassan page 6 from the table above, there is agreement with collaborative research as means of promoting agricultural research as indicated by responses in items 1,2, and 4. in item 1, a mean of 3.13 shows agreement that collaborative research with colleagues in the same university help promote research, item 2 (mean, 2.76) indicated that collaborative research with colleagues in other universities in nigeria promotes research and item 4 (mean, 2.85) also indicated agreement that some of respondents previous researches were done on collaborative basis. respondents however, disagree with item 3 (mean, 2.35) that there is collaboration with colleagues in other countries. respondents also disagreed with item 5 (mean, 2.49) that there is national coordination for agricultural research in the various disciplines of agriculture. there is also close range of standard deviation scores indicating close agreement in respondents’ opinions. table 3: mean ratings and standard deviations of respondents on ict as a factor promoting agricultural research in nigerian universities. s/n items on ict use to promote agricultural research x sd decision 1 literature search is made easier for you with the internet 3.40 .81 agree 2 you have been able to open new areas of research due to internet use 3.07 .86 agree 3 you now have a wider access to foreign journals as a result of internet use 3.57 .70 strongly agree 4 you send your questionnaires on-line using e-mail 2.18 1.05 disagree 5 you receive your completed questionnaire online by e-mail 2.18 1.05 disagree 6 you now send your papers by e-mail to editors for publication in journals 3.33 .79 agree 7 you now register for variety of research information in your e-mail box 3.12 .83 agree 8 you now receive variety of research information in your e-mail box 3.16 .78 agree 9 you share information with colleagues through e-mail 3.23 .74 agree 10 analysis and interpretations of your data is made easier with the computer 3.50 .70 strongly agree factors promoting agricultural research in nigeria universities jibril attahiru alhassan page 7 11 the graphical presentations in your research publications are of higher quality using computers 3.36 .76 agree 12 your journal publications have improved tremendously since you started using computers 3.08 .84 agree 13 you find enough research information in electronic resources 3.17 .76 agree 14 you now read journals on-line 2.84 .90 agree 15 your reference queries are answered electronically 2.40 1.07 disagree 16 you now experience less errors in your research papers due to ict use 3.38 .74 agree results in table 3 indicate that respondents have varied opinions about the benefits of ict to agricultural research. in item i (mean, 3.40) they agreed that literature search is made easier with the internet, in item 2 (mean, 3.07) they agreed that they have been able to open new areas ofresearch due to internet use, and in item 3 (mean, 3.57), they agreed with access to foreign journals. in item 4 (mean, 2.22) they disagreed that they send their questionnaire online and item 5 (mean, 2.18) they disagreed that they receive completed questionnaire online. the table further indicated that respondents also agreed with items on benefits derived from e-mail use in items 6,7,8, and 9. in item 6 (mean, 3.33) they agreed that they are now able to send papers to editors for publication by e-mail, in item 7 (mean, 3.12) they are able to register for variety of research information in e-mail box, in item 8 (mean, 3.16) they agreed that they receive variety of research information in e-mail box, and in item 9 (mean, 3.23) they agreed that they share information with colleagues through e-mail. in item 10 (mean. 3.50) respondents agreed that analysis and interpretation of data is made easierwith the computer, in item 11 (mean, 3.36) they agreed that the graphical presentations in research publications are of higher quality using computers and item 12 (mean, 3.08) indicated agreement that journal publications of respondents have improved tremendously since they started using agricultural databases. item 13(mean, 3.18) they agreed that they find enough research information in electronic resources and in item 14 (mean, 2.84) they agreed that they now read journals on-line. in item 15 (mean, 2.40) respondents disagreed that they now enjoy electronic reference service, while item 16 (mean, 3.38) shows agreement that respondents now experience less errors in research papers due to ict use. factors promoting agricultural research in nigeria universities jibril attahiru alhassan page 8 the study found out factors promoting agricultural research by lecturers in nigerian federal universities. findings of the study showed that funding is the major motivation to carry out research by academic staff. this collaborates wood’s (1990) finding that one of the factors influencing research performance of university academic staff is dependence on funding. however, most lecturers do not benefit from research fund either from their universities or other agencies which shows an agreement with ugwuanyi (2005) that most researches undertaken by academic staff in biological sciences areself-sponsored. ugwuanyi (2005), findings also indicated that collaborative research promotes agricultural research among nigerian academics, however their collaboration from findings is within the shores of nigeria thereby negating the unesco reports (2003), that lecturers are able to break away from professional isolation, with icts they can easily connect with lecturers from other countries. the study further found that the use of ict accelerates agricultural research in nigerian universities. further findings showed lack of national coordination for agricultural research in the various disciplines of agriculture. this agrees with findings of beintema andayoola (2004), that nigerian agricultural research is characterized by institutional instability, funding uncertainty, and limited coordination and planning. conclusion and recommendations based on the findings, the study concludes that agricultural sciences research are not well funded in nigerian universities as lecturers do not benefit from either university funded research nor government or agency funded research. it also concludes that if funds are made available research will be accelerated in nigerian universities. the use of ict and collaboration also promote agricultural research in nigerian universities. based on the findings of the study and conclusions reached, the following recommendations are made:  there should be coordinating bodies for research in various disciplines of agriculture to promote research activities in nigeria  government, universities and agencies should make fund available for agricultural research. factors promoting agricultural research in nigeria universities jibril attahiru alhassan page 9 references agbamu, j.u (2000) agricultural research-extension linkage systems: an international perspective.agricultural research & extension network.network paper no. 106 p.2-7 beintema, n.m and ayoola, g.b (2004), agricultural science and technology indicators: nigeria. asti country brief no. 10 [retrieved 24/12/2008] from http://www.asti.cgiar.org beintema, n.m, jamal, m. and mohammad, m (2006) agricultural science and technology indicators: syria. asti country brief no. 35 [retrieved 24/12/2008] from http://www.asti.cgiar.org beintema, n.m. and stads, g.t (2004) sub-saharan african agricultural research: recent investment trends outlook on agriculture, 33(4) 239-246 liebenberg, f,.beintema, n.m and kirsten, j.f (2004) agricultural science and technology indicators: south africa.asti country brief no.14 [retrieved 24/12/2008] from http://www.asti.cgiar.org stads, g.j and gogo, j.o (2004), agricultural science and technology indicators, ghana. asti country brief no.13 retrieved 24/12/2008 from http://www.asti.cgiar.org ugwuanyi, a.a. (2005) information flow in biological science research nigerian federaluniversities.phd thesis, department of library information science, university ofnigeria, nsukka. wood, f. (1990) factors influencing research performance of university academic staffhigher education 19(1): 81-100 jibrilattahirualhassan is a lecturer in the department of library and information technology federal university oftechnology. minna. nigeria. factors promoting agricultural research in nigeria universities jibril attahiru alhassan page 10 resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 1 resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey. efe francis ejedafiru abstract although libraries have along tradition of resource sharing, in the past the results have not been meaningful as regards to having enough to share with others. the pervasive state of academic libraries generates a syndrome of insufficiency, and will continue for as long as the so-deemed libraries prefer to conveniently ignore resource sharing. the paper addresses problem and importance of resource sharing. survey method using questionnaires for collection of data from the three selected academic libraries was adopted. findings revealed that resource sharing is practice at a very low level coupled with failure of the selected libraries to embrace information communication technology. keywords: resources sharing inter library cooperation, library consortium, academic libraries. introduction it is pertinent to note that no academic library by itself has any hope of being selfsufficient. it is neither possible nor feasible for the academic library irrespective of its size, to be self-reliant in terms of collection. dougherty and hughes (1991) observed that libraries and library services were no longer individual university problems and that a collective approach is now absolutely essential. the only way evolved by academic libraries to improve their services to the library user, is by broadening the base of information availability through resource sharing. sharing of library resources which is an aspect of inter library cooperation means that one library uses the resources of other libraries and vice-versa. as such, a group of libraries working together in cooperation for a common purpose of mutual benefit can be termed as resource sharing system (sangal, 1984). the concept resource sharing among academic libraries in nigeria has assumed unprecedented importance not because the country is passing through period of austerity measures, but because of the present era of information explosion. each library is looking for new and better ways to serve new and existing populations using technology. times are changing however, and the academic library is evolving along with the needs and expectations of its users. enabled by resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 2 technology, the practice of sharing puts virtually every library in the state at everyone’s fingertips, and so provides for an equalization of sources and services regardless of community wealth and resources (joanne, 1999). it is certain that effective resource sharing among academic libraries depends upon the strengths of individual libraries. one weak library cooperating with another weak library cannot promote effective resource sharing. we share our strengths, not our weaknesses. driven by prevailing circumstances, sharing of resources is the only option left for academic libraries arid librarians. studies have shown that this concept was limited to the acquisition and sharing of resources, inter-library loan but advent of information technology and networking technologies have changed the concept of resource sharing and have opened new vistas of resource sharing for effective functioning of the libraries. resource sharing practice in nigeria has a number of problems. they include; inadequacy of existing resources, lack of information about them, inadequate security of materials, uncooperative attitudes of the parents bodies, lack of policies, inflation and unstable budgetary allocation and lack of union catalogues (vervlief 1979, edoka, 2000, nwazuoke, 2001 and ejedafiru, 2003). objectives of the study the study is aimed at investigating the practice of resource sharing among various libraries in nigeria. it is specifically aimed at:  determining users awareness of resource sharing arrangement among selected academic libraries.  ascertaining beneficiaries of resource sharing services.  identifying types of materials mostly shared.  challenges associated with resource sharing arrangements literature review although the concept of resource sharing has been traced back as far as the library at alexandra, the impulse toward cooperative collection development, in the sense of actual coordinated and collaborative activities, had emerged comparatively recently among libraries of all types in nigeria. however, studies have shown that librarians on the whole tend to be favorably inclined towards the idea of resource sharing, especially at the academic library level and coupled with the fact that they are publicly funded. motivation for involvement in resource sharing varies greatly from cost reduction considerations to improving efficiency. resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 3 academic libraries in nigeria believed in the principle that sharing is a sound practice. ibrahim (2006) noted that the need for resource sharing stems from three underlying trends of modern society: the growth of all forms of literature, the increasing reliance on information to enable society function: effectively, the inflation in the cost of materials coupled with the increasing availability of technology. song (2000) was of the view that “no library can effectively satisfy its users from the resources within its walls”. we are living in a time where a library’s worth is increasingly being measured by the services it offers in terms of helping clients to access universal information rather than its respective collection. song (2000) further emphasized that we are living in a time where the level of utilization of information resources has become the yardstick to determine a country’s economic advancement and strength. in her contribution, miambo (2002) asserted, “cooperation between libraries is a universal language spoken indifferent dialects”. the mission of the cooperative ventures is to improve library services through cooperation. she emphasized that cooperation, is no longer instrumental for libraries, it is strategic. today the following elements make cooperation a strategic subject for libraries: globalization of the economy and society-the economic and social changes shaping the so called information society involve the globalization of the activities of all institution including libraries. there is an increasing tendency toward regional organization and administration of services and this is also occurring in libraries, the increasing complexity of environment calls for the need for specialized knowledge which calls for budgeting for technical expenses as well as the need for internal reorganization and the creation of new services and the need to overcome inertia-isolation and inertia tend to go together and the best antidote may be to know what other libraries do in similar cases and to exchange experiences and information with colleagues from other libraries. the main goal of every academic library is to pull library materials together in order to give more satisfactory services to its users, by making more information resources available to them. gang (1980) ekuoye (2002) and ejedafiru (2003) agreed that there is no way a single library can satisfy the demands of its users. but when libraries cooperate and make their resources accessible to one and another, we see results. the justification for resource sharing is hinged on the fact that no library, however large, could be completely self-sufficient. in the opt words of sme thurst (1991),“cooperation can obviously lead to some savings, particularly in expenditure on common materials of marginal interest and it can lead to better use resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 4 of scarce resources. but when these questions are asked we should be ready with the firm answer that sharing poverty does not produce wealth”. in the light of the above statement .academic libraries in nigeria have not fully exploited resource sharing considering the problem of inadequate library collections. it would seem that any attempt to promote the sharing of resources among these libraries would be futile, since libraries not able to meet their own needs would not be able to meet the needs of others. access to information is a fundamental right of all library patrons in nigeria. since no individual library has adequate resources to meet its patrons needs, libraries should participate in resource sharing services. it is pertinent to note that these services supplement and greatly expand local collections, remove geographic barriers. successful resource sharing services in academic libraries depend on the ability to locate, identify and promptly deliver specific items to its patrons. research methods the research design adopted in this study was the survey method using a questionnaire to collect data. an open and partly closed questionnaire was designed, this will allow for controlled answers as well as free expressions. as moore (1983) asserted, it will allow the investigation to obtain fairly straight forward, uncomplicated information and wide range of answers. the population of the study comprise of three academic institutions, which are; delta state university library, university of benin library and university of port harcourt library. the sample of this study include patrons who were using the three academic libraries on the various days of visit. the random sampling technique was used during the (days of visit (3days). a total of 300 copies of questionnaire were retrieved from the three institutions. the questionnaire was designed to elicit data on whether;  they are aware of the practice of resource sharing in their various libraries  they have benefited from resource sharing services, they have ever requested for materials the library does not have in stock,  the library made any attempt to help them in locating their information needs;  they got satisfactory services in such requests and the type(s) of information materials they normally request for. resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 5 findings and discussion the findings of the study are presented below: table 1: no. of administered and retrieved questionnaire institutions admin retrieved percentages delsu library 100 70 31.53 uniben library 100 78 35.13 uniport library 100 74 33.33 total 300 222 100 out of 300 copies of questionnaire administered,222 were found useable and used for data analysis. table 2: status of the respondents the status of the respondents are shown in the table below; institutions respondents frequency percentages delsu library students staff non staff/students 41 24 5 18.46 10.81 2.25 uniben library students staff non staff/students 45 26 7 20.27 11.71 3.15 uniport library students staff non staff/ students 48 18 8 21.62 8.10 3.60 table ii reveals the status of respondents in the three university libraries. this reveals that students (134 or 60 35%) constituted the majority of users of the libraries. students use the library to supplement notes given by lecturers, complete class assignment write projects. resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 6 table iii: users awareness of resource sharing arrangement the table below shows multiple responses of users’ awareness of resources sharing arrangement in selected academic libraries. sources of awareness delsu library uniben library uniport library frequency % frequency % frequency % librarian/the library 13 5.85 18 8.10 16 7.20 individual knowledge 49 22.07 46 20.72 40 18.07 notice board 49 22.07 46 20.72 40 18.07 no awareness 8 3.60 14 6.30 18 8.10 considering the necessity of library education, respondents were asked whether they have ever been informed of the availability of resource sharing arrangements in their libraries. one hundred and eighty-two (representing 80%) of the respondents are aware of resource sharing facilities, that it should be part and parcel of any library services. however, 135 (representing 60.86%) claimed that they know this from their individual knowledge of the library services. forty-seven respondents (representing 21.15%) claimed to have gotten this awareness from the librarians/libraries. the other forty respondents (representing 18%) also claimed not to be aware of such phenomenon. the implication of these findings is that librarians have not done enough in the area of user’s education. table iv: beneficiary of the services the table below shows number of times, respondents have benefitted from resource sharing service no. of times uniben library uniport library frequency % frequency % frequency % once 29 13.06 24 10.81 19 8.55 twice or more 9 4.04 10 4.50 10 4.50 none at all 32 14.41 44 19.81 45 20.27 total 70 78 74 resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 7 as shown in table iv above, though greater percentage of the respondents claimed to be aware of resource sharing services, but have not benefited from the services. one hundred and one (representing 45.47%) of respondents have made use of interlibrary loan services. while one hundred and twenty-one (representing 54.49%) claimed not to have made use of such services. table v: types of materials mostly used by respondents types of materials delsu library uniben library uniport library frequency % frequency % frequency % books only 39 17.57 41 18.46 40 18.02 books and journals journals only 18 8 8.11 3.60 20 10 9.00 4.50 18 12 8.11 5.41 others 5 2.25 7 3.15 4 1.80 total 70 78 74 table v shows that greater percentage of the respondents in the three universities use books only (54.05%). and a small percentage of the respondents from the three institutions use books and journals. while 30(13.51%) claimed to be making use of journals only. the implication is that most of the materials in the three universities are mostly textbooks which are mainly for teaching. the periodicals titles which are supposed to be important factors in carrying out research are in short supply. this reveals that these academic libraries are not fully equipped for research. the university libraries have an important role in making relevant literature available to researchers. since most of the knowledge required will be found in journals, it is important that librarians provide appropriate and timely information to researchers by ensuring that they have access to relevant literature hence journals which constitute the most important source of information to scientists must be readily made available to them. the information needs of scientists are often met through reading well established scientific journals and secondary bibliography series (french, 1990). resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 8 table vi: reasons for inability to use resource sharing facilities reasons for not using resources sharing facility are shown in the table below reasons delsu library uniben library uniport library frequency % frequency % frequency % poor communication 8 3.60 5 2.25 6 2.70 nonchalant attitude of the library staff 4 1.80 4 1.80 3 1.35 lack of cooperation among academic librarians 5 2.25 5 2.25 4 1.80 ignorance of resources sharing service 18 8.10 14 6.30 18 8.10 poor postal system 4 1.80 3 1.35 4 1.80 all the above 36 16.21 39 17.56 39 17.56 total 75 73 74 table vi shows that one hundred and four respondents of the three university libraries noted that all the factors listed above are responsible for the failures of resource sharing. fifty claimed to be ignorance and are not even aware of such facilities. the implication of these findings is that a proper education of the users should be put in place. however, twenty three (representing 10.35%) and nineteen (representing 8.55%) cited lack of library automation and poor communication respectively. resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 9 table vii: reasons for inability to satisfy users information need the table below presents reasons given for the inability of libraries to satisfy users information. reasons delsu library uniben library uniport library frequency % frequency % frequency % poor financial background of the library 22 9.90 28 12.61 25 11.26 lack of information materials 26 11.71 31 13.96 32 14.41 lack of qualified personnel 4 1.80 3 1.35 2 0.9 poor facilities in the library 18 8.10 16 7.20 15 6.35 total 70 78 74 library, which basically caters for teaching and research, fails to live to expectation. the library is expected to acquire as many publications as possible in the particular fields that are taught in the university curriculum. a total of 89(40.04%) respondents indicated lack of information materials as reasons responsible for the inability of the libraries to satisfy information needs of users: etim (2006) opined that the increase in the value and demand for information puts pressure on african university libraries to offer more effective services to users. however, 75(33.77%) of the respondents see poor financial background of the libraries as a reason for the inability of the libraries to satisfy the information needs of the users at all levels. on the whole, university libraries in many african countries have faced a difficult decade, with rapid erosion of finding for books and journals, staffing difficulties, and perhaps a loss of the perception of the library as the centre of academic life and scholarship (etim, 2006). forty-nine (22.05%) of the respondents insinuated that poor facilities in the libraries consistently hindered the services of the academic libraries. resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 10 conclusion and recommendations resource sharing is very important to academic libraries in developed and developing countries. academic libraries in nigeria experienced under funding, which makes it difficult for them to subscribe to journals and to acquire other information materials. librarians and information specialists in tertiary institutions must therefore learn to manage scarce resource while arguing for minimum level of stocking, staffing and funding that is required for effective resource sharing for development. academic libraries in nigeria cannot remain isolated and independent, they have to depart from their traditional notions of librarianship, developed and nurtured in an era of institutional pride and autonomy. we have now reached the right moment in the development of librarianship in nigeria when the needs of our users can be brought together and can be addressed through the medium of technology. let each academic library in nigeria share the common burden of being user-oriented institution and gradually build the foundations of international resource sharing cooperation. with their insights and ideas, they can work out a cooperative structure because they are convince that information is power, and that the freer the information, the more powerful its positive impacts. references dougherty. r. m. and hughes, c. (1991) preferred futures for libraries. california research group. edoka, b.e. (2000) introduction to library science. onitsha: palma publishing, p. 141-156. ejedafiru, e.f. (2003). the impact of resource sharing on academic libraries services. unpublished masters dissertation, delta state university, abraka, nigeria. p. 129. ekuoye, 0. (2002) . taking advantage of interlibrary leading/library cooperation among private law firm libraries in nigeria. the role of the librarians.nigeria libraries vol. 34, no.2. pp. 22-28. resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 11 etim, f.(2006). resource sharing in the digital age: prospects and problems in african universities.library philosophy and practice. french, b.a. (1990). users need and library services in agricultural science library trends. 38(3)415-441. gang, d.z.(1980). towards a widen library resource sharing”. international libraryreview. 12(1), pp. 3-6. ibrahim, u. (2006) new approaches in library resource sharing in the digitalage. nigerian library association 4th annual national conference and agm, june 18-23,2006. joanne, t. (1999) options, opportunities, and choices in services, sources, and systems for a library for the 21st century. available at http://www.intertwining.org miambo e.m(2oo2) partnership in libraries, cornerstones of access: the case of institute of development studies library university of zimbabwe. alternate paper fortheala conference, june 13-19. moore, n (1983). how to do research london: library association. nkanu w.o (2006) utilization of information and communication technology and the provision of library and information services in nigeria university libraries (unpublishedph.d dissertation). naszuoke, i. a. (2001) forging collaborative partnership in the development of library resources for visually impaired in nigeria. a paper presented at the annual conference of nigerian library association held at owerri, imo state. sangal, d.g. (1984) proposals for resource sharing among libraries in nigeria. nigeria libraries. vol. 20, p. 129. smethurst, j.m. (1991) cooperation between national libraries. newyork:huworth press, inc. song, v. (2000) journal worldwide resource sharing-collection development in resource sharing activities in academic libraries services: result ofa survey efe francis ejedafiru page 12 china higher education institutions.proceeding of the ifla council and general conference. jerusalem, august 13-18, booklet 7. vervliet, j.w. (1979) resource sharing of libraries in developing countries. london: iflapublications. efe francis ejedafiru is a lecturer in the department of library and information science, delta state university, abraka, nigeria. the relevance of communication skills to library services i.m aliu and anthony c. eneh page 1 the relevance of communication skills to library services by i.m. aliu&anthonia c. eneh john harris library, university of benin abstract this discourse is woven round a basic fact of life today: a world that is propelled by the quest for knowledge that is dependent on information-information for service. librarianship that is service oriented thrives on communication with clientele from all works of life. this work therefore discusses the importance, and the need for librarians to possess adequate skills for the achievement of the overall goal of the library which is efficient and effective service delivery-in this case service delivery which is hinged on effective communication skills. to discharge that onerous duty to member of any given community, communication becomes handy as the raw material for information. not just communication, but ability to skillfully; with patience based on the understanding that one is serving a multifaceted audience of the good, the bad and the very nasty. so this study in it’s entirely concludes that communication skill is relevant to information delivery through library services. keywords: communication skills, library service, services delivery, information introduction librarianship in its entirety is service oriented; not just service, but service delivery based on precision and timeliness, all of which must be geared towards the user’s satisfaction. precondition for such prompt service delivery will take it roots from effective communication between the perceived beneficiary of the services, the librarian and the material content of the library. suffice to state therefore, that there must be an effective interplay between these factors in order to achieved success in the service delivery. the key to achieving that perceived success is good communication skills expressed in the human person (the librarian) and the material content as expressed in directional guides/sign as in-road to the resources, (books, non-book materials and journals). within this framework, an attempt is made to look at communication in its ordinary meaning and again define communication in relation to inter-action between the librarian and its clientele with a view to interpreting resources to satisfactorily meet perceived needs. the relevance of communication skills to library services i.m aliu and anthony c. eneh page 2 the word ‘communication’ comes from the latin word ‘communicatio’ meaning “making common or imparting”. in the words of mcquail and windah (1993), it is the transmission of information, ideas, attitudes, or emotion from one person or group to another; more briefly, it is social interaction through messages. it is therefore implied, that in communicating, we are trying to establish a common ground for understanding, for sharing thoughts, facts, ideas and attitude in order to meet desired goals and aspirations. james (1999) encapsulated the whole essence of communication to mean that, “it helps us to understand ourselves, to keep in touch with other people, to understand them and to predict their response to situations, also as the medium through which relationships are established, extended and maintained; provides a means by which people act and interact; exchange information and ideas; develop plans, proposals and policies, make decisions and manage men and materials” communication could be verbal or written. written communication could be formal or informal. whatever the nature it assumes all its forms will be addressed as they are all imperatives within the library context. communication has many definitions from simplistic to complex; but the one that clearly serve our purpose is the manner of presentation/skill by which one person (or a group) shares and imparts information to another person (or group) so that people (or groups) clearly understand one another (udall and udall, 1979) it is against the above background that ray and ray (2001) saw the world of information and communication as becoming more and more complex with each passing day and with each day there appear a multitude of improvements and new resources, both print and electronic. as the world has become complex, so the librarian as an intermediary between the resources and the user should have the ingenuity, deft and sophistication in interpreting the complex new resources. it is here that communication skills comes into play as the lubricant that keeps the machinery of the library operations functioning, as well as a means through which roles would be identified; clientele thoughts clearly articulated and processed to their satisfaction, and to create a network of interdependence relationship between the librarian and the clientele on a result oriented platform. at this juncture, we may have to a narrow communication down to specifics, as it relates to library transactions rather than the broad spectrum. on that note, we will look at oral communication in its variety of forms; intrapersonal, interpersonal and group. cheek et al (2000) posit that communication is an the relevance of communication skills to library services i.m aliu and anthony c. eneh page 3 omnipresent human process wherein we spend most of our working hours communicating, speaking, listening, reading, writing and interpreting non-verbal signs. intrapersonal communication intrapersonal communication according to james, ode and soola (1999) is the process of information transfer which goes on within an individual. this is reflected within an individual who nurtures ideas and thoughts within himself before he gives vent to them. before he does that he would have weighed, tossed over and over such thoughts or ideas before allowing them to escape from him. this process is necessary for a librarian whose stock in trade is to juggle into the minds of prospective library users; even at the very stage selecting materials to match the interest of varying users, creating subject heading for books and journals in the library. his ability to do that very well will assuage the frustration which users encountered when they have to approach any library collection via subject catalogue. interpersonal communication: this is often referred to as face-face communication. it is the exchange of ideas and information between two people you and your friend, you and your boss in the library, you and your clientele; your colleagues in the office or any other person. in this case, the librarian would not keep his ideas or information to himself. you share them directly with your clientele either face to face, or by telephone, other gadgets of information. interpersonal communication dominates transactions in the library because librarianship is service based. interpersonal communication has the singular advantage of immediate response. this is most applicable to a reference librarian, the porters at the library checkpoint and staff at the circulation desk. this is not to say that interpersonal communication is restricted to these sections alone. group communication: a group is formed when three or more people come together, accidentally or by design, to work towards a specific goal. group communication within the library context would involve librarians in various units (readers services, technical services, even at the top management echelon) coming together to brainstorm on certain policy decisions that will enhance their efficient service delivery. it is for the effectiveness of this philosophy of group the relevance of communication skills to library services i.m aliu and anthony c. eneh page 4 communication that john harris library of the university of benin for examples operate at two managerial levels (the core management and the expanded management), which includes the university librarian, his two deputies, unit heads as well as the heads of the various faculty libraries. whether intrapersonal, interpersonal or group, the point is that librarianship being service driven is woven round effective communication skills. communication skills is therefore the live wire and hub around which efficient service delivery in the library resolves. measurement of service delivery by staff and users satisfaction can therefore, to a very large extend, be tied to effective communication skills. so our goal through the use or oral communication process is not to simply communicate more but to communicate more effectively; communication that is result oriented and therefore manifested in user satisfaction. how can this user’s satisfaction be measured? user’s satisfaction cannot be measured, if he (the librarian) keeps to himself. there has to be a feedback, i.e. the beneficiary’s reaction to the service obtained. as soon as we concern ourselves to the beneficiary’s reaction to our services through feedback, we have expanded the one way communication model to a two way communication model. feedback in its purest form is a monitoring device for librarians to evaluate the effectiveness of their communication prowess. feedback is therefore, an essential function in the communication process which has revolutionized communication thinking; as it engender the beneficiary’s reaction to service rendered. feedback in effect turns original beneficiary into a sender and original sender into a beneficiary. at this juncture, it is necessary to remark that communication skill as espoused above is an aspect of everyday activity which many librarians take for granted. librarians assume that their own particular communicative activities, and perhaps those within the library as a whole, are adequate and efficient. the librarians communication skill is however, not a secondary or derived aspect of management, but one that is central to organizational activities as it is the basic process upon which other functions depends on their working and contribution to library goals. for this reason, it is important that librarians appreciate the significance of communication skills and make a conscious effort to consider, evaluate and modify their communication style and attitude. in this regard, individual’s skills of communication should not the relevance of communication skills to library services i.m aliu and anthony c. eneh page 5 be viewed or evaluated in isolation rather they should be seen as part of the total library management communication process, which in turn should be integrated in the light of general management philosophy. the need for humans to transmit their thoughts and visions in an external medium to others, and the preservation of culture, brought about the idea of writing. the need to collect these writings for preservations so that they can be passed from one generation to the other could have been the harbinger of libraries (aina, 2004). the material contents of this library in whatever format are at sometimes inaccessible to those who need them either as a result of wrong approach to them or misinterpretation of the knowledge content, so every librarian worthy of the profession must on daily basis be obsessed with the question – what information do i owe others so that they perform maximally in their assigned task, in what form, where, how and at what cost if any. the librarian, the library and its material contents are therefore the focal point of this discourse; most importantly however is the librarian’s ability to interpret its clientele’s thoughts, to meet his desires. the librarian’s strength in the articulation and interpretation of thoughts expressed or latent depends very largely on his understanding of the principle of communication skills. here, he must demonstrate good listening skills built on patience; because some of the patrons could be very nasty and awkward in their presentation. commenting on this, byrne (1988) stated that ‘user can sometimes be awkward and do not always state their wishes as clearly as we would like; the skilled intermediary will make them less awkward, less nervous and more articulateby welcoming them to the library’ in this regard, user’s satisfaction in all its ramifications is advocated, that is why dixon, (1982) posed the following questions. “is your library service approachable? are your staff approachable? is joining the library an arduous ordeal?, or is it made a pleasure by the attitude and verbal approach of the staff and the way in which they handle such tender areas as identification and rules? do you, if you deal with an enquiry give an impression of eagerness and efficiency, without being fawning or patronizing…? do you convey to your enquirer the impression that he is welcome; or that his enquiry is an intrusion…? do you continue talking to a colleague/friend/relative while a customer is waiting? he summed up by an admonition; saying: ‘please make life the relevance of communication skills to library services i.m aliu and anthony c. eneh page 6 easy for your users’ if they approach the staff for help, don’t bombard them with jargons-class number, charging, dewey or library of congress and so on for these are meaningless terms to majority of users” the librarian should therefore, be equipped with the following qualities.  possession of calm, welcoming, facial, expression that elicit warmth and readiness to assist.  use of a tone of voice appropriate to the nature of the transaction.  communicates in a cordial, receptive and encouraging manner.  provide the clientele the freedom and relaxed mind to state his information needs in his own best understanding without being harassed.  