THE INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGIES ON LIBRARY FUNCTION AND EFFECTIVE INFORMATION SERVICE RENDERING
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study.
Service effectiveness is often associated with a judgment of how well a service is performing by the direct beneficiaries of that service. In the opinion of Harvey (2004), it is the extent to which an activity fulfils its intended purpose or function. The concept of service effectiveness is of utmost importance to university libraries because the effectiveness of the library as a whole can be inferred from its service provision. In the view of Leckie, Pettigrew and Sylvain (2006), well-stocked and efficient libraries act as eyes or pathfinders for researchers and provide them the inspiration to venture into new areas of research. An ineffective library, on the other hand, may lead to low quality or duplication of research thus resulting in waste of financial, material and human resources.
Lancaster (2000) was of the opinion that, the overall criterion of effectiveness is the proportion of user demands that are satisfied. Satisfaction has however, been described as a sense of contentment that arises from an actual experience in relation to an expected experience (Hernon and Whitman 2001). It is a judgment that a service provided (or is providing) a pleasurable level of consumption. Satisfaction with library services is therefore, a feeling of fulfillment that is derived from the use of library services.
Assessing service effectiveness from users’ perspective is of crucial importance to libraries as Buckland (1999) warns, that considering library services in the absence of the people who use them would have little meaning and less benefit. Therefore, it is necessary for university libraries to understand how user group views their services in order to aid the planning of future services. Library managers are most strategically positioned to deal with issues relating to work process creation, evaluation and improvement strategies. The argument here is that they are professionally and educationally trained to do so. Library managers must realize that old ways of doing things can no longer cope with the challenges of a globalized environment and information and communication technology-driven work culture. Failure to initiate fast, adaptable, dynamic and interactive work process will invite the imposition of same from other professions like Information Communication Technology, organizational developers and management consultants.
The Library as an important and integral component of a higher institution has offered opportunity for students and staff to explore and expand their minds (Blau, 2004). It could be said that the library has become a focal place for enrichment, entertainment, education and empowerment through knowledge. In striving to serve its client, there is need for a library to clearly understand the continually changing needs of its constituency, from undergraduates, graduates, academic staff and even school age children and local citizens (Blau, 2004). Despite the processing and propagation of library resources, a key trait of a university library is the services based around personal interaction between users and the library staff. Librarians should make sure that these services show proper levels of customer care and that the information given to the users is useful and at the right level (Loughborough University Library, 2005).
It is interesting to note that to be successful, today’s librarians need to not only understand but also embrace current and emerging technologies affecting library functions and the information needs of library users (Nyambpga and Kemparaju, 2002). Olanlokun and Tiamigh (1982) have opined that with the advent of technology, things that were done manually in the past are now done using computers and communication technologies. In otherwords technology involves the application of computers and other information communication gadgets to facilitate the librarian work. Thus, technology has become a blessing in the generation, packaging and utilization of information by information seekers, and librarians should braze up to the new challenges. In a survey conducted by Ojo and Akande (2005) to know how students use the electronic information resources, it was gathered that students use technology (internet) more. Other electronic information resources used by students in the order of importance include CD-ROM, e-Journal, OPAC. A lot of academic information can be received using the resources both inside and outside of the library. This may be the reason why they are more popular than other resources. Asked where they normally go to access electronic information resources, some of them say cyber café, while others say they use the internet in the library, others use the internet in their parents’ offices.
Technology is pervasive in connecting peers, exploring interests, and finding both informational and recreational material (Ito et al. 2008). According to Ito et al., teens use online spaces, which allows for “constant contact with friends via texting, IM, mobile phone and Internet connections” (2008). They also “use the online world to explore their interests and find information beyond what they have access to at school or in their local community”. This enables them to connect to peers with specialized interests and fosters exploration of new media and technology. This “messing around” and variety of play experiences (Crow 2011) foster curiosity and give students the opportunity to explore and create.
