A Survey of Libraries Software Usage in Academic Libraries in Adamawa State
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The broad aim of this study is to assess the usage of library software in academic libraries. The specific objectives are to:
- Assess the software program available to academic libraries.
- Assess the need for the adoption of software programs in an academic libraries.
- Ascertain the factors that influence the choice of library software packages in academic libraries.
- Find out the challenges associated with the use of the packages.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Our focus in this chapter is to critically examine relevant literature that would assist in explaining the research problem and furthermore recognize the efforts of scholars who had previously contributed immensely to similar research. The chapter intends to deepen the understanding of the study and close the perceived gaps.
Precisely, the chapter will be considered in two sub-headings:
- Conceptual Framework
- Theoretical Framework
- Chapter Summary
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Academic Libraries
Basically one of the essential units of the university is the library which was established along with the university. As a service unit of the university it is out to provide information services to the mother institutions. Academic libraries are libraries attached to tertiary institutions such as universities, polytechnic institutions, colleges of education, colleges of agriculture, colleges of technology and also research institutes (Akporhonor, 2005). Singh and Kaur, (2019) stressed that preservation and access to knowledge and information is the main mandate of academic libraries alongside supporting the mission of their parent institutions which is teaching and research. An academic library plays a significant role in the context of this new learning paradigm. According to this new understanding of learning, a university library as a subsystem of university organization has not been a division only providing services for studies and research any longer. Instead it has become an important unit of university’s information infrastructure and an active participant in the learning process of the particular study programme. Together with the university departments and teaching staff, the academic library strives to realize the study aims. The library becomes one of the potential learning environments that function at the university. It is characterized by the abundance of information sources.
Academic libraries are institutions that are established to take care of the information need of students, lecturers, researchers and other community of scholars. Their mission is providing quality information service and knowledge products (print and electronic) to resident community of scholars. In the words of Wolpert (2017), “academic libraries are cost effective information service and provider of knowledge products to a resident community of scholars”. In order to function and provide timely information at a faster speed to lecturers, researchers and students, it would appear that administrators of academic libraries realized the important role information and communication technologies (ICTs) play in their job performance and so made information and communication technologies (ICTs) available to their workforce. However, the richness of information does not ensure the development of learning environment. Within the library space an individual has to identify an environment that helps to achieve learning goals he/she has set. Striving to find rich and empowering learning environments in the library, the educational environment has to be created in the library. The latter should meet the need of academic study programmes, have the potential to be transformed into multifunctional learning environments as well as define the aims for developing participants’ information and metal earning competence (Juceviciene et al. G. 2002). Thus, the aims and content of academic curriculum operate in the educational environment of academic library. It means that an academic library is influenced by the content of academic curriculum operate in the educational environment of academic library is characterized by the academic specificity (Juceviciene et al. G. (2002):
- It is an integral part of university’s educational system;
- It has to interact with all the educational environments of academic study programmes;
- It’s regular clients (students, teachers, researchers, administration staff) interact with each other;
- The selectivity of academic library learning environments depends on the type of clients and the educational environments of study programme. (It is important for students in particular).
The modern information and communication technologies (ICT) help the library to become not only the traditionally perceived learning environment as a physical space, but also the virtual learning environment. The possibilities of such a virtual learning environment expand the flexibility of learning environment, because it allows choosing where and when to study. The abundance of information sources and the provision with ICT are the conditions for creating the library’s educational environment respectively and, its learning environments. The academic library learning environment is an individualized learning space and it is comprised of the library educational environment that is identified by an individual learner according to his/her experience, competence and personal learning goals. The physical and virtual library’s learning environment contains the information related to learner’s goal(s), the ways information is being received and perceived, the subjects (peers, librarians, etc.) and tools (Juceviciene et al. G. 2002).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2019), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried out on libraries software usage in academic libraries using selected universities in Adamawa State as case study. Hence the population of this study therefore comprise of the entire librarians in 5 selected universities in Yola, Adamawa State.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of sixty (60) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which fifty fifty (55) were returned while 50 were validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 50 was validated for the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
Introduction
This chapter summarizes the findings on libraries software usage in academic libraries using selected universities in Adamawa State as case study. The chapter consists of summary of the study, conclusions, and recommendations.
Summary of the Study
In this study, our focus was to examine libraries software usage in academic libraries using selected universities in Adamawa State as case study. The study is was specifically focused on assessing the software program available to academic libraries, assessing the need for the adoption of software programs in an academic libraries, ascertaining the factors that influence the choice of library software packages in academic libraries, and finding out the challenges associated with the use of the packages.
The study adopted the survey research design and randomly enrolled participants in the study. A total of 50 responses were validated from the enrolled participants where all respondent are librarians in five selected universities in Yola, Adamawa State.
Conclusions
Based on the findings of this study, the researcher concluded that;
- The software programs available to academic libraries in Nigerian universities include; KOHA, Virtua, Microsoft Access, Alice, CDS/ISIS, SLAM, X – LIB, DSpace, ALICE and E-Lib.
- Among many other relevant reasons behind need to adopting software programs in an academic library in Nigeria are; easy access to information, elimination of repetition, accuracy and timeliness, speedy information retrieval and increase efficiency.
- The major factors that influences the choice of library software packages in academic libraries include; credibility of the manufacturer, ease of use, modularity of the software, user friendliness, ability to integrate data, cost and facilities available, database backup, and compatibility with available hardware.
- The challenges associated with the use of the software packages in academic libraries comprises of occasional system failure, inadequate funding, virus infection, inadequate training facilities, poor network signal, insufficient skilled personnel, retrospective conversion problem, and poor management support.
Recommendation
Based on the findings the researcher made the following recommendations;
- Management of the different universities should embrace the concept of automation of university libraries and give moral, financial and political support to the implementation of this innovation.
- The government, especially the National Universities Commission (NUC) in liaison with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), should ensure the enactment and implementation of policies and guidelines on automation of Nigerian university libraries.
- University librarians should update their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills and adopt the policies that facilitate the utilization of ICT in rendering library services to the clients.
- Library staff should be trained on ICT to enhance their embracing the deployment of ICT in the library and thus improving the overall efficiency of the library.
- University libraries should aim at full automation of the libraries to reap the benefits of such level of automation.
- Libraries should endeavor to acquire and use all the core modules needed for library management and efficiency
- Staff–student relationship should be improved for library automation to have a positive impact on the patrons.
- Effort should be made to provide training and retraining on a regular basis on the use of library software packages to library staff and users in particular.
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