CHAPTER ONE

1.1 INTRODUCTION

A library is a large collection of books, periodicals, films or other information sources including
digital. The collections can be of print, audio, and visual materials in numerous formats, including maps,
prints, and documents (Banerjee et al, 1999). However, Information and Communication Technology has
revolutionized the concept of libraries. Each and every library is slowly getting digitized, Nigerian
libraries inclusive. A 'digital library' otherwise called E-library, comprises digital collections, services and
infrastructure to support lifelong learning, research, scholarly communication as well as preservation and
conservation of recorded knowledge. At this age of a networked society where IT (information
technology) in addition to its use in all spheres of human activity including education, has been used
extensively to record, store, and disseminate the information in the digital form. Information technology
has almost converted the world into a global village. The revolution in the IT sector is influencing the
information industry also. Libraries are also changing to meet the demand put on them. With the current
level of civilization, the new generation whose demand for information is never met is always demanding
that traditional libraries be scrapped and development of digital libraries be embarked upon. According to
(Arms 2003), E-library is a managed collection of information with associated services where the
information is stored in digital format and accessible over a network.

Quality education is crucial to the economic development and social stability of a nation as it
helps develop crucial humanitarian values like equity, tolerance, and peace. These values lead to
sustainable national development, environmental protection, and improved family health, along with
responsible participation in democratic, social, and political processes (Durodola & Olude, 2005).
Bearing in mind, that the amount of success recorded by a student is not but by the amount of information
gathered in his field, as one of the places where information is gotten is the library.

Undoubtedly, there have been profound changes going on in the educational system in Nigeria
Universities. These changes are needed because of ever growing pressure in the school systems
themselves, partly because society itself is changing into one in which knowledge work becomes ever
more important, and partly because of the very information and communication technologies which are
transforming our economies Boyce, P. (1997). Both of these factors evoke change and offer a solution to
the problems with which the educational system struggles.

Certainly, if the lecturers and students accept the challenges which teaching and learning imposes
on them by adapting themselves to the current trend in using the E-library, there could be huge difference
recorded between the outcomes of using the traditional method of gathering information (traditional
library) and the modern or digital methods of gathering information (E-library) Moret, (2000). Thus, this
research work will enunciate the impact E-library has on University education in Nigeria as well as
discuss the factors that will necessitate the traditional libraries to get digitized, as well as the definition,
advantages and disadvantages of digital libraries, the requirement for building a digital library etc.
Emphasis will also put to describe the role of the lectures and the librarian in the new environment.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Over the years, Nigeria’s falling standard of education and dwindling literacy rate have gained
incredible attention, yet the political leaders have not taken any effective action to improve the situation.
Doubtlessly, there is no shortage of opinion about what to do to improve the quality of education in
Nigeria. The nation’s educational institutions are defective; they are not equipped for quality education,
especially in this generation of digitalization. Basically, not all higher institutions in Nigeria are
networked (connected to the internet), perhaps, this has been because of the huge cost involved or neglect.
Most of the students admitted to higher institutions in Nigeria are computer illiterates; therefore they
cannot benefit from the advantages or rewards E-library throws at them, hence, reduced or low level of
learning achievement.
In view of the aforementioned problems, this research work seeks to evaluate, to what extent, E-
library could help grow the educational system vis-à-vis students academic performance in higher
institutions of learning in Nigeria.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

As the library is an essential part for the teaching and learning process, the major objective of the study is
to find out the level of use of library services in Universities in Nigeria. Specifically the objectives are to
identify how these universities students are using the library and also to figure out whether the library is
been used purposefully and effectively. The use of E-library as it helps these institution’s lecturers and
students in increasing efficiency; that is another concern of the study.
This project also seeks to:
1. Identify the type of library currently in use by students
2. Identify the extent to which the adoption of E-library services by the university has helped its students.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this study has expression in the sense that it does not only aim at bringing out
the views of lecturers and students of Nigerian universities, on the causes and consequences of failure of
using the modern medium of sources for information i.e. E-library, but also imposing concrete and
attainable practical steps, though which this problem can be eradicated. It is hoped that this study would
be of immense benefit to students of higher institutions of learning who would come to be acquitted with
the various ways through which information is sourced for or exchanged, hence promoting academic
excellence.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This research work will be examined the following question in the process of this work and find the
possible answers, suggestion and recommendations to the question.