The unprecedented pace of technological change in the development of digital information networks and electronic services in recent years has also helped to expand the role of the academic library. Once only a storehouse of printed materials, it is now a technology-laden information network where students can conduct research in a mixed print and digital-resource environment, experience the use of advanced information technologies, and hone their computer skills (Weddell, 2008). Academic libraries especially the university libraries have been using ICT in the provision of services and in the management of their collection. This is a shift from the traditional method.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The library has traditionally been seen and recognized as the academic heart of the university, with students relying mostly on it for their information needs. Although libraries strive hard to ensure that services are effective, it is not unlikely that users, especially undergraduates have a different view of library services. In order to reconcile the library’s assessment of its own service effectiveness with that of the users, it therefore becomes necessary for libraries to carry out occasional assessment of service effectiveness.
Technology was expected to support the level of service rendering in libraries but over the years this has not been the case due to poor documentation and users apathy. However, as Ojo and Akande (2005) confirmed not much has been documented on its impact on effective information service rendering of academic libraries. Therefore, in the light of this, this study examined the influence of technologies on Library function and effective information service in selected university libraries in Edo State.
1.3 Objectives of the Study.
The broad objective of this study is to look at the influence of technologies on Library function and effective information service rendering. The specific objectives are:
To determine the types of technologies in university Libraries.
To determine the extent of use of technologies in service rendering in the libraries.
To determine the benefits of technology on users of selected academic libraries.
To find out the challenges in the use of technologies on services rendering in selected academic libraries.
To determine possible solutions to challenges associated with the use of technology in library service rendering.
1.4 Research Questions.
What are the types of technologies in university Libraries.
What is the extent of use of technologies in service rendering in the libraries.
What are the impacts of technologies on Librarians of selected academic libraries.
What are the challenges in the use of technologies on services rendering in selected academic libraries.
What are the solutions to established challenges in the application of technologies on Library services.
1.5 Scope of the Study.
The scope of this study will be limited to universities in Edo State. It will focus on effects of technologies on library information service rendering in university libraries.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This study is considered significant in many respects. It is hoped that the findings will reveal some technologies that may be of importance to researchers at the University that librarians might not be aware. Secondly, the findings of the study might serve as a platform on which the library´s strength in meeting researcher information needs can be achieved. Furthermore, it is hoped that the study will establish the existing gaps in the adoption of technology in the operations of academic library in achieving their statutory functions.
Also, the output of this study will serve as a blueprint for libraries, information managers/information scientists, researchers, lecturers, students, and teachers to chart the right course of action for the use of information and communication technology in furthering service rendering. Finally, the outcomes from the study will provide a panacea for solving the challenges faced by academic libraries in coping with the trends in ICT.
1.7 Limitation of Study
This study should have covered the entire universities in Nigeria in order to draw a holistic conclusion on the subject, but it is restricted to a few selected universities in Nigeria due to time and financial constraints.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
Communication: Communication refers to the transfer or exchange of information from person to person or from one place to another. When action produces a reaction whether positive or negative, communication has taken place. It is also a process: a transfer of information, ideas, thoughts and messages. It involves a sender, medium or channel, a receiver, a code and, a language that is understood by both the sender and the receiver.
Information: Information means processed data or, that which aids decision making. Information is abstract, and could also be visualized as a commodity, which could be bought or sold (Krubu and Osawuru, 2011).
Information and Communication Technology (ICT): It is an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning.
Library: A library is an organized collection of sources of information and similar resources, made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing. It includes other sources like reference materials, books relating to school curriculum, general books not relating to a specific subject area, periodicals, newspapers, audio- visual materials, government publications and electronically stored and retrievable materials.
THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF BWARI AREA COUNCIL, FCT
ABSTRACT
Education being one of the pillars of development has a very important role to play in the lives of both the learners and the learned. Teaching is an exciting adventure in which both the teacher and the students participate. The Teaching Philosophy includes basic communication approaches; (a) passion and communication. (b) Fairness: to understand students as individuals and students. (c) Critical thinking: as teachers should be challenged to try to deliver course materials in different ways and from different perspectives. (d) humour and fun; Pleasing students by being approachable will make them more determined to excel in their examinations. Little attention has been paid to student performances in public examinations, learning difficulties and teachers stimulating themselves in creating effective secondary schooling in Nigeria. This study examined the role of communication in effective teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools of Bwari Area Council. Effective communication skills are really important to teachers in their delivery of pedagogy, classroom management and interaction with the class. However, this study is about the fundamental role played between the academic performance of students taught with instructional materials and those taught without instructional materials by teachers in secondary school education through their communication skills. Three hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance using chi-square analysis. The results showed that teachers’ classroom effectiveness on the use of instructional materials through professional communication in the classroom and students learning styles have impact or influence on student’s academic performance in public examination. In this regard therefore, there is the need to assess the role of communication in effective teaching and learning in secondary schools of Bwari Area Council in order to establish measure of communication and strategies to use in communicating in order to make meaningful progress in the pattern of teaching and learning in Bwari Area Council. The survey therefore sought to find out the following information. The issues which emerged in this study are vital to the understanding of teacher education in communicating effectively in the teaching and learning in secondary schools. The researcher happened to apply some approaches on random sample of teachers and students at the various secondary schools in Bwari areas council. The importance of this study lies in the new trend of Mass Failure in Senior School Certificate English and Mathematics Examinations.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
In Nigeria public discussions frequently focus on educational standards. The public’s unhappiness becomes more prominent following the annual release of the public examinations results. Student outcomes do not match the government and parental investment. All stakeholders are concerned about why the system is turning out graduates with poor results. To them, it is questionable whether or not teachers in the public secondary schools, the most important factor in the effectiveness of schools and in the quality of a child’s education is the competent to communicate and teach effectively. The National Policy of Education states, “No Education system can rise above the quality of teachers in the system” (FGN, 2006). Ogunsaju (2004) opined that the academic standard in all Nigerian educational institutions has fallen considerably below societal expectations. Blumende (2001) corroborated this view when he reported that the decline in the quality of education cannot be ignored by anyone who is aware of the significant role of education as an instrument of societal transformation and development. There is a need to focus on teachers’ adequacy and competency in respect to their pedagogical practices and strategies and mastery of the curriculum and subject content (Chall & Popp, 1990; Stuart, 2004; Rodgers, 2001). In support of the aforementioned scholars, Ekwesili (2006) institutionalized the Private Public Partnership (PPP) and School Based Management Committee (SBMC) to manage secondary education and to promote school effectiveness since students’ success depends on the amount of learning that takes place in the classroom and other related ‘how effective and efficient the teacher performs in schools’.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), education remains the largest industry and government continues to ensure that funds, instructional materials and teaching personnel are made available for the sector. Government has also continuously encouraged secondary education by adopting the social demand approach towards planning the sector and by subsidizing the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) fee in the Territory over a long period of time. An indication of government interest in the general education in the FCT is reflected in the budgetary estimates of the Territory.
Academic achievement is usually established through examinations, which consist of set questions that seek to determine how much an individual perceives the subject as a result of learning. Commendable performance is an indication of effective learning. Secondary education in Nigeria has been characterized by poor performance in national examinations, especially in core subjects such as Mathematics and English Language (MoEST, 2005).
One of the most potent barometers so far, if not the strongest, of measuring school and teacher effectiveness is the performance of pupils in public examinations such as Senior School Certificate Examination (S.S.C.E.) in Nigeria. The issue of declining academic performance of secondary school students in two principal subjects (English Language and Mathematics) at the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) has generated much interest among stakeholders in the education sector, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The quality of education and performance of students depends on the teachers as reflected in the discharge of their duties. Over time pupils’ academic performance in both internal and external examinations had been used to determine the effectiveness of teachers and teaching (Ajao, 2001).
