TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pages
Title Page – – – – – – – – i
Approval Page – – – – – – – – ii
Certification Page – – – – – – – iii
Dedication – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgements – – – – – – – v
Table of Contents – – – – – – – vi
List of tables – – – – – – – – ix
Abstract – – – – – – – – x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION – – – – 1
Background to the study – – – – – 1
Statement of the problem – – – – – 8
Purpose of the study – – – – – – 10
Research questions – – – – – – 10
Significance of the study – – – – – 11
Scope of the study – – – – – – 12
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW – – – 14
Conceptual framework – – – – – 14
Historical antecedent and development of the hybrid library service – – – – – – – – – – – 16
Convergence of traditional and modern information
resources into
the hybrid library- – – – – – 20
Benefits of hybrid library service – – – — 25
Facilities of hybrid library service – – – 27
Problems of operating hybrid library service – – 29
Strategies towards solving the problems associated with effective operation of hybrid library service- – – – – 30
Review of empirical studies – – – – 32
Summary of literature review – – – – 38
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS – – – 40
Design of the study – – – – – 40
Area of the study – – – – – 40
Population of the study- – – – – – 41
Sample and sampling technique – – – – 41
Instruments for data collection – – – – 42
Validation of the instruments – – – – – 42
Method for data collection – – – – – 43
Method of data analysis – – – – – 43
CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF DATA – – 44
Research question 1 – – – – – – 44
Research question 2 – – – – – – 46
Research question 3 – – – – – – 47
Research question 4 – – – – – – 48
Research question 5 – – – – – – 48
Summary of findings of the study – – – – 49
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION – – 51
Discussion of the findings – – – – – 51
Implications of the study – – – – – 54
Recommendations – – – – – 56
Limitations of the study- – – – – – 57
Suggestion for further research – – – – 58
Conclusion – – – – – – 58
REFERENCES – – – – – – 60
APPENDICES
Appendix I – – – – – – – – 65
Appendix II – – – – – – 67
Appendix III – – – – – – 74
Appendix IV – – – – – – – 79
List
of Tables
Table 1: Distribution of questionnaire among the university libraries – – – – – – – – – – 44
Table 2: Response on the need for hybrid library services – – 45
Table 3: Response on hybrid library services available – 47
Table 4: Response on the extent of effectiveness of hybrid library services – – – – – – – – – – 47
Table 5: Response on the problems of providing effective hybrid library services – – – – – – – – 48
Table 6: Response on strategies for effective hybrid library services- 49
ABSTRACT
This
study investigated the establishment of hybrid library services in federal
university libraries of the North Central zone of Nigeria. It examined the
need, availability, extent, problems and strategies for effective operation of
hybrid library services. A descriptive survey was used for the study; the
population comprises librarians and users made up of students and lecturers
alike. All 102 librarians and 1,330 users comprising students and lecturers
totalling 1,432 constituted the sample used for the study. The instrument for data
collection was a structured questionnaire titled, ‘Establishment of hybrid
library services questionnaire’, that was answered by librarians, students and
lecturers, users of the university libraries. In analysing the data,
descriptive statistics such as mean and percentage were used. The findings
revealed that there is need for hybrid library services because respondents are
not satisfied with the traditional services in existence. It also shows hybrid
library services available as: Internet Services, On-line Websites, CD-ROMs,
e-journals, WebOPAC. It further shows that hybrid library services are not
efficiently operated owing to a plethora of problems ranging from lack of
skills, lack of training and development of service staff, inadequate funding. Based on the findings,
the following recommendations were made: necessary user education and
orientation programmes, proper training and education of library staff,
necessary funding from appropriate quarters as panacea to addressing the
problems of establishment of hybrid library services in federal university
libraries in North-Central zone of Nigeria.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
A university is an institution
which is engaged in both transmitting and expanding knowledge. According to Lungu (1995) the mission of the
University is to satisfy special or general needs of a nation through teaching,
research and community service. In pursuant
of this mission, the University as well as the librarians are indispensable
partners in actualization of the educational objective of the university. Lawal (2000) listed these objectives as:
advancement of knowledge through research, dissemination of knowledge through
teaching and service to the community.