employ open-ended questioning method to encourage the patron to expand on his request. in the case of students or users seeking information about choice of topic for their project of dissertation writing; be careful in your approach e.g. ask to ascertain: (a) how much information required from primary or secondary sources. (b) seek to clarify confusing terminologies in his presentation; on your part, avoid excessive jargons. (c) get background information on effort already made and achievements in that direction; all these will enable the librarian identify gaps, lapses, dearth. (d) suggest windows of access to information availablebooks, journals, internet services of informal sources. how much of current text do you already have, do you need current or historical text? the use of communication skills to enhance quality service delivery is not restricted to an aspect of library service; it spans the entire length and breadth of practical librarianship. take for instance; a clientele who comes to use the university library for the first time automatically becomes a protégé to the reference librarian who knows his onions. this is because such a neophyte who is apparently tip-toeing not knowing where to go and what to do needs helps to take him/her through the library collection. here the reference librarian will exercise his initiative, reach out to that individual who by all standard is unsure of the relevance of communication skills to library services i.m aliu and anthony c. eneh page 7 where he/she is going though he may know what he wants but not certain of how and where to go. his (reference librarian) approach will be hello! young lady, how may i help you? or gentleman, you need something? with this approach, the user’s travail of near frustration will quickly abate knowing that somebody cares. the reference librarian must go the extra mile to make available relevant information, as bakewell (1997) put it “even information that the individual may not know the needs” but exist in the library. in addition to the above, the reference librarian has a lot to do in rendering efficient service to the users with his wealth of good communication skills. as a reference librarian he is usually confronted with sundry queries, which demand immediate answers and some that will take some days, while others may even take him outside the library. for answers to queries that take time, he should be civil and persuasive in his approach to the clientele to exercise some patience while he acts speedily to find solution within a minimum time limit. to the patron who appears groping the reference librarian who is knowledgeable in the skill of communication must be there to give a sense of direction and build confidence in the user. this is because librarianship of the 21 st century is dynamic and completely devoid of the arm-chair librarianship of the past decades. efficient communication skills, begets efficient library services and user’s satisfaction. the card catalogue communicates; it is a communication tool that is meant to direct the user who is knowledgeable in its use as a link between him and the sought material. this directional tool does not speak, it is the pivotal role of a skillful communicator that makes them (card catalogue, indexes, abstract, bibliographies,etc) useful as information retrieved which corroborates the possession of communication skills as that “which destroys uncertainty (newman and newman,1985). the library as a conservator and transmitter or recorded information and knowledge requires a librarian with deep communication skills to be able to identify, organize, interpret and synthesize his collection to meet the varying needs of his known and potential user. some of these could be achieved in the use of symbols and directional signs well worded to give the desired message which are aspects of the non-verbal communication skills of the reference unit. the relevance of communication skills to library services i.m aliu and anthony c. eneh page 8 the circulation unit of the library is yet another section which carves an image of a receptionist/public relations officer in an organization that can make or mar the reputation of the organization/library. this is where charging and discharging takes place. this major activity involves the patron’s direct contact with the library staff. it is indeed the image-maker of the library. the circulation librarian in charge of this section must possess a high level of communication skills to be able to handle patrons of different shades of character. so the librarian must be tolerant, humane and pleasant in handling many problems that emanates from users awkwardness in their request, approach and use of the library resources. here the registered users borrow materials for photocopy and home use which are supposed to be handled with care and returned with a given time frame. such is not usually the case as materials given out on loan are sometimes misplaced/lost, torn or not retuned at the date due. all these are challenges which the circulation librarian will have to deal with from time to time. for a lost book, explain in a subtle manner why it is necessary for the user to bear the brunt of replacing the lost book. call the user of a lost item into your office; ask him/her thus; supposing every user who damages or misplaces a library material is allowed to go free without a penalty of replacing the lost item what happens to the entire collection subsequently? his answer is most likely to be that the collection will eventually be depleted and decimated. by this approach, he/she will not see your action as punitive rather as a necessary corollary of his carelessness and thus would feel justified to replace the lost item for posterity. if librarians imbibe this culture of civility and homeliness in their daily conduct of library affairs and transactions; the hybrid library (library without walls) which is fast becoming a threat to the orthodox library services (confined within the walls) will continue to be a mecca to all and sundry. so this culture of civility and homeliness when built on the foundation of effective communication skills will make library service most attractive to patrons. the summary of etiquette requires of the staff at the circulation desk demand that they must at all times be cheerful. this is because the routine of charging and discharging of books, issuing of library tickets, clearance for graduating students, retiring staff all engender a great deal of social interaction and effective communication skill is a key to effective service delivery. the relevance of communication skills to library services i.m aliu and anthony c. eneh page 9 it is necessary to remark here, that though greater part of this discourse has been spent on communication skills as expressed in the human person, i.e. (oral or verbal communication skills); we also have such skills expressed in form of nonverbal medium, i.e. written communication which could be formal or non-formal. all these are expressed in signs and symbols. take for instance, the library cheekpoint, which marks the first contact with the patrons. it has been observed over time, especially within the academic library (university, polytechnic or college of education) that a greater majority of the patrons are mostly undergraduates. with the accompanying juvenile delinquency of these breed of clientele the porters and security personnel at the checkpoint are daily inundated with varying degree of awkwardness expressed in their tongue, mode of dressing, manner of approach; breaching library rules and regulations, etc. to reduce this awkwardness in their approach to library services, the following signs, symbols and tags when laid out at the checkpoint and other strategic places will help reduce or correct such awkwardness. dress the way you will be addressed silence is golden keep your private part private your chest carries the milk of the nation’s future president, cover it up close the door gently behind you use of cell-phone is prohibited in the library. please don’t bring them in snacks, water and other food items are not allowed in the library bags are kept at owners risk books are meant for reading don’t abuse them don’t put valuables (money, cell-phones, etc) in your bags the librarian is your friend, see him. if you have ever stopped over at the check point of any library to observe interaction between the porters/security personnel and users, you will be amazed at the enormity of challenges the porters face. you will then better appreciate the presence of a reference desk-manned by a librarian who must be gifted with innate patience and tolerance to deal with juvenile delinquency armed with good communication skills. so the library management must as a matter of policy tailor the activities at the check point with the reference librarian at all times; as this will help to check the overzealous security personnel who sometimes arrogate to themselves “checkpoint librarian” by harassing users. in addition to the above, the relevance of communication skills to library services i.m aliu and anthony c. eneh page 10 the library management may be constrained to employ some soft-sell humor especially in volatile situation that can likely generate tension amongst patrons (garvey 1969). take for instance, if a user frowns at library management decision on “fines” overdue fines, penalty for lost items, replacement of lost books, etc, a bulletin boardor posters might be put up saying: “we know that you are decent so you don’t steal, but…” “to serve you better, help replace lost books” “the library management will reward you handsomely with… for using our material well” the effect of such eye-catching captions is to help douse tension, create a sense of humor and relaxed disposition towards staff and materials. conclusion from the discussion above, we have seen that possession of good communication skills is neither restricted to a section of the library nor is it restricted to some librarians; but a veritable weapon towards conducting the business of managing users, using them well and even evaluating yourself against the attainment of organizational goals. the realization of organizational goals are therefore dependent on a network of harmonious internal relationships between staff, built on effective mechanism of good communication skills directed at their patrons expressed or latent. the library as a conservator and disseminator of recorded knowledge and information would have lost its bearing in the scheme of providing access to its huge resources; if bereft of the right caliber of persons with the possession of robust skills and qualities of creating unfettered access to its content the relevance of communication skills to library services i.m aliu and anthony c. eneh page 11 references bakewell, k.g.b (1997) managing user-centered libraries and information services. london: clive bingley. 9 byrne, p (1988) ‘cheshire county council’s survey of information needs’. public journal, vol.3 no.5 pp.101-104 check, j g et’al (2000). effective oral communication. illinois: interstate publishers, pp. 4-8 dixon, r.(1982) is your library user-friendly? plg news, (10) pp. 3-4 emery, richard (1995).staff communication in libraries. clive bingley. p.9 garvey, mona (1969) library displays. new york: h.w wilnson. pp 26-28 james. sybil. isaac ode and oludayosoola (1999) introduction to communication for business and organizations. ibadan: spectrum books p.2 mcquail, d and windal, s (1993) communication model, in: feather, john and sturges, paul international encyclopedia of information and library science. london: routledge p.63 devarjan, (2001) new challenges in librarianship. new delhi, essess, p.74 udall, r. and udall, s. (1979) people and communication.armaerham, buiks: hulton educational publication. p .28 75 journal of information and knowledge management 2022, vol. 13, no. 2, 75-87: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.6 to cite this article: ogunbodede, k.f, atchrimi, i. a. & agina-obu, r,(2022) students’ perception and use of digital resources in university of africa, bayelsa state, nigeria. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 13:2, 75-87, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.6 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.6 students’ perception and use of digital resources in university of africa, bayelsa state, nigeria 1 kolawole francis ogunbodede 2 imade adebayo atchrimi 3 rachael agina-obu 1 uuniversity of africa, toru-orua, nigeria 2 college of nursing sciences, benin, nigeria 3 ignatius ajuru university of education, port-harcourt, nigeria abstract the study investigated students’ perceptions and the use of digital resources at the university of africa bayelsa state. the study was guided by three research questions and two hypotheses. the researchers employed a descriptive survey design. the study comprised 1420 undergraduate students out of which 409 were randomly selected. the study's sample size was determined using the taro yamane sample size formula. the questionnaire was used for data collection. the questionnaire was validated by educational technology experts. the data gathered from the study were analyzed to check for internal consistency of reliability and the cronbach alpha value of 0.86 was obtained. based on the coefficient obtained, the questionnaire was considered reliable. data were analyzed using frequency count, and simple percentages, and statistical product and service solutions (spss) version 23 was used to generate the mean while the test of the hypotheses was done using pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient and independent ttestat 0.05 significant levels. the findings revealed that the students had positive perceptions and a high level of usage of digital resources. the study also established that inadequate information retrieval skills, poor internet connectivity, and lack of time to search for suitable resources were some of the challenges in the use of digital resources. lastly, the test of the hypotheses showed, that there is a significant relationship between students’ perceptions and the use of digital resources in this study. hence, the students’ positive perceptions influenced their level of digital resources usage.. based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made. keywords students perception, digital resources, university library, toru-orua contact kolawole francis ogunbodede, imade adebayo atchrimi & rachael agina-obu kolawoleogunbodede@yahoo.com 2022 the authors published with license by information impact 76 introduction the main goal of any university library is to collect relevant information resources in support of teaching, learning, and research. these materials are necessary for providing library services as well as meeting users' information demands. before this time, library resources were primarily made up of printedmaterials, but the 21 st century has seen a rapid expansion of digital resources, with new ones being available at regular intervals. with the introduction of the internet, digital resources have progressively gained prominence and have become a significant element of library collections around the world (hoq & haque, 2018).digital resources are becoming more popular in academic libraries due to their dynamic nature, interoperability, and flexibility as compared to print resources (frimpong & addo, 2020). digital resources are materials that can be accessed via internet-connected devices (ambrose et al., 2021). they are available in a digital form. examples include websites, databases, e-books, e-reports, online course content, and educational films.digital resources have been acknowledged as one of the most important sources of information for students (ternenge & kashimana, 2019) because it provides them with timely and appropriate information on various topics. another benefit of digital resources is that students can access and use the same information material on the internet (kumar & kaur, 2006) from anywhere in the world without having to physically visit the library. despite their benefits, students particularly those in developing countries, underutilize these vital tools (kodua-ntim & fombad, 2020). the low use could be due to negative perceptions and lack of information literacy abilities, limited computer systems, poor electrical supply, etc .according to frimpong and addo (2020), such obstacles have anadverseeffect on student’s attitudes towards the usage of digital resources. as a result, student perceptions can have a significant impact on digital resources’ acceptance and use. as a result of the increasing need for digital resources, the university spent a significant amount of money on the purchaseof e-journals, e-books, and e-databases to improve teaching, learning, and research and to enable remote access. the purchase of digital resources has become increasingly important, as a result of the paradigm shift to online education (ambrose et al. 2021). the perception of library clients about library resources is of extreme significance on the ground that it decides the level of information resource usage in academic libraries. the positive perceptions and high usage of these resources will be a justification for the huge financial 77 investment in the procurement of these resourcesin the university library. the study is significant in the sense that its outcomes will help the library to measure how often digital sources are used to determine the success or satisfaction of the users. it is on this note, therefore, that this study examined the student’s perceptions anduse of digital resources atthe university of africa, bayelsa state. statement of the problem due to the benefits of digital resourcesover print resources, it has become a significant strength of many academic libraries across the world. the majority of university libraries have spent a significant amount of money on these online resources to improve teaching, learning, and research at their respective schools. despite their benefits, students particularly those in developing countries, underutilize these vital tools. students' negative perceptions of digital resources have been observed in certain research, which may be attributed to the difficulties they encountered when using digital resources. to justify the significant financial investment, students are required to use them for productive study and research to contribute to their academic success. to ensure that these investments are worthwhile, it is necessary to learn about students' perceptions and the challenges they encountered in the use of these resources. it is on this note that this study examined students’ perceptions and use of digital resources at the university of africa, bayelsa state. objectives of the study the main objective of this study is to investigate students’ perceptions of the use of digital resources atthe university of africa bayelsa state, nigeria. the specific objectives are: i. to examine student’s perceptions ofdigital resources ii. to investigate the level of usage of digital resources by students iii. to find out the constraints to the effective use of digital resources by students research questions the following research questions guided the study: i. what are the student’s perceptions ofdigital resources? ii. what is the level of usage of digital resources by students? iii. what are the constraints to the effective use of digital resources by students? 78 hypotheses  there is no significant relationship between student’s perceptions and the use of digital resources  there is no significant difference between male and female student’s perceptions of the use ofdigital resources literature review few studies have been conducted on thestudent’s perception and use of digital resources. in this section, a review of some of these studies is presented. ahmad et al. (2019) investigated undergraduate students' use and perceptions of digital resources at government degree college baramulla, using a survey method of data collection with a sample size of 350 students from a population of 4741. a stratified random sampling designwas used and data was collected using a self-structured questionnaire.descriptive statistics such as tables of frequency counts and percentages were used. statistical tests including chi-square, anova, and student's t-tests were utilized in the study to improve the reliability and validity. the findings demonstrate that students prefer digital resources to printedmaterials. the study concluded that library management should conduct user orientation and awareness workshops to help students’ better grasp and utilize electronic information resources. partap & ranga (2021) investigated students' awareness and use of digital resourcesat chandigarh college of architecture in chandigarh, india. the questionnaire was used for data collection and out of the 150 questionnaires distributed, 127 were returned fully completed. the findings show that over 90% of respondents were aware of the usage of digital resources and were using them in their academic and research work. more than 95 percent of respondents were satisfied with the use of digital resources in their academic and research work. the study also established that the respondents had issues with downloading speed, looking for e-contents, and a lack of ict skills. finally, adequate training programs should be conducted regularly so that students can learn how to successfully search and use digital resources in their academic and research work. ambrose et al. (2021) investigated the use of digital resources among undergraduate library and information science (lis) students at the university of benin in benin city amid the covid-19 pandemic lockdown. a descriptive survey design was used by the researchers with an online 79 questionnaire. the sample of the study comprised 93 students who completed the online questionnaire. the findings reveal that the students mostly used internet resources, e-books, and e-journals.the three biggest hurdles to the unsuccessful use of digital resources were unpredictable power supply, slow internet connectivity, and high data subscription costs. the study recommended that the government should provide adequate power supply, establish a strong it infrastructure, and prevail on network providers to give low-cost data subscriptions so that students can have more access to the internet for successful learning even at home. in addition, wiche & ogunbodede (2021) identified insufficient information literacy skills, low electrical availability, and poor internet access as some of the barriers to successful digital resource usage. alabi (2021) investigated undergraduates' use of digital resources in private university libraries in southwest nigeria. the study was conducted using a survey research design. the population of the study comprised 4,913 undergraduates and a sample size of 370 was drawn using a stratified sampling procedure. a questionnaire was used to gather information. the majority of respondents used digital resources to obtain relevant information to write term papers/assignments, upgrade their expertise, etc. the studies also revealed that undergraduates frequently used e-resources and that poor connectivity and power outages were the most significant barriers to undergraduates' usage of digital resources. the study recommended that universities and library management in the selected institutions should make efforts to expand bandwidth and improve internet connectivity. qudus & zaynab (2020) investigated undergraduate students’ perception of the use of digital sources in kwara state university library. the study used a descriptive survey approach with a study population of undergraduate students at kwara state university. a simple random sampling procedure was employed to choose the 152 respondents that made up the study's sample. a self-designed questionnaire was used fordata collection. the data were analyzed using a frequency count and basic percentages. the findings show thatstudents believe that digital resources in kwara state university library are insufficient. e-journals are the most common sort of electronic source in the kwasu library.the difficulty in locating relevant information materials is one of the most significant problems in using the kwasu library. the study recommended that academic libraries should develop a comprehensive and intensive education and library program that will expose students to the various electronic sources available in the 80 library, and internet connectivity should also be improved to allow library users to effectively use electronic sources. electronic sources should also be made accessible on 24/7 bases. anyim (2020) investigated students' perceptions of digitalresources, their utility, and enhancement measures for an effective distance learning program. the study used a descriptive survey approach, with a sample size of 379 students chosen from a total population of 7,125 using a convenience sampling technique as the target respondents. the population of the study comprised 320 students, all of whom were analyzed without sampling due to their manageable size. the study used frequency counts and percentages as statistical metrics. the findings show that students are aware of and satisfied with the available digital resources for remote learning.eresources provide users with up-to-date information, boundless information from many sources, quick and easy access to information, and so on. provision of an effective internet/server to enhance the accessibility of electronic information resources, online user guidelines for accessing e-resources, creation of user-friendly interfaces for easy access to online content, and so on can all help to improve the use of electronic information resources. this research can help advance information about e-resources, their utility, and enhancing tactics for effective distant learning. however, some of the reviewed studies include ahmad et al. (2019) partap and ranga (2021) ambrose et al. (2021) alabi (2021) qudus and zaynab (2020), anyim (2020). some of the reviewed studies are similar to this present study because they all studied undergraduate students’ perceptions and use of digital resources. the reviewed studies also used the descriptive survey design and questionnaire methods for data collection. however, the researchers identified some aspects of these studies that were different from this present study. for instance, none of the studies proved statistically if there is any significant relationship between students’ perceptions and use of digital resourcesand if there is any significant difference between male and female students’ perceptions of the use of digital resources. furthermore, the sample size of this study is larger than each of the reviewed studies. this creates gaps this study intends to fill.this study aims to close these gaps by using statistics to demonstrate if there is any correlation between the two variables, that is students’ perceptions and use of digital resources. methodology the study employed a descriptive survey design. the population of the study comprised 1420 undergraduate students out of which 409 were randomly selected. the questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. a total of 450 questionnaires were distributed to the 81 respondents and 409 were retrieved and found usable. the response to each of the items was weighted on a 4-points likert-type scoring scale. the respondents were free to choose strongly agree (sa) = 4 points, agree (a) = 3 points, disagree (d) = 2 points and strongly disagree (sd) = 1 point. from the scale, a criterion score of 2.5 was adopted. the criterion score was obtained as follows: criterion score = ((4+3+2+1))/4 = 2.5. for research question 1, the response below 2.5 was adjudged as negative perception, while the mean response of 2.5 and above was adjudged as positive perception. for research question 2, a mean response below 2.5 was adjudged low-level usage, while a mean response of 2.5 was adjudged as average-level usage, and a mean response above 2.5 was adjudged as high-level usage. finally, items having a mean score above the criterion score of 2.5 were accepted while those below 2.5 were not accepted.' data were analyzed with frequency count, and simple percentages and spss version 23 was used to generate the mean and standard deviation. key: sa= strongly agree; a=agree; sd=strongly disagree; d=disagree. results the findings of the study are presented in the following tables with explanations section a: demographics characteristics of respondents table 1: gender of the respondents table 1 shows that 212(52%) of the respondents were male while 197(48%) were female. this implies that the majority of the respondents under study were male. table 2: age range of the respondents age range frequency percentage (%) 21-30 286 70 31-40 123 30 total 409 100 table 2, revealed that 286(70%) of the respondents were within the age bracket of 21-30 years while 123(30%) were within the age bracket of 31-40 years. this implies that the majority of the respondents were within the age bracket of 21-30 years. gender frequency percentage (%) male 212 52 female 197 48 total 409 100 82 research question 1 what are the student’s perceptions of digital resources? table 3: student’s perceptions of electronic information resources s/n student’s perceptions of digital resources sa a d sd mean remark 1. digital resources provide wider access to information 272 137 3.7 agree 2. digital resources help in carrying out my academic and research activities 259 150 3.6 agree 3. digital resources provide access to up-to-date information 257 152 3.6 agree 4. digital resources provide quick access to information 151 255 3 3.4 agree 5. it provides round-the-clock access to information 201 205 3 3.4 agree 6. it provides users the opportunity to share information with others 196 213 3.4 agree 7. it is very easy to find digital resources in my field 189 212 6 2 3.4 agree 8. digital resources can greatly improve the quality of learning and able to enhance the student’s critical thinking skills, information handling skills, and problem-solving capacity 152 251 6 3.4 agree 9. students with more experience with technology and eresources have more motivation and a better perception of technology-based resources 148 256 5 3.3 agree 10. digital resources provide free quality materials for learning and research 147 253 9 3.3 agree 11. it provides access to unlimited information from different sources 142 266 1 3.3 agree 12. it provides speedy and easy access to information 146 256 7 3.3 agree 13. digital resources are cost-effective, convenient, and easy to use 134 264 11 3.3 agree 14. the quality of digital resources is satisfactory 126 266 14 3 3.3 agree 15. digital resources offer the possibility to efficiently manage my time 156 234 18 1 3.3 agree 16. digital resources enable me to share information with peers and establish a culture of teamwork and promote student collaboration 139 261 9 3.3 agree 17. i prefer digital resources to print resources 70 235 74 30 2.8 agree grand mean 3.4 agree table 3 shows the student’s perceptions of digital resources. all the items in table 3 have mean values that are above the criterion mean of (2.5), more so, the grand mean (3.4) is greater than the criterion mean (2.5), and this shows that the students have positive perceptions ofdigital resources. 83 research question 2 what is the level of usage of digital resources by students? table 4:useof digital resources s/n use of digital resources sa a d sd mean remark 1. i use digital resources to carry out my research activities 233 176 3.6 high 2. i use digital resources in writing my assignments and reports 175 231 3 3.4 high 3. i use digital resourcesas supplements to classroom lectures 162 241 6 3.4 high 4. i use digital resources to prepare my coursework 164 245 3.4 high 5. i use digital resources to learn and share knowledge with my friends and it assists me in my professional growth 143 257 7 2 3.3 high 6. i usedigital resources to update my knowledge 191 198 20 3.3 high 7. i use digital resourcesas an alternative to print textbooks 66 215 74 54 2.7 high grand mean 3.3 high table 4 revealed the level of usage of digital resources by students. table 4,therefore, shows that all the items listed have mean values that are above the criterion mean of (2.5), more so, the grand mean (3.4) is greater than the criterion mean (2.5), as a result,the usage of digital resources is very high. this data shows that the respondents wereusing digital resources among others for research activities, writing assignments, and reports, as supplements to classroom lectures, and to prepare coursework. research question 3 what are the challenges to the effective use of electronic information resources by students? table 5: challenges to the use of electronic information resources table 5 shows the student’s responses to the challenges to the use of eir. all the items in table 5 except for item 4, have mean values that are above the criterion mean of (2.5), more so, the grand s/n challenges to the use of eir sa a d sd mean remark 1. inadequate information literacy skills in using eir 127 147 83 52 2.9 agree 2. poor internet connectivity 121 154 79 55 2.8 agree 3. lack of time to look for suitable resources 128 105 123 53 2.7 agree 4. poor electricity supply 23 40 189 157 1.8 disagree grand mean 2.6 agree 84 mean (2.6) is greater than the criterion mean (2.5), this shows that items 1-3 are the challenges to the use of eir. item 4 is not regarded as a challenge, because the institution has a standby generator that supplies electricity on campus. hypothesis 1: there is no significant relationship between student’s perceptions and the use of digital resources table 6: relationship between student’s perceptions and use of digital resources variable mean n r p-value remark perception 58 409 0.976 0.000 significant use of dr 21 α = 0.05 table 6 shows the relationship between students’ perceptions and the use of digital resources. the table shows a strong correlation coefficient of 0.976 and a p-value of 0.000. testing the hypothesis at 0.05, the p-value is less than the alpha value of 0.05. this means that the null hypothesis is rejected. therefore, there is a significant relationship between students’ perceptions and the use of digital resources in this study. hence, the students’ positive perceptions influenced their levelof digital resources usage. hypothesis 2: there is no significant difference between male and female student’s perceptions of digital resources table 7: difference between male and femalestudent’s perceptions of digital resources gender mean sd n t df p-value remark male 55.73 6.33 212 197 -0.282 407 0.778non-significant female 55.91 6.75 α = 0.05 table 7 shows the differencebetween male and female students’ perceptions of digitalresources atthe university of africabayelsa state. the table shows a t-value of -0.282 and a p-value of 0.778. testing the hypothesis at 0.05, the p-value is higher than the alpha value of 0.05. this means that the null hypothesis is accepted. therefore, there is no significant difference between male and female students’ perceptions of digital resources in this study. 85 discussion of findings the study shows that the respondents hadpositive perceptions of digital resources. the positive perceptionsarelargely due to its perceived usefulness in the student’s academic and research activitiesbecause it provides wider and quick access to information, it provides users with more up-to-date information andit provides unlimited information from different sources among others. this finding is in line with the earlier findings of bakare (2015), who also found that students have positive perceptions about digital resources because of their numerous advantages.on the level of usageof digital resourcesby students, the study also discovered that the students had a high level of usage. the high level of usage of digital resources is because they use it for research activities, writing of assignments and reports, as supplements to classroom lectures, and preparing coursework among others. this finding is in agreement with that of frimpong and addo (2020) who observed that the general use of digital resources by students was quite high. on the challenges to the use of digital resources, the study discovered that inadequate information retrieval skills, poor internet connectivity, and lack of time to search for suitable resources were some of the major challenges to the effective use of digital resources. this finding is in agreement with the findings of wiche & ogunbodede (2021) who also found that inadequate information retrieval skills, poor and internetconnectivity among others were some of the major barriers to the use of digital resources in higher education, especially in developing countries.finally, the test of the hypotheses revealed that there is a significant relationship between students’ perceptions and the use of digital resources in this study. hence, the students’ positive perceptions influenced their level of digital resources usage. there is also no significant difference in male and female students’ perceptions of digital resources in this study. conclusion and recommendations this study examined students’ perceptions and use of digital resourcesatthe university of africa bayelsa state. it is obvious in this study that the students had positive perceptions and a high level of usage of e-resources. the positive perceptions and high level of usage are a justificationfor the increasing need fordigital resources in academic libraries and the huge financial resources spent on the acquisition of these resources.the test of the hypotheses revealed that there is a significant relationship between students’ perceptions and the use of digital resources in this study. hence, the students’ positive perceptions influenced their level of digital 86 resources usage. the study also established that there was no significant difference in male and female students’ perceptions of digital resources.based on the findings, the researchers recommended that the institutions or library management should organize training for the students on digital literacy skills, provide stable internet services and also continue to create awareness of the use of these resources so that students can continue totakefull advantage of the digital resources provided by the institution. references ahmad, s., dar, b. a. & mughal, m. b. 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(2021). awareness and use of open educational resources by library and information science students of ignatius ajuru university of education, rivers state, nigeria. library philosophy and practice (e-journal). 5373. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/5373 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/4403 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/5564 https://doi.org/10.1080/10572317.2020.1805274 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/2352 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/5373 98 journal of information and knowledge management 2022, vol. 13, no. 2, 98-112: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.8 to cite this article: odigie, i.o, irenoa, k.o & sawyerr-george, o.(2022) identifying digital aggression in information dissemination on social media: a network analytical study. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 13:2, 98-112, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.8 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.8 identifying digital aggression in information dissemination on social media: a network analytical study 1 imoisili ojeime odigie 2 kenneth ohis irenoa 3 oyinkepreye sawyerr-george 1 federal university lokoja, kogi state, nigeria 2 federal university otuoke, bayelsa state, nigeria 3 bayelsa state polytechnic, aleibiri abstract text and memes are increasingly populated and used to spread information on social media like twitter. sometimes these memes can have different meanings or connotations. this study was aimed at highlighting how such information in the form of memes or text are diffused on social media platforms, with twitter the selected platform. the study adopted an explanatory sequential mixed method design which allows for in-depth analysis of quantitative results from the corpus of tweets. the findings indicate a growing use of a new terminology ―vawulence‖ over the period of eight months observed showing adoption and acceptance of the new variation for the word violence. the study also found that digital aggression (cyberbullying) has become more notable and on the rise particularly with the use of text and memes showing veiled and, in some instances, outright attempts at cyberbullying with new terminologies still arising (in the form of ‗wotowoto‘ and ‗collect‘ which mean a form of physical assault). keywords social networking analytics, digital aggression, memes, social media, violence contact imoisili ojeime odigie, kenneth ohis irenoa & oyinkepreye sawyerr-george kennirenoa@gmail.com 2022 the authors published with license by information impact introduction social media in recent times has become more than just a social platform but an irrefutable means by which social interactions occur. it has taken the world by storm, and governments, corporations, agencies, and even individuals can no longer ignore the pull it has on the 99 general populace. the reach and penetration of social platforms has been in geometric proportions within business, civil, government and individual circles. with efforts made by some governments to control its hold among citizens (soh, 2020; tuwei, 2020), nigeria as at january 2021 had about 33.9 million active social media users (kamer, 2022), a figure that has already been surpassed due to the influence of entertainment and electioneering across the globe. tiktok, facebook, youtube, whatsapp, instagram, and twitter are amongst the most influential social media platforms all over the globe. twitter has had an immense impact in terms of governance (guerrero-solé & lopez-gonzalez, 2017; agur & gan, 2021), entertainment with much of its content simpler and more direct in terms of the possibility for engagement. corporate entities, celebrities, government agencies and officials, have had to create accounts so as to facilitate continued interactions. the nigerian social media space has been inundated with vast amounts of information being generated, shared and or disseminated in recent times about varying issues from politics to sports and entertainment. this level of interaction in the nigerian social space shows no iota of slowing down. when twitter was banned by the nigerian government for instance in early june 2021, the world experienced a surge in visibility of tweets about the country due to the use of virtual private networks (vpns). this brought to the fore the ingenuity and desire of nigerians to create social structures for themselves where they communicate and disseminate information on their daily lives. tweeps in the bid to be a part of the national conversation have created buzz words, catch phrases, and words which become so unique and readily utilised by partakers. communication on social media platforms leaves behind digital traces that can be used to measure social behaviour and information disseminated. information dissemination is important to measure how information travels across a social network and explains the dynamism of various social networks. this study analyses the spread of words with the use of social network analytics to showcase how these words influence, spread, and are diffused and understood. objective of the study the study was necessitated by the growing use of the slang word for violence amongst nigerian youth on social media platforms and everyday speech. more specifically, the study hopes to lay background analytics showcasing how information flows and can spread on social media based on the following keywords (vawulence, vayolence and vahulence). 