Project – ICT skills, social media use and service delivery by librarians in Universities

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

University libraries support the university community by delivering services to meet the teaching, research and learning needs of staff and students. They play a key role in the educational system of their parent institutions by providing a variety of services to a wide range of users in the academic environment. University libraries acquire, process, manage and disseminate information resources through which their parent institutions conduct research and produce high-level manpower (Nnadozie & Onah, 2016). They provide access to information resources in diverse formats to users. They provide timely and relevant information in support of teaching and research needs of their parent institutions. The university library is a repository of information resources. These resources are the traditional information resources which include books, journals, maps, encyclopedia, dictionaries, newspapers and periodicals. Some of the services provided are reference services, technical services, current awareness services, selective dissemination of information, lending services, bibliographic services, reprographic services, inter-library loan services, indexing and abstracting services. These services are provided to keep their patrons abreast of the latest developments in their disciplines.

Edewor, Okite-Amughoro, Osuchukwu, and Egrejena (2016) opined that libraries are veritable information providers rendering strategic services. According to them, libraries are finding new ways of serving users effectively. Library services, before the advent of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), were essentially delivered manually and the library materials were primarily in print format. These services were only available during the open hours only. The staff, students and other users had no option but to use the library in the open hours. These libraries depend highly on print resources and manual interlibrary loan system.  Most times, the information resources available in the library are inadequate to meet the information that is needed by the patrons. Many of the services that were delivered by the librarians fall short of the roles librarians play as information providers.

The scenario is different in many libraries around the world today as ICTs have affected delivery of information service. ICTs have had tremendous impact on almost every sphere of activity including the services provided by librarians in university libraries. The emergence of ICTs and the accessibility of information resources online have transformed the services that university libraries provide to their patrons.

With the introduction of ICTs, a lot of library services are delivered digitally. Kemdarne (2013) defined (ICT) as the combination of telecommunication and computer technology to facilitate transmission, collection, processing, interpretation and distribution of information.  ICTs are the applications of modern technologies to the collection and dissemination of information. The application of ICTs in university libraries has enabled timely and rapid and timely access to information. The introduction of ICTs has significantly affected almost all library functions. ICTs have brought tremendous changes to information service delivery. Librarians in university libraries have realized the importance of ICTs in facilitating service delivery. Information and Communication Technologies are used in library services such as acquisition processes, circulation services, reference services, serials management, cataloguing and classification. ICTs help libraries in providing broad access to a variety of information resources and provide a way to improve teaching and research in universities. New web-based services like virtual reference services, online reservation services, online-public access catalogue (OPAC), news clipping  scanning services and Internet services are some of  the newly introduced services using ICT applications to respond  adequately to the changing information seeking pattern of library users (Akande, 2014).

Information and communication technologies which are used interchangeably with Information Technology are useful in this information era. The use of ICTs in the library is tremendous, ranging from routine duties such as users’ registration to more complex ones such as cataloguing and digital institutional repositories (Gakibayo, Ikoja-Odongo&Okello-Obura, 2013).Globally, several university libraries are employing information and communication technologies to improve the delivery of their information services to their patrons. They use these technologies to enhance the traditional library service delivery.  For university libraries to be relevant in this information age and as their services are now focusing on Information Technology, librarians need to acquire Information and Communication Technology skills to enhance the delivery of their duties. These skills include basic computer operating skills, use of electronic mail, posting messages to sites, and creating blogs among others.  Librarians cannot fully exploit ICTs if they lack these basic skills.

