INFLUENCE OF ICT LITERACY SKILLS ON ITS APPLICATION FOR LIBRARY USE AMONG ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The  study investigated  the  influence  of  ICT  literacy  on  its  application  for library services by academic librarians.  The study was guided by six research questions. Descriptive survey design was adopted in carrying out the study. The population of the study was made up of 93 librarians in 4 federal Universities in South East Geo-political zones of Nigeria. Out of the 93,56.9% were from University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN),9.8%were from Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka (NAUA),(25.8% from Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) and 7.5% from Federal University of Agriculture Umudike (FUAU). A questionnaire was used for data collection, “Influence of ICT   Literacy   on   its   applications   by   Academic   Librarians”   (IILAAL). Percentages and mean scores were used to analyse the data generated.   The results for the analysis showed that more than 75% of the respondents agreed that most of the ICT facilities are available and functional.  It was also found out that the ICT literacy skills among the academic librarians are high. Furthermore, it was found out that formal and informal education, colleagues, self study, training at work place, attending IT programme and workshops/seminars  are  methods  of  acquiring  ICT  literacy  skills.    It  also revealed that ICT literacy is required to effectively utilize the ICT  applications in the library.  Financial problems  and poor ICT infrastructure  are the most serious hindrances to the acquisition of ICT literacy skills as revealed by the study.   It equally showed that the use of public awareness platform, applied ICT literacy, NGOs and Government collaboration enhance ICT literacy skills acquisition.    Based  on    the  findings  it  was  recommended  that  individuals should be sensitized on the availability of ICT facilities and be encouraged to use them for their personal and library services.   Academic librarians should constantly use computer system and the internet in order to attain ICT literacy proficiency, they should also be sponsored abroad for ICT literacy training, library management software should be acquired and installed for efficient and effective library services; funds, ICT infrastructure and training opportunities should be provided by the government, NGOs and other stakeholders .

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of Study

Information and communication technology (ICT) in libraries is holding a strong position in every ramification of library holdings and services. The introduction of ICT in librarianship necessitated retooling and acquisition of the skills required to operate in the global information society. The capacity of users to exploit the ICT depends on the level of literacy, education  and mastery of the technologies convened. Menuo (2002) noted that the situation on ground requires retooling of information professionals as the potentials of the information age cannot be realized without expanding the scope of information  and  computer  literacy.  He  reiterated  that  people  should  be sensitized to be able to use stand alone computers, use computer networks, primarily the internet, use basic applications such as word processing, spreadsheet,  and  electronic  mail  and possibly more  advanced  ones  such  as presentations, production of web pages, construction of websites, use of digital multimedia  equipment  and  programs.  The  use  of  this  is  for  the  use  of information resources that can be found in the internet.

ICT  is the  convergence  between  the  computer  and  communication technologies,    ICTs  are  technologies  used  to  communicate  and  to  create, manage and distribute information. Such technologies includes computers, the internet,  telephone, television, radio and audiovisual equipment. However, this

definition has been expanded to include any device and application used to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, create and communicate information and knowledge. These devices include but not limited to radio, television, cellular phones, computer hardware and software, network hardware and software, satellite systems, peripherals, connections to the internet, digital technologies and others. Also considered in the ICT are the services and applications used for communication and information processing functions associated with these devices. ICT changes the way we live, learn and work. As a result of these changes,  technology tools,  and creative  application  of technology,  have the capacity to increase the quality of people’s lives by improving the effectiveness of teaching and learning, the productivity of industry and government and the well-being of nations. ICT was introduced  to perform  library functions and provide innovative user services.

Considering the meaning of ICT, Oliver and Tower (2000)   view ICT literacy as the set of skills and understandings required by people to enable meaningful use of ICT appropriate to their needs. In their settings, the ICT literacy of a student is a relative measure of the student’s capacity to make appropriate use of ICT for educational and learning purposes. Likewise, the ICT literacy for librarians is relative measures of the librarians’ capacity to make appropriate use of ICT for information acquisition, organization, retrieval and dissemination as information professionals. This involves the level of skills needed  by librarians  to  use  computer  for  their  work  and  to  independently