100 literature review social media human interactions are grouped into three functional units; self-communication, one-to-one communication, and one-to-many (hanson, 2016). the communications groupings help explain interactions in social spaces like social media. social media as a communication ecosystem has merged the forms of communication channels we already know like mass communication and interpersonal communication. communication on social media has immense reach with speed (possibility of virality) on information diffused. evidence of the impact of social media diffusion of information already abound from its earliest influence in birthing of ‗the hashtag‘ which became a symbol that aided political movements, awareness campaigns, promotion and mobilisation movements, and the numerous other activities that social media now affords users (samur, 2018). social media has been defined by several authors, and scholars, and from numerous perspectives, however, social media simply facilitates interactions across a broad spectrum of social circles. social media has already impacted the way we inform, learn, play, socialise, and generally communicate with others. social media makes it easy for individuals to share content, promote discussions and engender relationships through interactive participation among individuals and groups. interactive participation now more readily and easily achieved, resulting in a high amount of information shared on numerous social platforms. due to the immense amount of information on social platforms today, analysing the massive amount of information, organisations are now applying big data for analytics purposes. making sense of the massive amount of information helps to understand why social media users post and react the way they do. social media, then, refers to both the technologies (platforms) and the practices (collaborate, connect, interact, inform, share) (beneitomontagut, 2019). twitter is considered among the most popular forums for information sharing and social interactions today. it began as a microblogging service that allowed users to interact with tweets with a limited character set of 140 similar to the 160-character sms, a feature that made twitter so unique among several other platforms. however, in 2017, twitter doubled the 140-tweet length to 280 characters to enable users become more expressive in their interactions (gligoric, anderson & west, 2020). the tweet (message) length though short has not diminished the information diffusion abilities of users in the exchange of ideas, opinions, and reactions. information diffusion can be so overwhelming due to the massive amount of information daily disseminated. in the midst of this mass of information shared, 101 twitter has a feature that allows users to search and find relevant tweets. this feature identified as user-defined hashtags, helps to locate particular areas of discussion (maclean et al., 2012) that trend. also, allowing tracking of posts and engagements in real time. information diffusion social networks enable faster diffusion of information and the exchange of ideas, and microblogs like twitter play an especially strong role in the diffusion of ideas today. through twitter‘s retweet function information can reach millions of people (zhang et al., 2014). using rogers (1983) ―s‖ curve that describes how quickly ideas and innovations spread as a reference point, we see that spread of ideas and innovations generally begins slowly and accelerates as the diffusion process begins to unfold fully until levels of saturation are approached. the s curve graph indicates that an idea can be accepted by persons only if they are aware of its existence. in other words, behaviour of the social network toward an idea is closely related to the distribution of information and acceptance of such new phenomena and ideas (stieglitz & dang-xuan, 2013). studies into the sigmoid graph lay further emphasis on the stages in the adoption of an idea from the early diffusion stage of an innovation, where innovators begin an idea or phenomenon which is later related to early adopters who are a relatively small percentage of a population, this idea is passed over time to early majority and the late majority who adopt the idea simply because it is cool and being used by people they know and trust. (t. fleiter& p. plötz, 2013, rare, 2015, schmidt et al., 2016 & li et al., 2020). social networks and sentiment analytics social network analysis (sna) is a powerful tool for representing social network structures and the information dissemination within a network. sna characterizes networked structures in terms of nodes (individual actors, people, or things within the network) and the ties or links (relationships or interactions) that connect them. conversations within a network can convey sentiments similar to normal human conversations. bisio et al (2017), opines that interesting applications of sentiment analysis involve the spontaneous examination of social network text or messages on the foundations of the feelings and emotions conveyed within.sentiment analysis, also known as opinion mining, is the use of compiler programs to detect and classify subjective content (luo et al., 2013). sentiment analysis has also found its way into businesses aiding the prediction of public opinion towards a product or service. mozdeh however uses the ―sentistrength‖ to estimate the strength of sentiments based on positivity or 102 negativity expressed in a text or group of texts (thelwall 2018). it is however worthy to note that though much has been done in the area of analysis of sentiments in text much remains to be improved in terms of human attitude and accuracy (mohan debarchan mohanty & mihir narayan mohanty, 2022). memes memes shortened from ―mimeme”meaning something imitated. defining the term has always linked back to richard dawkins biological meme. memes carry information either in the biological or technical sense. the definition of the meme depends on and should depend on, the concept of imitation (blackmore, 1998). internet memes are defined as units of popular culture that are circulated, imitated, and transformed by individual internet users, creating a shared cultural experience in the process (shifman, 2003). this definition is one of the most cited regarding internet memes. a meme is not a meme until it is replicated, hanganubresch (n.d) states that mass replication is the single most important feature. the replication feature of memes has created a new set of concerns linked with attribution. on concerns about attribution and copyright, on first engagement, it is usually hard to determine the producer of a meme. the replication of diffused memes occurs in the majority of cases without proper attribution. on the nigerian twitter space, thought is rarely given to attribution but more to the buzz of the moment. that is, the trending story/post and the immediacy of reactions have been evidenced to be of more interest to the average commenter. soh (2020) suggests that there is something about the nature and ideologies of internet memes, compared to other media forms, which enable their use. memes as information artefacts have become an easy tool for cheeky, hilarious, sometimes rude, outright demeaning, and myriad of emotions. memes have become part of daily interactions, from easy responses to arguments (visual arguments). these interactions in social spaces are increasingly carrying negative connotations showing cyberbullying tendencies. exploring the many social platforms where interactions have become more intolerant of ideas, thinking, and expressions from each other. memes have become a 103 medium that enables vitriols to be transmitted unrestrained and replicated easily targeting the initial post. digital aggression construing the impact of memes and their usage in our online social spaces is an area that needs conscious attention. digital aggression in the form of savagery now litters the global social media platforms and is already being designated a serious public health threat (ferrara, ianniello, villani, & corsello, 2018). digital aggression or electronic aggression or cyberbullying is defined as ―any behaviour performed through electronic or digital media by individuals or groups that repeatedly communicates hostile or aggressive messages intended to inflict harm or discomfort on others‖ (tokunaga, 2010). the continued diffusion of technologies expands the possibilities for the occurrences of cyberbullying. a major section of society today now have access to personal computers, smart devices and internet services, meaning a geometric rise in the number of active users online. these numbers of active users have major differences in terms of personalities, and temperaments that have varying support systems. throwing tantrums, frustrations, celebrations, and oversharing has become commonplace on social media. some of the content has exposed posters to harsh responses via posts, and memes. digital aggression entails use of mobile devices and practically any internet-enabled device that can propagate information via texts, calls, pictures (memes) and videos (including happy slapping filmed attacks on people which are shared among friends on the internet) and they extend across platforms from email, websites/blogs, and social platforms. the increasing digital aggression on social media, though seen as fun by some, research into the impact of digital aggression paints a sad picture; with it already designated a public health challenge in the advanced climes like the united states and the united kingdom (ferrara, et al 2018). in nigeria, this has not yet generated as much interest, albeit, twitter has seen a huge surge in aggressive messaging since the 2015 electioneering period in nigeria (irenoa, 2017). twitter has a number of interesting features from tweets (comments), retweets, follow, mentions, tagging, and so on, with varying opportunities for engagement. the comments section on social platforms provides room for engagement with information disseminated. social media in nigeria in spite of the recent ban placed on twitter is still relatively free and as a result, netizens still post whatever they felt like without any form of 104 sanction (no officially documented public sanction on any individual so far). this freedom extends to engagements (comments/reactions) that the information shared generates. on twitter, comments and posts generate reactions and responses that either match the ‗vibe tone or perceived intentions contained in a post‘. targeting persons (handles) are not an uncommon occurrence. differences in views/opinions, and association (perceived grouping one belongs political, religious, celebrity support, and so on), have been sources for disagreements, and aggressions which have been termed or known in different names.nigerians are a very creative group of people with a nack for developing unique words or phrases, many of these words gain much visibility and acceptance very rapidly owing to social media and influencers on such media. 1. to ―drag‖ to call a person out or shade a person with a known account/handle for a perceived wrong or recognition. a ‗drag‘ is mostly targeted at perceived wrongs. 2. vawulence the word vawulence is a homophone word for the english word violence, it is an informal terminology that has come to connote intolerance to untruths or injustice that must be called out. though the origin of the word cannot be traced it first appeared on twitter in response to violent acts in sports. these terms have come to depict a form of interaction bearing content that has varying degrees of aggression and intent. twitter ng has been noted as a place for the strong due to the high level of digital aggression (savagery, vawulence) that is usually on display in tweets, comments, posts and reactions from interested tweeps. twitter, like many other social media platforms, has become an environment where social interactions have broken the traditional stranglehold that television, radio, and other mass media held in the past regarding information diffusion. these platforms have an 105 advantage in terms of reach, immediacy, and possibility for such social interactions to go viral, prompting a probe on why we post, retweet, like, comment/quote, and foster reactions that cause communications on social platforms to trend. connections are as simple as a friend request, follow, or like, targeted at the extremely high number of individual accounts, celebrity pages, and so on. these online platforms facilitate interactions among vast numbers of people from diverse backgrounds, and occasionally ‗viral‘ events stem from such complex interactions (hasan et al. 2022). information diffusion on social media is mostly user generated content (ugc) presented as posts, comments and reactions. these ugcs come in different shades from attempts to pass harmless information, explanations, rebuttals, intentional disinformation, misinformation, and outright verbal attacks to posted or shared content. a recent surge in ugc has been linked to the impact of influencers (a new term that has been used to describe celebrities with huge following especially on social media). their massive following results in huge engagements anytime they share content on their handles. many of these influencers share content that range from entertainment, religion, politics, to almost anything and everything on their platforms. methodology social network analysis allows for measurement of conversations between users, the strength, the relationship between users and the most influential player. we apply these methods to explore the dissemination of the word vawulence on nigerian twitter space using the mozdeh analytical software. visual trend detection is an analysis of a trend or phenomenon under review in data analytics visual trend detection is usually depicted graphically. mozdeh offers time series analysis alongside network modelling analysis and sentiment analysis to showcase trends in data. the study used an explanatory sequential mixed method design approach, this was the most favourable design approach according to (creswell & creswell 2018), allowing for in-depth analysis of quantitative results. twitter was the preferred social media platform owing to the openness of its api for educational use and the ease with which its data could be harvested and analysed. quantitative data from the twitter api was harvested for a period of 8 months between november 2021 to june 2022. the data was harvested through the use of mozdeh analytical software with keywords vawulence, vahulence and vayolence. the key terms were a compilation of made-up words that had gained wide visibility on twitter space over the period being investigated. 106 the research methodology workflow is shown in fig 1 below; fig 1: research methodology workflow findings/discussion the key terms produced a total of 149171 hits for the period harvested, removal of duplicate tweets and retweets produced a total of 146174 unique hits of tweets and retweets referring to the keywords or phrases making up 98% data validity for hits of searched key phrases. further analysis of the data showed that the word ―vawulence‖ had 116553 hits making up 78.1% of the harvested data while other key search terms like vayolence had 13514 hits being 9.1% and finally vahulence hits were 1209 out of the total of 149171 being 0.8% of the harvested data totaling 88% validity for searched key phrases harvested. diffusion of the keywords a time series graph shows geometric progression and decline in a trend for the period. for the purpose of this study the time series graph was used to lay foundation and analyze the spread or diffusion of the keywords ―vawulence, vayolence and vahulence‖ under review. figure 2 below is a time series mapping for the keywords for the period of november 2021 to 1st june 2022. 107 figure 2: diffusion of the key phrases on twitter for a period of november to june the figure shows the rise and fall in the use of the keyword searched on twitter space, this depicts how the word spread over time. analysis of the wave line for the keyword indicates a wave form similar to the sigmoid curve. the gradual growth from november 1 2021 with 122 hits with a total word count of 2272 to 1193 hits in june 2022 with total word count of 51056 are responsible for the wave line which is depicted in figure 2. these findings explain the adoption rate and acceptance level for the word and agree with rare, (2015) & li et al., (2020) on the diffusion of innovation theory. the table 1 below further explains the diffusion of the keywords. vawulence + vayolence + vahulence per item date tot_items 122 0.053697 2021.11.1 2272 164 0.029481 2021.12.1 5563 215 0.020178 2022.1.1 10655 117 0.014182 2022.2.1 8250 310 0.021175 2022.3.1 14640 334 0.01603 2022.4.1 20836 616 0.017159 2022.5.1 35899 1193 0.023367 2022.6.1 51056 table 1: diffusion of keywords 108 due to the vast amount of data available, analysis for the combined keywords was done by hiding duplicate tweets and hashtags or mentions further filtration was done to remove tweets and retweets greater than or equal to 50 but less than 9000. the results showed 3071 hits for the keywords (vawulence, vahulence and vayolence matching the above criteria. these excerpts of such tweets are shown in table 2. item no label no. of retweets tweets #34252 vawulence and comrade 302 i need a job by a comrade!! best vawulence !!mr.macaroni https://t.co/7hiiqqj4wh #125517 vawulence and comrade 67 i remember when i joined twitter 2020 i’m always afraid to reply tweet bcos i don’t want to be a savage. i don’t engage tweet, i only “like”. i can’t believe this is me �� am now a certified vawulence comrade. i’m no more afraid of toxic people�� 30bg did that � #89317 vawulence and collect 171 peter obi is a force not to reckoned with. if u compare ur candidate with peter obi,ur candidate will collect, compare with competency,u will still collect,compare with proven track record,u go still collect not with vawulence but with facts and figures. #peterobi4president2023 #102229 vawulence and wotowoto 936 peter obi supporters have different departments: vawulence dept these guys give you wotowoto receipt provision dept these are the go and verify guys defence dept shalaye + cruise ignore & shove dept they only post peter obi contents! where you belong? https://t.co/n555vncrap table 2: sample extracts on keyword search using mozdeh software 109 analysis of table 2 which are excerpts from the corpus of tweets retrieved from twitter api indicates subtle throws of digital aggression which have political and religious connotations even though some are entertainment in nature via comedic calling out of persons in item #102229 and #34252. this finding is in with irenoa (2017) who found that social media has been used to propagate divisive sentiments, which today could be equated to digital aggression. sentiment of the keywords sentiment analysis uses natural language processing to track public opinions on a particular topic. the sentiment is measured on a scale of 1 to 5 and -1 to -5. sentiment analysis for this study was done by examining the average sentiment of the corpus of tweets harvested. the table 3 highlights the sentiment analysis scores sentiment analysis results score pos. neg. 1 59.13% 68.67% 2 22.83% 19.28% 3 16.38% 7.03% 4 1.53% 4.62% 5 0.13% 0.39% average and 95% confidence intervals: pos 1.6070 (1.5779, 1.6360) neg 1.4878 (1.4579, 1.5177) av pos av neg: 0.1192 table 3: sentiment analysis score for keywords the table depicts a sentiment score of 0.1192 being the average positive score subtracted from the average negative score. this result indicates a positivity of the tweets on the keywords searched. physical analysis of the tweets highlights possible reasons for this; many of the tweets harvested displayed positive connotations but were negative and misunderstood 110 to be positive remarks by the software. other reasons could be linked to misunderstood words and smileys or memes like the word ―vawulence‖ not being an english word or ―collect‖ having a different connotation than its dictionary definition. the finding agrees with the opinion of mohanty & mohanty, (2022) on the accuracy of the analysis of human attitude and behaviour. conclusion the nigerian twitter space is popularly labelled as not for the ―lilly hearted‖ due to the lack of empathy with perceived stupidity with posts (tweets) or reactions to shared content. this trend is making the social space toxic and a fertile ground for cyberbullying activities. nigerian social space undoubtedly remains a very interesting space, with fun guaranteed (for the neutrals), learning opportunities, business opportunities, and all forms of crazy abound. politics, entertainment, religion, and social lifestyles have found a fertile ground on social media. differences in opinions, ideas, and views on issues will continue to exist, and the possibilities for cyberbullying will always be an issue. enlightening social media users, especially the youth population, on the need to show restraint when interacting on social media platforms must be put in the front burner. digital aggression has always existed in the nigerian social media sphere, but not much attention paid to it as an issue. so much of the local language that depicts aggressiveness, are daily finding their way into the digital lexicon on the nigerian social space. the increasing penchant for the consumption of memes and posts which demean, attack (drag, call out) especially negatively, targeted at persons/accounts on social media, requires a cautious approach to reducing the trend. references agur, c., & gan, l. 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(2014). understanding fast diffusion of information in the social media environment. a comparison of two cases. jyx.jyu.fi; corporate communication international. http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:jyu201407172235 ../downloads/10.1007/978-1-4614-7202-5_4 doi:10.4276/030802213x13706169933021 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-32-385708-6.00012-6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ninonylbaba https://blog.hootsuite.com/history-social-media/ https://blog.hootsuite.com/history-social-media/ ../downloads/10.1016/j.cirpj.2016.04.002 ../downloads/10.1177/0163443720904603 ../downloads/10.2753/mis0742-1222290408 ../downloads/10.1016/b978-0-12-375067-9.00059-0 http://mozdeh.wlv.ac.uk/resources/socialwebresearchwithmozdeh.pdf ../downloads/10.1016/j.chb.2009.11.014 ../downloads/10.1177/0196859920961030 http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:jyu-201407172235 http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:jyu-201407172235 journal of information and knowledge management 2023, vol. 14, no. 1, 144-156: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.9 to cite this article: obueze, a. c, & echedom,.a. (2023) adequacy of legal information resources and services of law libraries in selected nigerian universities. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 14:1, 144-156, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.9 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.9 adequacy of legal information resources and services of law libraries in selected nigerian universities 1 adaora chigozie obueze 1 anthonia echedom 1 department of library and information science, nnamdi azikiwe university, awka, nigeria abstract this study seeks to determine the adequacy of legal information resources and services of law libraries in selected nigerian universities. the study adopted descriptive survey research design. the total of 252 postgraduate law students of 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 sets in the two federal universities in south-east formed the population. the entire population was used as the sample. the instrument used for data collection was questionnaire and observation check-list. the data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and percentages. arithmetic mean was used to analyse data obtained from the research questions with scale value of 50%. the findings of the study revealed among others that the findings showed that legal information resources are available in the federal university law libraries in south-east, nigeria, although more innovative services need to be established to be completely commensurate with the demands of the 21 st century. keywords legal information, information services, law libraries, information resources, nigeria contact adaora chigozie obueze @ adaoraobueze@yahoo.com 2023 the authors published with license by information impact https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.91 a. c. obueze & a. echedom 145 introduction the primary aim of every postgraduate law student is to gain more knowledge on their field of study and obtain their qualification in record time. appropriate legal information resources facilitate high academic performance and knowledge of the best legal practices. such legal information resources provide support for effective learning and research. postgraduate law students in this study are students who have already obtained a bachelor’s degree and are at a university to acquire an advanced degree, such as postgraduate diploma, masters and phd. as posited by study portal (2021) qualifications in law, master of laws (ll.m.) and the graduate diploma in law which is generally acquired certain numbers of years of full-time legal studies and are internationally recognised postgraduate degrees. these programs are pursued by law students and professionals, for attaining in-depth legal expertise and enhancement of their career prospects. for such important professions that has to do with factual information, law among others; appropriate information are often needed for accuracy and being up-to-date. information resources as stated by abiola (2020) are infrastructure or material that provides content and information services for the user. ternenge and kashimana (2019) explained information resources to be those materials, strategies, apparatuses or consultations that generally aid researchers in ensuring improved research development as well as all forms of information carriers that can be used to enable effective developmental projects and research activities. information resources according to ubwa, gbuushi, ianna and iornum, (2021) are those materials that provide knowledge to the user. these resources may be observations, people, speeches, documents, pictures, among others which have a great role to play in developing the society by creating awareness, entertaining, informing and most importantly educating the library users and the society at large through maximum utilization. ternenge and kashimana (2019) listed information resources to include, databases, electronic books, video, image and sounds resources, referencing resources, online newspapers, official publications, journal and e-journal, electronic dictionaries, encyclopaedia among others. in addition, information resources according to shuaibu (2016) are materials containing records of existing knowledge. the materials are usually consulted for aid and for information on a given topic, theme, an event, date, figure, place, word and an event. they are the totality of acquired library resources gathered together by the library for its users. information resources can be in any format, such as print and electronic information resources. davis (2021) defined print resources as those sources of information that have been published in hard copies in printed format, such as printed books, trade journals, theses and dissertations, daily newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, government reports and other printed documents containing relevant information, while non-printed or electronic information resources include films, disc records, filmstrips, slides, audiotapes, videotapes, compact discs and computer software. a. c. obueze & a. echedom 146 statement of the problem the law profession thrives on information for survival as law is the union of information and power. the legal profession requires the use of accurate, relevant and timely information resources and services for effective legal activities. every legal information is a treasure and any gap in access to information constitutes a problem. law libraries play a vital role in the provision of the legal information resources and services to support teaching, learning, practices, research and adequately meet the information needs of its user community which the postgraduate law students forms a significant part of. inadequacy in the provision of information resources in the law library, unavailability of the needed information and lack of innovative services among others, are perceived to breed lack of interest and can create a strong impression that law library never has adequate and current legal information resources and services to furnish the information needs of its users, thereby undermining the information seeking and library patronage of postgraduate law students. this will result in poor academic performance and research output by this group of users. only a law library with adequate information resources can provide good information services and satisfactorily meet the information need of its users. it therefore become imperative to carry out this study to identify the information resources and services of postgraduate law students, thus, this work seeks to bridge the gap by providing empirical evidence to ascertain the availability and adequacy of legal information resources and services in federal university law libraries in selected nigerian universities. research objectives 1. find out the available law library services provided to postgraduate law students in federal university law libraries in selected nigerian universities. 2. determine the adequacy of available legal information resources in meeting the information of postgraduate law students. research questions 1. what are the available law library services provided for postgraduate law students in federal university law libraries in south-east, nigeria? 2. what is the adequacy of available legal information resources in meeting the information needs of postgraduate law students? review of related literature library services provided to postgraduate law students a law library is a facility that has been specially created for people in law profession and people needing special legal information resources to search, access, and use the legal information resources that have been acquired, processed, and organised. the law library is responsible for the operational and strategic management of its user services, promoting law library services, and implementing the library’s mission. law library services are those services that are provided to law library users to aid them in the use of library and easy retrieval of information resources that are relevant to the successful achievement of their a. c. obueze & a. echedom 147 academic goals. obiamalu and echedom (2021) opined that library services are those services which could be rendered physically or virtually by library personnel to the library users. these are the assistance rendered by the law librarian to the law library patrons in a bid to meet their information needs. ezema and akpom (2018) stated that this service is expected to provide the information sought by user, it should anticipate as well as meet the users’ needs and also encourage user awareness to fulfil individual needs. harande and umar (2021) stated that the baseline of law libraries is expected to be constituted by the type of information services it provides. there should be availability of adequate information resources, expertise and technological support in law libraries to effectively provide relevant library services. according to umar (2019) the law library is expected to be proactive, vibrant and be abreast of the latest developments in information dissemination to maintain relevance and keep up with the multifarious needs and expectations of law library users. it is therefore important for law libraries to provide services and facilities that meet the information needs of its users. examples of these services provided in the law library as mentioned by the author include: general reference service, loaning of books and other materials for photocopying services, selective dissemination of information and indexing services, assisting users to locate information items, orientation, services, one-to-one library instruction services, abstracting services, translation services, referral services, document delivery services, bibliographic verification services, bibliotherapy services, reader advisory services, selective dissemination of information services, display of new arrival services, table of content services, in-service training of staff, production of guide for publicity and education, contributing to or preparing library publication services. special library such as law library provides special services to their library users. eze-onwuzuruike (2020) further described some law library services as innovative services. these innovative services were defined as the use and improvement of various latest technologies to provide better and timely services to users at a reasonable cost for the development of the user and the society at large through computers and the internet. ezeonwuzuruike listed the innovative library services offered in law libraries as: translation, literature search, use of opac and web opac for searching library materials, emailcommunication, legal databases, law blogs, collaborative encyclopaedia and really simple syndication (rss). through these innovative law library services according to the author, meeting the information needs of law students through electronic or digital means is assured (eze-owuzuruike, 2020). it is observed that there are no known legal standards for law library services from the council of legal education (cle ) nor the national university commission (nuc) while there is an existing legal standards for law library collections as stipulated in cle standards. this constitutes a challenge as there exists a lack of uniformity in the type of law library services provided within the law libraries in nigerian universities. this prompted a. c. obueze & a. echedom 148 the suggestion by hassani et al (2018) that government should set standards for library services and ensure adherence to them. owuchi (2022) is of the opinion that services provided by the law library will depend on the information resources available to it. notably, a small law library with a handful of staff cannot provide the range of services and breadth of expertise that a large and well-resourced law library can offer. it is easy to forget that, in an era when information services are increasingly available online, there is still need for those services which are still commonly thought of one that a library render. it includes the provision of books and non-book materials for reference and loan. also, library staff that interacts with customers and provides them with documents or information that the patrons need. there is probably a physical part of a location where desks/and or workstations for quite study are provided. we have the book borrowing service, obtaining books from external libraries to provide for the erudite or specialist needs of the legislators which cannot be provided from the libraries and information resources. there is the law library’s close links in the form of interlibrary loan with other libraries to meet such information needs requirements. the law library and information centre have an inherent obligation to provide information services to support the information needs of postgraduate law students as appropriate to the library’s mission. legal information resources in law library adequacy of available legal information resources in the law library can be defined as the extent with which available information resources in the law library are sufficient to effectively satisfy the information need of the users it is provided for. edet (2014) stated that adequacy of library resources is the relation between its size and ability of the library to respond to the needs of its users. only few scholars have carried out an evidence based research on the adequacy of information resources and services in relation to legal profession which summarises the dearth in literature on this topic. looking at the state of arts on adequacy of available legal information resources to postgraduate law student, cle and nuc have taken their time to draft a standard checklist to ensure an authorized guideline for adequate provision of relevant resources to the student. many factors such as lack of internet connectivity, poor funding, scarcity/high cost of legal materials, inadequate subscription to legal databases among others have been noted by owuchi (2020) as some of the challenges that affect the availability and adequacy of relevant legal information resources. the effect of these challenges is very sad as noted by olorunnfemi and mosert (2012) how law students mostly rely on readily available information resources due to the nature of their profession and can easily be dissatisfied with the inadequacy of same in the already established law library. adequacy of information resources is a factor that affects the extent to which information needs are met and the use of libraries. it takes preeminence in education, intellectual and national development as the provision of books in quantity and quality to library users is key a. c. obueze & a. echedom 149 (monokpo, ntogo-saghanen & egesimba, 2019). olugu (2017) highlighted the relevance of library users as a very important partner, who plays a central determining role in the collection building of any library. the library collections should align with its users’ information needs. the collection should support the programme curriculum and match with new developments in the area of research. in this vein, the participation of the lecturers in the identification and selection of appropriate information resources to be procured for the law library is paramount. in the law library, information resources selected and acquired are meant to support the curriculum, which means that the input of the teaching staff is usually required in selecting appropriate materials for teaching and learning within the faculty. the nuc (2015) minimum standard for legal education, stated that, in the acquisition of law library holdings, law faculties must be fully consulted and their recommendations seriously considered. this means that acquisition by law libraries should be guided by the recommendations of the law faculties. the need to update the holdings of law library with new issues of law reports, journals and current editions of books should be acquired from time to time is highly recommended. wanyoniyi et al (2018) enumerated members that constitute the library committee for acquisition to include the university librarian, members of management and lecturers representing different faculties and also a representative from the student union government. they can select information resources for different disciplines offered in different faculties. law lecturers’ involvement in decisions about library information resources is not only a norm but is essential for the decisions about purchase/ acquisition of legal information resources. the university academic staffs’ opinion of a library collection is the aggregate of the individual views, attitudes, and beliefs about the extent to which the library has met the demands of the curriculum. the development of a university law library collection should be a cooperative effort between law librarians and teaching staff. wanyoniyi, et al (2018) noted that a deficient collection can have an adverse effect on the faculty and institution in general. lecturers’ opinion as a process of evaluating law library collection development can assist in identifying areas of strengths and weaknesses in the collection so that gaps and inadequacies can be filled up. print information resources can be beefed up with the electronic information resources. these resources can be made available and adequate to meet the information needs of postgraduate law students through the use of ict gadgets. methodology a descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. a total of 252 postgraduate law students of 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 sets in the university of nigeria nsukka, enugu campus and nnamdi azikiwe university, awka. there was no sampling technique as the study population was small and manageable, the population was used in its entirety. the instrument used for data collection was a self-constructed questionnaire and an observation checklist. the reliability of the instrument was established using a. c. obueze & a. echedom 150 cronbach alpha and kuder richardson (k-r) checklist methods. the result of the coefficient were .93 and .89 respectively. the data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. percentages were used to analyse data obtained from the research questions. data with the scale of 50% and above is accepted and data below 50% is rejected. results and discussion research question 1: what are the available library services provided to postgraduate law students in federal university law libraries in south-east, nigeria? table 1: percentages of the available law library services provided to postgraduate law students s/ n items n provid ed not provid ed provid ed (%) remark 1 reference service 241 212 29 88% provided 2 legal research services 241 217 24 90% provided 3 recreation/leisure services 241 34 207 14% not provided 4 current awareness services (cas) 241 140 101 58% provided 5 selective dissemination of information (sdi) 241 159 82 66% provided 6 inter-library loan (ill) 241 106 135 44% not provided 7 literature search 241 217 24 90% provided 8 compilation of bibliographies 241 231 10 96% provided 9 indexing and abstracting 241 241 0 100% provided 10 knowledge management 241 178 63 74% provided 11 preservation and conservation 241 154 87 64% provided 12 information literacy 241 217 24 90% provided 13 archiving 241 213 28 88% provided 14 consultancy 241 193 48 80% provided 15 book editing 241 92 149 38% not provided 16 book end support 241 116 125 58% provided 17 library and shelf guide 241 202 39 84% provided 18 library talk 241 96 145 40% not provided 19 orientation 241 116 125 48% not provided 20 advocacy 241 87 154 36% not provided 21 display of new arrivals 241 169 72 70% provided 22 bindery/ reprographic services 241 135 106 56% provided 23 user education 241 188 53 78% provided 24 translation services 241 14 227 6% not provided 25 documentation services 241 145 96 60% provided 26 statistical data analysis 241 92 149 38% not provided 27 online search services 241 116 125 48% not provided 28 internet search skills 241 135 106 56% provided 29 training 241 28 213 12% not provided 30 cd rom search services 241 63 178 26% not provided 31 bibliotherapy services 241 72 169 30% not provided a. c. obueze & a. echedom 151 32 digital technology library services 241 188 53 78% provided 33 wikis 241 92 149 38% not provided 34 podcast 241 77 164 32% not provided 35 really simple syndication (rss) 241 82 159 34% not provided 36 blog 241 77 164 32% not provided 37 folksonomy 241 43 198 18% not provided table 1 shows that only 20 (54%) out of the 37 services expected to be available for postgraduate law students were available and provided to them as above. with 54% of the required legal information services being provided to the pg law students, the findings showed that the legal information resources are available in the federal university law libraries in south-east, nigeria, although more innovative services need to be established to completely commensurate with the demands of the 21st century. services such as the inter library loan is a type of service that will aid in ensuring user satisfaction. services such as book editing, statistical data analysis, online search services, advocacy are on high demand especially for postgraduate students for their research purposes and rss will facilitate effective communication of relevant/timely information to the library community. this corroborated iwhiwhu and okorondu (2012) which stated that the law library is expected to be proactive, vibrant and abreast of the latest developments in information dissemination to maintain relevance and keep up with the multifarious needs and expectations of law library users. research question 2: what is the adequacy of available legal information resources in meeting the information needs of postgraduate law students? table 2percentages of adequacy of available legal information resources in meeting the information needs of postgraduate law students 1 laws and statutes (local) s/n federal universities number of items (ad) number (ad) (%) (n/ad) number (n/ad) % decision nau 17 17 100% 0 0% adequate unec 17 9 53% 8 47% adequate 2 laws and statutes (foreign) nau 17 9 53% 8 47% adequate unec 17 6 35% 11 65% not adequate 3 foreign law reports nau 23 15 65% 8 35% adequate unec 23 13 57% 10 43% adequate 4 local law reports nau 27 23 85% 4 15% adequate unec 27 20 74% 7 26% adequate 5 local journals a. c. obueze & a. echedom 152 nau 56 22 39% 34 61% not adequate unec 56 28 50% 28 50% adequate 6 foreign journals nau 64 3 5% 61 95% not adequate unec 64 28 44% 36 56% not adequate 7 constitutional law nau 36 24 67% 12 33% adequate unec 36 21 58% 15 42% adequate 8 criminal law (local and foreign) nau 56 20 36% 36 64% not adequate unec 56 24 43% 32 57% not adequate 9 company law and practice (local and foreign) nau 17 3 18% 14 82% not adequate unec 17 6 35% 11 65% not adequate 10 legal system (local and foreign) nau 18 6 33% 12 67% not adequate unec 18 10 56% 8 44% adequate 11 law of contracts (local and foreign) nau 19 7 37% 12 63% not adequate unec 19 9 47% 10 53% not adequate 12 land law/property law (local and foreign) nau 52 5 10% 47 90% not adequate unec 52 28 54% 24 46% adequate 13 family law (local and foreign) nau 10 6 60% 4 40% adequate unec 10 4 40% 6 60% not adequate 14 evidence (local and foreign) nau 14 7 50% 7 50% adequate unec 14 7 50% 7 50% adequate 15 equity and torts (local and foreign) nau 18 5 28% 13 72% not adequate unec 18 10 56% 8 44% adequate a. c. obueze & a. echedom 153 16 conflicts (local and foreign) nau 12 3 25% 9 75% not adequate unec 12 8 67% 4 33% adequate 17 taxation (local and foreign) nau 7 6 86% 1 14% adequate unec 7 3 43% 4 57% not available 18 insurance (local and foreign) nau 6 4 67% 2 33% adequate unec 6 2 33% 4 67% not adequate 19 business and banking law (local and foreign) nau 10 3 30% 7 70% not adequate unec 10 3 30% 7 70% not adequate 20 jurisprudence (local and foreign) nau 28 3 11% 25 89% not adequate unec 28 9 32% 19 68% not adequate 21 copyrights law (local and foreign) nau 5 2 40% 3 60% not adequate unec 5 2 40% 3 60% not adequate 22 international/public law (local and foreign) nau 12 2 17% 10 83% not adequate unec 12 8 67% 4 33% adequate 23 labour law (local and foreign) nau 9 6 67% 3 33% adequate unec 9 5 56% 4 44% adequate (ad) = adequate (n/ad) = not adequate table 2 showed that only 7 (30%) out of the 23 listed aspects of law based on cle standards were adequate in federal university law libraries in south-east, nigeria the findings to this present study showed that legal information resources are not adequate in federal university law libraries in south-east, nigeria with the overall percentage as low as 30%. most of the information resources available are inadequate to meet the information needs of the postgraduate law students. inadequacy can result in poor utilization of the library resources as concurred by olorunnfemi and mosert (2012) that law students mostly rely on readily available information resources due to the nature of their profession and can a. c. obueze & a. echedom 154 easily be dissatisfied with the inadequacy of same in the already established library. wanyoniyi, et al (2018) also noted that a deficient collection can have an adverse effect on the faculty and institution in general. this statement is supported by ogbuiyi and okpe (2013) that further revealed how some disciplines in a university with inadequate library stock were denied accreditation by nuc. law libraries should ensure that adequate information resources are made available to the postgraduate law student as this discloses the size and ability of a library to respond to the needs of its users (edet, 2014). conclusion some law library services available in the federal university law libraries provided to the postgraduate law students include indexing and abstracting, compilation of bibliographies, legal research services, literature search, information literacy, reference service, archiving, library and shelf guide, consultancy, user education, digital technology library services, knowledge management, display of new arrivals, selective dissemination of information (sdi), preservation and conservation, documentation services, current awareness services (cas), book end support, bindery/ reprographic services and internet search skills. the legal information resources available were inadequate and will not be enough to meet the information need of the postgraduate law students in terms of adequacy. recommendations based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made: law librarians should improve their skills in the use of some relevant electronic applications (apps.) in other to opt their game in providing innovative law library services that will capture interest, improve patronage and enhance information need satisfaction among the postgraduate law students. the university management should fund the library the funds will necessitate current and adequate acquisition of legal information resources. they should ensure that all the or a reasonable number of relevant legal information databases are subscribed to, make provision for good internet connectivity, and make provisions for an alternative power generating source for an up-to-date information, uninterrupted power supply and a seamless experience towards an academic excellence. references ezema, i. j & akpom, c. c. 