UTILIZATION OF INTERNET SERVICES BY LIBRARIANS IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NORTH WESTERN STATES OF NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1         Background to the Study

The Internet, which is a major tool of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) innovation, is a global system that interconnects governments, academic institutions, corporations, the public and private computer networks. It is a global electronic network connecting millions of computers (Srivasta & Singh, 2007). The Internet is not only a „network of networks‟, but it also serves as a storehouse of information on virtually all fields and topics in the world of knowledge. It is a repository or trough of large amounts of online information resources. As Usman (2007) posited, the Internet is an interconnection of computer networks to one another in order to access and share information that are stored online. The online network provides access to a great wealth of information resources that are stored on the millions of networks that are linked together around the world.

The provision of information and the access to services in modern academic libraries have been greatly influenced by the invention of the Internet and this has in turn also affected the modern academic librarian, the resources of his library, the services he provides and the users of his library‟s services.

The introduction of the Internet into library operations has helped to improve education delivery in our educational institutions, and as Ekoko & Ekoko (2004) explained, the Internet represents a medium for locating and retrieving data and reference materials, researching information, displaying projects, delivering in-service programmes, posting news, participating in continuing education and talking with colleagues.

UTILIZATION OF INTERNET SERVICES BY LIBRARIANS IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NORTH WESTERN STATES OF NIGERIA