Digitization of Local Collections and Its Impact on Scholarship in the Library
Chapter One
Objective of the Study
The study was guided by the following objectives to
- Assess access and utilization of digital information resources in Nigerian university libraries.
- Establish the level of the user awareness of digital information services in thelibraries and its impact on academic schorlaship.
- Identify the challenges facing the users in relation to access and utilization of digital information services in the
- Suggest possible solutions or strategies to the identified problems in the library.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter reviews literature based on the following issues; digital Information resources and services in academic libraries, rationale of digital- based information resources and finally the challenges encountered in the provision of digital information services in academic libraries.
Digital Library and Information Systems
The domain of the digital library represents many interest groups and disciplines such as, data management, information retrieval, library science, document management, information systems, web, image processing, artificial intelligence, human computer interaction and digital conservation groups. The three areas of interest identified include librarianship, computing research/e-business and social drivers. These interests or backgrounds influence the conception of the digital library although different people have different, conceptions, approaches and visualisation of the innovation. Anunobi (2011:373) viewed the digital library as the provision of library and information services for users. Development of the digital library is also influenced by the mission statement of the organisation including its collection, preservation, access and economic functions.
Every digital library is permeated with complex and multi-dimensional structures, patterns and relationships. Some of this complexity is explicitly encoded through descriptive metadata semantic markup, and hyperlinks. But much remains implicit accessible, latent or hidden in the collection. To make implicit accessible and useful, digital libraries generate explicit, higher level representations. (Fast and Sedig, 2010: 170).The attributes of the digital library that guides its development is composed of three systems – digital library (DL), digital library system (DLS) and digital library management system (DLMS).(Chowdhuruy,2010:209) This manifesto brought together various views and characteristics/attributes of the digital library (Anunobi, 2011:378). In the development of digital technologies, digital resources have become more popular and important to university teachers and students who are the library users. Most of, the users may think that the digital library is just the shortcut to accessing online databases, only few of users would like to utilize the services and information in digital library. In the face of competition from commercial search engines, digital libraries should take some action to engage the users‟ attention. In the internet world, the most popular though not the best provides all types of information. In particular a merit system has been developed and implemented to increase the user viscosity with the digital library of a university (Yang, 2012: 184).
Digital libraries are organizations that provide the resources including specialised staff to select, structure, offer intellectual access to interpret, distribute, preserve the integrity of and ensure the persistence over time of collections of digital works that are readily and economically available for use by the defined community or set of communities (Fox, 2011: 13). Though the focus of this concept is on the document collection, it stresses the fact that digital libraries are much more than random assembly of digital objects. Digital libraries retain the several qualities of traditional libraries such as defined community of users, the possibility of selecting, organizing, preserving and sharing resources (Adzabu, 2014:39). The information system offers users the prospect of access to electronic resources at their convenience temporally and spatially. Users do not have to be concerned with the physical library‟s hours of operation, and don‟t have to go physically to the library to access resources (McMenemy, 2012: 510).
Digital library is the concept of remote access to the contents and services of libraries and other information resources, combining on- site collection of current heavily used materials in both print and electronic forms, with an electronic network that provides access to, and delivery from external worldwide library, commercial information and knowledge source (Aunobi & Ezeani, 2011).The system must not be seen as merely digitized collection of information objects plus related management tools, rather electronic environment bringing together collections, services and people to support the full cycle of creation, dissemination, use and preservation of data, information and knowledge. A number of intermediate goals are formulated for academic libraries to support teaching, learning and research. Academic libraries provide a wide range of array of services to assist members of the library with organizing collections of materials ormaking them more widely available. These services are as follows; catalogue databases current awareness bulletins, externally purchased databases, and remote information services, internally published newsletters report and journals, among others Wu, 2012).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter focuses on the procedure that was used to carry out the study. Issues herein include research design, location, target population, sample and sampling procedures, data collection instruments and data analysis. Ethical issues are also discussed accordingly.
Research Design
This study used a descriptive design which is used in preliminary and exploratory studies that allow researchers to gather information summarize present and interpret for the purpose of clarification. Descriptive design was selected as the design enabled the researcher to construct questions that help solicit the desired information, identify the means by which the research was conducted and data was summarized in a way that provided the designed descriptive information.
Area Study
This research work was carried out in the eastern region of Nigeria, a couple of libraries in the universities of these region was used for this study.