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(2019). adequacy, currency and influence of organization of information resources on undergraduate students’ utilization of information resources in academic libraries in rivers state, nigeria. library and information perspectives and research, (2019), 1(2), 1-14. available online at credencepressltd.com nwabueze, a.u & obuezie, a. c (2016). information needs of men for early detection of prostate cancer. journal of health information and librarianship,3(1), 9 -23. retrieved from https://johil.org/index.php/johil/article/view/22 obiamalu, a. r. & echedom, a. u. 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(2022). evaluation of legal information services in the law libraries of federal universities in south-south, nigeria. journal of library services and technologies, 41(1), 54-70. retrieved from https://credencepressltd.com/journal/uploads/archive/20221662586495403656595. pdf shuaibu, u. 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(2019). the role of academic law librariein meeting information needs of legal clientele. library research journal issn – 26365952. 133-137 wanyonyi, m. s.,1 odin, c., 2 sikolia, g. s. (2018). effect of adequacy of information resources on user satisfaction at pwani university library. the strategic journal of business & change management. 5(3),935 951,retrieved from www.strategicjournals.com http://www.jatlim.org/ http://www.strategicjournals.com/ 26 journal of information and knowledge management 2022, vol. 13, no. 2, 26-46: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.3 to cite this article: omeluzor, s.u, molokwu, u.s, dika, s.i & anene, o.e.(2022) factors affecting the development of e-library in universities in nigeria. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 13:2, 26-46, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.3 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v13i2.3 factors affecting the development of e-library in universities in nigeria 1 saturday u. omeluzor 2 ugochi esther molokwu 3 sunday ikhimeakhu dika 4 onah evelyn anene 1 federal university of petroleum resources library, effurun, nigeria 2 federal college of fisheries and marine technology library, lagos, nigeria 3 sheda science and technology complex library, abuja, nigeria 4 central bank of nigeria library, ilorin, nigeria abstract this study investigated the factors for the development of electronic library in university libraries in southern nigeria. the study adopted a descriptive research design with a population of 107 which comprised all the systems librarians, electronic librarians and digital librarians in the federal, state and private universities in southern nigeria. an online questionnaire using google form was the main tool for data collection with a total of 107 librarians who responded appropriately. the study revealed that ict tools, information resources and facilities were used for the development of elibrary in university. the findings also showed that there was a general consensus among the respondents concerning ict tools and resources that were used for the development of e-library such as: cd-rom, wireless network, and interactive board, office and electrical equipment, information resources (e-book, e-journal, e-newspaper) and subscription to databases. the findings further revealed that funding, authentication, digital preservation process, copyright issues, training, and ease of access were challenges affecting the development of e-library in nigeria. the researchers therefore recommended that universities, colleges of education and polytechnics in nigeria should endeavor to develop its e-library by considering the findings in order to achieve its mandate of delivering quality information services to the library patrons. keywords electronic library, tools, university library, south-south, e-library development contact saturday u,omeluzor, ugochi esther molokwu, sunday ikhimeakhu dika & onah e.anene drsatomeluzor@gmail.com 2022 the authors published with license by information impact 27 introduction for a long time, the library has realized the importance of providing access to information in electronic format other than the print sources. since then, it has become irresistible for the library to bring technologies, facilities, resources and tools together to actualize that purpose. that singular effort is yielding remarkable improvement in making information readily accessible to users irrespective of their locations. overtime and since 1990s, libraries have developed and adopted different technologies with the aim of providing access to information electronically (arms, 2012). electronic library (e-library) has become more dynamic, providing access to information to their patrons irrespective of their geographical locations. lisbdnet (2016) defined e-library as a physical site and/or website that provides a 24-hour online access to digitized audio, video, and written materials including free copies of books, journals, and magazines and is accessible to users both within and outside the e-library building. the cambridge dictionary sees an e-library as a website that makes books and other reading materials available to users. the e-library breaks the barrier of a ‗single user‘ access to information in the library as it allows multiple access to information simultaneously to varied library patrons. in most libraries, the e-library consists of advanced technologies assisting users to access electronic resources for the teaching, learning and resources purposes. igi global (2022) describes a modern-day e-library as ―a set of documents available through electronic means by the use of digital technologies that allow for the retrieval, archiving, preservation and dissemination of those documents. similarly, an e-library should be dynamic and extensible, supporting interoperability among heterogeneous, distributed systems (nahak & patra, 2014). an e-library in any university is the hallmark of online information activities and the hub of electronic information synchronization including: access, retrieval, dissemination and storage. arora, trivedi and kembhavi (2013) defined e-library as a library in which collections are stored in digital formats (as opposed to print, microform, or other media) and accessible by computers. the e-library provides opportunity for all types of learners, teachers and researchers irrespective of social status, economic, academic level and position, to interact with research works from any part of the world through the internet. e-library enhances communication and collaboration among people including students, staff and researchers by providing a platform for teaching, learning and research activities in a university. in nigeria, e-library is a core division of the university library that collects different electronic information resources such as: e-book, e-journal, e-database, e-newspaper, cd-rom, ethesis/dissertation and digitized materials among others. the e-library also creates access point to digital collections of a university through institutional repository (ir) via local area network (lan) connecting to offices, laboratories, workshops and classroom for the purpose of making research accessible to students, staff and researchers. it is evident in some studies that an e-library in university is very important and its development is sometimes shrouded with several challenges (omeluzor & oyovwe-tinuoye, 2016; fowowe, 2017). the requirements for the development of an e-library in developing countries may differ from the developed countries. hence, what may be represented as the requirements in developing countries may have long been used in the developed countries. in nigeria, the federal and state-owned universities, polytechnics and colleges of education have over the years benefited from the tertiary education trust fund (tetfund), a special fund set aside by the federal government of nigeria for library‘s development. such gesture from the federal government of nigeria through the tetfund is significantly impacting the development and services of e-libraries in nigerian universities. omeluzor and oyovwe-tinuoye (2017) acknowledged in their study that the upgrading of the federal university of petroleum resources effurun (fupre) e-library and other sections of the 28 library was achieved through an intervention from the tertiary education trust fund (tetfund). the intervention by tetfund is greatly impacting research, teaching and learning activities of the library patrons and the development of e-library. this study therefore focuses on the veritable factors for the development of an e-library in university libraries in nigeria. statement of the problem statistics from the national universities commission (nuc)‘s website shows that as at february, 2022, nigeria has 202 universities comprising 49 federal, 54 state, and 99 private that are spread in the 36 states of nigeria and the federal capital territory. the statistics also reveal that some of the states in nigeria have more than three universities with an increasing cost for the development of the e-library in each of the university. abdelmalik (2022) in his short note to leaders of the national executive council of academic staff union of universities (asuu) lamented that every state government now has multiple state universities including states that cannot pay the salaries of primary school teachers. the proliferation of universities is affecting the development of some critical departments of the university including the e-library and laboratories among others. some people have classified some universities in nigeria as ―glorified secondary schools‖ (phenomenal.com, 2021; ahanor, 2017), because of their inability to develop some important departments including the e-library. the inability of developing an e-library of a university may have a negative effect in accessing electronic information for teaching, learning and research bythe library patrons. this study therefore is set out to identify the factors for the development of an electronic library in nigeria universities. objectives of the study the general objective of the study is to find out the factors for the development of electronic library in nigeria university. the specific objectives are to: 1. find out the ict tools used for the development of e-library in nigeria. 2. identify the office and electrical equipment that are used for the development of an e-library. 3. ascertain the kind of information resources that are used for the development of an e-library. 4. find out the challenges of encountered in developing an e-library in nigeria. literature review e-library development the development of an e-library begins with planning. the planning stage is one of the most critical points because every other aspects and activities depend on it. according to nahak and patra (2014), planning of e-library should encompass the information needs, security issues, it infrastructure, digitization, access, staffing, funding and budget among others. in addition to planning, nahak and patra (2014) noted that the design of an e-library should consider the users, robustness, scalability, flexibility and reliability in the delivery of services. in the view of anyim (2018), the e-library is a multi-disciplinary concept that encompasses data management, information retrieval, library science, document management, information systems, the web, image processing, and artificial intelligence, among other fields of computer science hence its planning must consider an expanded scope of user community. the description of anyim (2018) depicts the e-library as a unique division among other divisions of the library department of a university because of the technologies and tools that it may require for its development. similarly, arora, trivedi and kembhavi (2013) stated that a digital library is more than a repository. according to them, a digital library provides information resources in electronic format other than print format and enhances searching of electronic collections distributed across networks, rather than merely creating electronic repositories from digitized 29 physical materials. a study by omeluzor, dolapo, agbawe, onasote and abayomi (2017) revealed that the development of an e-library is capital intensive and may not be possible to actualize in any university system without human resources and infrastructure including: ict facilities, power and furniture. the resources and infrastructure are relevant for effective management and delivery of information resources and services to library patrons. the assemblage of appropriate resources and infrastructure together would enable access and dissemination of electronic information. figure 1: a typical view of an e-library ict tools and software there are several ict facilities and tools that are necessary for the development of e-library. according to nahak and patra (2014) several factors including technology, resources and personnel are important for the development of an e-library. they also identified some tools including cdrom and optical storage device. aboagye, yawson and appiah (2020) submitted that the use of computer technology and the internet as shown in figure 1 are the main components for the development of an e-library that could enhance e-learning. the study of tor, gora and ahmed (2021) revealed that internet network, flash drive, hard drive/cd, desktops, printer, laptop, email facility, scanners, projector and digital camera are ict tools required in the e-library. a study conducted at the imo state university and ahmed bello university showed that computers, the internet and multimedia equipment and other relevant information technologies were available in the e-libraries of both universities that helped in teaching, learning and research of library patrons (onyebinama, 2013; karim, said & samadi, 2017). sutton (2007) observed that there are two major changes that information and communication technology (ict) brought into the library that has transformed the e-library. these include: transformatory and evolutionary. according to sutton, the transformatory changes has harnessed ict to perform old tasks better through the automation of housekeeping tasks such as reference works, circulation, acquisition and serials management with the use of integrated library software (ils) that are performed more efficiently in an ict environment while the evolutionary changes on 30 the other hand enhances the emergence of new functions arising out of an expanded, demand-driven information society, wider and/or interdisciplinary jurisdiction and closer focus on user needs. the transformatory and evolutionary changes increases the use of integrated library software (ils) for the development of the library and enhancing service delivery to the library patrons. the development of e-library enables communication, access and dissemination of electronic information among other sections of the library, university and through networking of computers that enhances the day-to-day activities. according to omeluzor and omeluzor, (2017), the use of information technologies for the networking of computers in an e-library enable easy access to information, sharing and delivery of information services among libraries and their patrons. some of the technologies such as switches, network cables, optic fiber, computer system and internet service provider (isp) among others enhances interoperability and seamlessness. the facilities and resources are the bone of an e-library. the development of an e-library provides basis for an enhanced elearning environment in a university. on the software for e-library development, a study by adedokun, ahmad and miskon (2022) further found that plagiarism software is relevant and need to be introduced into course management system of university to promote good practice. in addition, adedokun, ahmad and miskon found out that gamification is necessary for students‘ engagement, fun and enthusiasm and can be explored by library management for the developmentof e-library. similarly, omeluzor and ugoji (2020) reported that the adoption of igame contributed to the development of the fupre e-library. furthermore, nahak and patra (2014) found out that dspace, editing software, e-print liner operating systems, digital library software, greenstone, fedora among others are needed for the development of digital library. office and electrical equipment the development of an e-library entails the acquisition of office and electrical equipment to enhance work and functions of librarians. nahak and patra (2014) in their study identified scanners, printers, digital camera as some of the equipment needed for the development of e-library. office equipment including tables and chairs should be considered for the users. ergonomic demands that office equipment should be suitable to avoid health challenges. office equipment increases delivery of services to library patrons. unaids (n.d.) advocated that there should be ―a back-up plan and equipment in place in case of a security breech‖ for the development of e-library. electronic information resources electronic information resources, otherwise known as e-resources is a broad name covering different types of electronic information sources that are available in electronic format either on the internet or acquired by a library to provide access to current information for learning, teaching and research activities of library patrons. e-resources may include but not limited to electronic books (e-books), electronic journals (e-journal), e-indexes, cd-rom/dvd, e-thesis and dissertation, e-reference works, digital collections, databases, online public access catalog (opac) and institutional repository (ir), among others. according to ugwu and onyegiri (2013) e-resources may include, but are not limited to: web sites, online databases, e-journals, e-books, electronic integrating resources, and physical carriers in all formats, whether free or fee-based, required to support research in the subject covered, and may be audio, visual, and/or text files. similarly, ekere, omekwu and nwoha 31 (2016) identified other sources of electronic information resources which include: world wide web; wifi; search engines; online indexes; video cds vsat based internet connectivity; online library catalogue; online databases; portals; e-journals and e-books. anyim (2018) study of three universities in kogi state, nigeria found out that online databases, opac, e-journals, e-books, wireless network and search engines ranked high among all other electronic information resources for the development of an e-library. similarly, naqvi (2012) study showed that electronic databases such as agris, agricola, cab abstract, and agriculture & natural resources were used at the elibrary by postgraduate students in at gbpuat, india. challenges of developing an e-library funding the development and administration of an e-library in any part of the world is capital intensive. this is due to the high cost of information communication and technology (ict) equipment and other facilities that would be needed to enhance communication, access, storage and retrieval of information. ayo (2001) stated that most university libraries in nigeria are yet to fully implement ict because of paucity of funds, erratic power supply, and lack of qualified personnel to drive the tool. kato, kisangiri and kaijage (2021) study revealed that funding, copyright issues, authentication, digital preservation, ease of access and technical protection are among the challenges hindering the development and administration of an e-library. earlier, aina (2014) and oguonu (2013) bemoaned that inadequate funding is affecting the development of the e-library, ict components and provision of relevant information sources as up-to-date books are no longer found in libraries. according to omeluzor and oyovwe-tinuoye (2016) some academic libraries are yet to fully implement automation software to manage their library services due to insufficient funding. funding is integral for the acquisition, maintenance and use of ict equipment such as: integrated library software (ils), digital facilities and e-resources. funding is also necessary for the initial installation and software licensing, access to electronic journals, online databases, and internet connections (isiam & isiam, 2006). nahak and patra (2014) suggested that in order to meet the expenditure for the development of an e-library, appropriate funds should be provided by the library authorities. study has shown that most universities in the south-west region of nigeria do not have adequate funding to develop their ict, internet services, and training of e-library personnel compared to other regions in the world and that insufficient funding of library software, poor infrastructure, retrospective conversion of information materials into digital form, unavailability of library software experts and insufficient training programmes for staff are the problems for the development of e-library in nigeria. (omeluzor & oyovwe-tinuoye, 2016). similarly, fowowe (2017) admitted that despite the efforts that universities in nigeria are making, funding of university libraries is inadequate, affecting collection development, e-library development and hiring of adequately skilled workers. the study of oguonu (2013) on reference and information services in state teaching hospital medical libraries in south-east nigeria, revealed that relevant services were not provided by the libraries due to inadequate fund to acquire ict facilities to implement online catalogue. copyright issues the development of the e-library‘s collection is tied around access to copyrighted information which remains a challenge. a study by adogbeji and akporhonor (2021) revealed that copyright restriction was a challenge for the development of digital contents in the e-library. ferullo (2004) stated that 32 ―some of the major copyright issues facing libraries have some type of digital component. as a result of the new laws and recent court decisions, copyright compliance for libraries in the digital environment poses constant challenges.‖ most of the electronic materials that are accessible at the elibrary are not the property of hosting institutions. hence, the library has to secure some materials that are under copyright laws. however, to receive permission for distribution remains a challenge. mishra (2016) found out intellectual property right is a concern in developing e-library. ferullo (2004) identified four key issues that invoke confusion and concern as to the applicability of the copyright law in the delivery of e-library services which include e-reserves, licensing, document delivery, and fair use. copyright law protects the intellectual property of every work, be it open or closed. copyright law protects the intellectual property of any creator whether the materials are freely accessible or closed access. choudhury, hobbs, lorie and flores (2002) revealed that the reason for the protection of intellectual property of digital sources at the e-library is that there are beneficiaries who cause heavy damages to work. the fear of damaging the original content of a work as well as manipulating it into another persons‘ property increases the reason for copyright law. according to ferullo (2004), the tasini decision also wreaked havoc in libraries, particularly for document delivery services. he noted that publishers have removed articles from databases making it virtually impossible to access some works, particularly if there is no print version. removing works that might be subject to potential copyright infringement litigation is far easier to do in an electronic environment like the e-library than a print one (ferullo, 2004). niqresh (2019) submitted that the library may have copyright challenge as it tries to provide services through the internet to its users. a paper by sahoo and rao (2003) discussed the copyright act of india in relation with digital libraries. according to sahoo and rao (2003), technological developments in ict accelerated the use of information in digital libraries across india, but the copyright act prevents the unauthorized use of authors‘ original work in india. sahoo and rao (2003) further submitted that current copyright law in india does not discuss digitization of information – particularly its storage, its use in the network environment and fair use in the digital environment. however, the work provided a brief idea about copyright issues and its implications in digital libraries. panezi (2014) focuses on the legal challenges for online digital libraries. he stated that the internet‘s potential to revolutionize the way we access and then produce culture and knowledge should be supported by a regulatory framework that would promote wide accessibility to information. training training is essential in facing the dynamic changes in the society and in the workplace. training is a planned and continuous program that aims to position employees in solving different kinds of administrative problems in the workplace (bamidele, omeluzor, imam & amadi, 2013). the acceleration of workflow in the e-library – accessing, retrieving, storing, dissemination and using information sources are usually handled by librarians who from time to time need training to use technologies for the delivery of information and services to the library patrons. according to adogbeji and akporhonor (2021), librarian competency is very crucial to the successful implementation and application of ict to library operations. bamidele, omeluzor, imam and amadi (2012) stated that training is necessary to face the realities at work on a daily basis. training enhances personnel to be well equipped for challenges that may otherwise overwhelm them. uzoamaka (2021) opines that the training of librarians in the 21 st century should integrate the aspect of digital information management system (dims) since most libraries especially in developing countries are digitizing their local resources and are in a hybrid form. while the development of an e-library is of utmost importance to the library and university management, the development of 33 librarians‘ ict skill should not be ignored. hence, development of an e-library‘s technologies should align with the training of librarians. training and human capital development have been identified as a panacea for solving challenges in the work environment, hence it increases productivity, improves employees‘ morale, reduces errors, and enhances less supervision (slee, 1997; obi & zakari, 2005; cole & kelly, 2011). furthermore, anyim (2018) carried out a study on e-library resources and services improvement and innovation of access and retrieval for effective research activities in university e-libraries in kogi state nigeria. the population was 240 users of university e-libraries in kogi state. the study revealed that training ranked first among other items and was considered as important to enable e-library users gain retrieval skills to access information. authentication the electronic library runs on several it facilities within through the local area network (lan) and outside through the wide area network (wan). some of the facilities that enable communication of information need authentication from vendors, suppliers and providers. internet connection also comes through an internet service provider (isp) which requires an authentication. according to kato, kisangiri and kaijage (2021), it would be a good idea to consider technical protection measures such as e-watermarking, digital signatures, authentication, etc. since e-libraries are in the process of creating digitally born content to regulate infringement in the digital environment. mishra (2016) has identified user authentication for access to collections as a challenge for the development of digital libraries. among the notable obstacles to fully develop an e-library are poor internet connectivity, poor ict infrastructure, licensing limitations on access to the digital library collection, user authentication, download delay, lack of comprehensive ict and searching skills among library staff, high cost of affordable online access, and low organizational budget for library departments (kato, kisangiri & kaijage, 2021). digital preservation preservation of digital collections is an important library activity. digital resources can be stored on a server and made available to the library patrons at the e-library. panezi (2014) stated that digitization of information would bring new life to works, enhancing access and bringing information closer to the users. a huge chunk of e-library resources are collected from various departments within the university and thereafter digitized to ease access to them. the resources include: thesis, dissertation, inaugural lectures, presentations, publications. materials for preservation in a digital system may appear in text, audio, visual, audiovisual and may be prepared in any of the following format: pdf, ms word, ms powerpoint, xps document and jpeg among others to enhance accessibility by the patrons. despite the importance of e-library, chukwu, emezie, emerole and nwakwuo (2018) identified erratic power supply, lack of modern infrastructure, lack of skilled staff, nonchalant attitude of departments as the major factors affecting effective use of e-library in a nigerian university of technology. ease of access to resources access to information is the bedrock and fundamental for the development of an e-library. the study of tor, gora and ahmed (2021) revealed that majority of the respondents in their study stated that easy access to available ict tools helped to improve their project research. according to naqvi (2012),50% of the postgraduate students were not using e-databases due to poor facility at the elibrary. inadequate facility could lead to poor access to electronic resources. hence, ease of access to information resources should be considered as a criterion for the development of e-library. 34 acquisition of ils software library software is a tool that enables the storage, retrieval and dissemination of information to the library users. integrated library software (ils) captures the bibliographic details of all materials in a library‘s collection. ils contributes to the development of the library in the 21 st century. studies have shown some challenges of ils in nigeria university libraries. most of the studies focus on cost and automation process, such as: technical, retrospective conversion, vendors‘ attitudes, inadequate funding, inadequate skill, inadequate ict facilities, power supply, and others (agboola, 2000; sani &tiamiyu, 2005; osaniyi, 2010; mbakwe & ibegbula, 2014). back in the 90s when libraries in nigeria adopted ils and had numerous challenges, today‘s libraries are making tremendous progress and contributing to the development of e-libraries in nigeria. a study by omeluzor (2020) revealed that university libraries in nigeria have made remarkable progress in the adoption and use of ils for library services. there is evidence that the performance of the ils adopted in the selected university libraries in nigeria was encouraging in the area of data entry and currency, accuracy, reliability, completeness, flexibility, ease of use, and timeliness in the delivery of information resources to the library users. the delivery of services that was traditionally handled are currently been delivered using ils. majority of the respondents in the study specified that the ils adopted at their various libraries provided on-the-spot access to resources for their patrons, enable sharing of information resources with other libraries, allows use of online cataloguing, access to books and external sources, and make online instruction available for staff and students (omeluzor, 2020). power supply some university libraries in nigeria have made tremendous efforts in the adoption and use of ict while, others are yet to use icts fully due to inadequate funding, interruption in internet access, and unreliable power supply (ayo, 2001; omeluzor & oyovwe-tinuoye, 2017). power supply in libraries to fully utilize ict tools in e-libraries in nigeria has remained a huge challenge. the findings in omeluzor, dolapo, agbawe, onasote and abayomi (2017) revealed x = 2.81, sd = 1.27 indicating that power supply was highly dilapidated in university libraries in south-south and southeast of nigeria which affected the turnover intention of librarians in the affected universities. another study has further shown that irregular power supply is common and a huge problem in the nigeria system leading to underdevelopment of e-library (akinwale, 2010). in addition, haliso and ogungbemi (2014) stated that the irregular power supply in nigeria is another problem that confronts the development of e-libraries in university library. 35 figure 2: conceptual model for e-library development the model in figure 2 shows the facilities and supplements that can help the speedy development of an e-library. the facilities comprise ict tools, office equipment, electrical equipment, e-resources and software. the tools enhance access, retrieval and dissemination of information. in the same vein, a number of supplements as shown in the second box in figure 2 also contribute to the development of an e-library including funding, copyright, training, authentication, ease of access and power supply. the arrow linking the facilities with the supplements indicates that the facilities and supplements are intertwined and relevant for the development of e-library. the supplements may sometimes stand as challenges, but they are extremely relevant for the development of an e-library and cannot be ignored. hence, identifying both the facilities and supplements for the development of an e-library is what the current study unfolds. methodology research approach a descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. a study has proved that a descriptive survey design gives some levels of reliability and realistic results in research that use data in social science (omeluzor, 2020). the population of the study comprised all the systems/electronic/digital librarians in the federal, state and private universities in southern nigeria. there are 202 universities including federal, state and private universitiesin nigeria. out of which 130 are located in the southern part of nigeria (nigeria universities commission, 2022). the target population for this study is the systems/electronic/digital librarians from each of the universities in the southern nigeria, hence, the population is made up of 130 respondents, one from each of the universities. instrument for data collection is a structured online questionnairethat was designed by the researchers. the research instrument was developed using google form available at: https://tinyurl.com/2p97njrc to provide answers to the research objectives. the instrument has five sections, i.e. sections a to e. section a of the instrument provide the demographic information of the respondents. section b has thirty-one facilities  ict tools  office equipment  electrical equipment  electronic information resources  software e-library supplements  funding  copyright  training  authentication  ease of access  power supply https://tinyurl.com/2p97njrc 36 questions providing answers on the necessary ict tools that are used for the development of an elibrary. section c focuses on the office and electrical equipment. the researchers listed out thirteen equipment and asked the respondents to identify and tick the options that they believe were used for the development of an e-library. in section d, the questions focus on the information resources that are used for the development of e-library. section e has six questions which identified the challenges encountered in the development of e-library. the questionnaire was distributed to the respondents through their respective verified whatsapp number/email addresses. the email addresses of the respondents were retrieved from past nigeria library association (nla) annual conference/general meeting attendance list. sending the questionnaire directly to the respondents‘ verified whatsapp number and email addresses eliminated responses from unintended respondents. out of the total population of 130 that the questionnaire was sent to, 107 responded appropriately and were used for the analysis of this work. the data collected were analysed using statistical package for social sciences (spss) version 16.0 and results are presented in frequency, percentage and chart for clarity and understanding. findings demographic information of the respondents the survey cut across it, digital, electronic and systems librarians in university libraries in southern nigeria. the focus of the study is to identify the contextual dynamics of developing an electronic library in nigeria universities. figure 3: gender of the respondents among the respondents as represented in figure 3, the result shows that 75% were male while 25% were female. this means that there are more male it librarians in southern nigeria than their female counterpart. the result also reveals that female are taking the role of it in libraries. 