function in a web-based, on-line learning environment. They also pointed out that skills/competencies  still remain the underpinning  elements of computer and ICT literacy and measures the extent and scope of ICT applications and uptake  among  different    computer  users.  Four  distinct  areas  of  skills  and expertise such as an ability to independently operate personal computer system, an ability to use software for preparing and presenting work, an ability to use the internet and its various features as communication device, and an ability to access  and  use  information  from  world  wide  web  (www)  were  seen  as attributes  of an  ICT  literate  individual.  ICT  literacy  skills  generally  is  the familiarity with mobile phones, computers, the internet and other ICTs; the ability to use ICT features and applications and the ability to use ICTs to work individually or in teams. In fact, it involves the awareness of technologies and application   of   their   relevance,   use   of   technology   for   information   and knowledge encompassing skills or abilities to access, retrieve, store, manage, integrate, evaluate, create and communicate information  and knowledge and participate in networks via the internet and understanding that ICT acquisition and use impacts on personal and social development. Therefore, ICT literacy has a positive impact on economic life of individuals and nations

The key role of library is to provide structured access to information with the increasing reliance on ICT. Libraries are playing a significant role in implementing and moderating a country’s information society agenda. Library is the focal point of learning and research activities in academic institutions due

to its information acquisition, organization, storage, retrieval and dissemination functions to the community. The achievement of the goals of the university is paramount to the establishment of the university library. Librarians are at the threshold  of  these  activities  and  are  now  faced  with  the  emergence  of information  technology in the scene of information  exchange.  This brought new tools and techniques of acquiring and handling information. To effectively serve the academic community in the ICT environment, the librarians need to move along with the new development. Librarians are those who have the care of library and its content; the work includes selection of stock, its arrangement and exploitation in the widest sense, and the provision of a range of services in the best interest of all groups of users (Prytherch,1995).They are also involved in the coordination of activities, setting of priorities, evaluation and other managerial tasks and  their involvement in the community they serve.

In the present age, apart from using the new tool to fulfil the traditional roles of the library, it evolved some new practices in the profession. Some of the new developments include digital environment for information acquisition, processing and dissemination. Information is now mostly in electronic format. Library services are also affected by the new format. Oppenheim and Smithson (1999)  described  digital  library as  an  information  service  in  which  all  the information  resources  are  available  in  computer  processable  form.  This requires new managerial skills for the administration of the new environment (digital library). Therefore, the new era librarians that can operate in the digital

or ICT environment are indispensible. Librarians are compelled to be content creators  of  information,   web  page  planners   and  designers  and  internet navigators. As a result of the digital technology inroad into the profession, such nomenclatures as internet librarians, digital librarians, cyberians or weberians were  attributed  to  the  emerging  librarians.  These  are  librarians  that  have acquired the new literacy skills in the manipulation of the ICT tools for information service delivery to the clientele.

Technology is changing rapidly and continuously, and learning to deal with  it requires not just one-off mastery of processes  but also adaptability. There   is   a   developmental   shift   from   analogue   to   digital   librarianship. Fabeyinde (2006) stated that ICT is the fusion of information technology with that of communication while ICT literacy according to an international independent panel of experts convened by Educational Testing Services (ETS) in 2001 is using digital technology, communications tools and/or networks to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information in order to function in a knowledge society. ICT literacy evolved as a result of the technological changes brought about by the appearance of the information society and the advances made by the technological world.    To be digital is to be acquainted/literate or skilled with the storage, retrieval, manipulation and transmission  of  information  electronically.  Analogue  is  alphabetic representation of graphics or characters. It simply means information in textual forms.  An  information  literate  librarian  who  applies  his  literacy  in  the

acquisition, organization, retrieval and dissemination of information in textual forms  is  called  an  analogue  librarian.  Digital  librarian  is  one  who  applies digital literacy skills in his professional roles as a librarian.

Tornero (2004) emphasized that the integration of ICT into the society is demanding complex and sophisticated changes in the way people think and act. This  shows that the introduction  of ICT to the knowledge  and information society necessitates ICT literacy. To move along with the current trend in the information world, digital literacy (ICT literacy) is indispensable. The world summit  on  the  information  society (WSIS  2003)  held  in  Geneva  in  2003 reaffirmed  on  a global  level the need  for  digital  literacy skills  in  the 21st century. It emphasized that ICT literacy policy will help to ensure that students and employers are ready for the work force of the 21st century where digital literacy will be critical to a nation’s ability to compete successfully in a global information and knowledge economy. Governments are therefore, compelled to make necessary adjustments in their National information communication infrastructure policy to facilitate the provision of ICT facilities and encouragement of ICT literacy.