 Will students record more and better achievements with the use of E-library in University
education?

 How does E-library affect the effectiveness of lecturers in the area of academic and skill
development?

 What are the problems facing the implementation of E-library services in Universities in Nigeria?

1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

Hypothesis tested are classified into:

 Null Hypothesis (Ho)

 Alternative Hypothesis (H1)
HYPOTHESIS ONE

H0: There is no statistical significant difference between academic success recorded by students who
practice the use of E-library and those that use the traditional library.

H1: There is statistical significant difference between academic success recorded by students who practice
the use of E-library and those that use the traditional library.

HYPOTHESIS TWO

H0: There is no significant difference in the teaching methodology adopted by lecturers exposed to the E-
library and lecturers without information and communication technology tools.

H2: There is significant difference in the teaching methodology adopted by lecturers exposed to the E-
library and lecturers without information and communication technology tools.

1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

It is imperative to note that all universities in Nigeria cannot be reached, therefore this research work is
confined to universities in Ogun state, which includes private and state owned tertiary institutions. The
major limitations encountered during the research of this work are financial and time constraints.

1.8 STUDY PLAN

This research work comprises of five chapters;

The first chapter will comprise of background and introductory aspects of the study.

The second chapter will contain the review of related literature and conceptual framework

The third chapter will comprise of the method of data collection as well as illustrate the method of data
analysis.

The fourth chapter discusses the analysis of data collected and the interpretation as well.

The fifth chapter will discuss the summary of findings, conclusion and recommendations.

1.9 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Basic terms used in this research work are been addressed in simple terms below:

Library: A building that houses a collection of books and other materials or is a large collection of books,
periodicals, films or other information sources including digital

E-library: E-Library has a variety of potential meanings, ranging from a digitized collection of material
that one might find in a traditional library through to the collection of all digital information along with
the services that make that information useful to all possible users.

Information: A collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn. It could also be defined as a
message received and understood.