University libraries according
to Elemide and Harvard – Williams (1996) form a distinct category in the
general pattern of library services. The
prime function of the university library is to provide facilities for research
to its clientele as the library is a crucial centre for any community,
particularly in any academic pursuit.
The character and efficiency of a university may be gauged by the
treatment of its central organ, the library.
A library is not only the basis of all teaching and study, but also an
essential condition for research without which additions cannot be made to the
sum of human knowledge. (Tinker, 1995).
The University library is a
repository of information resources.
Morgan and Smith (1997) stated that, library resources are very valuable
either for the information they contain or for their physical beauty. The materials stocked in University libraries
are meant to be source of knowledge, pleasure and assistance for generations to
come. It is therefore safe to say that
much of the success of the university library in achieving the set objectives
depend largely on the nature of the resources it possesses. These resources are the traditional
information resources which include, books, journals, maps, encyclopedia,
dictionaries, newspapers and periodicals; while the modern information
resources includes the following; CD ROMs, audio-visual materials, e-books,
e-journals, e-thesis and dissertations, DVDs, computer systems/ Files, internet
and communication gadgets.
It is imperative that the
university libraries and its resources be within the reach of the users in
order for them to broaden their knowledge and make meaningful and effective
contribution to the development of the nation. (Bazzillian and Braun
1995). It is equally important to
understand that, the university library perform the following traditional
operations and services namely: cataloguing, circulation, acquisitions,
reference, serials, bibliographical compilation. However, rapid advances in information
processing, storage and communication technology have revolutionized the roles
of university libraries worldwide in disseminating information service to their
users as a result, university libraries are facing new challenges, new
expectations, and variety of information services from users tailored to their
wants and needs.
Tiwari, (2002), stated that
University libraries, are now reconsolidating their position, redesigning their
services and information products, incorporating new technologies, upgrading
information resources, training people, changing information models of
communication and information delivery in order to add value to their services
and to satisfy the changing information needs of users community. Without doubt, the traditional library
information resources require transformation owing largely to its inherent
shortcomings which according to Lancaster (1978), are: slow speed of retrieval,
inability to cope with large volume of information resources, cumbersome nature
of information resources, poor services, unskilled staff, lack of proper
organization of information resources.
In higher education and human
capacity building, there are significant patterns of change because modern information
resources are impetus for change in traditional concepts of teaching and
learning. Arora (2001), stated that
modern information resources has impacted strongly on the traditional library
service through: On-line Public Access
Catalogue (OPAC), user service, reference service, bibliographic service,
current awareness service, audio-visual service. It has also affected the traditional library
resources with the availability of e-journals, e-books, access to web based
resources, abstracting and indexing on CD ROMs.
It is therefore safe to mention
that modern information resources are effective and efficient in the discharge
of university library service. According
to Sandaro (2001) modern information resources offer convenience of time and
space, cost effectiveness, faster and most up-to-date dissemination of
information for end users involved in the library service process. Equally, OPAC use power of computers to
search out library materials and also provide many additional benefits such as
on-line reservation of books, remote access, requesting books for loan, loan
renewals and book suggestion.
It is interesting to note that
over the years more librarians have continually advocated for the use of modern
information resources to displace traditional information resources especially
in the university libraries. One of such
is Lancaster
(1978) a strong proponent of a ‘paperless society’, who warned the society to
expect and be fully prepared to embrace the adoption and use of strictly
electronic information resource in transactions. He was especially concerned about the library
and warned that it should be ready for this transition process and that failure
to adapt, may lead to disruption and chaos in library services. But then, the question that arises is; should
there be over-dependence on modern
information resources to provide services for university libraries in view of
its shortcomings which according to, Minishi (2004), Manda (2006), Ikoja (2006)
are: Poor funding and sustainability of the technology in developing nations,
poor competency and expertise, low levels of access by students, lack of
support staff, need for more computer training for students, inadequate
infrastructure for supporting the integration of ICT’s.