Teachers have been known to have important influence on students’ academic achievement and they also play a crucial role in educational attainment; because the teacher is ultimately responsible for translating educational policies and principles into actions based on practice during interaction with the students (Afe, 2001). Both teaching and learning depend on teachers: no wonder an effective teacher has been conceptualized as one who produces desired results in the course of his duty as a teacher (Uchefuna 2001). Considering governments’ huge investment in public education, its output in terms of quality of students has been observed to be unequal with government expenditure. Consequent upon the observed deterioration in the academic achievement, attitude and values of secondary school students in public secondary schools, one wonders if the high failure rates and the failure of the students especially in external examinations is not a reflection of the instructional quality in the schools.
Therefore, the ineffectiveness of teachers in classroom interaction with the students could be responsible for the observed poor performance of students and the widely acclaimed fallen standard of education in Nigeria. Effective teaching of any subject will not only stimulates student’s interest in the subject but also enhance their achievement in the examination. To achieve effective teaching and learning process, there is the need for use of instructional materials.
Instructional materials are the different teaching aids or apparatus which a classroom teacher employs to facilitate his or her teaching for the achievement of the stated objective. Agun (1992) defined instructional materials as those materials which are helpful to the teachers and students and which maximize learning in various areas. The use of instructional materials in teaching these two critical subjects is very important because it provides a concrete basis for conceptual thinking motivates people to learn and captures pupils’ imagination if used correctly (Ajalla, 1997). Some scholars have also observed at one point or the other that the knowledge base in all professional fields, changes over time teaching is not an exception. With advances in educational research, and the rapidly changing demographics of students in Nigeria, the knowledge base in education will never be ‘complete’ or finished (Fafunwa, 2004; Farrant, 2004; Wasagu, 2009) in Awwalu M.I and Najeemah B.M.Y, (2012).
One of the key elements in any school and effective teaching is a Teacher. Teachers are the key propellers for school improvement. By implication, the task of a teacher, which includes sustaining education system, do not rest on his or her professional competency alone, but on the entire features of the school climate (Loukas, 2007). But, public schools which are owned by government and are predominantly occupied by citizens of lower socioeconomic status in Nigerian society and are facing challenges of educational sub-standard, lack of adequate resources, leading to poor teaching, students poor academic performance and dropping out.
Darling-Hammond (2006) opined that teacher preparation and knowledge of teaching and learning, subject matter knowledge, experience, communication skills and the combined set of qualifications measured by teacher licensure are all leading factors in teacher effectiveness. The realization of the goals of a secondary school as an educational organization hinges on effective communication among the various operating personnel. Communication helps to build relationships and facilitates achievement of goals. Thus the need for effective communication strategies for the improvement of a secondary school cannot be overemphasized.
The basic function of “education” itself relies almost entirely on communication. This can be inferred that classroom interactions between teachers and students occur rapidly in a classroom. It is indicated that teachers in secondary schools may have interactions with 150 different students in a single day. However, teachers are usually not aware or are not able to describe or remember what happens in these interactions with their students. For example, in a study conducted by Good and Brophy as cited in (She and Fisher, 2002), it was observed that teachers are usually not aware on how many questions they asked students and what kind of feedback they provided.
In any society, the teaching profession is perhaps the largest and single profession. It is however; not the most attractive but it has the greatest impact on the overall development in society. For this singular reason, effective communication improves learners’ expectations and motivation to learning in secondary school education. Communication has deep significance for human organizations since individuals make specialized contributions to the achievement of the overall goals of the organization.
Secondary education is a comprehensive type of education with a core curriculum, designed to broaden the knowledge and outlook of students who “successfully complete the junior secondary school” (FME, Status Report 2003 P.55). It is a stage, where a student enters at the age of thirteen (13) years. This statement was upheld by the World Bank, 2011, that “Secondary education is now being recognized as the cornerstone of educational systems in the 21st century.” This is the most crucial stage of one’s life. At this stage, teacher plays an important and crucial role at secondary school level. I would like to say that if secondary school teachers (English and Mathematics) succeeded in framing sound base of these subjects to the students of secondary level, it is justified to say that they will be able to make useful scientific discoveries. That is why, these teachers occupies the most important and crucial position in entire educational system.