37 figure 4: academic qualification of respondents the result on the qualification of the respondents in figure 4 reveals that, 33.3% had phd, 66.7% had masters while none had bachelors. the result in figure 5 further shows the designation which indicates that none of the respondents is in the category of deputy university librarian (dul) and assistant librarian. however, the result shows that 16.7% were senior librarians, 33.3% were librarian 1, and another 16.7% were librarians ii. figure 5: designation of the respondents the respondents were also asked to indicate whether they work at the e-library. the result shows that 91.7% of respondents answered in the affirmative while 8.3% responded in negative. it means that a lower number of the respondents do not directly work at the e-library but perhaps were assigned role to serve at the e-library. the researchers also asked the respondents ―how long they have worked at the e-library.‖ the purpose was to know their length of service at the e-library which would help the researchers to ascertain their knowledge about the e-library department. 38 58% 17% 17% 8% 1-5 year 6-10 yr 11-15 yr 16-20 year figure 6: length of service the result in figure 6 shows that a higher percentage of the respondents (58%) indicate 1-5 years, 17% of the respondents indicate to work 6-10 years and 11-15 years respectively while a lower number of the respondents, (8%) indicate to work for 16 – 20 years. the result shows that majority of the respondents have longer years of service at the e-library and should be able to identify some of the contextual dynamics in developing electronic library in university libraries in nigeria. objective 1: ict tools used for the development of e-library in nigeria. the first objective reveals the ict tools that were used for the development of e-library in nigeria universities as shown in table 1. table 1: ict tools used for the development of e-library in nigeria statement sa a u d sd telecommunication facilities are necessary for e-library development 39 (31) 47 (37.3) 19 (15.1) 21 (16.7) computer and servers are needed to start up an e-library 33 (26.2) 38 (30.2) 19 (15.1) 36 (28.6) scanner is needed for an e-library 27 (21.4) 38 (30.2) 19 (15.1) 42 (33.3) digital collections are mostly needed at the e-library 27 (21.4) 42 (33.3) 19 (15.1) 38 (30.2) printer should be needed for the development of an e-library 34 (27) 41 (32.5) 19 (15.1) 32 (25.4) network mast is necessary for an e-library‘s development 29 (23) 44 (34.9) 19 (15.1) 34 (27) modem is needed for the development of e-library 30 (23.8) 43 (34.1) 19 (15.1) 34 (27) local area network (lan) adapter are necessary for e-library‘s development 35 (27.8) 42 (33.3) 19 (15.1) 30 (23.8) routers are necessary for e-library‘s development 35 (27.8) 41 (32.5) 19 (15.1) 31 (24.6) 39 n = 107, sa = strongly agree, a = agree, u = undecided, d = disagree, sd = strongly agree the result in table 1 shows that majority of the respondents agreed that scanner (68.3%), computer and servers (56.4%), scanner (51.5%), digital collection (51.5%), and printer (59.5%) were used for the development of e-library. it also reveals majority of the respondents agreed that network mast (57.9%), modem (57.9%), lan adapter (61.1%), router (60.3%), storage devices (56.3%), racks (56.4%), network switches (57.9%), network cables (58.7%) and connector (55.5%) are used for the development of e-library. the result in table 1 also indicates that majority of the respondents agreed that projector (55.5%), digital board (57.9%), ils (67.5%), plagiarism software (75.4%), research storage devices such as hdd, flash drive, cd-rom are needed for the development of an e-library 30 (23.8) 41 (32.5) 19 (15.1) 36 (28.6) racks to safeguard network switches are important in the development of an e-library 32 (25.4) 39 (31) 19 (15.1) 36 (28.6) network switches are important for e-library‘s development 32 (25.4) 41 (32.5) 19 (15.1) 34 (27) network cables are needed for the development of an e-library 33 (26.2) 41 (32.5) 19 (15.1) 33 (26.2) connectors are necessary for the development of an e-library 26 (20.6) 44 (34.9) 19 (15.1) 37 (29.4) projector is required for the development of an e-library 30 (23.8) 40 (31.7) 19 (15.1) 37 (29.4) digital board would be required for the development of an e-library 31 (24.6) 42 (33.3) 19 (15.1) 34 (27) internet service provider (isp) is necessary for the development of an e-library 31 (24.6) 42 (33.3) 19 (15.1) 34 (27) integrated library software (ils) is necessary for the development of e-library 35 (27.8) 50 (39.7) 19 (15.1) 22 (17.5) gamification (igames) is necessary for the development of an elibrary 53 (42.1) 31 (24.5) 23 (18.3) 19 (15.1) plagiarism software is necessary for the development of e-library 48 (38.1) 47 (37.3) 19 (15.1) 12 (9.5) research analysis software (i.e. spss, stata and others) are necessary for the development of an e-library 55 (43.7) 43 (34.1) 19 (15.1) 9 (7.1) matlab for science and technology is necessary for the development of an e-library 17 (13.5) 19 (15.1) 48 (38.1) 42 (33.3) git and github is necessary for the development of an e-library 19 (15.1) 14 (11) 41 (33.3) 51 (40.5) python and linux software are necessary for the development of an elibrary 19 (15.1) 13 (10.3) 47 (37.3) 47 (37.3) aspen hysys is necessary for the development of an e-library 19 (15.1) 8 (6.3) 43 (34.1) 56 (44.4) ms visio is needed for the development of an e-library 48 (38.1) 11 (8.7) 48 (38.1) 19 (15.1) comsol multiphysics is necessary for the development of an e-library 11 (8.7) 19 (15.1) 48 (38.1) 48 (38.1) sql would be necessary for the development of an e-library 35 (27.8) 19 (15.1) 8 (6.3) 64 (50.8) r and rstudiois necessary for the development of an e-library 19 (15.1) 11 (8.7) 50 (39.7) 47 (37.3) nvivo is needed for the development of an e-library 13 (10.3) 19 (15.1) 47 (37.3) 46 (36.5) 40 analysis software (77.8%) and gamification software (66.6%) were used for the development of elibrary. the result is supported by adedokun, ahmad and miskon (2022) whose study revealed that plagiarism software is relevant for the development of e-library. in addition, the result agrees with the findings of omeluzor and ugoji (2020) who found out that gamification is necessary for the development of e-library. the result implies that for the development of a standard e-library, the ict tools and facilities have been identified as been relevant for the development of e-library in nigeria. the result in table 1 further shows that majority of the respondents disagrees that matlab (71.4%), git and github (73.8%), python and linux (74.6%), aspen hysys (78.5%), ms visio (53.2%), comsol multiphysics (76.2%), sql (57.1%), r and rstudiois (77%), and nvivo (73.8%) were used for the development of e-library in nigeria. from the result, it can be inferred that the software are not necessary for the development of e-library. although, the software may be installed at the e-library for learning and research by students, staff and researchers, but they are not needed for the development of e-library. objective 2: office and electrical equipment that were used for the development of an elibrary one of the purposes for this study is to identify the office and electrical equipment that were used for the development of e-library. that is shown in the results in figure 7. figure 7: office and electrical equipment needed for the development of e-library the result in figure 5 reveals that 107 (100%) of the respondents indicates that chair, air conditioner and table were used for the development of e-library. the result validates the findings by omeluzor, dolapo, agbawe, onasote and abayomi (2017) which showed that chair, air conditioner and table are relevant library infrastructure for the development of the library which in turn reduces the turnover intentions of librarians. the result in figure 7 also shows that 102 (95.3%) of the respondents specifies that inverter was used for the development of e-library. the result shows that 98 (91.5%), 97 (90.6%) and 93 (86.9%) of the respondents affirms that extension cable, ups and 41 generating set respectively were used for the development of e-library. the result also reveals that 87 (81.3%), 84 (78.5%) and 56 (52.3%) of the respondents indicates that cd rack and shelves, fan and file cabinet respectively were used for the development of e-library. this result supports the findings of nahak and patra (2014) whose study revealed that storage devices such as: optical storage device, cdrom, jukebox, etc. are needed for the development of e-library. the result in figure 7 also shows that a lower number 35 (32.7%) of the respondents indicates that television was used for the development of e-library. from the result, since 32.7% is lower than 50% of the total respondents, it is evident that television was not be used for the development of e-library. this perhaps is because the e-library is mostly used for online research via the internet where the computer could be used to access audio-visual materials. objective 3: information resources that were used for the development of e-library. the result in table 2 shows the information resources that were used for the development of elibrary table 2 information resources sa a u d sd electronic databases (i.e. ebsco, science direct, research4life etc.) are used for the development of e-library 42 (33.3) 50 (39.7) 19 (15.1) 15 (11.9) e-books are used for the development of e-library 30 (23.8) 41 (32.5) 36 (28.6) 19 (15.1) e-journals are used for the development of e-library 35 (27.8) 41 (32.5) 19 (15.1) 31 (24.6) audio materials are used for the development of e-library 39 (31) 19 (15.1) 41 (32.5) 26 (20.6) audio-visual materials are used for the development of e-library 20 (15.9) 16 (12.7) 41 (32.5) 30 (23.8) e-newspapers and e-magazines are used for the development of elibrary 31 (24.6) 39 (31) 37 (29.4) 19 (15.1) students‘ projects are used for the development of e-library 3 (2.4) 36 (28.6) 31 (24.6) 37 (29.4) theses and dissertations are used for the development of e-library 1 (8) 27 (21.4) 39 (31) 40 (31.7) lecture notes are used for the development of e-library 27 (21.4) 19 (15.1) 38 (30.2) 27 (21.4) cd-rom databases is used for the development of an e-library 30 (23.8) 19 (15.1) 43 (34.1) 34 (27) catalogue databases is used for the development of e-library 42 (33.3) 30 (23.8) 35 (27.8) 19 (15.1) n = 107, sa = strongly agree, a = agree, u = undecided, d = disagree, sd = strongly agree the result in table 2 shows that majority 73% of the respondents agreed that electronic databases were used for the development of e-library. the result also reveals that majority, 56.3% and 60.3% of the respondents agreed respectively that e-books and e-journals were used for the development of e-library. the result support the findings of anyim (2018) whose study indicated that online databases, opac, e-journals, e-books and search engines ranked high among all other electronic information resources for the development of e-library. this result confirms the assertion by ugwu and onyegiri (2013) who recognized that the resources were used for the development of e-library. the result in table 2 also reveals that majority 55.6% and 57.1% of the respondents agreed that e42 newspaper and catalogue database were used for the development of e-library. the result in table 2 is in tandem with the findings of nahak and patra (2014) and further agrees with ekere, omekwu and nwoha (2016) who identified information resources as requisite for the development of elibrary. the result in table 2 also indicates that majority 53.1%, 56.3%, 54% and 61.1% of the respondents respectively disagree that audio, audio-visual, students‘ projects and cd-rom were used for the development of e-library. it also reveals that some percentage of the respondents, for instance, 29.4%, 31%, 30.2% and 27.8% were indifferent which indication that they were neither agree nor disagree that the information resources were used for the development of e-library in nigeria. the implication of the results in table 2 is that since information resources are requisite for the development of e-library, the absence of it may have a negative effect on the development of elibrary in university. objective 4: challenges encountered in the development of an e-library in nigeria the result in table 3 shows the challenges encountered in the development of an e-library in nigeria university. table 3 challenges sa a u d sd funding of e-library is a challenged for its development 42 (33.3) 50 (39.7) 19 (15.1) 15 (11.9) copyright issues is a challenged for the development of an elibrary 20 (15.9) 16 (12.7) 41 (32.5) 30 (23.8) training of librarians is a challenged for the development of an e-library 31 (24.6) 39 (31) 37 (29.4) authentication is a challenged for the development of an elibrary 31 (24.6) 37 (29.4) 36 (28.6) 3 (2.4) digital preservation is a challenged for the development of an elibrary 39 (31) 40 (31.7) 19 (15.1) 27 (21.4) ease of access is a challenged for the development of an elibrary 38 (30.2) 42 (33.3) 27 (21.4) 19 (15.1) n = 107, sa = strongly agree, a = agree, u = undecided, d = disagree, sd = strongly agree the result in table 3 shows that majority 73% of the respondents agreed that funding is a challenge for the development of e-library. the result substantiates the assertion by fowowe (2017) who stated that despite the efforts that universities in nigeria are making, funding of university libraries is inadequate, affecting the development of e-library and collection development. the result in table 3 further shows that majority 55.6% of the respondents agreed that training was a challenge for the development of e-library. the result aligns with several literature (uzoamaka, 2021; anyim, 2018, cole & kelly, 2011) which affirmed that inadequate training of librarians would have a negative effect on the development of e-library, increase productivity, and skill in using ict tools. the result also reveals that majority of the respondents 54%, 61.7% and 63.5% agreed that authentication, digital preservation and ease of access respectively were major challenges in the development of elibrary in nigeria. the result is supported by the findings of kato, kisangiri and kaijage (2021), omeluzor and oyovwe-tinuoye (2016), oguonu (2013) and ayo (2001) who found out that inadequate funding, authentication and digital preservation are challenges affecting the development of e-library in nigeria. the result in table 3 also reveals that majority 56.3% of the respondents disagree that copyright is a challenge. the result is not in line with the findings of niqresh (2019) 43 who submitted that the library may have copyright challenge as it tries to provide services through the internet to its users. conclusion the strategic nature of the e-library in a university cannot be overemphasized. the e-library is a critical department of the library that support the library patrons either online and offline because its services extend beyond opening hour. no doubt, the e-library is the epic centre for accessing information and services on the internet and databases. this present study attempts to expose the facilities and equipment that are relevant for the development of e-library. it is evident that ict tools, office/electrical equipment and information resources are useful for the development of elibrary. from the findings, it is important for librarians and library management to allocate available funds to the identified 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(2023) perceived superiority complex and interpersonal relationships in medical libraries in nigeria: contributory factor analysis approach. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 14:1, 76-93, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.5 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.5 perceived superiority complex and interpersonal relationships in medical libraries in nigeria: contributory factor analysis approach 1 oluyemi folorunsho ayanbode 2 oyedele abimbola ojeniyi 3 timisuo paul kiakubu 1 neuropsychiatric hospital library, aro, abeokuta, ogun state, nigeria 2 central bank of nigeria centre for economics and finance, university of ibadan, ibadan, nigeria 3 bayelsa state college of health technology, otuogidi, ogbia town, nigeria abstract this study examined the extent of library personnel's understanding of the concept 'superiority complex', its existence in medical libraries in nigeria and how it influences their interpersonal relationships. the study adopted a quantitative method using a survey as the research design. total enumeration sampling technique was used to select all library personnel in 300 medical libraries in nigeria. an online questionnaire was used to collect data. data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics using structural equation modeling. seventy-eight library personnel participated in the study. the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the measurement model produced an acceptable fit: x 2 = 476.090, df= 328, cfi= 0.898, tli= 0.882, rmsea= 0.077(0.061-0.091), rmr=0.098 srmr= 0.072. further empirical evidence showed that even at moderate level, perceived superiority complex had negative relationship with interpersonal relationships among library personnel in medical libraries in nigeria. the results suggest that a decrease in perceived superiority complex is highly beneficial to increasing positive interpersonal relationships among the participants. wherefore, the significance of the findings of this study lies in the fact that it will create awareness on the need to identify the affected library personnel for appropriate counselling or psychotherapy recommendation. self-assessment and seeking help are also crucial to reducing the level of superiority complex and checking attitudes that are detrimental to positive interpersonal relationships and professionalism. keywords superiority complex, interpersonal relationship, confirmatory factor analysis, medical libraries nigeria contact oluyemi folorunsho ayanbode @ ayanbodyemine@yahoo.co.uk 2023 the authors published with license by information impact o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 77 introduction medical librariesrepositories of information and knowledge established to serve the information needs of people in hospital settings, just like any other libraries may not be able to actualise their goals of effective provision of library and information services without a significant level of workers‟ dedication and commitment (babalola, alegbeleye & adegbaye, 2020). moreover, it should be understood that a significant level of workers‟ dedication and commitment is a function of positive interpersonal relationships (nwinyokpugi & omunakwe, 2019). positive interpersonal relationships refer to healthy relationships foster by effective communication, climate of openness, team building efforts, initiation of social support/social interactions and relational justice (nwinyokpugi & omunakwe, 2019). libraries are not exempted from employee interpersonal relationships (bankole, 2023; oyovwe-tinuoye, 2020). according to agba (2018), activities in the nigerian public sector are embodiments of interpersonal relationships and communications. yet, one of the major factors that affect interpersonal relationships is superiority complex (adekanye, 2020). superiority complex is a behaviour that suggests a person believes he or she is somehow superior to others, often has exaggerated opinions of himself or herself and may believe his or her abilities and achievements surpass those of others (adekanye, 2020; fellizer, 2019; holland, 2019). however, a superiority complex may actually be hiding low self-esteem or a sense of inferiority (fellizer, 2019). according to fellizer (2019), persons with superiority complex constantly seek validation. he further explained that it's hard for them to own up to their mistakes, they compare themselves to others a lot, they're prone to mood swings, they have a tendency to make things all about them, they have a sense of entitlement, and they like things to be under their control. just like in any organization, medical libraries may have library personnel who exhibit superiority complex, which may be affecting their interpersonal relationships and work performance. evidences from research have shown that there is a significant relationship between interpersonal relationships and work performance (agba, 2018; nwinyokpugi & omunakwe, 2019) but the relationship between superiority complex and interpersonal relationships has not been well examined and empirically evident. problem statement there is need to examine the level of the existence of superiority complex in medical libraries in nigeria because its existence among library personnel could lead to poor communication, as well as poor interaction and unproductive collaboration. investigating the effect of perceived superiority complex on interpersonal relationships will provide the library personnel with vital information needed to o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 78 overcome superiority complex in order to promote positive interpersonal relationships. it is also envisaged that the findings of this study will trigger selfreflection(s) necessary to produce positive internal changes. according to krishnan (2021), „‟as we go through life, we are sure to meet people who have feelings of grandeur. we need to recognise that this is a disorder (which has its roots elsewhere), and accordingly orient ourselves to help them.‟‟ research objectives this study aimed to examine the extent of library personnel's understanding of the concept 'superiority complex', its existence in medical libraries in nigeria and how it influences their interpersonal relationships. the specific objectives include: (1) to determine the level of library personnel's understanding of superiority complex. (2) to examine the existence of superiority complex among library personnel in medical libraries in nigeria. (3) to examine the relationship between perceived superiority complex and interpersonal relationships (relational justice, communication, conflict management, interaction, social support, and teamwork). research questions (1) what is the level of library personnel's understanding of superiority complex? (2) does superiority complex exist among library personnel in medical libraries in nigeria? (3) is there relationship between perceived superiority complex and interpersonal relationships (relational justice, communication, conflict management, interaction, social support, and teamwork)? research hypotheses (h01) there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and relational justice (h02)there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and communication (h03)there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and conflict management (h04)there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and interaction (h05)there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and social support (h06)there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and teamwork o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 79 literature review the literature review focuses on (i) superiority complex (ii) superiority complex and interpersonal relationships. superiority complex holland (2019) defined superiority complex as an exaggerated sense of self-worth which hides real feelings of mediocrity; an abnormal psychological defence mechanism in which a person‟s feelings of superiority counter or conceal his or her feelings of inferiority. he further explained that superiority complex differs from genuine confidence, in that confidence is a result of having an actual skill, success, or talent in a specific area but a superiority complex is a false confidence when little or no success, achievement or talent is actually achieved. though superiority complex is not out rightly narcissism, yet, krishnan(2021) noted that a person with superiority complex become narcissistic after a while because he or she starts to admire himself/herself and the excessive admiration of oneself becomes a problem, and that being narcissistic and having feelings of superiority exist everywhere. izu (2020) in her study on knowledge sharing among staff at delta state university library, abraka observed that there was a visible significant level of superiority complex among librarians towards one another, and this consequently constituted one of the greatest barriers to knowledge sharing for improved service provision in the library. superiority complex has been seen to come into play as a result of some factors such as choice of occupation, status, expertise, and so on (kolisnyk, cekrlija & kalagurka, 2020; krishnan, 2021).in a study of the peculiarities of superiority and inferiority complexes among ukrainians, kolisnyk et al, (2020) found that the occupation or status of the participants correlated positively with their level of superiority complex. wherefore, people who occupy higher positions in medical libraries may likely exhibit a higher level of superiority complex than others, probably because they see colleagues at the lower levels sometimes as less experienced, and hence less important at their respective work place. this has implications on interpersonal relationships among co-workers. superiority complex and interpersonal relationships interpersonal relationships are important aspects in every professional organization, as they are one of the vital components in human relationship (agba, 2018). according to agba (2018), in today‟s competitive information world, it is very difficult to hire people and retain them for a long period of time. hence, organizations including the libraries are trying to maintain the workforce and to get the best out of them through healthy employees‟ interpersonal relationships. workplace interpersonal relationships are the social association, connection or affiliation between two or more people in an organization, and developing o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 80 interpersonal relationships is a serious business that yields dividends to those committed to it (nwinyokpugi & omunakwe, 2019). however, it has been established that superiority complex among colleagues affects healthy workplace interpersonal relationships (adekanye, 2020). according to krishnan (2021), a feeling of superiority complex makes one intolerant to accepting one‟s mistakes or corrections; jettison expert‟s opinion; and stop engaging with others. often, such person(s) “tend to adopt an aggressive stance when interacting with others.‟‟ these are usually detrimental to positive interpersonal relationships (adekanye, 2020; holland, 2019). this is because a person with superiority complex often engages in behaviours or activities that are hurtful to others (fellizar, 2019). in a study of knowledge sharing among staff at delta state university library abraka for improved service provision, izu (2020) found that majority of the respondents of the study strongly agreed that lack of trust and lack of interpersonal and communication skills militated against knowledge sharing among librarians; and that the visible lack of interpersonal and communication skills could have resulted from superiority complex among the librarians. methodology the study adopted a quantitative method using a survey as the research design. this is to draw on a large sample to enable the generalisation of the result to the entire population of the study. though the context of the study was the 300 medical libraries in nigeria, the population of study included only 213 library personnel on whatsapp group of the medical library association of nigeria (mla-ng). the total enumeration method was used to capture all library personnel (who hold diplomas or higher qualifications in library and information studies) from the medical libraries in nigeria. the respondents were contacted via the official social media platform (whatsapp) of the medical library association (mla), nigeria to which all the library personnel belong. data were collected through the use of a structured questionnaire. the questionnaire was self-designed on google web form and was online administered on the mla nigeria whatsapp group. all participants were invited on the mla nigeria whatsapp group to click a link to begin the survey but only 78 responded to the survey. the ethical measures deployed to protect the privacy of the participants and to ensure their voluntariness included: the use of anonymised questionnaire, no participant was forced to participate in the survey, and those who participated were free to withdraw at any time. the questionnaire consisted: section a which focussed on demographic characteristics of the respondents: institution, gender, age range, highest educational qualification, cadre and years of professional experience. section b addressed library personnel's understanding of the concept 'superiority complex, it contained ten items. section c addressed the existence of superiority complex among library o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 81 personnel in medical libraries in nigeria, it contained 12 items. section d addressed interpersonal relationships, it contained 26 items. with the exception of section a, the rest sections (section b, section c and section d) were measured on a 5-point likert scale: strongly agree =5, agree =4, neutral= 3, disagree =2 and strongly disagree =1. the overall cronbach‟s alpha value for the whole scale was 0.86, which was above the 0.70 recommended. cronbach‟s alpha value for the scales in the pre-test ranged from 0.80 to 0.86. this showed that the scales were good and acceptable for deployment in the main study. statistical package for social sciences (spss) version 22 for windows was deployed for the analysis. data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics using structural equation modeling. specifically for inferential analysis, exploratory factor analysis (efa) was used to confirm if the measurement items converge to directly related constructs. principal component analysis (pca) was used to extract the most parsimonious variables. thereafter, the measurement model was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (cfa). amos 23 was used for the cfa and to address the hypotheses. maximum likelihood method was applied to calculate estimates for variances, covariance and correlations. results demographic data of the respondents table 1. demographic data of the respondents. variables frequency percent gender male 29 37.2 female 49 62.8 total 78 100 age 20 – 29 5 6.4 30-39 21 26.9 40-49 32 41.0 5059 18 23.1 above 59 2 2.6 total 78 100 highest educational qualification diploma 6 7.7 bachelor 29 37.2 master 29 37.2 phd 13 16.7 others 1 1.3 total 78 100 cadre librarian 67 85.9 library officer 11 14.1 total 78 100 o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 82 years of professional experience 0-5 28 35.9 6-10 18 23.1 11–15 9 11.5 16-20 9 11.5 21-25 6 7.7 26–30 3 3.8 3135 2 2.6 >35 28 35.9 total 78 100 the demographic profile of the respondents (table 1) shows that 78 library personnel from medical libraries in nigeria participated in the survey. just more than half of the respondents, 49(62.8%) were females, while 29(37.2%) were males. the majority, 32(41.0%) of the respondents were in the age group of 40-49 years, while just, 2(2.6%) of them were in the age group of 59 years and above. the mean age of the respondents is 47.38 years (std deviation = 0.926). as regards the highest educational qualification, the majority of the respondents, 29 (37.2%) had bachelor‟s degree and same with those who had a master‟s degree, 13 (16.7%) had a phd, while just 6 (7.7%) had a diploma. majority 67 (85.9%) were librarians, while 11 (14.1%) were library officers. on years of professional experience, a majority (35.9%) of the library personnel had 0–5 years or > 35 years of professional experience, just two (2.6%) had between 31-35 years of professional experience. research question 1 what is the level of library personnel's understanding of superiority complex? table2. level of library personnel's understanding of superiority complex statements 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% mean std dev a superiority complex is a behaviour that suggests a person believes that he or she is somehow superior to others. 73.1 19.2 1.3 1.3 5.1 4.54 0.989 a superiority complex is a defence mechanism that develops over time to help a person cope with painful feelings of inferiority 39.7 24.4 14.1 9.0 12.8 3.69 1.408 the continuous lies and exaggerations about oneself indicate superiority complex. 33.3 25.6 12.8 14.1 14.1 3.50 1.439 believe that one's abilities and achievements surpass those of others 56.4 30.8 3.8 2.6 6.4 4.28 1.104 o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 83 having a self-image of supremacy or authority is a symptom of superiority complex 52.6 33.3 7.7 3.8 2.6 4.29 0.955 unwillingness to listen to others indicates superiority complex 35.9 29.5 14.1 14.1 6.4 3.74 1.263 a superiority complex is manifested as boastful claims that are not real. a sense of a false confidence. 33.3 33.3 19.2 10.3 3.8 3.82 1.125 a person who acts superior to others and holds others as less worthy is actually hiding a feeling of inferiority. 48.7 28.2 9.0 9.0 5.1 4.06 1.188 it is superiority complex when a person acts superior to another, and really feels that the other is a perceived threat. 41.0 37.2 11.5 5.1 5.1 4.04 1.098 being a bully who uses abusive words on others 37.2 24.4 17.9 6.4 14.1 3.64 1.405 weighted mean = 3.96 key: 5= strongly agree, 4= agree, 3= neutral, 2=disagree, 1= strongly disagree decision rule: mean significant at 3 results in table 2 show the level of library personnel's understanding of superiority complex: the weighted mean was 3.96 on a five-point scale with a threshold mean of 3.00. this confirms that the library personnel's understanding of superiority complex was high. the findings suggest that the library personnel in medical libraries in nigeria have good understanding of superiority complex. research question 2 does superiority complex exist among library personnel in medical libraries in nigeria? table 3. existence of superiority complex among library personnel in medical libraries in nigeria statements 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% mean std dev i work with a superior colleague who perceives me as a threat. 21.8 19.2 12.8 25.6 20.5 2.96 1.472 i work with a colleague who devalues the accomplishments of others by oneupping them with his or her own accomplishments. 21.8 21.8 20.5 19.2 16.7 3.13 1.399 i work with a superior colleague who believes he or she is always right 28.2 25.6 14.1 19.2 12.8 3.37 1.406 i work with a colleague who believes he or she is always right 2.6 7.7 17.9 24.4 47.4 1.94 1.097 o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 84 some of my colleagues lack empathy 15.4 19.2 21.8 24.4 19.2 2.87 1.352 i observe a colleague whose mood swings always 24.4 23.1 29.5 16.7 6.4 3.42 1.212 i work with a superior who exhibits 'i have idea about all' attitude 23.1 20.5 24.4 17.9 14.1 3.21 1.361 i work with a superior colleague who always blame others for his or her mistakes 24.4 20.5 16.7 21.8 16.7 3.14 1.439 i work with a colleague who believes that others are beneath him or her, financially, economically, socially, even intellectually. 23.1 23.1 11.5 19.2 23.1 3.04 1.516 i work with a superior colleague who acts in ways that make others fear him/her rather than respect him/her 26.9 21.8 20.5 17.9 12.8 3.32 1.382 i work with a senior colleague who like feeling in control. 28.2 30.8 14.1 14.1 12.8 3.47 1.374 i work with a senior colleague who uses abusive and vulgar words on his or her subordinates. 16.7 11.5 17.9 20.5 33.3 2.58 1.473 weighted mean = 3.04 key: 5= strongly agree, 4= agree, 3=neutral,2=disagree, 1= strongly disagree decision rule: mean significant at 3 results in table 3 show the perceived superiority complex among library personnel in medical libraries in nigeria: the weighted mean was 3.04 on a five-point scale with a threshold mean of 3.00. this confirms that the perceived superiority complex by library personnel towards one another was at a moderate level. the findings suggest that superiority complex existed among library personnel in medical libraries in nigeria at a very moderate level. inferential analysis this entails the deployment of structural equation modeling to test the six hypotheses that guided this study. data reduction using principal component analysis kaiser-meyer-olkin measure of sampling adequacy test accounted for 85.3%, which was higher than the 60% threshold recommended by hair et al., (2010). bartlett‟s test was significantx2=1584.507, df = 378, p=0.000, indicating that the items were appropriate factors. loadings twenty-eight items loaded on seven factors (constructs). all the items loadings were >0.50 ranging from 0.58 to 0.91. hence, all the seven constructs have satisfactory o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 85 convergent validity. the extracted factors accounted for 69.3% of the total variance and their eigenvalues ranged from 1.261to 10.682. communalities table 4. communalities communalities initial extraction psc17: i work with a colleague who devalues the accomplishments of others by one-upping them with his or her own accomplishments. 1.000 0.700 psc18: i work with a colleague who believes he or she is always right 1.000 0.737 psc23: i work with a superior colleague who always blame others for his or her mistakes 1.000 0.712 psc24: i work with a colleague who believes that others are beneath him or her, financially, economically, socially, even intellectually. 1.000 0.776 psc25: i work with a superior colleague who acts in ways that make others fear him/her rather than respect him/her 1.000 0.769 psc26: i work with a senior colleague who like feeling in control. 1.000 0.702 co29: i have contacts of all my colleagues 1.000 0.766 co30: i enjoy freedom of expression in my work place 1.000 0.601 cm35: misunderstandings are not left to linger in my work place 1.000 0.631 cm36: my team members follow proper conflict management strategies 1.000 0.589 cm39: superior handles conflicts among colleagues in a fair and unbiased manner 1.000 0.610 ss46: my superior colleagues are friendly 1.000 0.554 ss47: my successes and achievements are sincerely celebrated by others 1.000 0.496 ss48: my hard work is always appreciated by my superior 1.000 0.618 ss53: my colleague takes over my task when i feel fatigued 1.000 0.607 rj57: the supervisor considers the co-worker's view points 1.000 0.713 rj58: the supervisors are able to suppress personal biases 1.000 0.669 rj59: the superiors treat the co-workers with kindness and consideration 1.000 0.789 rj60: the superiors show concern for co-workers' right 1.000 0.782 rj61: the supervisor deals with the co-workers in a truthful manner 1.000 0.829 rj62: the supervisors provide the co-workers with timely feedback about decisions and their implications 1.000 0.719 in64: in my office, we meet regularly 1.000 0.559 in65: our meetings are always formal and informal 1.000 0.734 in68: i have cordial relationship with all my colleagues 1.000 0.651 o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 86 tw71: leadership promote team work 1.000 0.676 tw72: my colleagues confirm that i am a good team player 1.000 0.804 tw73: i enjoy good and healthy relationship with my team members 1.000 0.801 tw74: my team members trust me and extend their full cooperation 1.000 0.808 extraction method: principal component analysis. table 4 shows the communalities for each of the 28 variables in the study. it can be seen that “rj61: the supervisor deals with the co-workers in a truthful manner” has the highest communality, h2=0.829. the lowest communality: “ss47: my successes and achievements are sincerely celebrated by others” (h2=0.496) has an adequate communality acceptable for higher statistical analysis. confirmatory factor analysis (cfa) model assessment figure 1. cfa model figure 1: pooled cfa illustrates the factor loading for all items and the hypothesized correlation between the constructs. o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 87 model indices: x2= 476.090, df= 328, cfi= 0 .898, tli= 0.882, rmsea= 0 .077(0.0610.091), rmr=0 .098 srmr= 0.072 figure1 presents the result of pooled cfa. it consists seven first-order constructs: (i) perceived superiority complex, (ii) relational justice, (iii) communication, (iv) conflict management, (v) interaction, (vi) social support, and (vii) teamwork. based on kline's (2005) recommendation, four goodness indices: chi-square (x2) with degree of freedom, mean-square residual (srmr), standard root mean approximation (rmsea) with 90% confidence interval, and comparative fit index (cfi) were used to assess the model fit. according to kline (2005), rmsea <0.10, cfi =0.90, and srmr < 0.10 are generally considered favourable. thus, the model fit indices: χ2=476.090, df= 328, rmsea= 0 .077(0.061-0.091), cfi= 0.898, and srmr= 0.072 show that the model is acceptable. table 5. construct reliability and validity constructs no of items composite reliability (cr) croncbac h's alpha (ca) average variance extract (ave) perceived superiority complex = psupcomplex 6 0.902 0.909 0.608 relational justice=reljust 6 0.922 0.918 0.663 communication=commun 2 0.656 0.633 0.494 conflict management=conmang 3 0.700 0.703 0.440 interaction= interact 3 0.853 0.844 0.661 social support=socsupp 4 0.803 0.794 0.505 team work=twork 4 0.918 0.917 0.738 28 table 5 shows that each construct has estimate of cr >0.60 as recommended by zainudin (2015). five constructs have ave value of 0.50 and above as recommended by fornell and larcker (1981), while two constructs have ave value of slightly less than 0.50, but all constructs have factor loading > 0.50 as shown in figure 1. according to hair et al (2010), standardised factor loadings of 0.50 or higher indicate convergent validity of a construct. hence, all the constructs have acceptable reliability and validity. o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 88 hypothesis testing table 6. covariance and correlation coefficients of the hypothesized relationships hypothesized relationships unstandardised covariance coefficients standardis ed correlatio n coefficient s cov (x,y) se cr p r h01 psupcomple x <--> reljust -0.252 0.122 -2.060 0.03 9 -0.273 h02 psupcomple x <--> commun -0.295 0.148 -1.995 0.04 6 -0.346 h03 psupcomple x <--> conmang -0.288 0.114 -2.520 0.01 2 -0.435 h04 psupcomple x <--> interact -0.248 0.122 -2.022 0.04 3 -0.274 h05 psupcomple x <--> socsupp -0.155 0.085 -1.824 0.06 8 -0.257 h06 psupcomple x <--> twork -0.134 0.122 -1.100 0.27 1 -0.138 note: perceived superiority complex= psupcomplex, communication= commu, conflict management= conmang, interaction= interact, social support= socsupp, teamwork= twork. table 6 presents the hypothesized paths of the cfa model, showing the correlations between variables. maximum likelihood estimation was used to generate the estimates. the null hypotheses (h0) were rejected at p ≤ 0.05. research hypothesis 1 there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and relational justice. table 6 shows a significant relationship between the exogenous variables (perceived superiority complex) and (relational justice) (r=-0.273, p =0.039). the null hypothesis was therefore rejected. this means that there was a significant negative relationship between perceived superiority complex and relational justicein medical libraries in nigeria. research hypothesis 2 there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and communication. table 6 shows a significant relationship between the exogenous variables (perceived superiority complex) and (communication) (r=-0.346, p =0.046). the null hypothesis o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 89 was therefore rejected. this means that there was a significant negative relationship between perceived superiority complex and communication in medical libraries in nigeria. research hypothesis 3 there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and conflict management. table 6 shows a significant relationship between the exogenous variables (perceived superiority complex) and (conflict management) (r = -0.435, p =0.012). the null hypothesis was therefore rejected. this means that there was a significant negative relationship between perceived superiority complex and conflict management in medical libraries in nigeria. research hypothesis 4 there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and interaction table 6 shows a significant relationship between the exogenous variables (perceived superiority complex) and (interaction) (r =-0.274, p =0.043). the null hypothesis was therefore rejected. wherefore, it was concluded that there was a significant negative relationship between perceived superiority complex and interaction in medical libraries in nigeria. research hypothesis 5 there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and social support table 6 shows a non-significant negative relationship between the exogenous variables (perceived superiority complex) and (social support) (r =-0.257, p =0.068). the null hypothesis was therefore accepted. hence, it was concluded that there was a non-significant negative relationship between perceived superiority complex and social support in medical libraries in nigeria. research hypothesis 6 there is no significant relationship between perceived superiority complex and teamwork. table 6 shows a non-significant negative relationship between the exogenous variables (perceived superiority complex) and (teamwork) (r =-0.138, p =0.271). the null hypothesis was therefore accepted. it was concluded that there was a nonsignificant negative relationship between perceived superiority complex and teamwork in medical libraries in nigeria. o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 90 discussion the demographic profile of the respondents showed that 78 library personnel from medical libraries in nigeria participated in the survey. the majority (97.4%) of the respondents were below the age 60 years. the majority (64.1%) of the respondents had less than 36 years of professional experience. wherefore, the respondents could be said to possess significant years of experience on the job. the study has revealed that the library personnel's understanding of superiority complex was high. majority of the respondents agreed that superiority complex is indicated by a behaviour that suggests a person believes that he or she is somehow superior to others, a defence mechanism that develops over time to help a person cope with painful feelings of inferiority. moreover, the continuous lies and exaggerations about oneself; a belief that one's abilities and achievements surpass those of others; and having a self-image of supremacy or authority with an unwillingness to listen to others are pointers to a feeling of superiority complex. other indicators include making boastful claims that are not real; a sense of a false confidence; and acting superior to others and holding them as less worthy. most of the respondents indicated that when a person acts superior to another and perceives him or her as a threat; bullies and uses abusive words on others, such a person exhibits superiority complex and may as well be hiding a feeling of inferiority. similar indicators of superiority complex were noted by adekanye (2020); fellizer (2019); and holland (2019). thus the findings suggest that the library personnel in medical libraries in nigeria had good understanding of the concept „superiority complex.