Target Population
Population is defined as the entire group of individuals‟ events or objects having common observable characteristics (Saunders, Lewis & Thorbill, 2009). The target population for this study involved 96 postgraduate students of the school of business (SOB). School of business was purposively selected as it is among the largest schools in the University of Nigeria. Empirically it has been observed that there is also frequent usage of the library by postgraduate students from the school of business. The population of postgraduate students from School of Business was large enough for a sample to be drawn from as the population was not too large or too small hence able to provide a representative sample for the total population of postgraduate students in the University of Nigeria. Literature Nreviewed showed that no study had been carried out in school of business on access and utilization of DIS.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION
Introduction
This chapter presents the data that was collected regarding access and utilization of digital information services in academic libraries with reference to the University of Nigeria. The research was conducted on sample size of 100 respondents out of which 63 respondents completed and returned the questionnaires making a response rate of 63%. Mugenda and Mugenda (2003) states that, a response rate of 50% and above is a good for statistical reporting. The study made use of frequencies (absolute and relative) on single response questions. On multiple response questions, the study used Likert scale in collecting and analyzing the data whereby the scale of 5 points was used in computing the means and standard deviations. The results were then presented in tables, graphs and charts as appropriate with explanations being given in prose.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF THE FINDING, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
This chapter presents summary of the findings, conclusion and recommendations of the study guided by objectives and research questions. The aim of the study was to determine access and utilization of digital information services in academic libraries: the case of university of Nigeria.
Objectives of the study included to:
Establish the level of the user awareness of digital information services in Nigerian University libraries.
Determine access and utilization of digital information resources at the Nigerian University libraries.
Identify the challenges facing the library users in access and utilization of digital information services in Nigerian University libraries.
Conclusion
The study outcomes show that respondents used electronic Journals (e-Journals). Most preferred university library to access the digital information resources. Internet connectivity access to digital information resources and services in is still a major issue respondent‟s library was reliable. Interestingly, digital information resources and services in library were majorly used for writing class assignments.
The study revealed that respondents occasionally used digital information services that majority of the respondents rarely approached librarian for training on the use of digital information resources and services. This implied that library users had expressed lack of training as a major problem in access and utilization of digital information services.
The study found out numerous challenges facing access sand use of digital information services. Lack of adequate search skills. It was established the respondents did not have adequate search skills in order to access and utilize information services in the library. It was established that due to lack of appropriate training most of the respondents had never trained or some only were trained during the orientation exercise which was considered quite inadequate as the respondents needed further trainings to be conducted. The respondents found it difficult to research in digital environment despite the training offered on the use of digital information services Makori (2009) observes that the digital environment has radically changed the way researcher find articles as well as how to access; retrieve and use the resource to do so, researcher must master an array of finding tools that themselves form part of the complexity of materials and services incorporated in modern digital libraries that have been described as a cascade of interactions at the interface. Librarians and users must make sense of this cascade and must be guides of users in this respect. According to Makori (2009) skills training is a big issue. On further questioning were, unreliable network connectivity, lack of enough computers in the library and not user friendly interface.
Recommendations
From the study findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are made:
Formulation of Strategic Planning
In order to ensure successful utilisation and accessibility of digital information resources in libraries, the stakeholders should formulate strategic plan of ensuring proper and extensive training is offered to the library users on mechanisms of easier retrieval and utilisation of information of digital information resources in libraries.
Information Infrastructure
To ensure increased awareness of digital information services in the libraries, the policy stakeholders should came up with policies which increases the reliability of internet connectivity access to digital information resources and services in the library
Leadership and Management Practice
In order to ensure the library users acquires maximum benefit from the use of digital information services in the library, the relevant management should clearly define and explain to the users the easier methodologies to acquire adequate information.
Marketing and Promotion Strategies
In order to ensure improved training and usage of digital information services in the libraries, background sensitization of the digital information services to the users would be of great significant. Therefore, the study recommends that the policy makers should ensure through and effective marketing and promotion strategies are enacted in the libraries to enhance mobilization of more library users.
REFERENCES
- Adzobu, N. Y. (2014). Building digital collections in a public university library in Ghana. Priority-Setting and User Needs Assessment Collection Building, 33 (2), 38-45.
- Annobi, C. V. and Ezeani, M. (2011). Digital library deployment in a university: challenges and prospects. Library Hi Tech, 29(2), 373-386.
- Anunobi, C. V. & Ezeani, M. L. (2011). Information retrieval in digital libraries: bringing search to the net. Science, 275 (5298), 327-334.
- Anunobi, C. V. (2011). Digital library deployment in a university: challenges and prospects. Library Hi Tech, 29 (2), 373-386.
- Arstrong. C. J., Lonsdale, R. and Nicholas, D. (2006). Super Book: planning for the e- book revolution. Library and Information Update, 5 (11), 28-30.
- Atilgan, D. and Bayram, O. (2006).An evaluation of faculty use of the digital library at Ankara University Turkey. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 32(2) 86-93.