The cognitive domain of learning involves knowledge and the development of intellectual skills. It includes the recognition of specific facts, procedural patterns and concepts that serve in the development of abilities and skills. Effective teaching of any subject will not only stimulates student’s interest in the subject but also enhance their achievement in the examination. To achieve effective teaching and learning process, there is the need for use of instructional materials.
It is precisely from this background that the researcher seeks to evaluate communication as an effective tool in teaching and learning (English and Mathematics) in the use of instructional materials in Secondary schools in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory. With hope of making concrete suggestion on how best students’ expectations and motivation to learning English and Mathematics in secondary school education can be properly enhanced through effective communication.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
This study is to look into the “Role of Communication in effective teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools of Bwari Area Council”. It has to be kept in mind that people do not communicate by just composing sentences, but by using sentences to make statements of difficult kinds, to record, to describe, to classify, to give and ask for information, to ask questions, make requests, etc. Therefore, students acquire the language by using it. The quality of any educational system is determined by the quality of the teaching-learning process. Teachers interpret and communicate the curriculum to learners. They ensure that efficient and effective use the country’s investment in education, act as role models to the learners and transmit societal values from generation to generation.
The importance of English and Mathematics, occupying a unique position among subjects taught in secondary schools cannot be overemphasized. The act of teaching is fundamentally concerned with passing ideas, skills and attitude from the teacher to the learner. Concerns are being raised in recent times about the poor performance of students at public examinations like: the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), the National Examination Council (NECO) and the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB) examinations. On one hand, teachers have been blamed for failing to equip the students with the necessary skills to enable them competes in such examinations. On the other hand, teachers put the blame on students; indeed, the corner stone of good education in any secondary school is its teachers because all other factors mean little without competent teachers.
The reason for this could be ascribed to the fact that there are topics in these subjects that pose serious problem of comprehension to students. Scholars like Mutebi and Matora (1994) emphasized the role of communication in instructional materials utilization on teaching and learning. According to them, we learn and remember 10% of what we hear, 40% of what we discuss with others and as high as 80% of what we experience directly or practice. However, the questions here are: does the use of instructional materials really influence students’ academic performance? Is teaching effectiveness enhanced by the use of instructional materials?
A basic understanding of the priorities of today’s generations is a crucial element to help educators to better understand, relate and communicate to the learners in their teaching. The success of a school system is dependent upon the “quality of communication” in it.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
To identify the role of communication in effective teaching and classroom management.
To determine the effect of use of instructional material on student’s achievement in English and Mathematics in secondary schools. Specifically, the study intends to:
find out the mean achievement scores of students taught with instructional materials and
those taught without instructional materials
To identify how communication and development can be used to improve student performance in examinations.
1.4 Research Question
This study intends to examine and provide answers to the role of communication for quality of teaching and learning using Instructional materials in public secondary schools in Bwari Area Council. To guide the study three research questions were posed.
Does teachers’ classroom effectiveness on the use of instructional materials have any impact or influence on student’s academic performance?”
What are the effects of effective communication of teachers on students’ academic performance?
What are the effects of students taught by highly qualified, moderately qualified and less qualified teachers using instructional materials?
What are the effects of communication in the understanding of learners’ learning styles in classroom environment?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
To guide the study, three hypotheses were formulated as follows:
H01: There is no significant difference between the academic performance of students taught with instructional materials and those taught without instructional materials by qualified (highly, moderately and less) teachers through their communication skills.
H02: There is no significant relationship between effective communication of teachers and students learning styles on their academic performance.
H03: There is no significant difference in the academic performance of students taught by highly qualified, moderately qualified and less qualified teachers through their communication skills.
1.6 Significance of the Study
Teachers have been known to have important influence on students’ academic achievement and they also play a crucial role in educational attainment because the teacher is ultimately responsible for translating educational policies and principles into actions based on practice during interaction with the students (Afe, 2001).