CHAPTER TWO
2.0 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The global information revolution of the 20th century made manual systems of delivering
information services in the libraries especially academic and research libraries mundane, clumsy and
inefficient, though the era of total electronic or paperless libraries is yet a mirage. (Aguolu and Aguolu,
2002).The bulkiness, growth rate of information and difficulties positioned by updating of manually
based systems makes it difficult for effective services in modern time. (Ikem and Ajala 2000). Librarians
and information professionals are then challenged to create "information systems for the collection,
organization, dissemination and preservation of information and new knowledge regardless of format"
(Gbaje 2007). This new age of information offers possibilities for the future with information delivered in
different formats limited only by the boundaries of our imaginations.
Therefore, as there is seemingly no option to the integration of ICT in library services especially
in the academic libraries, many libraries all over the world started making attempts to embrace ICT in
their services. Carr (2006) informed that some issues have affected the ideology, operations and services
of academic libraries. These include forces of competition, advent of information in electronic form and
the changes in users' expectations. The use of information resources in electronic form and application of
internet became a way of life in 1980s and 1990s respectively. Invariably the focus of academic libraries
moved from statistics of users visiting the libraries to providing the desired services beating space and
time. There has been documentation on universities in Africa and beyond on the use of ICT for library
operations and services. The use of ICT in African university libraries could be traced to 1970s though
successful implementation was achieved from 1980s and was consolidated in the 1990s (Chisenga, 2004).
Adeniran, (1997) reported the use of ICT in libraries in Botswana, Chuena (2001) revealed its use in
University of North South African. Slam and Islam (2007) elaborated on the use of ICT in Bangladesh
library which was pioneered by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research Library and the
Agricultural Information Centre. ICT facilities used in universities in West African Sub-region was
compiled by A Samoah-Hassan (2002). A summary of their findings revealed that not only did university
libraries in Africa embrace ICT pretty late, the pace of its development remains slow though some
remarkable progress has been made since the late 1990s.
National and regional information abound on the use of ICT in Nigerian university libraries.
Kenneth Dike Library, University of Ibadan championed the use of ICT in library operation in 1975 when
computerized serials catalogue was produced. In 1978 Union List of serials was produced, an initiative of
Committee of University Librarians of Nigerian Universities (CULNU) (Ikem and Ajala 2000).
Information on the adoption of ICT in all types of libraries in Nigeria has been documented by Akinyotu
(1977), Ifebuzor, Inegbebor & Awaritefe (1977), Lawani, Azubike and Ibekwe (1992), a summary of
their findings revealed that challenges of inadequate funding, shortage of ICT skilled staff, inadequate
telecommunications infrastructure and power supply as well as sustainability challenges trailed the
totality of the entire literature.
 An E-library or digital library refers to a library in which collections are stored in digital formats
as opposed to print, microform, or other media and accessible by computers. Digital content may be
stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks. A digital library is a type of information
retrieval system. The library has long been perceived as a building with walls and filled with books for
reading. Issa (2003) notes that librarianship as a profession came into existence to preserve and make
widely accessible the records of human experience. The emergence of Information Technology (IT) has
recreated the face of librarianship. IT has permeated evenly into our daily activities. Okerulu (2003) states
that IT has created limitless opportunities for open access to information. Larnikanra (2003) describes the
history of the Internet which "grew out of the ARPANET, a computer network developed by the
Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA) in the 1960s."
The term "e-library" refers to information accessed through the Internet. Unlike traditional
libraries, e-libraries are not limited by location or time. Libraries have changed with the emergence and
application of IT. They have assumed the role of educators, teaching users to find, evaluate, and use
information both in the library and over electronic networks. As the use of e-library continues to soar,
users are expected to develop information literacy skills. These skills, as Julien (2002) observes, will
enable users to make efficient and effective use of information sources. Therefore, Information literacy is
increasingly important (especially amongst students).
Academic libraries in Nigeria have been responding to the call of ICT (information and
communication technology) by providing instruction in information literacy, described as "the ability to
locate, manage, critically evaluate and use information for problem solving, research and decision
making" (Orr, Appleton, and Wallin, 2001). In developing countries like Nigeria however, both IT and
the use of the e-library are still at an embryonic stage. The limits of the tradition library and the increasing
popularity of IT have caused the use of the e-library to grow rapidly. Although people need no longer go
to a building for some kinds of information, they still need help to locate the information they want.
The resources of the University library are dynamic in nature and form aimed at accommodating
the changes in medium of packaging, number and type of users served and dynamic programme areas.
Mindfully that the Library serves a university of Technology Community which focus on Engineering,
Science, Agriculture, Technology, Management Sciences and Health/Environmental Technology,
resources are acquired to satisfy the academic, recreational and all round developmental needs of the
undergraduates; postgraduates; faculty and non-teaching staff of the University. Thus books, periodicals,
newspapers/magazines, maps, technical reports, patents, documents etc. could be acquired in both
electronic and print forms through purchases, gifts, donations, exchange and deposits of all publications
emanating from the University community.

2.1 E-Library: A Theoretical Framework

The term "e-library" is used synonymously with "digital library," "universal library", "future
library," "virtual library," and "library without walls." It has been defined variously by different scholars
and/or organizations, depending on their perception of the concept. Arms (2005) defines e-library as
"managed collection of information, with association, services, where the information is stored in digital
formats and accessible over a network." These two definitions recognize the need for the e-library to
function over a network but the crucial part of the latter is that the information is managed. MacCall,
Cleveland, and Gibson (1999) define e-library as collections of electronic knowledge resources developed
and maintained in order to meet the totality of information needs for a given user population. Like the
traditional library, the e-library is also targeted towards a particular group of users in term of its
information dissemination.
Acting as a "quality guide," e-libraries "often follow certain guidelines for the selection of content
in order to maintain a consistent collection of data" (Virtual Library 2007). They follow procedures to
select the materials in their collections, to organize and make them available to users. Waters (1998)
states that, "digital libraries are organizations that provide the resources, including the specialized staff, to
select, structure, offer intellectual access to the Internet, distribute, preserve the integrity of, and ensure
the persistence over time of collections of digital works so that they are readily and economically
available for use by a defined community or set of communities." The Kentuckiana Digital library (2005)
points out the academic significance of the e-library, recognizing the use of appropriate technology and
defining it as "an organized collection of selected digital resources created to support scholarship,
research and teaching." It states further that the use of appropriate technological standards by e-libraries
will facilitate permanent access to the digital resources.
At the most basic level and central to the definitions is a collection of digital resources selected
according to certain criteria and made accessible for retrieval over computer networks.

