ABSTRACT
This study the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities in academic libraries in Nigeria. A multiple case study design was applied to analyse of the two academic libraries at Admiralty University. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews as well as observation was used to collect data. The population of this study comprised of 18 cataloguing and classification section staff members, which were made of 12 staff members of the Admiralty University. A purposive sampling technique was used to select eight respondents to participate in the study. Content analysis was applied to examine the data. The study found that ICT facilities brought a great change in cataloguing and classification section for both institutions under study and these changes made work easier, time saving and more accurate when cataloguing and classification of library materials were done electronically. Thus, both institutions widely use and accept ICT facilities in their day-to- day activities. This was influenced by Perceived Ease of Use model which allowed individuals to accept the use technologies that would be effortless and hassle free. The reasons why librarians used and accepted ICT facilities in their day-to-day work was that they assisted in detecting duplications of work and errors when cataloguing and classifying of their library materials, made their work easy, saved time for their users and also to keep abreast with the new technology trends. It was also found that ICT facilities helped to improve and uplift librarians’ job performances of the librarians. As far as the two determinants of Technology Acceptance Model (Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness) were concerned, technologies used in libraries improved productivity. The participants cited the following challenges when using ICT facilities: ICT facilities could not function without electricity connection, it is difficult to locate library materials with lengthy classification numbers, the system trial do not keep track of usernames and password, and communicate challenges faced between the system vendor and the library. The study concluded that librarians preferred to use ICT facilities as opposed to manual cataloguing and classification because they made their work easy, saved time, and provided more accurate results. The study recommends that institutions should develop ICT policies to help facilitate service delivery and effective storage systems.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
This study presents a comparison of the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities in cataloguing and classification of library materials at two Nigerian academic libraries. This chapter describes the orientation of the study (1.2), problem statement (1.3), objectives of the study (1.4), significance of the study (1.5), limitations of the study (1.6), delimitation of the study (1.7), literature and theoretical framework (1.8), and methodology (1.9).
1.2 Orientation of the study
Academic libraries are institutions that are established to serve the information needs of students, lecturers, researchers and other community scholars. Libraries aim to provide quality information services and knowledge to their users. In order for libraries to provide quality library and information services, they need to have access to relevant information, computers, information networks and software applications (Haliso, 2011). Therefore, the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to library operations has made electronic cataloguing as well as other library operations possible.
According to Adedibu, Akinboro and Abdussalam (2012) cataloguing and classification is the cornerstone of organising library materials for easier retrieval by library users and it is for that reason that there is a need to organise library collections because if the collection is not organised, it would be difficult for users to locate and find library materials. Mutula and Mashingaidze (2002), on the history aspects of cataloguing and classification of library materials, indicated that in Africa cataloguing and classification started with alphabetical list of titles recorded in the school exercise books. The authors further asserted that as libraries expanded, the recording of the library materials’ titles in the school exercise book was replaced by the book catalogue. This form of catalogue was preferred because it was easy and cheap to produce and reproduce (Sangam, 2016). The book catalogue was later found to be not flexible when inserting new materials, thus the book catalogues were later replaced by card catalogues which were hand-written or printed (Mutula & Mashingaidze, 2002). The authors further asserted that card catalogues provided for easy insertion of new entries and withdrawal of library materials and is still much used today in Africa where many libraries are not computerised. Even for libraries with computerised systems and connected to the internet, the book catalogue is still a common feature as a backup because of the instability of computer technology in the African environment, which is characterised by erratic power supply, poor technology support, and lack of computer skills.
Adedibu, Akinboro and Abdussalam (2012) also indicated that in the past, cataloguing and classification of library materials was done manually (card catalogue) which made the cataloguing process very difficult and time-consuming. As a result, the card catalogue system is replaced by Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) in modern libraries.
In the past few years, most academic libraries in Nigeria have adopted new technologies for the processing of library materials. The adoption and use of ICT in African libraries began in the early 1980s (International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publication [INASP], 2014). Thus, the use of computerised cataloguing and classification has made the processing of library collections more accurate, interesting and faster, which is impossible through the use of traditional card catalogue system (Adedibu, Akinboro & Abdussalam, 2012). This study therefore is a comparative study on the use of ICT in the cataloguing and classification of library materials at Admiralty University libraries.
1.3 Statement of the problem
Information and communication technology brought many changes to the cataloguing and classification of library materials by making the library operations less complicated, more advanced and more accurate as compared to traditional ways of cataloguing and classification of library materials which demanded a lot of time, personnel, and energy to carry out tasks such as bibliographic description of materials, crosschecking of catalogue cards, updating of the shelf list and filing and interfiling of cards (Ilo, 2008) . Madu (2004) declared that manual cataloguing is tedious because hand, paper, pencil, ruler and eraser are used in descriptive cataloguing. The history of library cataloguing shows that it has dramatically changed over centuries, having first appeared in form of clay tablets, later on cards and, in modern times, to the online version used today. With regard to the existing literature, the researcher found out that related studies were conducted in five state libraries in the South-East geographical zone of Nigeria and Karnataka India by Eze (2012) and Perera and Chandra (2010). Both studies found that traditional libraries were using new technologies that allowed users to access library materials. Islam and Islam (2006), as cited in Inyang and Agwunobi (2016), outlined the problems faced by traditional libraries system which necessitated the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in libraries. The researcher, through the literature review established that there was no related study that was done in the Nigerian context. This gap in knowledge encouraged this researcher to explore the work of cataloguers and classifiers in two Nigerian academic libraries, at the Admiralty University (UNAM) and the Nigeria University of Science and Technology (AUA) that shifted from a manual bibliographic description system to cataloguing and classifying the library materials using ICT facilities.