This study will contribute towards the achievement of the teaching and learning in the study area. The findings of this study will make a contribution to the ongoing debate surrounding effective teaching methodologies using instructional materials on students’ performances in public examinations as a measure of teachers’ communication skills.
The researcher is of the opinion that the study will inform policy development towards more accurate and reliable measures of school performance, that is, value added analysis.
the study would likely promote awareness in both teachers and the taught and will further improve effective classrooms control for better teaching and learning.
Finally, outcomes of the study will produce recommendations that might be useful for educators and curriculum planners at the time of designing syllabi.
1.7 Scope and Delimitation of Study
This study is specifically designed to examine the role of communication for quality of teaching and learning in public secondary schools in Bwari Area Council. To this end, 8 schools public senior secondary schools drawn from 4 districts in Bwari Area Council. A total three thousand five hundred (3500) respondents were randomly selected and bordered on two principal subjects (English and Mathematics).
In addition, the value added results from the other subjects will not be generalized. Students’ academic achievement is not the only important goal of education that can be used to judge teacher’s teaching effectiveness. Multiple indicators of teacher’s teaching effectiveness are required such as, teachers’ mastering subject & knowledge of teaching methods, regular preparation of lesson plan for teaching, checking of student’s homework regularly, arrangement of weekly/monthly test to evaluate and assess the student’s academic achievement and performance in the subject area, attitude of students to learning, social functioning and attendance. While these are desirable, students’ academic achievement still remains the main indicator of post-basic education. The study is narrowed to students’ academic achievement only. As the research was completed in a relatively short period of time other factors and variables are not considered. This might have an impact on the results of the study.
1.8 Basic Assumptions of the study
The study was based on the following assumptions
The target respondents would cooperate and give correct information.
Well performing schools had adopted Effective communication in teaching and learning ‟strategies that were not employed by low performing schools to improve academic performance.”
By adopting the strategies employed by well performing schools, poor performing schools can improve their performance.
It is assumed that classroom is a place where knowledge is socially constructed through interaction among teachers, students, and materials.
1.9 Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined in order to provide an understanding of how they will be used in this study. The definitions of other key concepts are presented in the relevant chapters.
Academic performance – This refers to the ability to study and remember facts, being able to study effectively and see how facts fit together and form larger patterns of knowledge, and being able to think for yourself in relation to facts and being able to communicate your knowledge verbally or down on paper.
Content relevance: student’s perception of whether the course instruction and its content, or both, satisfied personal needs, personal goals, and career goals.
Effective learning – This refers to students‟ being available, focused and committed to undertake learning willingly.
Effective school – This refers to a school whose educators are responsible for producing acceptable results, by putting emphasis on instructional leadership, focus on vision and mission, communicating high expectations for success, monitoring of student progress, home-school relations, and creating an opportunity to learn for each student.
Effective teaching – This refers to helping students to learn by providing adequate context and content, and involving the learners in the process of responding to questions, summarizing findings and discussions and research and report on unanswered questions.
Effective teachers: Teachers that displays certain characteristics in a class.
Instructional materials: Devices developed or acquired to assist or facilitate teachers in transmitting, organized knowledge skills and attitudes to the learners within an instructional situation (Nwachukwu, 2006).
Poor performing school – This refers to a secondary school that consistently obtains a mean grade of below C+ in Senior School Certificate Examinations.
Secondary education: A comprehensive type of education with a core curriculum, designed to broaden the knowledge and outlook of students
Teacher immediacy: a set of verbal and nonverbal behaviours that reveal a teacher’s willingness to approach and be approached by students.
Teacher clarity: A multidimensional construct that explains three broad teachers’ behaviour clusters in a classroom: – presentation or verbal clarity, structural or message clarity, and instructional process clarity (e.g., stresses important aspects of the content, assesses and responds to perceived deficiencies in student understanding.
Well performing school – This refers to a secondary school that consistently obtains a mean grade of at least C+ and above in Senior School Certificate Examinations.