2.1.1 Types of E-Libraries and Resources

There are different types of e-libraries for the diverse information needs of the targeted group of
users. Some are developed by groups or organizations, higher education institutions, research centers,
national libraries, as well as public libraries. They include contents that are born digital and those that
have been digitized (Digital Library, 2007). An e-library generally contains books, journals, opacs,
webliographies (equivalent to a printed bibliography), letters, maps, dictionaries, encyclopedias, still and
moving images, sound recordings, indexes, conference/seminar proceedings, theses/dissertations,
abstracts and reviews, and handbooks. Traditional libraries have limited storage space, but e-libraries
require very little physical space, which reduces the cost of maintaining an e-library.

2.2 ICT AND THE NEW LIBRARY

Libraries all over the world are beginning to be more interactive than passive. The coming of ICT
into the library has completely changed the face of the library to more of a social networking centre. This
is the only way you can attract young audience to use the library outside reading to pass examinations
(Akinbulumo, 2008). A good number of public libraries in the developing countries now have restaurants,
snacks shop and computer games for the young audience as well as the adults. The new innovation has
shot up the number of young people that use the library or make the library their second home. This has
also cut down on crime rates in some of the countries.
According to Onuoha (2008), the library at Loma Linda University in California has fully
redesigned its reading spaces. They now have the quiet library reading area and the interactive areas. In
the quiet reading areas you can hear a pin drop. The interactive reading areas are however different. They
have the computer here for browsing. There is also a vending machine in that section. One can buy drinks
and biscuits and take them in the interactive reading areas. This is so because the computer is interactive
and when users go there they want to interact with others to ask for help on the system and other things.
Some patrons actually spend all day working with computers. That is why the library makes provision for
inter-personal interaction and something for the stomachs of those who want to spend time in the library.
Moreover, libraries are now going online in droves. According to Bertot(1998), approximately 72
percent of public libraries in the United States have some type of internet connection. Many patrons now
go to those libraries solely for internet access. Therefore, in order to attract and retain such new patrons,
libraries must provide a range of services that go along with internet access. The most important of these
services is training. Ongoing support and training are essential. This training is necessary not only for
patrons but also for staff. Due to increasing prevalence and popularity of information technologies,
libraries must train both old and newly hired staff (Holland 1999).
At Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji-Arakeji in Osun State of Nigeria, for example, internet
access always draws different categories of users from all over the university to the e-Library to do one
thing or the other. The users include faculty members, administrative staff members, technical staff
members and messengers. Staff and students use the resources on the internet to do their assignment and
research. It is a common sight to see this category of users in the e-library with their laptops to download
information from the internet. Technicians, clerks, and messengers who do not normally use the resources
of other sections of the library such as reference and circulation sections meet at the e-library to send and
receive messages from their friends and relatives at home and abroad via the e-mail. Others come to read
newspapers electronically. This is apart from the physical newspapers like The Guardian and Nigerian
Tribune which also normally attract different categories of users to the library on a daily basis since the
year 2006 when the University was established. This is how the library serves as a unifying factor in the
community.