However, one of the challenges facing library services in university libraries in Nigeria is the unwillingness of the librarians to incorporate ICT in terms of knowledge and skills to implement the modern library services (Ojedokun &Ayoka, 2015).Studies have shown that ICT skills of librarians in Nigerian universities are inadequate. Nkamnebe, Okeke, Udem, and Nkamnebe(2015), in their study found out that librarians were weakly skilled in information and communication technologies. Ojiegbe(2010) notes that many library staff in academic institutions rely only on the manual ways of rendering library services and do not bother acquiring competencies to incorporate the fast-growing technological trends in the profession. Okon and Ogbodo (2014) also pointed out that that one of the factors that hinders ICTs adoption by librarians in university libraries in Nigeria is low ICT skills. Ekoja (2007) states that ICT skills of librarians in Nigerian university libraries are inadequate. According to him, many librarians are unable to use ICTs even when ICT facilities are available. He opines that this poses a serious setback to service delivery.

There is no doubt that the traditional library and information services need improvement as a result of their limits and inadequacies. As a result of this, university libraries are incorporating new technologies such as social media in order to remain relevant in their universities and to meet the information needs of their patrons. Use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Wikis, RSS feeds, YouTube, etc. in the delivery of library and information services has become necessary for the survival of university libraries.   Facebook is used for communication between librarians and their patrons. Library patrons can communicate with librarians for enquiries. They also receive information on their enquiries. Facebook is used for sharing of information and marketing library services. It is also used to forge collaboration among librarians; this helps them to know one another more. It is also used to search online public access catalogs (OPACs).

Twitters allows library patrons to be kept updated on the activities of the libraries, new information resources received, and provide announcements on conferences and seminars. Twitter is popularly used to broadcast information about the library, promotion of library and its services. It is an effective tool for disseminating information about the libraries.  Rich site summary (RSS) is used by librarians to provide current awareness services to their patrons. Updates on library services, events exhibition can also be accessed by subscribing to RSS. You tube is used to share video conferences, workshops and library events. Blogs provide links to the library catalogues, marketing library and information services. Instant messaging (IM) is used to enhance reference service delivery processes. It allows immediate response to inquiries from library patrons.

Web technologies such as social media are becoming popular in the delivery of library services. Social media are web-enabled interactive tools which make room for communication among people. Social media enable the creation, sharing and exchange of information and ideas. They are new forms of communication and their uses cut across people from all walks of life. Social media tools such as Facebook, Blog, and Twitter allow individuals and organizations to actively engage in communication process not only as information receivers but also as message generators. They are online platforms designed to facilitate information sharing and exchanges of views. Social media are gradually being used in libraries all over the world. By using social media, libraries can connect to their patrons outside the physical buildings and build relationships with them. They enable communication among libraries and their users thereby serving as an opportunity for information dissemination and the marketing of new services. Social media are used for marketing of library products and services, announce news and for fund raising. Instant messaging (IM) is used to enhance reference service delivery processes. It allows immediate response to inquiries from library patrons.

Akporhonor and Olise (2015) stated that social media are tools that librarians can use for library services in order to maintain their relevance in this century. They added that social media are new media for effective promotion of library and information services in the technological era. Social media have become a global phenomenon with websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn reporting number of users in millions (Atulomah & Onuoha, 2011). Online social networks (OSNs) which are used interchangeably with social media are used in university libraries mainly to provide timely and relevant information, market services and information resources to patrons. By reading blogs, group posting, and messages,  the librarian  becomes an active  member who is able to anticipate and advise users  as need arises ( Ebele & Oghenetegar, 2014). Social Media are new technology offering new options for African academic librarians in their research support role (Owusu-Ansah,  Goutshi, Mutibwa & Ukwoma,2015). Social media are communication platforms through the Internet that enable social relations. Social media such as Facebook, Blog, and Twitter allow individuals and organizations to actively engage in communication process not only as information receivers but also as message generators. They are online platforms designed to facilitate information sharing and exchanges of views.

