CONSCIOUSNESS AND USE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR ACTUAL SERVICES IN CERTAIN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NORTHEASTERN NIGERIA
Keywords:
Consciousness, Use, University libraries, emerging technologies, Actual servicesAbstract
This study examines the extent of Consciousness and use of emerging technologies for actual services in selected federal university libraries in Northeastern, Nigeria. Four research questions guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design to study a target population of 429 library staff from three selected federal university libraries in Northeastern, Nigeria. A proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 215. The study employed questionnaire for gathering data, which was administered through Google Forms on staff WhatsApp platforms. A total of 136 responses were collected and analyzed using frequency count, mean, and standard deviation. The study’s findings revealed that library staff in the study areas are conscious of the emerging technologies in libraries with an overall mean score of 2.91. However, the mean score of 2.43 on the extent of utilization implies that most of the emerging technologies are not adequately utilized. Some of the identified challenges to inadequate utilization of emerging technologies in the study areas were lack of skilled personnel ( =3.44), poor staff training ( =3.34) and poor bandwidth and internet connectivity ( =3.27). The study recommends sensitization campaigns, training and re-training of library staff, provision of reliable power sources, robust internet connectivity and increased bandwidth to improve consciousness and utilization of emerging technologies among staff and students of the studied area. The study also recommends that government and other relevant stakeholders should prioritize budget allocations for technology adoption and usage in libraries
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