2.3 E-Library: The Nigerian Tertiary Education Experience

Although the practice of Library services is still growing and a lot of improvement is required,
Nigeria is making efforts to make e-libraries most acceptable to the public.
Over the years, old or traditional methods of reading or gathering information have been adopted
by learners from far and wide in Nigeria, particularly in the educational sector; ranging from the
classroom teacher – classroom student method of teaching and learning, textbook libraries, among others.
But in recent times, the advent of Information and Communication Technology has brought great change
to the Library services in all spheres, educational sector inclusive. The modern library is not only a
collection of textbooks. It includes other sources like reference materials, books relating to school
curriculum, general books not relating to a specific subject area, periodicals, newspapers, audio-visual
materials, government publications and electronically stored and retrievable materials. These resources
enable libraries to play a crucial role in the success of lifelong education of communities and society in
general. It is a well known fact that education at certain levels goes beyond the normal teacher–student or
classroom–student relationship. Students who really intend to acquire substantial knowledge must work
independently in their search by using reference materials and other sources available in the library. Apart
from being agents of educational change, libraries serve other purposes like economic, social, political
and recreational changes because they contain the written history, culture and knowledge of the human
race.
In Nigeria and other developing countries of Africa, government objectives include (a) life-long
education for the citizens as the basis for the nation’s educational policy (b) emphasis on the use and
improvement of modern educational techniques at all levels of the educational system (c) the structuring
of education system to develop the practice of self learning (d)making the people to become actively
literate and generally well-informed (e) the introduction of universal basic and compulsory education for
all citizens. In this regard, the African Network Campaign for Education for All (ANCEFA) stresses the
need for serious focus on and investment in formal education and non-formal education like adult literacy
programmes and youth training centres to tackle the literacy crisis (Olanrewaju 2009). These objectives
can be easily achieved with the aid of well-stocked and equipped libraries in primary, secondary and
tertiary institutions in addition to the maintenance of public, rural and mobile libraries across the country.
Without doubt, we would denote that the library is to play a very important role in achieving this
objectives.
Several authors have written on the importance of improving school library services (i.e.
upgrading from the traditional forms of library services to digialized libraries) and their roles in providing
life long education for students in secondary schools and tertiary institutions. Ogunsheye (1966), Fadero
(1968), Dean (1969). Sinnette (1969), Akinyotu (1971), Adediran (1971) and Olanlokun (1976) have,
among other things, called on institutions like library schools, universities and ministries of education to
come to the aid of school libraries to enable them to improve on their services. The authors mentioned
above have acknowledged school libraries as an integral part of the school and a teaching aid in
supporting the educational programme (Olaosun 1978). Similarly, Abolaji (1981) emphasized the roles of
a school library or media resource centre in making the teaching and learning of history more lively and
interesting to both the teacher and the pupils. He noted that certain materials which are not within the
reach of both the teacher and the pupils, for reasons of cost and availability, should be provided by the
library.
Some university libraries in Nigeria have taken certain steps to bring together different sections of their
communities. The first is the establishment of Leisure Reading Collection (LRC). Two universities did
this several years ago. In 1967 the University of Ife Library (now called Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) established an LRC. The idea was copied from the University of
Ibadan where such a collection existed.
The collection covered all subject areas like history, biography, science, religion and philosophy. Current
fiction and drama predominated. At Ibadan students who wished to read books outside their degree
programmes for purposes of information and pleasure used the collection a great deal. More importantly,
wives of staff, mainly expatriates, borrowed immensely from the collection. At Ife, the same principle and
similar objectives informed the introduction of the collection (Dipeolu, 2002). The point to emphasize
here is that, with the LRC, the two universities extended their services beyond the staff and students,
whom they were primarily established to serve, to wives of staff, who were neither students nor staff
themselves but members of the university communities. By so doing the libraries also inculcated the
reading and library use habit in those patrons. They also developed in the patrons effective library use by
teaching them the skills and techniques of using a collection of this kind as a basis for library use in later
life. At Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji-Arakeji, in Osun State, two of the resources of the library
always bring patrons from different sections of the community together. The first is the e-library, which
we shall discuss more about later. The second is the Reprographic Section. Members of the Ikeji-Arakeji
community use this resource a great deal.

2.4 E-library: A Weapon of Quality Education

The main purpose of a university library is to support the university in areas of learning, teaching
and research. The library is regarded as the “heart” of any academic institution, particularly, the
university. Hence, to a large extent, the quality of a university is measured by the services provided by the
library because of its unique contributions in the over-all goals of the university. For a university to
perform its myriad of functions, its library collections must not only have quality and current
books/journals, but also modern information sources in electronic formats, such as e-books, e-journals,
internet etc. Besides available information sources in a university library, such information sources must
be easily accessed and retrieved by potential users. Consequently, the demand for effective use of library
resources in university libraries calls for the need to ensure that students have effective and efficient
access to these resources. The
questions that arise are: how can Nigerian University Libraries ensure that students know how to use their
library resources effectively? How do students’ expectations change with the advent of modern
information technologies?
Furthermore, do students know how to search, identify, locate and select, and use library
resources relevant to their learning? In providing library/information services to the students,
it is imperative for the librarians to know the information needs and seeking behaviour of students, their
search skills and satisfaction levels in using library resources. Ocheibi (2003) argues that information is a
key resource that can bring about change and improvement in students academic achievement. Aguolu
(1982) reveals that the Nigerian University Librarians seems to be preoccupied with basic library duties