However, Walton and Edward
(1997) proffers a solution to this contentious issue when they agreed that,
the management of traditional
information resources will for the foreseeable future run parallel to that of
modern information resources, and both playing complementary role. Equally, Rusbridge (1998) believes that paper
based and other non-digital resources of information will always be of major
importance. It seems very unlikely that sophisticated technology for
representing them will ever replace the original and their value to research
and learning. This then, is the basis
for a hybrid library service.
The term ‘hybrid’ is often used
in descriptions of activities or services that combine two established
features. For example, the term hybrid manager was in vogue in the 1970’s and
1980’s for managers of information technology in the United Kingdom. Rushbridge (1998) defined hybrid library as,
a mix of traditional print library resources such as books and magazines, as
well as the electronic based materials, such as; down loadable, audio books,
e-journals, e-books. Similarly, Pinfield (1994) stated that, hybrid library is
the permanent and equal inclusion of the traditional information resources
alongside the modern information sources.
Simply, a hybrid library is a library which works both in the electronic
or digital and print environment, a transitional state between print and
digital environment.
The earliest use of the term,
‘hybrid library’ was by Sutton (1996) in his consideration of information
service models. Sutton identified four types of libraries in a continuum
running from the traditional to the digital, – traditional, automated – hybrid
and digital. He further stated that,
there will be an inevitable shift along the continuum from library as a place
to library as a logical entity where there is coexistence of traditional and
digital collections and the possibility of totally unrestrained access to
digital resources located elsewhere to which the library subscribes to.
The hybrid library is designed
to bring a range of technologies from different sources together in the context
of a working library and to begin to explore integrated systems and services in
both the electronic and print environments.
(Lorcan, 1998). Therefore the
hybrid library should not only be seen as an uneasy transitional phase between
the conventional library and the digital library but rather as a worthwhile
model in its own right which can be usefully developed and improved upon.
Pinfield (1998) has highlighted
a number of issues to be addressed to ensure the effective transition to hybrid
library service. According to him, Information professionals need to acquire
new skills, decision-makers in the institutions need to recognize the potentials of this new development in supporting
teaching, learning and research, commercial providers must continue moves to
provide more tolerable products, information users must be assisted to develop
new approaches to seeking and using information sources, proper funding from
appropriate quarters, sound policy and implementation.
It is pertinent to have an
understanding of the background of these five Federal Universities of the
North-central Zone of Nigeria. According to the university website,
uniabuja.edu.(2009), University of Abuja was established on January 1st 1988 (under Decree no. 110 of
1992 as amended) as a dual mode university with the mandate to run conventional
and distance learning programme, it is the first university in Nigeria to
assume such a dual mandate, it is thus committed to and seeks academic
excellence while ensuring equal education; access to a diverse constituency
thus preparing students for productive roles in the society. University of
Abuja library was established in 1988 the same year the university was founded.
The main library is located at Gwagwalada campus. It has a seating capacity of
2,000 seats. The attempts to integrate its information resources into hybrid
services began in 2005 and still in progress. Hybrid service facilities such as
the internet services, on-line database, CD ROMs, e-journals are provided to
assist teaching, learning and research purposes.
The Federal University of
Technology, Minna is equally a Federal Government owned University in Nigeria. It was established on 1st
February, 1983. The objective for the
establishment of this university is to give effect to the nations drive for the
much needed self-reliance in Sciences, Engineering, and especially
Technology. It is a specialized
University of Technology. (FUT.edu., 2009). The university library of Federal
University of Technology, Minna otherwise known as Ibrahim Babangida (IBB)
library was established in 1983 at the creation of the university. The main
library has an annex at Bosso campus, in all the libraries have a 2,200 seating
capacity. The university library has attempted to integrate its services,
particularly the serials section in the last six years. This has resulted in
the conversion of some of their journals into digital form and subscription for
e-journals, on-line database and WebOPAC.