‟ this probably accounts for their ability to sense or identify a colleague(s) who exhibited such a feeling. further findings have also revealed that the perceived superiority complex by library personnel towards one another was at a moderate level. most of the respondents indicated to a very moderate level that they worked with a colleague who devalued the accomplishments of others by one-upping them with his or her own accomplishments; that they worked with a superior colleague who believed he or she was always right; and that they observed a colleague whose mood swung always; that they worked with a superior who exhibited 'i have idea about all' attitude; and that they worked with a superior colleague who always blamed others for his or her mistakes. besides, most of the respondents also indicated that they worked with a colleague who believed that others were beneath him or her, financially, economically, socially, even intellectually; they worked with a superior colleague who acted in ways that made others fear him/her rather than respect him/her; and they worked with a senior colleague who liked feeling in control. these behaviours of colleague(s) they worked with are similar to what characterises persons with a feeling of superiority complex as identified by fellizer (2019). wherefore, the findings suggest that superiority complex existed among library o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 91 personnel in medical libraries in nigeria at a very moderate level. this corroborates the finding of izu (2020), who observed that there was a significant level of superiority complex among librarians at delta state university library, abraka, nigeria. this study has also revealed that even at a moderate level, perceived superiority complex had negative effects on interpersonal relationships among library personnel in medical libraries in nigeria. similarly, adekanye (2020) noted that superiority complex influences interpersonal relationships. in this present study, perceived superiority complex had significant negative relationships with relational justice, communication, conflict management, and interaction as components of interpersonal relationships. a striking finding is that there was a negative non-significant relationship with social support(r = -0.257, p =0.068) and team work(r = -0.138, p =0.271).this may be attributed to library personnel‟s positive disposition to both social support and team work. therefore, the findings suggest that a decrease in perceived superiority complex is highly beneficial to increasing positive interpersonal relationships among workers generally. limitations the limitations of this study include the use of only quantitative method and a limited sample size of 78 participants which makes generalisation, challenging. it is therefore recommended that a larger sample and a mixed-method approach be deployed to enhance an in-depth exploration of the topic to provide more insights needed for generalisation of the findings. one major limitation of this investigation is that there are conflating and compounding social phenomena that could explain a person‟s attitudes or behaviours towards others, that cannot just be tied to “superiority complex”. further studies could look into them and as well examine the moderating effects of personal factors on the relationship between perceived superiority complex and interpersonal relationships. conclusion and recommendations it is quite obvious that library personnel in medical libraries in nigeria have adequate understanding of the concept of superiority complex and this has helped them to effectively observe and identify its existence in their work environment. furthermore, the cfa model has explained and established relationships between perceived superiority complex and interpersonal relationships (relational justice, communication, conflict management, interaction, social support and team work). this has provided empirical evidence for future research. wherefore, the significance of the findings of this study lies in the fact that it will create awareness on the need to identify the affected library personnel for appropriate counselling or psychotherapy recommendation. self-assessment and seeking help are also crucial to reducing the level of superiority complex and checking attitudes that are detrimental to positive interpersonal relationships and professionalism. this study recommends that: o.f ayanbode, o.a. ojeniyi, & t.p.kiakubu 92 1. personality assessment of library personnel be done as need arises. 2. it is imperative that library personnel learn and develop emotional intelligence skills needed to manage difficult personalities in order to foster positive interpersonal relationships. disclosure statement no potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors references adekanye, m. 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(2015).sem made simple. mpws publisher. https://mycarmesi.com/blogs/flowingthoughts/superiority-complex-is-it-good https://mycarmesi.com/blogs/flowingthoughts/superiority-complex-is-it-good http://doi.org/10.47524/tje.v2i1.4 journal of information and knowledge management 2023, vol. 14, no. 1, 126-143: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.8 to cite this article: unegbu, v, ayoola, o, oduwole, a, aluko-arowolo, t & olusanya, f.o. (2023) role clarity as a determinant of job satisfaction among library personnel in southwest universities, nigeria information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 14:1, 126-143, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.8 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.8 role clarity as a determinant of job satisfaction among library personnel in south-west universities, nigeria 1 vincent unegbu 2 onasote ayoola 2 adebambo oduwole 2 titilayo aluko-arowolo 2 francis olufemi olusanya 1 department of information resources management, babcock university, ilishan-remo, ogun state, nigeria 2 olabisi onabanjo university, ago-iwoye, ogun state, nigeria abstract this research explored the relationship between role clarity and work satisfaction among university library staff in south-west nigeria. survey research methodology was used with a sample size of 669 library employees, the study's target population consisted of 440 library workers from 23 out of 46 institutions in south-west nigeria that were chosen on the basis of their years of inception. in the research, total enumeration was used. for data gathering, a validated structured questionnaire was employed. the cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients for role clarity and work satisfaction varied from 74 to 75, respectively. only 356 out of 440 issued questionnaires were returned, representing an 81 percent return rate. the data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential (simple and multiple regression) statistics. the results suggested that role clarity had a substantial impact on the work satisfaction of university library staff in south-west nigeria. key words: job satisfaction, library personnel, role clarity, south-west nigeria keywords job satisfaction, library personnel, role clarity, south-west, nigeria contact onasote ayoola @ olabisi adeleke university 2023 the authors published with license by information impact v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 127 introduction job satisfaction is the emotional condition of employees in relation to their jobs, considering what they anticipated and what they really received. according to onuoha, u.d., ukangwa, c.c and otuza, e.c (2020), job satisfaction is a crucial aspect of a working environment and has been linked to enhanced performance and more dedication to the company or library services. idiegbeyanose, aregbesola, owolabi and eyiolrunse (2019) defines job satisfaction as the degree to which workers' needs and expectations are met in comparison to the prevalent national and global standard. the issue of job satisfaction has always been a topic of discussion among library personnel, as several factors have been found to affect their satisfaction. in addition to satisfying individual needs, employment gives other advantages, such as a feeling of accomplishing something meaningful and an increase in social standing. a worker's successful reaction to his job is job satisfaction. this means that worker happiness is a result of the worker's experience at work in respect to his own values and requirements. sambo (2016) attribute job satisfaction to nature of work, supervision, recognition of achievement, ability to use initiative, working conditions, fringe benefits and life satisfaction of individuals the scenario is not different from what renaweera and bodhinyaka (2018) describe as facet of job satisfaction which can be seen from the angle of nature of work, recognition of achievement, ability to use initiative, involvement in decision making, relationship with co-workers and supervisors, prompt payment of salary, remuneration, fringe benefits, contingent rewards, job security, working condition, promotion policy, administration and communication and sharing of information within the organization – verbal or in written form. the combined effect of librarians' job satisfaction, knowledge sharing, and team orientation on productivity was significant (f = 9.64; df= 3.96, p 0.05), as found in an empirical study by awoyemi and olaniyi (2017). ikonne and onuoha (2015) found that, on average, librarians in federal and state university libraries in southern nigeria gave their perceptions of their job security a score of 3.09 (58.5%) on a 5-point scale. next in line was the quality of my working relationship with my supervisor, which was given a mean score of 3.05 (62.2%). a mean score of 2.97 (59.9%) was given to my interactions with co workers, while a mean score of 2.87 (64%) was given to my interactions with information users, customers, and clients. having employment difficulties had a mean score of 2.82 (59.4%), while being satisfied with my job tasks and schedule obtained a mean score of 2.86 (65.3%). the average score for job satisfaction was 2.72 (56.5%), with 2.76 (60.2% of people) reporting that they were satisfied with their level of freedom and responsibility on the job. the average score for the workplace communication atmosphere was 2.68 (54 percent), while the average score for my employment status and recognition at work was 2.66 (52 percent). the average score for regular promotion happiness was 2.55, representing v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 128 52.6% of respondents' satisfaction. the survey also found that participants, on average, gave possibilities for professional growth a score of 2.58 out of a possible 5. my managing techniques at work were rated an average of 2.64 (46.6% satisfaction) by my subordinates. the research also found that my wage satisfaction was 2.50 (40.1%), while my working conditions satisfaction averaged 2.41 (38.9%). the librarians' mean satisfaction rating for research opportunities was 2.37 (37.2%), while 41.5% of them were dissatisfied. an average of 31.3% of respondents was satisfied with my fringe rewards, while 47.2% were not. inuwa (2016) in his empirical study on the effect of job satisfaction and employee performance, 37.6% of the university's staff falls within the ages of 30-39. this may be because the administration is actively seeking to hire young workers who can contribute to the institution's long-term success by providing the kind of innovative, energetic, and dedicated service that will bring the institution closer to realizing its stated goals. additionally, 35.6% of the workforce is comprised of people aged 40–49, indicating that these individuals have the necessary expertise and skills to provide high-quality service to the institution. this is followed by 15.2% of the workforce, aged 20–29, and then 11.62 %, aged 50+. therefore, the university's non-academic personnel are comprised mostly of young people in the prime of their lives, suggesting that they are mentally and physically well-equipped to carry out the institution's mission. as the results show (= 0.710; t = 1.647; sig = 0.005), there is a positive, significant relationship between work satisfaction and performance. comparable findings were found in empirical research conducted by fanimehin and popoola (2013) looked at the influence of educational qualification and career progression on job satisfaction of library personnel in the nigeria's federal civil services of nigeria confirmed that there is a relationship between education career progression and job satisfaction of library personnel with significance of each independent variable in influencing library employees' happiness on the job. progression in one's career was (=.418, p .05), while inspiration to do one's job well was (=.670, p .05), and one's leadership style was (=.724, p .05). there are a number of important aspects, such as opportunities for advancement, intrinsic motivation at work, and a supportive management style, which may improve the morale of library staff in the federal government's ministries and extra-ministerial agencies. library workers in the federal civil service of nigeria fall into two distinct categories, as shown by the findings of fanimehin (2015) empirical research on the impact of authority and advancement on job satisfaction in the library sector. the cadres consist of the librarians and library staff. both librarians and library officer work in libraries, however librarians have a bachelor's or master's degree in the field whereas library officers just have a diploma. the results of his study showed a statistically v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 129 significant relationship between library workers' educational attainment and their level of job happiness, with a mean job satisfaction score of 20.3216 (sd 4.5313) and a mean educational qualification score of 20.4554. (sd5.8550). a person's "role" is the place they have in the larger community. this means that figuring out a person's function in a group requires looking at the interactions between people and the expectations placed on them. when library personnel understand their responsibilities and what is expected of them, they have feelings of role clarity, as stated by samie, riahi, and tabibvi (2014). thangavelu and sudhahar (2017) stressed the need of providing workers with sufficient knowledge about their duties and responsibilities to do their jobs effectively, which they refer to as "role clarity." this means it's up to workers to figure out what they're supposed to do and what parts of the job really matter. to ensure that all workers contribute to the best of their ability, they feel that job clarity is the meaning by which priorities may be mapped and training requirements are known. empirical research on the impact of factors and job clarity on the perceived service quality of front-line personnel (studies on the clarks of the kashavarzi bank in the province of chaharmahal-e-bakhtiary) was conducted by allameh, harooni, chaleshtari, and asadi (2013). in all, 580 participants were surveyed, and 132 of them were utilized as research samples. standardized effect co-efficient (path co-efficient) equals 0.29 between feedback and role clarity, confirming the existence of a relationship between the two; job autonomy equals 0.51, confirming the existence of a relationship between job autonomy and role clarity; participation in decision-making equals 0.38, confirming the existence of a relationship between job autonomy and role clarity; and management factors equals 0.45, confirming the existence of a relationship between job autonomy and role clarity. the finding provided more evidence for the link between work satisfaction and a well-defined function. hassan (2013) conducted empirical research examining the significance of role clarification in workplace groups and its implications on perceived role clarity, job satisfaction, and employee turnover. the study sample consisted of 1,699 state government workers from 45 different offices around the state. role clarification was found to have a significant negative impact on turnover rates in the workplace (= 0-.49, p .05; r2 =.13, f = 2.74), while role classification also contributed to higher levels of job satisfaction. managers in lowand moderateturnover offices were noticeably more involved in outlining employees' tasks than their counterparts in high-turnover workplaces. moreover, compared to workplaces with a high turnover rate, those with a low turnover rate had much clearer definitions of individual responsibilities. caillier (2014) in his empirical study on do role clarity and job satisfaction mediate the relationship between telework and work effort revealed that telework was v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 130 inversely related to work effort. also, role clarity and job satisfaction did not mediate the relationship between telework and work effort with role clarity mean value of 3.90, sd = 0.85 and job satisfaction is with mean value of 3.81, sd = 1.02. role clarity was regressed on telework and it indicates that telework was positively related to role clarity p < .001; work effort was regressed on role clarity and the findings indicate that role clarity was positively associated to work effort p < 0.001; telework was associated with higher job satisfaction p < 0.000. statement of the problem librarians' loyalty to their present employer is directly proportional to their level of job satisfaction. however, library staff are not happy in their jobs, as evidenced by a lack of enthusiasm for their work and a sloppy approach to providing library users with information. this could be due to a lack of clarity regarding each employee's specific responsibilities and how they interact with patrons. moreover, a comprehensive literature search revealed a lack of evidence connecting role clarity with work satisfaction among library staff. this study was motivated by a desire to learn more about how a lack of clarity about one's function in the workplace affects the happiness of university library workers in south-west nigeria. research questions 1 what is the level of job satisfaction of university library personnel in universities in south-west, nigeria? 2 how do library personnel perceive their role clarification in university libraries in south-west, nigeria? methodology survey research design was employed for this study using self constructed questionnaire. the total population was 669 library personnel comprising professional librarians (academic librarians) para professional librarians (library officer) and supporting staff (library assistant cadre) library from seven (7) federal universities, ten (10) state universities and thirty (30) private universities across south-west, nigeria were chosen for the study. multistage sampling techniques were adopted in determining the sample size for the study. 23 universities in south-west, nigeria, comprising of (3) federal universities based on their year of establishment ranges from 19481962; (5) state universities ranges from 19821999 while (15) private universities ranges from 1999 2007 were used for the study. in all, twenty-three (23) universities covering all the states in south-west, nigeria were selected and total population of library personnel from (23) universities is (440). research instrument used for this study was validated by two experts one of which was a senior lecturer in the department of arts and social sciences, olabisi onabanjo university, ago-iwoye and the other one was a professor from the department of information resources v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 131 management, babcock university, ilishan. thereafter, reliability index was conducted using cronbach’s alpha method which gave a reliability co-efficient of 0.74 and 0.79 for role clarity and job satisfaction respectively. primary data collected were analyzed using simple percentages, mean and standard deviation as well as regression analysis at 0.05 level of significant. demographic information of respondents this demographic information of the respondents in respect to gender, age, marital status, and educational qualificationare presented in tables 1 . table 1: distribution of respondents by gender gender number of respondents percentage (%) male 163 45.8 female 193 54.2 total 356 100 table 1 shows the gender distribution of responders. the response rate showed that of the polled library staff, 163 (45.2%) were male and 193 (54.8%) were female. the research revealed that in the university libraries in south-west nigeria, female library workers outnumbered their male counterparts. this is because women report higher levels of work satisfaction than men, who tend to explore for opportunities elsewhere. table 2: distribution of respondents by age group age number of respondents percentage (%) 18-27 years 33 9.3 28-37 years 97 27.2 38-47 years 134 37.6 48-57 years 85 23.9 above 57 yeas 7 2.0 total 356 100 table 2 shows the number of respondents in each age group. it shows that 33 (or 9.3%) of the questioned library workers were between the ages of 18 and 27, while 97 (or 27.2%) were between the ages of 28 and 37, 134 (or 37.6%) were between the ages of 38 and 47, 85 (or 23.9%) were between the ages of 48 and 57, and 7 (or 2.0%) were above the age of 57. according to the data in the table, the average age of a university library worker in the south-west region of nigeria is 38.47 years old, with the next largest age group being 28-37 years old. this indicates that the library staff members aged 28–37, and 38–47, were in good enough health to do their duties. in the university libraries in south-west nigeria, you may find young people working. v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 132 table 3: distribution of respondents by marital status marital status number of respondents percentage (%) married 292 82.0 single 52 14.6 divorced 7 2.0 widow/widower 3 0.8 separated 2 0.6 total 356 100 table 3 shows the marital status distribution of respondents. it shows that out of the whole sample, 292 (82.0%) were married and 52 (14.6%) were not. only 2.0% were divorced; 0.8% were widowed; and 0.6% were legally separated. the investigation revealed that in the university libraries of south-west nigeria, the vast majority of the library staff members were married. this means that married library workers are emotionally and mentally secure, and so open to taking on any position in the library. table 4: distribution of respondents by highest educational qualification education number of respondents percentage (%) ssce/gce 24 6.7 ond/nce 51 14.3 hnd 27 7.6 bachelor’s degree 97 27.2 master’sdegree 132 37.1 phd 22 6.2 others 3 0.8 total 356 100 table 4 illustrates the distribution of respondents according to their level of education. it shows that among the library workers at a south-western nigerian institution, 132 (37.1%) had master's degrees, while 97 (27.2%) held bachelor's degrees. the chart shows that most university library staff in south-west nigeria hold master’s degrees (mls or mlis), hence these libraries are staffed by knowledgeable professionals capable of managing library operations. research questions 1 what is the level of job satisfaction of university library personnel in south-west, nigeria? v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 133 table 5: descriptive statistics showing the level of job satisfaction of university library personnel in south-west, nigeria. s/n statements vd d s vs mean std remarks intrinsic job satisfaction 1 working with peers often contributed to overall development of the library. 0 (0.0%) 4 (1.1%) 200 (56.2% ) 152 (42.7%) 3.42 0.52 satisfied 2 i have the chance to be ‘somebody’ in the community. 4 (1.1%) 5 (1.4%) 216 (60.7% ) 131 (36.8%) 3.33 0.56 satisfied 3 my job is usually interesting enough to keep me from getting bored. 3 (0.8%) 21 (5.9%) 190 (53.4% ) 142 (39.9%) 3.32 0.62 satisfied 4 my efforts are recognized by my supervisor and coworkers 0 (0.0%) 17 (4.8%) 209 (58.7% ) 130 (36.5%) 3.32 0.56 satisfied 5 i am satisfied with the level of cooperation i receive from my co-workers and other employees in the library 3 (0.8%) 17 (4.8%) 202 (56.7% ) 134 (37.6%) 3.31 0.60 satisfied 6. my performance of any duty or library routine, even when it is not in my section is encouraging. 2 (0.6%) 8 (2.2%) 222 (62.4% ) 124 (34.8%) 3.31 0.54 satisfied 7 my opinion on work issues is recognized 4 (1.1%) 11 (3.1%) 218 (61.2% ) 123 (34.6%) 3.29 0.58 satisfied 8 i am satisfied with the achievement i am making in the library 2 (0.6%) 23 (6.5%) 202 (56.7% ) 129 (36.2%) 3.29 0.61 satisfied 9 my opinion on work issues contribute to the library development. 4 (1.1%) 18 (5.1%) 203 (57.0% ) 131 (36.8%) 3.29 0.61 satisfied 10 i am allowed to use initiative on my job. 3 (0.8%) 17 (4.8%) 215 (60.4% ) 121 (34.0%) 3.28 0.59 satisfied 11 i have the chance to tell people what to do. 3 (0.8%) 17 (4.8%) 229 (64.3% ) 107 (30.1%) 3.24 0.57 satisfied 12 i am satisfied with the opportunities given to 5 (1.4%) 22 (6.2%) 212 (59.6% 117 (32.9%) 3.24 0.63 satisfied v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 134 s/n statements vd d s vs mean std remarks work independently. ) 13 the library work gives me opportunity to challenge lives. 5 (1.4%) 19 (5.3%) 217 (61.0% ) 115 (32.3%) 3.24 0.61 satisfied 14 i have the chance to do something that makes use of my abilities. 4 (1.1%) 15 (4.2%) 237 (66.6% ) 100 (28.1%) 3.22 0.57 satisfied 15 i am well respected. 1 (0.3%) 17 (4.8%) 241 (67.7% ) 97 (27.2%) 3.22 0.53 satisfied 16 i like the way my coworkers get along with each other. 4 (1.1%) 27 (7.6%) 210 (59.0% ) 115 (32.3%) 3.22 0.63 satisfied 17 negative attitude exhibited by most library supervisors affect productivity. 15 (4.2%) 47 (13.2%) 145 (40.7% ) 149 (41.9%) 3.20 0.82 satisfied 18 my contribution in the library management meeting often led to accreditation success of the library. 6 (1.7%) 38 (10.7%) 194 (54.5% ) 118 (33.1%) 3.19 0.69 satisfied 19 my supervisor gives me opportunity to control and monitoring of staff under my supervision without seeking assistance. 10 (2.8%) 30 (8.4%) 208 (58.4% ) 108 (30.3%) 3.16 0.69 satisfied 20 praises and recommendations on my job by my supervisor is satisfying 9 (2.5%) 33 (9.3%) 212 (59.6% ) 102 (28.7%) 3.14 0.68 satisfied 21 i participate in the decisionmaking process in my department. 7 (2.0%) 45 (12.6%) 197 (55.3% ) 107 (30.1%) 3.13 0.70 satisfied 22 i have the freedom to use my own judgment. 10 (2.8%) 51 (14.3%) 204 (57.3% ) 91 (25.6%) 3.06 0.71 satisfied 23 my supervisor encourages and seats with me to plan my career development. 11 (3.1%) 55 (15.4%) 201 (56.5% ) 89 (25.0%) 3.03 0.73 satisfied 24 each day of work seems like it will never end. 7 (2.0%) 70 19(7. 199 (55.9% 80 (22.5%) 2.98 0.71 satisfied v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 135 s/n statements vd d s vs mean std remarks %) ) average mean 3.23 extrinsic job satisfaction 25 i have the ability to communicate with my boss. 3 (0.8%) 18 (5.1%) 200 (56.2% ) 135 (37.9%) 3.31 0.61 satisfied 26 i have the ability to clearly communicate with colleagues and clients in writing. 8 (2.2%) 21 (5.9%) 197 (55.3% ) 130 (36.5%) 3.26 0.67 satisfiedi 27 i follow the channel of communication in my place of work. 4 (1.1%) 31 (8.7%) 194 (54.5% ) 127 (35.7%) 3.25 0.65 satisfied 28 my promotion boosts the level of my job satisfaction. 18 (5.1%) 41 (11.5%) 196 (55.1% ) 101 (28.4%) 3.07 0.77 satisfied 29 i have the ability to make oral presentation. 11 (3.1%) 53 (14.9%) 195 (54.8% ) 97 (27.2%) 3.06 0.74 satisfied 30. my salary is regular and it is been paid as at when due. 27 (7.6%) 55 (15.4%) 150 (42.1% ) 124 (34.8%) 3.04 0.89 satisfied 31 my boss recommends me for promotion regularly. 26 (7.3%) 57 (16.0%) 171 (48.0% ) 102 (28.7%) 2.98 0.86 satisfied 32 i feel satisfied with job security in my place of work. 18 (5.1%) 81 (22.8%) 170 (47.8% ) 87 (24.4%) 2.92 0.82 satisfied 33 i have the resources that can enhance my job performance. 19 (5.3%) 76 (21.3%) 179 (50.3% ) 82 (23.0%) 2.91 0.81 satisfied 34 i am satisfied with my pay considering my level of education 30 (8.4%) 83 (23.3%) 163 (45.8% ) 80 (22.5%) 2.83 0.87 satisfied 35 my promotion is regular. 40 (11.2%) 82 (23.0%) 147 (41.3% ) 87 (24.5%) 2.81 1.03 satisfied 36 i am satisfied with policies attached to promotion in my place of work. 29 (8.1%) 84 (23.6%) 171 (48.0% ) 72 (20.2%) 2.80 0.85 satisfied v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 136 s/n statements vd d s vs mean std remarks 37 i am satisfied with income allowances and other benefits attached to my job 37 (10.4%) 87 (24.4%) 150 (42.1% ) 82 (23.0%) 2.78 0.92 satisfied 38 i am satisfied with the opportunities given to attend job related seminars, conferences and workshops. 41 (11.5%) 77 (21.6%) 162 (45.5% ) 76 (21.3%) 2.77 0.92 satisfied 39 i am satisfied with present salary. 44 (12.4%) 93 (26.1%) 145 (40.7% ) 74 (20.8%) 2.69 0.94 satisfied 40 the university management provides adequate emolument packages for enhancement of job security. 33 (9.3%) 115 (32.3%) 136 (38.2% ) 72 (20.2%) 2.69 0.89 satisfied 41 i am satisfied with hazard prevention packages provided in my place of work. 34 (9.6%) 109 (30.6%) 148 (41.6% ) 65 (18.3%) 2.69 0.88 satisfied 42 i am satisfied with hazard allowances paid to workers. 48 (13.5%) 136 (38.2%) 115 (32.3% ) 57 (16.0%) 2.50 0.92 satisfied average mean 2.90 ground mean 3.09 decision rule: (0-1.49 = very level), (1.50-2.49 = low level), (2.50-3.49 = high level), (3.50-4.0 = very high level) table 5 displays descriptive information pertaining to the job satisfaction of university library employees in south-west nigeria. there were two distinct types of job fulfillment identified. the intrinsic job satisfaction mean was 3.42 when employees felt their work with colleagues had a significant impact on the library as a whole, and it was 2.98 when employees felt their workdays would never end. there was a high degree of intrinsic work satisfaction, with a mean score of 3.23. in contrast, when it comes to extrinsic factors, the mean level of job satisfaction was highest with a mean value of 3.31 on the statements that says "i have the ability to communicate with my boss" and lowest with a mean value of 2.50 on the statements that says "i am satisfied with hazard allowances paid to workers". as the mean score was 2.90, it showed that respondents v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 137 had a high degree of extrinsic work satisfaction. overall work satisfaction, including intrinsic and extrinsic factors, averaged 3.09 on a 4-point scale. from these data, we infer that library workers in sw nigeria reported high levels of job satisfaction. staff members in south-west nigeria's libraries report a high level of work satisfaction, with a mean rating of 3.09 on a scale from 1 to 4. research question 2 how do library personnel perceive their role clarification in university libraries in south-west, nigeria? table 6 : descriptive statistics of perceived role clarification of library personnel in university libraries in south-west, nigeria. library personnel perceived role clarification sa a d sd mean std adequate information on job responsibility 1. i know exactly my tasks and responsibilities. 162 (45.5%) 185 (52.0%) 6 (1.7%) 3 (0.8%) 3.42 0.57 2. my role as library personnel is described in library work schedule. 143 (40.2%) 195 (54.8%) 16 (4.5%) 2 (0.6%) 3.35 0.59 3. i understand my role as library personnel. 168 (47.2%) 18 2 (51.1%) 4 (1.1%) 2 (0.6%) 3.45 0.55 4. the university librarian clearly understands my role as library personnel. 155 (43.5%) 189 (53.1%) 11 (3.1%) 1 (0.3%) 3.40 0.57 average mean 3.40 detail information on procedure for work 5. i know how to perform each task to get my job done. 180 (50.6%) 171 (48.0%) 4 (1.1%) 1 (0.3%) 3.50 0.54 6. i know how to obtain the resources necessary for my job (equipment, tools and information). 168 (47.2%) 176 (49.4%) 11 (3.1%) 1 (0.3%) 3.44 0.57 7. i know how to use library tools for library operations. 168 (47.2%) 183 (51.4%) 3(0.8%) 2 (0.6%) 3.45 0.55 8 i know how my performance on the job is going to be evaluated. 136 (38.2%) 190 (53.4%) 25 (7.0%) 5 (1.4%) 3.28 0.66 average mean = 3.42 knowledge of work priorities v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 138 library personnel perceived role clarification sa a d sd mean std 9. i can prioritize my tasks and responsibilities. 146 (41.0%) 198 (55.6%) 10 (2.8%) 2 (0.6%) 3.37 0.57 10. i know who my clients are. 174 (48.9%) 171 (48.0%) 10 (2.8%) 1 (0.3%) 3.46 0.57 11. i have knowledge of what is necessary for my clients to be satisfied. 160 (44.9%) 186 (52.2%) 10 (2.8%) 0(0.0%) 3.42 0.55 12. i know how and from whom l should ask for support if necessary. 166 (46.6%) 182 (51.1%) 7 (2.0%) 1 (0.3%) 3.44 0.55 average mean 3.42 adequate feedback 13. i know what my superiors expect from me. 140 (39.3%) 204 (57.3%) 12 (3.4%) 0 (0.0%) 3.36 0.55 14. i know when to report about my work to my superior. 147 (41.3%) 199 (55.9%) 8 (2.2%) 2 (0.6%) 3.38 0.56 15. i know the implications of not performing my tasks and responsibilities on other staff. 152 (42.7%) 198 (55.6%) 4 (1.1%) 2 (0.6%) 3.40 0.55 16. the feedback from my client geared me to perform better. 160 (44.9%) 186 (52.2%) 10 (2.8%) 0 (0.0%) 3.42 0.55 17 the feedback from my superior enhances my performance. 161 (45.2%) 177 (49.7%) 13 (3.7%) 5 (1.4%) 3.39 0.63 average mean 3.39 autonomy/ control 18 i have control of monitoring the staff under my supervision without seeking assistance 122 (34.3%) 205 (57.6%) 26 (7.3%) 3 (0.8%) 3.25 0.62 19 i understand how my roles and responsibilities affect the effectiveness of the library. 137 (38.5%) 204 (57.3%) 14 (3.9%) 1 (0.3%) 3.34 0.57 20 i feel certain about how much authority i have on the job. 104 (29.2%) 221 (62.1%) 27 (7.6%) 4 (1.1%) 3.19 0.61 average mean 3.26 grand mean 3.39 decision rule: (0-1.49 = very low), (1.50-2.49 = low), (2.50-3.49 = high), (3.50-4.0 = very high) v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 139 table 6 presents descriptive data illustrating how library workers in university libraries in nigeria's south-west regarded their job clarification. they had a very favorable impression of the level of detail provided about their responsibilities on the job, scoring a mean of 3.40. the average mean score is 3.42, indicating that the general impression of the work process is good and very high. additionally, they had a favorable and high opinion of their understanding of job priorities, averaging 3.42 out of 5. furthermore, library staff rated it highly (3.39 on average) in terms of sufficient feedback. a mean of 3.26 indicates a high level of perceived autonomy/control. overall, staff in university libraries in south-west nigeria gave themselves a mean score of 3.39 on a scale from 1 to 4 when asked how clear their roles were to them. discussion of findings from the study, it was discovered that defining individual roles and responsibilities has a major influence on library personnel job satisfaction and reduces turnover rates in the library. the findings revealed that library personnel in university libraries in southwest, nigeria are very clear about their roles and responsibilities with a grand mean of 3.39.; detailed information on procedure for work and knowledge of work priority have the same high mean of 3.42 and adequate information on job responsibility have a mean of 3.40 which indicated that the understanding of role clarity by the library personnel influenced their job satisfaction and commitment to work. managers of library with low and moderate-turnover offices were noticeably more involved in outlining employees' tasks than their counterparts in high-turnover workplaces. for most library personnel, job description is the document against which they were recruited. role clarity in library focuses on what must be done to implement change, reduce duplication of work, prepare library personnel for a performance culture, improve quality of work and reduce turnover rate. in support of the conclusion that role clarity has a greater influence on the job satisfaction of university library personnel in the south-west of nigeria, thangavelu and sudhahar (2017), supported that there was a significant correlation between role clarity, performance feedback and job satisfaction of library personnel which confirmed that the understanding of role clarity by library personnel is essential for the library to function better. to support further, onuoha, ogunjmi, and owodunni (2016) who conducted a study on role clarity, self-concept and job satisfaction of library personnel confirmed a correlation between library employees' role clarity and their job satisfaction with an average mean score of 3.56 which is consistent with the results shown above. library staff in south-western nigerian university libraries reported higher levels of work satisfaction when they had a clearer understanding of their roles. v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 140 also, in supporting the above submission, subharh and kumar (2019) supported that role clarity leads to higher commitment and job satisfaction of library personnel while role conflict or ambiguity on the other hand leads to lower job commitment, more tension, anxiety and job dissatisfaction which may invariably leads to personnel turnover. also, hassan (2013) supported that role clarification was found to be a significant predictor of perceived role clarity in the offices (β = 0.54, p < 0.01; r = 0.22, f = 4.45), role classification also had a positive effect on work satisfaction (β = 0.59, p < 0.01; r = 0.35, f = 6.90), role clarification was found to have a significant negative impact on turnover rates in the offices (β = 0.49 , p < .05; r2 = .13, f = 2.74), role clarity had a significant negative effect on turnover rates in the offices, as well (β = .39, p < .05). it was evident that managers in offices with low and moderate rates of turnover were significantly more active in clarifying subordinates’ roles and responsibilities than those in offices with a high rate of turnover. in addition, offices that experienced a low rate of turnover had significantly higher levels of role clarity than offices with a high rate of turnover. in addition, the empirical study that supported the above finding was carried out by frogeli, rudman and gustavson (2019) on the relationship between task mastery, role clarity, social acceptance and stress among library staff revealed that when the new staff experienced higher level of task mastery, role clarity, and social acceptance, they experience lower level of stress and enjoyed satisfaction (task mastery 0.04, p = 0.001, role clarity0.34, p = 0.001 and social acceptance – 0.33, p = 0.001). implications of the study the study implies that job description is the document against which the library personnel were recruited. when a role and responsibility is clearly defined the library personnel are aware of what must be done to implement change, reduce duplication of work, prepare the library personnel for a performance culture and improve quality of work based on the fact that they are satisfied with their job. it was apparent that library personnel have a good understanding of their role especially when it comes to criteria for performance evaluation and librarian’s authority on the job. role clarity leads to higher commitment and job satisfaction of the librarians while role conflict and ambiguity on the other hand, leads to lower job satisfaction, lower job commitment, more tension, anxiety and librarians turnover. v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 141 it was evident that the task of ensuring role clarity is basically a responsibility of the library administrator who has important tasks of organizing library personnel, acquaint them with necessary information regarding their roles and responsibilities so that they can effectively perform their duties as expected. the library administrators in offices with low and moderate rates of turnover were significantly more active in clarifying subordinates roles and responsibilities (work schedule) which made them to be more committed and satisfied with their jobs while those in offices with a high rates of turnover means that there exist a role ambiguity caused by lack of required information concerning employees roles and responsibilities (keremer and aginis 2019). this research study indicates that various individuals and group characteristics of library personnel may tend to influence their commitment, dedication and job satisfaction. conclusion the purpose of this research was to determine whether and how defining job responsibilities improved the happiness of library workers at universities in the southwest region of nigeria. the following are inferences made considering the study's results. to begin, there was a noteworthy outcome for the role clarity factors. the importance of knowing one's priorities at work, receiving constructive criticism, and feeling that one has some control over one's own time, as well as being given sufficient information about one's responsibilities, was emphasized. the research confirmed that the five antecedents / indicators of role clarity were employed at university libraries in south-west, nigeria, and that these factors all had a positive impact on the work satisfaction of library staff in these institutions. the results of the research verified the link between work happiness and role clarity, while a lack of position clarity might lead to worse performance, lower information service delivery quality, and lower job satisfaction. the results of the research showed that a strong predictor of job satisfaction among library workers in south-west nigeria was a clear understanding of their roles. recommendations the following suggestions are offered considering the findings: 1. there is a need to develop working relationships amongst coworkers to increase the degree of job satisfaction among library staff, since this would increase the level of job satisfaction even higher. 