1.4 Research objectives
The main objective of this study was to compare the use of ICT facilities in academic libraries in Admiralty University. This objective was supported by the following specific sub-objectives:
a) to assess areas of cataloguing and classification affected by ICT;
b) to assess the use of ICT by cataloguers and classifiers;
c) to evaluate how knowledgeable, the cataloguers and classifiers are in the use of ICT;
d) to find out the rate of adoption of ICT in cataloguing and classification;
e) to determine if there are any problems hindering the use of ICT for cataloguing and classification.
1.5 Significance of the study
The findings of this study on the use of ICT facilities in academic libraries in Admiralty University could inform cataloguers, classifiers and policy makers by provide a better understanding on how ICT has impacted on academic library activities especially in library collection development strategies in Nigerian institutions of higher learning. The outcomes could also add to the existing body of knowledge which might be useful to researchers who are interested in this topic.
1.6 Limitations of the study
According to Enslin (2014), limitations of the study are constraints or limits in a research study that are out of one’s control, such as time, financial resources or access to information.
Limitations occur due to changes in conditions during the study, and the researcher might be required to redefine the scope of the study (Enslin, 2014). The researcher needed detailed information from specific individuals that deal with cataloguing and classification of library materials. Therefore, the findings cannot be generalised, but the validity remains for the two libraries (AUA and UNAM) referred in this study.
1.7 Delimitation
The delimitations are characteristics that limit the scope and define the boundaries of the study (Simon, 2011). This study only focused on Admiralty University main campuses’ libraries, where cataloguing and classification is centralised, which means the academic libraries outside the main campuses did not form part of this study.
1.8 Literature review and theoretical framework
This section provides a brief literature and theoretical framework. A detailed discussion is provided in Chapter two.
The introduction of computers into cataloguing and classification affected the way cataloguing was done and by whom (Yusuf, 2009). Resource sharing of cataloguing and classification activities is one of the great changes made in libraries and it assisted library staff to save costs and eliminate repetitive work (Yusuf, 2009). Online cataloguing and classification are also one of the main changes since it involves locating and copying cataloguing data online through computer networks.
Thus, ICTs are of great use in libraries as they assist librarians to perform their different tasks at speeds much faster than human capabilities. They also facilitate the accessibility of information dissemination and processing in the libraries (Ebunuwele, Ola & Uduebor, 2014). In order to make use of ICT, staff are required to have relevant skills (Krubu & Osawaru, 2011; Ani, Esin & Edem, 2005). They assert that staff of the university acquires ICT skills via in-house training and computer training. Inyang and Agwunobi (2016) also highlighted that training for cataloguers and classifiers is required as their work setting incorporates resources and tools that are continuously changing and, thus, they need to possess adequate knowledge and skills to perform efficiently.
INASP (2004) indicated that the adoption and use of ICT in Africa commenced in the early 1980s. Perera and Chandra (2010) confirm that the use of the new technologies has been accepted for use in many libraries worldwide. These new forms of technology are used for storage, retrieval and dissemination of information. Librarians face a variety of ICT challenges. Okiy (2005) and Eze (2012) point out that the common challenges which hinder the use of ICT are existing poor and inadequate communication facilities, a poor level of computer literacy and awareness level of Internet facilities among policy makers.
This study was guided by Ranganathan’s Law of Library Science. Only two laws are applicable to this study, namely, to “save time of the reader” and “the library is a growing organism”. In order to access great information sources in the library, ICT ensures the satisfaction of the users with the right information at the right time. This study was also guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which helped with understanding the relationship between human and technology through Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEU), which determined the user’s attitude toward the intention to use new technology to access information in their libraries (Durodolu, 2016).
1.9 Definition of key terms
The purpose of this section is to provide clarification on the key terms used in this study.
i. Cataloguing and classification of a book means to organise the bibliographic information of a readable and non-readable materials such as monographs, printed journals, CDs and DVDs, arranging them in a particular order and grouping them into classes (Eze, 2012).
ii. According to Adeyimi (2010) information and communication technology (ICT), is used somewhat interchangeably with information technology (IT) and encompasses methods and techniques for automated information handling and retrieval including desktop computers, laptops, telecommunications, printers, photocopiers, scanners and office systems.
iii. Library is a collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for use or borrowing by the public or the members of an institution. Libraries promote the free flow of information to individuals regardless of age, citizenship, gender, education, race and language.
iv. Academic libraries, as Haliso (2011) describes them, are institutions that are established to take care of the information needs of students, lecturers, researchers and other community of scholars. Their mission is to provide quality information service and knowledge products (print and electronic) to resident community of scholars. Examples of Nigerian academic libraries are the UNAM, AUA, IUM libraries. Technical services in libraries have been identified as “service involving the operations and techniques for acquiring, recording and preserving materials (Ayo & Oyegunle, 2012). The Technical service section in libraries is responsible for ordering library materials, classifying and cataloguing as well as preparing materials for shelves.
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