Information and Communication Technology has become the rave of the moment in global socio-economic affairs. It has become so important that every country, organization or institution no matter how highly or lowly placed want to identify and embrace it. This research work was on the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a tool for information service delivery in University libraries. The population of the study were all the university library in Edo State which included University of Benin Library, Ambrose AlIi University Library and Samuel Adegboyega University library, and the professional librarians i.e. those with BLS above in library and information science. The research instrument used was the Questionnaire. The data collected data analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. The analysis showed the majority of the respondents have working experience between 1-10 years. The study revealed that ICTs are used in Catalogue and classification, Interlibrary information sharing, Registration of library users, Reference services e.t.c. thus so, as majority of the respondents (see table 6) agreed. It also revealed that these facilities are in good working condition. In view of these, the following were recommended as a means to check challenges that were found during the study. The body responsible for funding academic libraries should ensure that the amount budgeted for the library is completely utilized in developing the library, and not diverted. The library should also develop some fee-based service such as, selective dissemination of information, abstracting and indexing services to individuals etc. this will help them generate funds internally to augment what is being allocated to them for the acquisition of additional ICT facilities to enable larger number of users to access them.
This study investigated the use of information and communication technology in academic libraries in Nigeria. Auchi Polytechnic library was used as a case study in this research. The importance of library as an institution has been realized. The Objectives of this study were (a) ascertain the extent of use of ICT in Auchi Polytechnic library (b) to find out the level of utilization of ICT (c) to identify the problems encountered in the use of ICT in Auchi Polytechnic library and (d) to give recommendations for effective use of library. The nature of this study was descriptive. The population of this study consisted of all the registered users of Auchi Polytechnic library. One hundred and twenty students were selected randomly as sample. A self developed questionnaire consisting of 13 items was used as instrument for data collection. It was concluded that in spite of the huge problems bedeviling ICT application in the Nigerian academic library setting, the prospects and possibilities are abundant as academic libraries are experiencing greater improvements in the areas of teaching, learning, research and communities activities. It is also indicated that the internet had greater impact on students’ projects writing as ICT has made it possible for Nigerian academic libraries to use the internet for search engines. The study recommends that individuals should be sensitized on the availability of ICT facilities and be encouraged to use them for their personal and library services. The government must also increase the funding of academic institutions. This is imperative seeing that some of the private institutions owners lukewarm attitude is inspired by similar attitude on the part of government. It is only when the funding of academic institutions is increased that the academic libraries in Nigeria will have the required funds to increase ICT applications and support with local infrastructure such as LAN and local data bases such as electronic cataloguing systems and e-publication.
The primary aim of this research is to access “The Use and Effects of Information and Communication (ICT) in Information Management in Federal High Court Kaduna. The research design adopted was the survey method using questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The population of the study comprised of the librarians, judges, lawyers and justice administrators in Federal High Court Kaduna totalling 180, but 69.44% of the population were the sample size representing 125 respondents. However, 125 questionnaires were administered to 125 respondents in which 7 were found missing and 3 found invalid. So the research used 115 valid questionnaires in the study. In the study, it was found that types of ICT facilities used to facilitate its information management such as computers, internet facilities, CDs/DVDs players, scanners and photocopiers; information resources available in the Federal High Court Library managed with the use of ICTs for efficient service delivery are textbooks, reference materials, reports, and government publication; ICTs effectiveness in information recovery and services is moderate; and that ICT has effect in Federal High Court in the area of transparency, security of court document, easier and faster access to information, cost savings, space savings and quick dispensation of justice. Based on the findings recommendations were also given such as Acquisition of IT skills by Lawyers, Judges, Litigants, Court Officers (i.e. Clerks, Registrars) and other stakeholders must be made mandatory.
THE INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGIES ON LIBRARY FUNCTION AND EFFECTIVE INFORMATION SERVICE RENDERING
THE INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGIES ON LIBRARY FUNCTION AND EFFECTIVE INFORMATION SERVICE RENDERING