2. 2. recognizing the importance of job clarity to organizational growth, management should outline employee roles and responsibilities. 3. given the potential for a single employee to take on multiple responsibilities at once in university libraries, management should strive to minimize role conflicts by outlining the expected outcomes for each position and providing regular feedback on staff performance. v.unegbu, o.ayoola, a. oduwole, t.aluko-arowolo, & f.o.olusanya 142 4. in addition, university librarians should encourage their staff to learn and develop on the job, hence increasing work satisfaction. references allemeh, s. m., harooni, a., chaleshtari, m.s. & asadi, a. 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(2019). the relationship between task mastery, role clarity, social acceptance and stress: an intensive longitudinal study with a sample of newly registered nurses. international journal of nursing student, 91 (3) 60-69. hassan, s. (2013). the importance of role clarification in workgroups: effects on perceived role clarity, work satisfaction, and turnover rates. public administration review, 73 (5), 716-725 idiegbeyanse, j., aregbesola, a., owolabi, s. e. & eyiolorunse, t. (2019).relationship between motivation and job satisfaction of staff in private university libraries, nigeria. academy of strategic management journal , 18 (1) 20-29 ikonne, c.n. & onuoha, u. d. (2015). factors influencing job satisfaction of librarians in federal and state university libraries in southern nigeria. o & a library journal 2 (2), 1-9. inuwa, m. (2016).job satisfaction and employee performance: an empirical approach. the millenium university journal 1 (1),s 90-98. keremer, t. & aginis, y. 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(2018).job satisfaction of library staff: a study based on university libraries in sri-lanka, international journal of human resources studies, 8(3), 53.d01:10:5296/ijhrs.v8b.13190. samie, f., riahi, l. & tabibi, s. j. (2014). the relationship between role clarity and efficiency of employees in management and resource development, department of ministry of health and medical education in i. r. iran. international, open access, peer review research journal 12 (3) 81 – 90. taghavi, a. (2015). a role clarity framework for gathering business activities: a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of science, faculty of graduate and post-doctoral studies. university of british colombia, vancouver. 1 – 85. thangavelu, a. & sudhahar, (2017).role clarity and job performance among the employees in small and medium industries. research on humanities and social science,7 (17), 1-6. yadar, m. & kumar, a. (2013). an indian outlook on role clarity, organizational citizenship behaviour and gender relationship: multiple group confirmatory factor analysis (mgcfa) approach. jindal journal of business research, 6 (1), 63 – 75. journal of information and knowledge management 2023, vol. 14, no. 1, 54-75: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.4 to cite this article: ilesanmi, t. c. (2023) librarians’ ict skills and service delivery in private universities in nigeria. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 14:1, 54-75, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.4 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.4 librarians’ ict skills and service delivery in private universities in nigeria titilayo c. ilesanmi kenneth dike library, university of ibadan, ibadan, nigeria abstract this paper examined the information and communication technology (ict) skills of librarians for service delivery in private universities with particular reference to southern nigeria. the study adopted the survey research method. forty-five (45) private university librariesin southern nigeria and their librariansconstituted the sample size for the study. the study’s samples consisted of 181 librarians in the private universities,hence, total enumeration was adopted. questionnaire was used for data collection from the respondents. out of the 181 copies of the questionnaire distributed, 173 were returned and found valid for analysis. data gathered was analysed using the statistical package for social sciences (spss) version 21 and the results were presented in frequency count, percentage, mean and chart. findings of the study revealed that librariansin private universities in southern nigeria delivered various library services to their users. the librarianshave acquired basic ict skills and were versatile in its application forinternet searches, information retrieval, social communication and microsoft-office related activities with the exception of programming skills. majority of the librarians acquired their ict skills through self-learning. the finding revealed that the acquisition of ict skills by librarians in southern nigeria private universities is relevant to their delivery of improved library services. the paper recommended that regular acquisition of relevant ict skills is essential for librarians and university management should support librarians’ ict capacity development at national and international levelsas this would enhance their relevance and get them abreast of the latest development for effective service delivery. keywords ict, ict skills, librarians, private universities, service delivery, nigeria contact titilayo c. ilesanmi @ datitilayo@yahoo.com 2023 the author published with license by information impact t. c. ilesanmi, 55 introduction librarians are professional staff that have acquired required qualifications in the field of library, archival and information scienceto enable them perform different library functions ranging from collection development, knowledge management and preservation of information resources. other services rendered by librarians to library patrons are selective dissemination of information (sdi), current awarenessservice (cas), issuance of notifications, reservation, library orientation and reference among others. these functions and services are carried out through conventional methods and information and communication technology (ict); they are delivered electronically. ict has brought about innovative ways through which library services can be delivered to users. with the deployment of ict facilities in libraries, librarians require adequate ict skills and knowledge to utilise these facilities optimally in meeting the information needs of library users. ict can be referred to as tools and techniques for managing and utilising information (seena & pillai 2014). information and communication technology (ict) elements are the infrastructures, devices, and tools deployed to enhance or change the conventional methods of practice by an individual, organisation, institution or nation. in the context of this study, ict facilities are applied by librarians to accelerate library service delivery. librarians are expected to acquire necessary and adequate ict skills to manage and disseminate various services effectively in university libraries. ilesanmi (2013); obasolaet al. (2014) argue the necessity for librarians to acquire the needful skills for improved productivity and innovative service delivery in university libraries.however, ahmed (2014) notes that low levels of ict skills among information professionals studied in some universities. nigerian universities’ libraries are established to support teaching, learning and research (tlr) mandates of the parent institution. they are integral parts of a university system who have accepted and embraced the application of ict in different aspects of library service delivery and, this is rapidly gaining ground and being improved upon from time-to-time. the adoption and implementation of ict in the university libraries has enhanced speedy access to information and other library services without location constraints. adequate ict skills are key to librarians’ effective service delivery to their users in private universities’ libraries in nigeria. therefore, there is the need for librarians to acquirethe needed ict skills in order to ensure the provision of innovative service delivery to their patrons. librarians are to avail themselves of the opportunity to acquire the ict skills that will enhance their t. c. ilesanmi, 56 performance. adamu et al. (2021) opine that ict skills acquisition by library and information professionalscan be done through conference attendance, seminars and workshops which, in turn, enhance information service delivery. statement of the problem ict has transformed the processes and methods through which library functions are executed. many libraries operate a hybrid system where both traditional and modern ways of executinglibrary tasks are applied. however, some library activities still go through the conventional method while other libraries operate only a modern method. the acquisition of ict skills and its use by librarians, especially in the information age, cannot be overemphasized as it is essential for library service delivery. studies have shown the inadequacy in the ict skills of librarians which has resulted in poor service delivery in bangladesh and nigerian universities respectively (ahmed 2014; nnadozie 2016). it is observed by the researcher that there is a dearth of knowledge in the area of ict skills acquisitionfor effective service delivery by librariansin the selected private universities in southern nigeria. hence, there is the need to investigate the levels of private universities’ librarians’ ict skills in meeting the information age needs of their patrons..it is against this backdrop that this study investigated librarians’ ict skills acquisition and service delivery in private universities in southern nigeria. objectives of the study the general objective of the study is to examine library service delivery and ict skills of librarians in private universities in southern nigeria. the specificobjectives of the study are to: 1. determine the types of services that ict skills are used for by librarians in private universities in southern nigeria; 2. evaluate the level of ict skills acquiredby librarians for service delivery in private universities in southern nigeria; and 3. ascertain the sources of ict skills acquisition by librarians in private universities in southern nigeria. research questions the following research questions were raised to guide this study: 1. what are the types of services that ict skills are used for by librarians in private universities in southern nigeria? 2. what is the level of ict skills acquired by librarians in private universities in southern nigeria? 3. what are the sources of ict skills acquired by librarians in private universities in southern nigeria? t. c. ilesanmi, 57 literature review librarians in universities are expected to deliver various services to their users.some of the services include document delivery, selective dissemination of information, issuanceof notifications on library updates andprovision of reference services among others. literature has revealed that librarians are involved in handling various library services that support research, teaching and community services (ajayi et al.2013; aina, 2014).the methods by which these services are being delivered are changing rapidly as technologies evolve. these services were mostly delivered in traditional ways which involved the users visiting the physical libraries to access materials or the materials being mailed to the users through their postal addresses. but with the different information and communication technologies (icts) in place, such services could be delivered virtually through different platforms like email and social media. to perform these functions which are ict-inclined, librarians are expected to upscale themselves in order to effectively deliver library services to their users. mabawonku (2017); agbo and eyinnah (2022) affirm the relevance of ictembedded services and their application among librarians to make them more effective in the delivery of various library operations. quadri and garaba (2019) established that library professionals with ict skills render more current awareness services to their users. they also affirmed that the levels of their respondents’ict skills enabled knowledge sharing among colleagues for delivering more effectivelibrary services. husain and nazim’s (2015) findings revealed that 80% of the participants admitted that they used ict to render library services such as in-house database searches; 75% of the participants indicated their involvement in the provision of electronic books, electronic journals and electronic articles;55% of the participants revealed that they provided web-based reference and other information services. they called attention to the utility of social media for library services provision. forty percent of the respondents used ict to render online tutorials, 35% of the respondents used subject gateways/web portals, 15%deployed faq database and 10% utilised e-mailing alert system for information-sharing between librarians and users. ojedokun and okafor (2015) reported that majority of the respondents, who are librarians, used ict skills for library service delivery as they conveniently used email to compose, forward, reply and forward electronic documents to others; over 80% of the librarians could use basic microsoft word processing features such as formatting operations. however, less than half of the respondents could use features such as bookmarking, referencing, footnote, drop-cap and watermarking. on internet and database searching, 87% and 67% of the participants claimed that they used their ict t. c. ilesanmi, 58 skills to formulate as well as refine searches on the internet and databases respectively but their responses indicated low competence in the areas of web design skills. ajayiet al. (2013) studied the factors influencing ict use by library personnel in tertiary institutions in two south-west states in nigeria. the target population was all library personnel in the college libraries of two states. total enumeration sampling technique was adopted. out of 240 copies of the questionnaire that were administered on the respondents, 193 copies were returned and found useful for analysis. findings of the study reveal that over half or the participants were male while less than 50% were female. the majority of the respondents (84) were between 31 and 40 years of age while 52 respondents were within 21-30 years of age. the results show the respondents’ acquisition of ict skills were in certain areas.the larger percentage of the respondents (83%) specified that they made use of printers, and 80% admitted that they made use of personal computers ict toolsin the library. many of the library personnel (72%) confirmed that they used scanners and 74% of the respondents made use of flash drives. the results also indicated that 80% of the participants used ict facilities to retrieve information; 78% of the participants claimed the use of ict tools to disseminate information; 76% respondents indicated that they used ict tools for storing information while 70% of the participants used ict facilities to process information. acquisition of ict skills by librarians is essential especially in this information age and cannot be underestimated. husain and nazim (2015) in their study asserted that, in the area of information and data management, 70% of the respondents indicated that they received training to perform various library functions. the participants claimed to possess highict skills. 12 participants (60%) claimed to have ict skills in content management; 13(65%) stated their high competence in metadata management; 15(75%) indicated their high ict skills in web development; 14 (70%) claimed to be highly competent in hardware maintenance and 17(85%) possessed high ict skills in computer programming. the study concluded that handling library service delivery entails the application of ict skills which librarians should possess and improve upon from time to time. in a similar study conducted by mathew and baby (2012) which investigated librarians’ ict skills, level of awareness and application of skills to library services, survey research method was used while questionnaire was deployed for data collection. the results revealed that majority of the respondents were of moderate ict skills. fifty percent of the participants were skilled in electronic resources t. c. ilesanmi, 59 management, 41% participants were skilled in linus operation, 23% were skilled in institutional repository activities, 22% of the respondents had computer maintenance skills, 17% of the participants were skilled in software development and 14% of the participants could handle metadata. furthermore, their findings indicated that acquisition of necessary ict skills would tremendously benefit library and information professionals in optimizing their performance in the information age. inadequate training in ict applications and lack of infrastructural facilities were identified as impediments to achieving desired ict skills by the information professionals studied. owusu-ansha et al. (2015) also reported the need for regular capacity development among academic librarians for effective library service delivery in four african universities studied. ahmed (2014) investigated the information technology (it) facilities provided for service delivery and librarians’ ict skills capacity in government-owned academic libraries. mixed method (questionnaire, on-site observation and interview) was adopted for data collection. data collected were analysed and presented in frequency counts and percentages. out of the 33 university libraries studied, 31 were found useful for the study. the study reported thatall the librarians in the universities studied had no skills in the area of it-related activities. the author submitted that there was the urgent need to have national and international training for librarians in order to fill the gap. nnadozie (2016) assessed the relationship between librarians, their ict skills and the services rendered to the faculty members of the universities studied. survey research design was adopted for the study. one hundred and twelve (112) librarians and 4,469 lecturers from 11 universities constituted the population of the study. data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. the results show that the information professionals affirmed their acquisition and use of ict skills for information resources management and information service delivery with the highest mean score of 3.20. the work reportedthat the connection between the information professionals’ ict skills and users’ service satisfaction was weak, hence, the ict competencies of the librarians studied was low compared to the faculty members’ level of service delivery satisfaction. gbaje and ukachi (2011) explored librarians’ ict skills competencies in two universities in nigeria. 71% of the respondents indicated their high use of ict skills in the deployment of microsoft office suite, internet searching and email usage but half of the respondents agreed tohaving possessed theict skills in the area of library management software.fewer respondents asserted their competence and being t. c. ilesanmi, 60 skillful in the areas of digitisation, devices troubleshooting, software installation, web design and social media use. they also reported that all the respondents attested to having ict skills on microsoft office suite. more than half of the librarians indicated acquisition of skills on virtual/alice for windows. majority of the respondents attested to the need for ict skills in the areas of web design, evaluation of internet resources, social media, computer security and software installation. similarly, ojedokun and okafor (2015) examined the relevance and adequacy of librarians’ ict competencies. results of the study showed that majority of the participants (73%) indicated that they had master’s degreeinlibrary or information science; 16%had bachelor degree in library studies; 9% had doctor of philosophy and 1%had master of philosophy and national diplomain library science respectively. the majority of the respondents had five years of work experience in library practice while only 4%had about 30 years of librarianship practice.the majority of the respondents claimed to possess average ict skills to perform different library functions. mommoh and saka (2016) conducted a study on librarians’ competencies in the area of information and communication technology use for delivering services in some libraries in abuja, nigeria. five ict skills: computer operation, database management, the internet use, libraries application package and networking were assessed. the findings revealed that all the respondents indicated that they had acquired modern technology skills incomputer operations, database management, the internet, library management software and networking on the job. the majority of the librarians (75%) confirmed that they used database skills, 70% consented to the use of the internet skills for service delivery but networking skills were by lesser number of respondents. baro et al.(2013) reported that librarians’ skills and time were relevant and important to service delivery in university libraries. the authors submitted that training and retraining of librarians’ in the area of ict skills is essential for their competencies in rendering library services. their findings also showed that over 85% of the participants indicated that they hadacquired skills in emerging technologies for library service delivery.in the same vein, a study by ajayiet al.(2013) revealed that majority of the participants(69%) had excellent ict skills in the use of computers and 61% could use the internet effectively. similarly, a study by bajpai and margam (2019) on ict skills of information professionals in delhi revealed the respondents’ high level of competencies in the application of ict to service delivery. sixty professionals participated in the study. questionnaire was the instrument used for t. c. ilesanmi, 61 data collection. the results of the study showed that majority of the respondents had the basic knowledge of ict skills in application software such as microsoft office (word, excel, powerpoint and access) to perform library functions. on the contrary, a study was conducted by kattimani and naik (2013) on the assessment of librarians’ ict competencies and their challenges in india. in some public and private colleges studied, a critical examination of librarians’ ict skills in the areas of creation of files and folders, system troubleshooting, use of desktops and laptops, library management software, internet use, website design, radio frequency identification detector, conversion of analogue information resources to digital formats and use of various search engines. the results showed that all the categories of librarians studied possessed ict skills and competencieswhich they applied to library services delivery. esse (2013)’s study found that 72% of the participants who are librarians indicated that it was important to attend workshops in order to acquire the ict skills necessary for rendering services to library patrons. amoah and akussah (2017) assessed academic librarians’ capacity development and performance in sam jonah library, ghana. their findings revealed that internal and external training programmes were in existence for staff to tap into. seminars, training on specialised activities in the library and library orientation for newly employed staff were among the internal programmes highlighted. the external training programmes included formal professional training programmes outside the library. they concluded that staff development was one of the necessary and valuable techniques for improving employees’ effectiveness. in a study conducted by adamuet al.(2021) on the professional development of 82 librarians in three federal universities in north-central nigeria, the majority of the respondents claimed that the sources through which they acquired new ict skills wereconferences, workshops and in-house training. according to mbagwu (2020) in a study on the ict skills of 64 selected information professionals insix public tertiary institutions (three universities, two polytechnic and one college of education), the professionals obtained their ict skills from various sources such as attending private computer training, personal practice and on-the-job staff training. however, the prevalent means of their professional development was on-the-job staff training. similarly manzo (2020) reported a high level of ict skills among the respondents, who are librarians, from katsina state’s tertiary institutions. the majority of the respondents (85.2%) affirmed that they acquired their ict skills through in-house training; this group was followed the 83% who obtained their ict skills through self-study. in the same vein, gbaje and ukachi’s (2011) studies t. c. ilesanmi, 62 submitted that majority of the participants in the survey admitted that the modes of their ict skills acquisition were through in-house training and the nigeria library association’s training workshops. the least modes of ict skills acquisition, as identified by the respondents, were capacity-building workshops organised by international bodies such as the macarthur foundation, carnegie foundation and other non-governmental organisations such as eifl.net. theoretical framework this study was anchored tothe technology acceptance model (tam). this modelwas propounded by davis (1989). the model proposes that, when an intended user of an aspect ofinformation and communicated technology (ict) perceives the technology to beuseful and easy to use, there would be a positive change in attitude and behaviour towards the technology. hence, the technology will be accepted and used. situating this model in the study, one concludes that librarians can perceivethe positive influence of any technology on their work and this can inform their acceptance and use ofsuch a technology. they will acquire the necessary skills for deploying the technology for an innovative library service delivery. methodology a survey research method was adopted for the study. the method is found suitable because it is used in gathering holistic and unbiased responses from participants. the population of the study consists of all the librarians in the 45 private universities in southern nigeria. the total number of librarians in the private universities was 181. all the librarians that constituted the population of this study participated in the research; hence, total enumeration sampling was adopted for the study. questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. the researcher and five research assistants personally distributed and collectedcopies of the questionnaire from the universities covered within the period of five months.the data gathered was analysed using the statistical package for social sciences (spss) version 2.1 and the results were presented in frequency counts, percentages, mean scores, standard deviation and charts. results and discussion the distribution of private universities in southern nigeria and their librarians is presented in table 1. t. c. ilesanmi, 63 table 1: distribution of private universities and their librarians in southern nigeria southern nigeria zone name of university no. of university no. of librarian south-east caritas university evangel university gregory university godfrey okoye university madonna university paul university renaissance university rhema university 8 25 southsouth benson idahosa university igbinedion university novena university obong university ritman university samuel adegboyega university wellspring university western delta university 8 33 southwest achievers university adeleke university afebabalola university ajayicrowther university augustine university babcock university bells university of technology bowen university caleb university chrisland university christopher university covenant university crawford university crescent university dominican university elizade university fountain university hallmark university joseph ayo babalola university kings university koladaisi university lead city university mcpherson university 29 123 t. c. ilesanmi, 64 mountain top university oduduwa university pan-atlantic university redeemer’s university southwestern university wesley university of science & technology total 45 181 source: national universities commission (nuc) website and field data table 1 revealed that majority of the librarians in the private universities in southern nigeria were from the south-west zone. this is followed by the south-south zone which has eight private universities and 33 librarians respectively. this result implies that more private universities are located in south-west nigeria than other geographical zones in southern nigeria. questionnaire distribution and response rate table 2: distribution of questionnaires and return rate by librarians of private universities in southern nigeria southern nigeria zone no. of university no. of librarians and administered questionnaire no. of copies returned south-east 8 25 24 south-south 8 33 30 south-west 29 123 119 total 45 181 173 (96%) table 2 revealed that out of the181 copies of the questionnaire distributed to librarians in the 45 private universities, 173 (96%) were returned and found useful for analysis. table 2 shows the return rate of the distributed copies of the questionnaire. figure 1: distribution of respondents by gender t. c. ilesanmi, 65 the response rate of the respondents by gender is presented in figure 1. there were more female participants than their male counterparts. it can be deduced from this result that there are more female librarians than male librarians in private universities in southern nigeria. this result is in line with the findings of quadri and garaba (2019) who reported the higher number of female information professionals among the librarians in six federal universities in south-west nigeria. this implies that more female librarians are engaged in the practice of library and information science in southern nigeria universities. table 3: demographic information of librarians of private universities in southern nigeria background information categories librarians n=173 % marital status married single widow widower 133 36 3 1 76.9 20.8 1.7 0.6 age 25 – 35 36 – 45 46 – 55 56 – 65 67 65 31 10 38.7 37.6 17.9 5.8 status deputy university librarian principal librarian senior librarian librarian i librarian ii assistant librarian graduate assistant 3 9 17 42 49 52 1 1.7 5.2 9.8 24.3 28.3 30.1 0.6 position acquisition librarian circulation librarian serials librarian systems librarian reference librarian readers’ services librarian e-resources librarian institutional repository librarian faculty librarian digital librarian cataloguer 17 32 18 14 12 25 6 2 7 3 37 9.8 18.5 10.4 8.1 6.9 14.5 3.5 1.2 4.0 1.7 21.4 t. c. ilesanmi, 66 qualification phd mls m.inf. m.phil. pgd 7 116 12 1 37 4.0 67.1 6.9 0.6 21.4 years of work experience 1 – 5 years 6 – 10 years 11 – 15 years 16 – 20 years 21 – 25 years 26 – 30 years 31 – 35 years 57 78 24 6 2 0 6 32.9 45.1 13.9 3.5 1.2 0.0 3.5 table 3 shows that the majority of the respondents (77%) were married. in terms of age, majority of the participants were between 25 and 45 years of age. this implies that the librarians in the private universities are responsible and youthful. many of the participants of the study were on the lower cadre of the profession (assistant librarian were30.1%, librarian ii were 28.3% and librarian i were 24.5%) respectively. in addition, the result revealed that majority of the respondents were cataloguers (21.4%) and circulation librarians (18.5%)but respondents in the institutional repository librarian cadre (1.2%) were the least.most of the respondents (74%) weremaster’s degree holders while 4.0% of the respondents had the phd degree. this result is in line with the findings of ojedokun and okafor (2015) that the higher percentage of library and information professionals with master’s degree.moreover, many of the respondents indicated that they had been on the job for between 6-10 years. this implies that they had sufficiently acquired different skills on the job as there is regular redeployment within the library system and there is also room for continuous development of their skills for effective service delivery as long as they are still on the job. the finding of the study corroborates the result of bajpai and margam (2019) that majority of the respondents had spent 10 years on the profession. t. c. ilesanmi, 67 table 4: types of services delivered by librarians of private universities in southern nigeria n = 173 services delivered by librarians n % library materials recommendation 111 64.2 library registration 103 59.5 interlibrary loan 56 32.4 selective dissemination of information 110 63.6 document delivery 67 38.7 reference service 119 68.8 outreach service 26 15.0 prompt notification of library development 59 34.1 notification of opac additions 64 37.0 notification of institutional repository update 45 26.0 notification of new library resources arrivals 99 57.2 images/photos service 24 13.9 library orientation 121 69.9 library education 107 61.8 charging and discharging of library materials 104 60.1 translation services 15 8.7 table 4 shows that library orientation (70%), reference service (69%) and library materials recommendation (64%) and selective dissemination of information (64%) respectively topped the types of services rendered by librarians while the least service rendered was translation (9%). these results corroborate the findings of aina t. c. ilesanmi, 68 (2014); quadri and garaba (2019); and agbo and eyinnah (2022) who reported that librarians render variegated library services that are ict-related to their users. husain and nazim (2015) also asserted the use of ict skills by librarians to provide services such as offline and online database searches, electronic delivery of information resources, reference services andcurrent awareness service. adamuet al. (2021) concluded that the participants were involved in the provision of various quality library services to the users. the implication of these findings is that librarians would continue to be relevant as their ict skills are improved upon to provide qualitative library services to universities, polytechnics and colleges of education stakeholders. table 5: respondents’ ict skills acquiredfor library service delivery ict skills n = 173 very high high moder ate low very low m ea n std n % n % n % n % n % social media skills facebook 1 4 7.8 5 4 30. 2 8 0 44. 7 2 6 14. 5 5 2.8 3.6 5 .809 blog 7 3 40. 8 6 3 35. 2 3 0 16. 8 9 5.0 4 2.2 4.1 5 .804 you tube 4 4 24. 6 5 4 30. 2 5 2 29. 1 2 4 13. 4 5 2.8 3.6 6 .839 twitter 3 9 21. 8 5 5 30. 7 6 5 36. 3 1 6 8.9 4 2.2 3.8 7 .838 skype 3 3 18. 4 6 1 34. 1 6 0 33. 5 1 8 10. 1 7 3.9 3.6 3 .755 whatsapp 5 0 27. 9 6 5 36. 3 3 7 20. 7 1 8 10. 1 9 5.0 4.2 2 .805 flickr 6 3 35. 2 6 6 36. 9 3 3 18. 4 1 2 6.7 5 2.8 3.9 3 .934 microsoft office skills ability to install, update and use ms office such as: word processing 3 3 18. 5 4 0 22. 5 6 2 34. 8 2 4 13. 5 1 9 10. 7 3.5 9 .933 power point 6 4 35. 8 4 7 26. 3 5 7 31. 8 1 0 5.6 1 0.6 4.0 5 .839 excel spreadsheet 7 2 40. 2 4 1 26. 3 4 7 26. 3 1 9 10. 6 0 0.0 3.9 2 .737 t. c. ilesanmi, 69 access 3 4 19. 0 3 3 18. 4 5 6 31. 3 3 6 20. 1 2 0 11. 2 3.1 7 .895 publisher 3 5 19. 6 2 4 13. 4 5 8 32. 4 4 5 25. 1 1 7 9.5 3.1 2 .843 outlook 3 4 19. 0 2 2 12. 3 4 1 22. 9 5 5 30. 7 2 7 15. 1 2.6 3 .856 sharepoint 3 0 16. 7 3 9 21. 8 5 1 28. 5 3 9 21. 8 2 0 11. 2 3.0 1 .809 information retrieval skills search and retrieve information from electronic resources database 8 4 46. 9 4 5 25. 1 3 8 21. 2 1 1 6. 1 1 0.6 4.1 2 .839 search and retrieve information from online public access catalogue 7 8 43. 6 5 1 28. 5 2 8 15. 6 1 5 8.4 7 3.9 3.9 3 .838 internet use skills search for information 7 4 41. 3 6 5 36. 3 2 6 14. 5 1 2 6.7 2 1.1 4.2 9 .805 download materials 9 7 54. 2 5 4 30. 2 2 1 11. 7 4 2.2 3 1.7 4.2 7 .934 save materials 9 8 54. 7 4 5 25. 1 2 8 15. 6 7 3.9 1 0.6 4.3 2 .923 print materials 9 2 51. 4 5 2 29. 1 2 8 15. 6 6 3.4 1 0.6 4.2 1 .933 use e-mail 8 9 49. 7 5 7 31. 8 2 7 15. 1 3 1.7 3 1.7 4.1 1 .839 use diverse search engines 7 9 44. 1 6 7 37. 4 1 5 8.4 1 5 8.4 3 1.7 3.8 9 .737 programming skills website design 3 8 21. 2 3 3 18. 4 4 9 27. 4 2 4 13. 4 3 5 19. 6 2.7 0 .843 networking 2 9 16. 2 2 6 14. 5 5 1 28. 5 4 2 23. 5 3 1 17. 3 3.3 3 .856 software installation 5 6 31. 3 4 3 24. 0 5 4 30. 2 1 3 7.3 1 3 7.3 2.7 9 .809 conservation/prese rvation skills digitising into different formats 6 2 34. 6 4 6 25. 7 4 4 24. 6 2 2 12. 3 5 2.8 3.6 7 .839 t. c. ilesanmi, 70 create records of digitised information 4 8 26. 8 4 3 24. 0 4 1 22. 9 3 5 19. 6 1 2 6.7 3.5 9 .838 upload files into the repository 3 6 20. 1 5 7 31. 8 4 6 25. 7 2 4 13. 4 1 6 8.9 3.8 0 .755 in table 5, the participants indicated that they had acquired skills in all the ictrelated functions that were listed. however, it was found that the level of acquisition differred among the respondents. the respondents claimed that they had a significantly high level skills in the use of social media with the following mean scores: whatsapp (mean = 4.22) and blogs (mean = 4.15) respectively. baro et al. (2013) study is in agreement with this study’s findings as it reported that 85% of the respondents claimed that they acquired social technology skills for various library services. the level of skills acquired by the respondents on the application of microsoft office suite was also high as the majority of the respondents had mean scores above 3 in the use of powerpoint, excel and word. the findings are in tandem with mbagwu (2020) who reported that many of her respondents claimed to have had microsoft office skills which they used for the provision of library services. the results also revealed that the respondents had gained competencies in the application of online and offline databases for information retrieval as the mean scores recorded indicated (mean = 4.0). concerning the use of the internet, the result in table 5 found that private university librarians had very high skills in the use of the internet for searches, download of information in different formats, printing and sending emails. these findings are in line with the results of mommoh and saka (2016); bajpai and margam (2019); mbagwu (2020);adamuet al. (2021)which concluded that librarians’ ict skills have enhanced their library service delivery to the clientele. moreover, table 5 has also revealed that librarians in private universities in southern nigeria have low level skills in website design and software installation. both gbaje and ukachi (2011) and, bajpai and margam (2019) reported that the studied professionals had low ict skills in operating systems and softwares, and web design. this is in agreement with the findings of this study. on the contrary, both kattimani and naik (2013) and, husain and nazim (2015) reported a high level of web and software development skills among young librarians. furthermore, the level of skills acquisition by librarians on conservation and preservation of information resources was high as their mean scores were above 3.5. this result implies that there was a high level of skills acquisition in respect of information resources preservation and management by the respondents. the t. c. ilesanmi, 71 general inference that could be drawn from the foregoing analysis is that the level of ict skills of librarians in private universities was significantly high. it is evident that, as technology evolves, librarians are improving on their skills for effective library service delivery to their users. husain and nazim’s (2015) which also revealed the high level of ict skills acquisition among the respondents is in tandem withthe findings of this study. in contrast, ahmed (2014) reported a low level of ict skills among the studied information professionals. this study has established that librarians keep updating and improving their ict skills from time to time in order to keep abreast of latest technologies and sustain their relevance as professionals that deliver library services.evidently, regular ict skills acquisition would positively impact the quality of service delivery among information professionals. table 6: distribution of respondents by sources of ict skills acquisition private universities n=173 source agreement score disagreement score n % n % self-learning 161 93.1 12 6.9 through in-house training 140 80.9 33 19.1 through national conferences and workshops 130 75.1 43 24.9 through professional online networks 109 63.0 64 37.0 through international conferences and workshops 99 57.2 86 49.7 in addition, the sources of ict acquisition of librarians were investigated and the result is presented in table 6. the results shown in table 6 reveal that most of the librariansin the study (93%) indicated that they acquired their ict skills through self-learning. this result corroborates the findings o fgbaje and ukachi (2011); mommoh and saka (2016); manzo (2020); mbagwu (2020);adamu et al. (2021) which revealed that majority of their respondents acquired their ict skills through self-development and in-house training.acquisition of ict skills by librarians in private universities in southern t. c. ilesanmi, 72 nigeria through international conferences and workshops had the lowest percentage. this could be as a result of inadequate funding as private universities depend mainly on the allocation of resources by the parent institutions. conclusion and recommendation changes in the ways librarians handle library operations and functions and the evolving development in service delivery have necessitated the acquisition of ict skills by librarians from time to time. this development has enhanced the provision of tandem services to the users regardless of location and time. librarians are exposed to new ict skills and are readily available to render library services in a world-class mode. this study, which has investigated the level of ict skills of librarians in private universities in southern nigeria, has established that information professionals acquire the needful ict skills through self-study and inhouse trainingto render effective service delivery in their respective libraries. continuous capacity development of librarians is crucial as it influences the quality of library service delivery to the users in the tertiary institutions. the paper recommends that:  university and library management should regularly support the librarians on acquiring up-to-date skills, especially in the area of application of ict;  acquisition of ict skills should be undertaken more throughinternational workshops, conferences and exchange programmes; and  there should be an increase in the institutional budgets for staff training and development in order to accommodate a reasonable size of staff for ict skills development at national and international levels;this will enhance librariansefficiency and ability to compete with their contemporaries around the world, at all times, in the area of library service delivery to their users. references adamu, m. s., udoudoh, s. j., babalola, g. a. & yusuf, f. l. 