Gbaje (2007) noted that the deregulation of the telecommunication industry and  implementation  of the  information  technology policies  by the federal government of Nigeria has resulted in the proliferation of internet cafes, giving birth to a generation of internet-loving library patrons who regard the internet  as a primary source of information.  He also  emphasized  that these

online patrons are overwhelmed by information overload on the internet and are  crying  for  help  to  find  reliable  and  accurate  information  quickly.  To achieve this, librarians are expected to be computer literate, information navigators through the superhighways, creators of innovative information systems for the collection, organization, dissemination and preservation of information and new knowledge regardless of format and designing and maintaining a library website as a platform for delivering online services.

However, there is a digital divide between the developed and the developing world of which Nigeria is one. The digitally rich countries have high   ICT   literacy  skills   because   of   the   availability   of   sufficient   ICT infrastructure and usage while   the  digitally poor countries in comparison to the advanced countries, have a yawning gap between them in the digital atmosphere  called  “digital divide”.  There is a need  to abridge  this gap  for efficient and effective globalization. To facilitate this, there is a need for appreciable ICT literacy skills and infrastructure  that achieve the traditional goals and new innovations in librarianship.

Statement of Problem

The use of ICT in achievement of desired goals in workplace is proportional   to   the   ICT   literacy   possessed.   Therefore,   this   affects   the proficiency of ICT use and efficiency of job performance. Many studies have been   carried   out   on   information   literacy   among   librarians.   The   most outstanding ones are that of Adeyoyin (2005) on ICT literacy among librarians

in Nigerian universities and the one in India by Babu, Vinayagamorthy and Gopalakrishnan (2007) on ICT literacy among Engineering faculty. All these tried to find out the level of ICT literacy without determining the effect of ICT facilities  availability  and  ICT  literacy  acquisition  on  its  application     for utilisation in their professional day-to-day activities.

Currently, it appears that there has not been any frame work put forth to assess if an individual has achieved ICT literacy  to function successfully in a knowledge-based society. There is no such studies in South East Geo-political zone of Nigeria  that exits in the literature  available  to the  researcher  as at present . Therefore, the need  to fill this empirical information gap in the area of the influence of ICT literacy skills on its application by academic librarians in South-Eastern  Nigeria.

Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of the study is to ascertain the influence of ICT literacy on its application for library services by academic librarians in South East Geo-political zone of Nigeria.

Specific objectives of the study are to:

1.  Find  out  the  ICT  facilities  available  to academic  librarians  in  South

Eastern  Nigeria.

2.  Find  out  the  extent  of  ICT  literacy  skills  possessed  by  academic librarians in South Eastern Nigeria.

3.  Find out the training methods mostly adopted by academic librarian in

South Eastern Nigeria.

4.  Find   out   how   academic   librarians   apply   ICT   literacy   to   their professional work  in the library.

5.  Find the hindrances to the acquisition of ICT literacy skills by librarians.

6.  Find out strategies that can be employed to enhance ICT literacy skills acquisition.

Research Questions

The study is guided by the following research questions:

1.   What are facilities put in place for the acquisition of ICT literacy skills?.

2.   What are the levels of ICT literacy skills  possessed by academic librarians in

South Eastern Nigeria?

3.   What are the training methods used for the acquisition of ICT literacy skills?

4.   In  what  ways  do  academic  librarians  apply  ICT  literacy  skills  to  their professional work in the library?

5.   What are hindrances to the acquisition of ICT literacy skills by librarians  in

South Eastern Nigeria?

6.   What are the strategies employed for the enhancement of ICT literacy skills acquisition by the academic librarians in South Eastern Nigeria.

Significance of the Study

As  the  application  of  ICT  to  all  walks  of  life  is  the  prevailing phenomenon in our present information society, the findings of this study will no doubt be useful to practicing librarians in adapting to the new trend. The

library educators and students will also benefit from the findings of the study as a roadmap  to curriculum  review. It will also be of immense importance to National  Universities  Commission  (NUC)  and  university administrations  in planning, budgeting and provision of ICT facilities.

The findings of the study will equally be useful for staff development strategy by the university library administration. The result of the study will contribute a lot to other scholars and researchers in the area of ICT literacy skills  and application  and  related  areas  by providing necessary background information and insight to further research.

Scope of the Study

The study will be restricted to the influence of ICT literacy on its application for library services by academic librarians in South-Ease Geo-political zone. It will cover  the  academic  librarians  in four  federal  universities  in the  South-East  Geo- political zone of Nigeria. Academic  librarians in state and private universities  and higher education institutions are not included in the study. This is because the federal universities have some level of computerization.

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