In the same vein, University of
Ilorin was established by a decree of the Federal Military Government in 1975
and it is a Federal Government owned tertiary institution of education located
in Ilorin, Kwara- State, north central, Nigeria. It was established in order to implement one
of the educational directives of the country’s Third National Development Plan
aimed at providing more opportunities for Nigerians aspiring to acquire
university education and to generate high level man-power so vital for the
rapidly expanding economy. The library of University of Ilorin was established
in 1976 and has a seating capacity of 2,400. The library is making serious
efforts at integrating its information services particularly the serials
section through provision of e-journals, which is complementing the physical
resources. Also provided are CDroms, databases and OPAC Website which the
library subscribes to (unilorin.edu.,2011).
In addition, unijos.edu.(2010)
stated that the University of Jos, started as a campus of the University of
Ibadan in November, 1971. In October 1975, the then Military Government
announced the establishment of seven new universities, including university of Jos which was established with the
vision of being an innovative institution with great interaction between; town
and gown. The university today, carries a high responsibility of fashioning
tastes and attitudes of the future. It
is committed to providing education that is globally competitive and relevant
to the needs of today’s employer and the developing challenges of Nigeria and
beyond. The university library of University of Jos was established in 1975 and
it is as old as the university itself. It has a 2,350 seating capacity for
readers. The library is also in the process of integrating its information
resources in the last six years, though with little progress. What has been
provided so far are: internet services, e-journal and digital format of
physical resources, subscription to OPAC Website.
The Federal University of Agriculture,
Makurdi is located in Makurdi, the capital of Benue
State of Nigeria. It occupies an arable land area of 8,048
hectares, thus making of the largest holder of agricultural land mass amongst
institutions of its kind. By Federal
Operation Policy, the University of Agriculture, Makurdi mandate covers 60% of Nigeria, with nineteen (19) Northern states of
the Federation and the Federal
Capital Territory
as its catchments area. The integration
of teaching adaptive research and extension learning approach of the university
has created a demanding and intellectually stimulating environment for
students. Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi otherwise known as Francis
Idachaba library was established in 1988 when the university was established. It
has a modest seating capacity of 1,550. It is just starting a process of
integrating its information resources. What is presently available in the
library is internet services, e-journals with its physical copies
(uniagric.portal,2011).
The five Federal Universities of
the North-central states operate library services which are to provide
resources for research, teaching and learning.
However, the information resources presently available in these
libraries are not adequate to meet the yearning needs and requirements of its
teeming population of users, as such there is a strong need for improvement of
resources. This can only be achieved by
integrating the available traditional information resources with the incipient
modern information resources to create a comprehensive information resource
base that is capable of providing satisfactory service to users of university
libraries, which is the, ‘hybrid library service’. (Joint Information System
Committee, 1995).
However, it is noteworthy to
state that, the status quo of the establishment of hybrid library services in
the university libraries of the five Federal Universities under study is still
relatively new. It is a new phenomenon
that will take some time to develop fully and impact positively on users.
The researcher believes that the adoption of the use of hybrid library service by these university libraries will afford users the following benefits: Seamless access to the most appropriate information resources in whatever medium be it sound, print and digital; affording convenience and flexibility to learners by reducing environmental impacts, bridging the gap between the traditional library and electronic library; creating new ways of communicating and disseminating research findings and facilitating discussions among researchers; facilitating resources discovery beyond the physical limitations of the physical library; permanent and equal inclusion of print information sources alongside the electronic sources and encouraging the concept of a life-long learning through use of modern information resources.
ESTABLISHMENT OF HYBRID LIBRARY SERVICES IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES OF THE NORTH-CENTRAL ZONE OF NIGERIA