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(2013).roles of the librarian in a research library in the digital era: challenges and the way forward. new review of academic librarianship, 19(1), 514. t. c. ilesanmi, 74 kattimani, s. f., &naik, r. r. (2013). evaluation of librarianship and ict skills of library and information professionals working in the engineering college libraries in karnataka, india: a survey. program: electronic library and information systems, 47(4), 344-368. mabawonku, i. m. (2017). from tablet to tablet: information, media and technology acceptance. an inaugural lecture delivered at the university of ibadan on apr. 20, 2017. ibadan: ibadan university press. 50p. manzo, b. s. (2020). ict skills acquisition and competencies of academic librarians in katsina state tertiary institutions of learning. international journal of library and information studies, 19(4), 25-31. mathew, k. s., & baby, m. d. (2012). developing technology skills for academic librarians: a study based on the universities in kerala, india. library philosophy and practice, (e-journal). 702. retrieved on aug. 18, 2017 from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/702 mbagwu, i. f. (2020). ict skills, training and use by academic librarians in tertiary institutions in imo state, nigeria. journal of applied and information science and technology, 13(1), 20-29. mommoh, r. l., &saka, k. a. (2016). ict training, skills, and use by librarians in special libraries in abuja, federal capital territory, nigeria. international journal of applied technologies in library and information management, 2(2), 7-16. nnadozie, c. o. (2016). interaction between librarians' ict skills and faculty members’ satisfaction with information delivery in university libraries. middlebelt journal of library and information science, 14, 32-46. obasola, o. i., alonge, a. j., eyers, j., &oladele, b. a. (2014). building capacity of librarians for knowledge and skill development: a case study of nine institutions of the consortium of advanced research training in africa carta. collaborative librarianship, 6(4), 169-174. ojedokun, a. a., &okafor, v. n. (2015). ict skills acquisition and competencies of librarians: implication for digital and electronic environment in nigeria. electronic library, 33(3), 502-523. t. c. ilesanmi, 75 owusu-ansha, c. m. gontshi, v., mutibwa, l., &ukwoma, s. (2015). applications of social media and web 2.0 for research support in selected african academic institutions. journal of balkan libraries union, 3(1), 30-39. quadri, g. o., &garaba, f. (2019). perceived effects of ict on knowledge sharing among librarian in south-west nigeria: a utaut theoretical approach.journal of balkan libraries union, 6(1), 38-46. seena, s. t. & pillai, k. g. s. (2014). a study of ict skills among library professionals in the kerala university library system. annals of library and information studies, 61, 132-141. 94 journal of information and knowledge management 2023, vol. 14, no. 1, 94-112: issn: 2141-4297 (print) 2360-994x (online) https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.6 to cite this article: asiru, e.m., abioye, a. a, & hamzat,.s.a. (2023) availability, accessibility and use of library information resources for control of criminality of inmates in correctional centres in south-west, nigeria. information impact: journal of information and knowledge management, 14:1, 94-112, doi https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.6 to link to this article: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/iijikm.v14i1.6 availability, accessibility and use of library information resources for control of criminality of inmates in correctional centres in south-west, nigeria 1 ayobami mufutau asiru 2 abiola a. abioye 3 saheed abiola hamzat 1 department of library and information science, the federal polytechnic ado ekiti, nigeria 2 department of library, archival and information studies, university of ibadan, nigeria 3 department of library and information science, adeleke university, ede, nigeria abstract the act of relapsing to crime after release has become a recurrent decimal to inmate and it poses a security threat to the society. persistence on incarceration of offenders without meaningful engagement is like remaking criminality rather than reformation. extant literature suggests educational opportunities to reduce criminal involvement of inmates. this research investigated the availability, accessibility and use of library information resources for control of criminality among inmate in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. descriptive survey design was used and the population was 455 inmates who affirmed that tapes, radio sets, television sets, sound recording gadgets, video and audio cassette were available for use by inmates in their custodial centre (mean = 3.20), books were adequately available for use by inmates in their custodial centre (mean = 3.06) and pamphlets were parts of reading materials available for use by inmates in their custodial centre (mean = 2.62). the mean score range of 2.50 to 3.24 indicated a high level of availability while 3.25 to 4.00 indicated a very high level of accessibility of library information resources in the custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. it was concluded that with the availability and accessibility of library information resources to the inmates, the maximum use of the resources is capable of controlling criminality tendencies among inmates in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. keywords cyber bullying, facebook, mitigation, strategies, prevention, university students, nigeria contact mufutau ayobami asiru @ mufutaubinasiru@gmail.com 2023 the authors published with license by information impact a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 95 introduction availability of library information resources in the custodial centre is assumed to help inmates in the custodial centres to engage in educational pursuit that can set them free of crime. finlay and bates (2018) said that much recreational reading is indirectly educational, but the library has possibilities for direct education that have not yet been realised in any penal institution in the country. if one could choose only one of the agencies necessary for a well-rounded programme of education in a penal institution, it would be right to choose an adequate library. onye (2016) submitted that availability and accessibility of information resources influence utilisation by users. however, the first call of library functionality demands that the users have access to adequate information resources to meet their needs. before users can utilise information in the library, the functions of making information readily available and accessible must first be activated. facilities such as radio, television, cable satellite, internet, and so on as media that gives wide publicity to events, objects, discoveries, scientific findings, new products, and new services should be provided. the availability of all these facilities cannot be useful for the users until they are consulted; the librarians can also use them to facilitate their process of getting information readily available. by so doing, it is pertinent for the librarian to share knowledge among themselves, which can be effective when relevant facilities such as current printed materials, printers, photocopying facilities, and so on are adequately available. correction of inmates with the hope that they will continue to live a crime-free life could mean a control of criminality tendencies. there are many different ways to reduce recidivism. the education programmes in custodial centres are designed to help inmates gain skills that could be utilising when released into society. the hope is that these skills will help the offender reintegrate into the society and avoid criminal activities. however, recidivism is expected to reduce if the inmates are given the opportunity to be engaged with library information resources. accessibility of library information resources can be enhanced through digitisation. the benefits of library resources digitisation in academic libraries, according to otubelu and ume (2015) can be summarised as access support of preservation activities, collection development, institutional and strategies benefits, research and education. thus, the obvious benefit of digitisation is that it enables greater access to collections of all types. all manner of material can be digitised and delivered in electronic form. digital materials can be made available to a broader audience than those who have the a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 96 resources or ability to travel to see the analogue collections, and access can be expanded to non-traditional audiences such as lifelong learners (otubelu & ume, 2015). musa (2015) said that digitisation makes it easier for researchers to find and share the results of research, through free and unrestricted online availability and provide reliable long-term access to manage digital resources to its designated community, now and in the future to achieve optimum development goals in the institution. musa (2012) opined that digitisation improves access to library resources. according to him, providing access to digitised collections can help publicise the materials to other departments and peers, in other institutions, around the world and demonstrate the importance of the collections. the result from the survey carried out in kashim ibrahim library, ahmadu bello university in zaria revealed that by digitising information resources in academic libraries, it raises the profile of the library and the institution to the top ranks of institutional repositories. the digitisation of priceless and valuable collections of the institution brings prestige to the whole institution as it creates visibility not only of the library‘s (institution’s) content, but the scholars work within the higher institution of learning (musa, 2012). ogwezzy (2016) posited that the nigerian state should provide the necessary framework to complement the traditional utilitarian system of punishment, ‘imprisonment’, and pursue a more victim/offender engagement for the prevention of crime, guarantee non-custodial treatment for crime offenders, and consequently forestall recidivism and decongest the prisons. libraries have a long history of providing accessible services to people with disability, preceding many other social and government organisations (hill, 2013; jaeger et al., 2015). specialised library services have played an important role in this; however, almost all libraries do provide a level of access and inclusion for people with disabilities (jaeger et al., 2015). currently, the majority of large public libraries in australia and the united states provide borrowing materials in different formats, including audio and digital books. provision of ramps, elevators and wheelchair accessible desks are also good examples of public libraries addressing inclusion of individuals with physical disabilities. while these initiatives demonstrate accessibility, libraries have endeavoured to provide access to all; there are always opportunities for improvement. this paper explored the perceptions of public library access for children with disabilities and their families and concluded by proposing an inclusive library model. a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 97 claiming that a library is accessible functionality of the information resources therein will tell. ibikunle and oyewumi (2018) maintained that the existence and effective functioning of prison libraries is its ability to meet the information needs of inmates. due to the peculiar nature of the prison, libraries should play a vital role in the rehabilitation of inmates through the provision of information resources such as books in diverse disciplines, newspapers, etc. the prison library serves as a medium for teaching, research, recreation and learning by encouraging reading skills and has included appraisal, counselling and follow up as part of services rendered to inmates to help them recover both psychologically, mentally, physically as well has to redirect their thoughts. the absence of prison libraries is detrimental to the rehabilitation of inmates according to rule 40 of the treatment of prisoners. it is recommended that there should be proper scrutiny of information resources acquired into the prison libraries, as well as acquisition of current and relevant materials that would meet the information needs of inmates to enhance maximum satisfaction. it is also recommended that inmates should be encouraged to make use of the information resources, the library should strategise on how best to provide mind-changing services to inmates’ learning. a functional library is to support reading and writing instruction of users. library is expected to be filled with books and other media materials to support anyone who is willing to learn. resources related to languages, spelling, grammar, history, art, drama, dance, music, literature, geography, economics, science, health, mathematics, computer science, and other topics of interest are supposed to be there. collections of fiction and non-fiction materials of various levels are needed to accommodate varieties of interests and abilities of users. a functional library should provide a place for users to learn about books and book selection. this is where users can experience book genres and other reading materials in a smaller and more controlled environment. effective strategies should be taught by librarian for selecting relevant, interesting, and appropriate reading materials of users’ choice easily. a functional library should be seen as an organised central storage and location for learning resources, such as equipments, audio players, dvds, computers, games, and other materials that support teaching-learning. for a correctional house library to be tagged as being functional, it must be seen as resources’ location for independent reading, personal exploration, project a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 98 research, and individual assessment. therefore, selected materials that meet personal, recreational and reading interests of users should be readily accessible in print and electronic. further, gathering spots where curious users can express their experience in reading should be put in place. here they can show their reactions to books write critical reviews and share it with peers, project the profession of their choice after release as a result of the books they have read. with the functionality of library in the correctional house there is the possibility of inmates to have non-formal education and correspondence education that will make them admissible to society after being rehabilitated. non-formal education is the one deliberately organised as learning activity outside the formal education system. it is usually meant for adults outside the school room. through it, the introduction of new ideas, techniques, skills and new way of thinking or living will come up. this will take care of so many individuals who have had little or no education. it is a welcome opportunity to the inmates who have the hope of becoming new and permissible persons in the society after release. this is a design that does not cost as much as formal education system and it gives room for flexibility of operation with which the inmates who are inquisitive to learn will discover themselves. correspondence education is another opportunity where inmates can learn. it is a branch of adult education which provides an alternative way of learning for categories of people who cannot leave where they are to have full time study in an institution but also need to learn and develop themselves. the intention of government incarcerating the inmates is for the inmates to change and become reformed individuals. therefore, learning in the correctional centres could be a means of rehabilitation though it is voluntary. an inmate who is engaging in learning has realised a need or needs he wants to meet. that realisation will drive him to be ready for learning. learning is not stagnant, the society is dynamic and so everyday there are changes and for an inmate to be a part of the system, he must understand the system and be able to change with the system. correspondence education is a means by which an inmate can keep up with new knowledge and it keeps people abreast of new things and findings so as to fill the gap. inclusion is another key word that denotes accessibility to library information resources. prison inmates are to be inclusive; they deserve standard libraries that are well equipped. the library must be stocked with relevant and useful books and other information resources of different formats such as encyclopaedias, dictionaries, handbooks, bibliographies, a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 99 novels, manuals, newsletters, journals, bulletins, maps, atlas and textbooks. it has been observed that in nigerian prisons, most of these information resources are not available and a few others available are only occasionally accessible. accessibility to library resources by prison inmates can be addressed if prison libraries are provided with sufficient information resources and inmates are granted easy access to such resources. in addition, prison officials should see the prison library as means of character reformation and rehabilitation; and, the government and other stakeholders should provide adequate information materials for their use that would help change attitudes of inmates that should give them a focus even after leaving the prison (emasealu, 2018). for human development, information is one of the major resources, and access to it could improve knowledge. information is the heart of the world’s development. the increased access to timely, accurate, relevant, reliable and current information remains significant precursor to technological innovations. bowe (2011) opined that the prison library is at the heart of the prisoners’ learning journey by assisting in functional and emotional literacy and that the value of the prison library cannot be underestimated. between 80 and 90 percent of the prison population that use the prison library, not only can the prison library help to bridge the digital divide and increase prisoners’ ict skills. it can also instil a love of books and reading through exciting reader development projects. inmates have the same information needs and reading interests as people outside correctional centres. however, they sometimes cannot access all material due to the high security sensitivity of their environment. key stakeholders in the provision of information access are libraries. they play a huge role in providing information access to society. specifically, with regard to the provision of library and information services to inmates, it is the public libraries through their extension mandate that provide information through outreach programmes (correctional services, hospitals, and places of safety). garrido and wyber (2017) asserted that libraries can be beneficial in providing information access to everyone and build an informed society which in turn will help empower economic growth of the country. moreover, garrido and wyber (2017) emphasised that the provision of information access is still a challenge, especially in developing countries where there are limited connections to the internet, controlled access to information and lack of skills to access and utilise information. in a similar a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 100 study, ejike et al. (2014) revealed that most inmates in nigeria are school dropouts or have no basic education andthe libraries can assist their literacy skills by giving them required information. the flexibility of a library exists when the library goes electronic. electronic library acquires, processes, stores, evaluates and disseminates information via electronic means to the audience in need of information. it can serve as a medium for achieving national and community development through provision of relevant information necessary for decision making and policy enhancement. electronic library is a multi-disciplinary concept that shares various branches of computer science including data management, information retrieval, library science, document management, information systems, the web, image processing, and artificial intelligence. multidisciplinary nature of electronic library engenders flexibility in the definitions which makes it difficult to have a singular definition of e-library. however, the format, form and nature of digital libraries give clearer picture of what digital library means. onwuchekwa and jegede (2011) reiterated that electronic library is the library where some or all of the holdings of the library are available in electronic format, and the services of the library are also made available electronically-frequent over the internet so that users can access them remotely. according to hirsh (2014), the mission of library is to provide both information services and resources that are capable of meeting the research, teaching and learning needs of the users. eke (2020) defined use as the easiness of a product for user’s interaction. he claimed that usability is distinctly different from accessibility, which concerns the needs of users with disabilities. use is a systematic model for observing how users behave when using resources, analysing that use, and making changes to improve the user experience. use is a multidimensional construct that can be examined from various perspectives. the term usability has been used broadly and means different things to different people. some relate use to ease of use or user-friendliness and consider from an interface effectiveness point-of-view. types of resources, frequency of use and purpose of use will determine use of library information resources. terlanga et al. (2019) noted that information is of paramount importance to the development of an individual and for the growth of the nation. information can be put into several uses and for various purposes. knowledge and information have become the most important currency of increased wealth and prosperity. the library is the store house of knowledge and information. it provides access to both information a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 101 resources and information itself. library helps institutions to achieve the objectivees of producing professionals through the use of information literature. statement of problem some people are crime addicted as they have chosen crime as their way of life. this is manifested in their rate of relapsing into crime after release from custodial centres. incarcerating them without being engaged in educational activities is not enough to reform them. as kathleen (2018) noted that education opportunities in custodial centres are keys to reducing crime, the gap is noted that library could be investigated whether or not it can anchor educational opportunities in the custodial centres. therefore the following objectives are to be looked upon. objectives of the study 1. to investigate the level of availability of library information resources to be used for control of criminality by inmates in custodial centres in south-western nigeria; 2. to ascertain the level of accessibility of library information resources to the inmates for criminality control in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria , 3. to ascertain the rate of use of library information resources for criminality control by the inmates of custodial centres in southwestern nigeria research questions 1 what is the level of availability of library information resources that are used for criminality control by inmates in the custodial centres in southwestern nigeria? 2 what is the level of accessibility of library information resources for control of criminality by the inmates in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria ? 3 what is the rate of use of library information resources for control of criminality by the inmates of custodial centres in southwestern nigeria ? population of the study the population of this study comprised 8,463 inmates in nine custodial centres that had libraries and were located in southwestern nigeria. the preliminary investigation of the researcher revealed that out of this figure 4,253 inmates were convicts and lifers who had five years and more jail term in the custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. the distribution of these inmates is as presented in table 1. a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 102 table 1: inmates and custodial centres in southwestern nigeria s/n location convict s lifer s awaiting trial lodger s total 1 ado 123 12 482 3 620 2 badagry 150 30 200 20 400 3 ikoyi 800 50 900 50 1800 4 kirikiri 1 500 40 600 60 1200 5 ibara abeokuta 180 35 140 45 400 6 ilesha 500 15 100 20 635 7 agodi ibadan 930 18 670 40 1658 8 iba abeokuta 600 50 500 50 1200 9 olokuta akure 200 20 300 30 550 total 3983 270 3892 318 8463 source: intelligent units of those custodial centres visited in south-western nigerian september 2021 sample size and sampling technique the two-stage sampling technique was adopted for this study. at first stage, purposive sampling technique was adopted to select the convicts and the lifers who had five or more years’ jail term to be used at the custodial centres. they were 4,253 inmates in all. at the second stage, proportionate stratified sampling technique was used where 12% of the inmates at each of the centres were selected to indicate equal representation. this amounted to approximately 508. the breakdown is as presented in table 2. table 2: proportionate sampling technique’s calculation subgroups convicts lifers total proportionate technique percentage ado 123 + 12 = 135 0.12 x 135 = 16,2 badagry 150 + 13 = 163 0.12 x163 = 19.56 ikoyi 800 + 50 = 850 0.12 x 850 = 102 kirikiri 500 + 40 = 540 0.12 x 540 = 64.8 ibara abeokuta 180 + 35 = 215 0.12 x 215 = 25.8 ilesha 500 + 15 = 515 0.12 x 515 = 61.8 agodi ibadan 930 + 18 = 948 0.12 x948 = 113.76 a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 103 abeokuta 600 + 50 = 650 0.12 x 650 = 78 akure 200 + 20 = 220 0.12 x 220 = 26.4 total 508.32 questionnaire administration and response rate a total of five hundred and eight (508) copies of the questionnaire were administered on the 508 inmates selected across all the nine custodial centres in south-west nigeria. however, out of the 508 copies of the questionnaire administered, 468 (91.9%) were returned but 455 (89.4%) were found usable and valid for analysis. this represented 89.4% response rate. answers to the research questions the three research questions that were raised in this study were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency count, percentage, mean and standard deviation. the results are presented as follows: research question 1 what is the level of availability of library information resources that are used for criminality control by inmates in the custodial centres in south-western nigeria? the respondents were asked to identify the availability of library information resources used in control of criminality by inmates in the custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. the result is presented in table 3 below: table 3 on availability of library information resources to be used for criminality control by inmates in the custodial centres in south-western nigeria items ha a ma na n % n % n % n % mean s.d books are adequately available for use 38 8.4 311 68.4 51 11.2 55 12.1 3.06 0.336 newspapers and journals and comics 2 0.4 34 7.5 219 48.1 200 44 2 0.304 pamphlets 25 5.5 121 26.6 267 58.7 42 9.2 2.62 0.372 encyclopaedias and other reference materials 38 8.4 46 10.1 159 34.9 212 46.6 2.25 2.048 illustrated books 10 2.2 37 8.1 121 26.6 287 63.1 1.49 0.739 tapes, sound recording and electronics 213 46.8 161 35.4 41 9 40 8.8 3.20 0.933 compact disc, compact disc read only memory 12 2.6 109 24 177 38.9 157 34.5 2.36 0.712 a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 104 microfilms, graphic materials and motion 6 1.3 58 12.7 165 36.3 226 49.7 1.85 0.627 cam coders 10 2.2 14 3.1 113 24.8 318 69.9 1.33 0.542 one of library databases 12 2.6 55 12.1 99 21.8 289 63.5 1.54 0.806 source: researcher’s field work, 2022 key: 4 = highly available (h a); 3 = availabe (a); 2 = moderately available (m a) and 1 =not available (na). sd = standard deviation decision rule if mean is 1.0 to 1.74 = not available; 1.75 to 2.49 = moderately available; 2.50 to 3.24 = available; 3.25 to 4.0 = highly available. criterion mean = 2.5 the result revealed that in custodial centres in south-western nigeria, the majority of the inmates affirmed that tapes, radio sets, television sets, sound recording gadgets, video and audio cassette were available for use of inmates (mean = 3.20), books were adequately available for use of inmates in custodial centres (mean = 3.06) and pamphlets are parts of reading materials available for the use of inmates in this custodial centre (mean = 2.62). this meant that tapes, radio sets, television and audio, books and pamphlets were the information resources mostly used by inmates in custodial centres in south-western nigeria for controlling of criminality tendencies among the inmates. however, information resources such as cam coders (mean = 1.33), illustrated books (mean = 1.49), library databases (mean = 1.54), microfilms, graphic materials and motion pictures (mean = 1.85), newspapers and journals and comics (mean = 2.00), encyclopaedias dictionaries, government publications, maps, atlases and globes (mean = 2.25) were not always available to the inmates in the custodial centres. discussion of findings the findings above on the availability of library information resources which were used for control of criminality by inmates in the custodial centres in south-western nigeria indicated that only a few library information materials such as tapes, radio sets, television sets, books and pamphlets were available while most of the other types of library information materials such as journals, newspapers, microfilms library databases were not adequately available for control of criminality among inmates in the custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. the onus is therefore on the management of the custodial centres, especially the library to acquire various types of library information resources that will enable the inmates to apply them for recidivism-reduction. this finding corroborates varadarju (2017) that textbooks were the most available types of library information resources. the finding also agrees with the position of ajegbomogun and diyaolu (2018) that if facilities such as a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 105 current printed materials, printers, internet/email, multimedia projectors, cdroms are available, users would have the option of using various types of library information resources and it will eventually create a favourable working environment for the staff and enhance their job performance. similarly, the present finding supports iwhiwhu and okorodudu (2012) that library facilities which include ict facilities such as internet, computers, photocopiers, fans and air conditioners in the edo state central library are not enough to enhance users' satisfaction as the case was found worse in the custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. however, it is generally believed that an inmate who uses various types of library information resources will gain knowledge from the library and applying the knowledge will let him be aware that libraries are important cornerstones of a healthy community, thereby enhancing recidivismreduction among inmates (shirley, 2004; emasealu 2017, suleiman et al. 2018). research question 2: what is the level of accessibility of library information resources to the inmates in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria in recidivism-reduction? the result of the level of accessibility of library information resources to the inmates in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria for recidivism-reduction is presented in the following table 4. table 4 on level of accessibility of library information resources to the inmates in custodial centres in south-western nigeria for recidivism-reduction items ha a ma na n % n % n % n % mean s.d library catalogue 59 13.0 69 15.2 281 61.8 46 10.1 2.51 0.878 shelf list is useful 41 9.0 76 16.7 215 47.3 123 27.0 2.35 0.879 reading list 52 11.4 86 18.9 214 47.0 103 22.6 2.53 0.493 indexes 19 4.2 92 20.2 230 50.5 114 25.1 2.37 0.473 abstracts 18 4.0 102 22.4 229 50.3 106 23.3 2.33 0.443 bibligraphies 21 4.6 83 18.2 237 52.1 114 25.1 2.32 0.492 library staff 179 39.3 233 51.2 27 5.9 16 3.5 3.11 0.524 reference librarian 143 31.4 159 34.9 112 24.6 41 9.0 2.93 0.603 circulation desk officer 113 24.8 167 36.7 161 35.4 14 3.1 2.62 0.839 koha or tinlib 26 5.7 75 16.5 216 47.5 138 30.3 1.75 0.679 weighted mean = 2.48 source: researcher’s field work, 2022 a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 106 key: highly accessible (ha), accessible (a), moderately accessible (ma) and not accessible (na) decision rule: if mean is 1.0 to 1.74 = very low; 1.75 to 2.49 = low; 2.50 to 3.24 = high; 3.25 to 4.0 = very high. criterion mean = 2.5 the result in above table revealed that the majority of the respondents affirmed low level of accessibility of koha or tinlib software (mean =1.75), bibliographies (mean = 2.32), abstracts (mean = 2.33), and indexes for tracing of journals (mean = 2.37). on the contrary, the level of accessibility in the areas of library staff support to access materials (mean = 3.11), reference librarian support (mean = 2.93), reading list (mean =2.53) and catalogue (mean = 2.51) was found high. further analysis to find the level of accessibility of library information resources in the custodial centres was done. a test of norm was conducted to examine the level of accessibility of library information resources to inmates for recidivism-reduction in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria, using the decision rule. the mean score range between 1.0 to 1.74 indicated very low level of accessibility, the mean range of 1.75 to 2.49 denoted a low level of accessibility, the mean score range of 2.50 to 3.24 indicated a high level of accessibility while 3.25 to 4.00 indicated a very high level of accessibility of library information resources in the custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. thus, the result in the table showed that the weighted mean score was 2.48 which fell within the low range. it is therefore concluded that the level of accessibility of library information resources to inmates for recidivism reduction in custodial centres in southwestern was low. the implication of this result is that there was low level of accessibility of most of the library information materials in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. in other words, most of the library information resources cannot be accessed through koha or tinlib software, bibliographies, abstracts, indexes for tracing of journals and other information retrieval tools apart from cataloguing, shelf list and staff support. discussion of findings the result of the finding on the level of accessibility of library information resources to inmates for recidivism-reduction in custodial centres revealed that there was low level of accessibility of most of the library information materials in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. in other words, most of the library information resources cannot be accessed through koha or tinlib software, bibliographies, abstracts, indexes for tracing of journals and other information retrieval tools apart from cataloguing, shelf list and staff support. it was apparent that there was low level of accessibility of library information resources by inmates in custodial centres. this could be attributed to lack of proper orientation in the use of library access tools, inadequate collection, overcrowding of the custodial centres as well as the level of a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 107 education of most of the inmates in the custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. library managers in the custodial centres are duty bound to make library information resources accessible to inmates through the creation of access points and easy retrieval of information for recidivism-reduction of inmates in custodial centres. this finding aligns with kavita et al. (2012), aguolu (2002) and abdulsalami (2013) that there were natural and artificial barriers to free access to information and that the libraries’ poor reputation was attributed to lack of accessibility to information resources. similarly, the finding agrees with busayo and elaturoti (2016) that access to library information was low among inmates due the fact that their cells were far from the prison libraries, the general library reading materials were not accessible to them, most of the inmates claimed that they did not have free access to the prison library resources. however, the finding disagrees with the finding of conrade (2012) that inmates had access to the library and even borrowed library resources. research question 3: what is rate of use of library information resources by the inmates of custodial centres in south-western nigeria ? the respondents were asked to indicate how often they used library information resources of the custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. the result is presented in table 5 below. table 5 on rate of use of library information resources by the inmates of custodial centres in south-western nigeria items very often often seldom not often n % n % n % n % mean s.d i consult books in my custodial centre 78 17.1 117 25.7 134 29.5 126 27.7 2.54 0.851 i read newspapers 40 8.8 121 26.6 182 40.0 112 24.6 2.28 0.939 i consult encyclopaedias 32 7.0 56 12.3 221 48.6 146 32.1 1.93 0.741 i read the professional books 79 17.4 165 36.3 141 31.0 70 15.4 2.68 0.939 the books i read have changed my mindset and reformed my ways of life 134 29.5 138 30.3 118 25.9 65 14.3 2.89 0.956 weighted mean = 2.46 source: researcher’s field work, 2022 decision rule: if mean is 1.0 to 1.74 = very low; 1.75 to 2.49 = low; 2.50 to 3.24 = high; 3.25 to 4.0 = very high. criterion mean = 2.5 a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 108 table 5 shows the descriptive statistic result for research question five on rate of use of library information resources by inmates in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. the result revealed that inmates used books most frequently (mean = 2.89), reading of materials that package the profession that i want to embark upon after release (mean = 2.68) and regular consultation of books (mean = 2.54). however, encyclopaedias (mean = 1.93) and newspapers (mean = 2.28) were not frequently used by inmates in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria. in addition, the weighted mean was 2.46, which according to the decision rules, fell below the criteria mean. this implies that the rate of use of library information resources by most of the inmates in custodial centres in southwestern nigeria was low. discussion of findings the finding of this study revealed that the rate of use of library information resources by inmates in correctional centres in southwestern nigeria was low. this implies that not every inmate made use of library information resources. in fact, only a few of the inmates made use of the available library materials. this corroborates the findings of obiano et al. (2020) that the information resources available were books, newspapers and dictionaries: the most available retrieval device that facilitated access to information resources was the library catalogue; and, books were the most frequently utilised information resources by the inmates. similarly, the finding corroborates sambo et al. (2017) and adegboye (2015) that books, newspapers and dictionaries respectively were the most frequently available information resources but not all of these resources and services were frequently utilised by inmates. conclusion the library information resources can be used to reform the inmates in the custodial centres in south-western nigeria. the library information resources are so important that they can easily change lives for better. it is noted that availability and accessibility of library information resources were must and of necessity in the custodial centres under study. the inmates were ready to use the resources. they even appreciated the available ones that they were using as they adequately noticed that what they were reading and audio facilities they were listening to had impacted their behaviours positively. investigation showed that books, pamphlets, radio /television and recording facilities were available accessed and utilised by inmates. it was also discovered that despite the fact that many important resources were not available and accessible, the inmates utilised the ones that were available and reformations were taking place in them. many of the inmates have the propensity to become men of high repute in the society. they only need to be guided and a.m. asiru, a.a. abioye, & s.a.hamzat 109 stimulated by the library information resources so as to be rehabilitated while busy with studies and ready to be parts of society again. recommendations  government and stake holders are to assist in stocking libraries in custodial centres with all necessary information resources  family members of individual inmates who showed interest in education should be contacted for finance of their child’s education. references abdulsalami, t. l. 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