Libraries could connect to their patrons outside the physical buildings and build relationships with them using social media. They are platforms that enable communication among libraries and their users thereby serving as an opportunity for information dissemination.  They are used as tools by librarians and other information professionals to reach their patrons irrespective of their locations. They are platforms to share information, promote and market new services. Many organisations are applying social media to improve their services and interact with their clients. Social media have become tools used in university libraries to market their services and provide information resources to patrons. Olajide and Alao (2016) opined that the latest ideology of libraries all over the world to take library services to users and not necessarily users coming to physical libraries necessitate the need for academic libraries to incorporate social media. According to them, social media are the most versatile tools for collaboration, communication, and creativity.University libraries in developed countries have taken the lead in embracing diverse social media tools to provide quality services to their users.  Librarians in South Africa used Web 2.0 tools more often than the librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. ( Baro,   Ebiagbe,  Godfrey, 2013).

The low usage might be as a result of lack of skills to incorporate social media in library and information services. Librarians need skills in order to adopt social media to provide better services and continue their role as information professionals. These skills include ability to create   pages, groups, and profiles. Abilities to navigate, browse within sites, upload messages, download messages, forward messages are also vital. The extent to which librarians in federal universities in Nigeria possess these skills is not known. Also studies have shown that librarians in Nigeria were not using frequently social media tools like their counterpart in other countries (Baro, Ebiagbe &Godfrey, 2013, Omeluzor &Bamidele, 2014) and that they lacked web 2.0 technologies skills (Gani, Whong, Esew, Barua & Kasa, 2015). It is against this backdrop that this study investigates ICT skills, social media use and service delivery by librarians in federal universities in South- West, Nigeria.

Federal Universities in South-West, Nigeria are public institutions of higher learning established by the Federal Government. They contribute extensively to the political, individual and cultural growth of the country by offering academic programmes in various fields of knowledge. These universities like other universities in the country   have   learning, teaching,   and research as   their primary functions. They have libraries saddled with the task of ensuring the delivery of information services to staff,   students   and others   in   the university community. These libraries play a crucial role in satisfying the information needs of the university community and assisting in locating current information resources and materials. They are charged with the task of acquiring, storing, organizing and disseminating information.  They provide information materials required to support the learning, teaching, and researchneeds of their universities. University libraries, however, do not exist in isolation and must to a reasonable extent reflect the society. While manual methods of information delivery were fully accepted in the past, advancement in technological in this age demands that libraries embrace the use of ICTs in service delivery.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

Service delivery from inception has been the bedrock of libraries’ existence since libraries are established for the sole purpose of providing information services. University libraries in Nigeria provide wide range of services such as reference services; inter library loan, selective dissemination of information service, current awareness service, and indexing and abstracting services. Many of these services are delivered manually and the delivery of these services through traditional means has been cumbersome and time-wasting. Traditional library services restrict users to the available resources available within the library collections only.  Moreover, access to information is limited to print resources and this places the patrons at disadvantage with limited information resources. There is no doubt that the traditional library and information services need improvement as a result of its limitations and inadequacies.  There is need for re-designing the services to meet the demands of their users and remain relevant and retain their place as information providers in this technology age. Theinadequacies of traditional library services prompted university libraries to adopt information and communication technologies in library services.

Advancement in ICT has brought changes in the way libraries operate thereby demanding new skills from librarians to provide services relevant to the needs of today’s users who have the option of either visiting the library physically or virtually. The virtual nature of today’s libraries, however, demands that librarians are not only skilled in the use of ICTs but are also knowledgeable in the use of social media tools for information dissemination among users. However, studies have shown that librarians in university libraries in Nigeria are not willing to integrate ICT in terms of abilities to adopt the contemporary library services.   Although literature suggests that libraries in developed countries have embraced the use of social media in service delivery, the pace of application of modern technologies such as social media in university libraries in developing countries particularly Nigeria is slow.  One of the probable reasons for this might be lack of knowledge and skills involved in the use of social media. The literature also shows there are no empirical studies correlating ICT skills and social media use for service delivery by librarians in federal university libraries in South-West, Nigeria. This study, therefore, investigated the relationship between ICT skills, social media use and services by librarians in federal universities in South-West, Nigeria.

Project – ICT skills, social media use and service delivery by librarians in Universities