INFLUENCE, ACCESSIBILITY AND USE OF ELECTRONIC INFORMATION RESOURCES AS CORRELATE OF RESEARCH OUTPUT OF LIBRARIANS IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This study x-rayed the influence, accessibility and use of electronic information resources as correlate of research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research methodology was adopted for this study, in which total enumeration of the entire population was used for the study. Thus, the entire sample population of the librarians in seven (7) Federal Universities in North Central   Nigeria  was   used  as   the  respondents   for  this   study.   A   closed-ended questionnaire was used as the instruments for data collection. Descriptive statistics of mean, and standard deviation was adopted to analyse the research questions, while inferential statistics of Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) analysis was used to test the null hypotheses. The Findings of the study revealed that there was high level of  availability,  accessibility  and  use  of  electronic  information  resources  among librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Nigeria. Furthermore, the result showed that librarians frequently used Internet, E-journal, E-book, Science direct, CD- ROM, and many more. Moreover, Librarians published mostly in professional journals, writing of monographs, writing of book or book chapters, conference proceedings. The major  challenge  faced  by  librarians  in  Federal  Universities  in  the  North  Central, Nigeria, is lack of time due to library routine. This study concluded that most librarians in Federal Universities in North Central, Nigeria has access to electronic information resources but they do not maximise these resources for their research work. Hence this study recommended that the government at all levels should provide adequate budgetary allocation  to  enable  these  Universities  involved  provide  efficient  and  effective electronic  information  resources  to  ensure  greater  research  output.  In  addition, librarians‟ routine task should be minimised so that they can have time to embark on research activities using the electronic information resources.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0      INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

Research output of librarians is the extent to which librarians engage in their own research and publish articles in refereed journals, conference proceedings, writings of books or book chapters, producing works of artistic and creative nature, gathering and analysing original evidence as primary source, writing of monographs, developing experimental designs, engaging in public debate and commentaries, working with postgraduate students  on dissertations and  class projects, obtaining research  grants, carrying out editorial duties, obtain patents and licenses in terms of inventions. The more research output is published in all formats, the probability of availability, accessibility and use of information is assured. According to Okato, ( 2011).  Research output is a means through which librarians contribute new knowledge to the existing body of knowledge. Research output of librarians is worthy of focus as the quality and quantity of their publications are a determining factor in their performance evaluation.

Research output plays a major role in attaining success in the academia as it relates to promotion, tenure and salary of librarians.  It has also been reported that the quality of research output by academia in any university system depends largely on the quality and quantity  of  information  resources  at  their  disposal.    Powell  (2010)  maintains  that research and publication help individuals to think critically and analytically. Librarians in academic libraries are considered as academic staff, so engaging in research has become an expected activity on their part.   Despite the benefits of research output to librarians, they do not conduct enough research and publications.

Librarians when compared with other academic counterpart, record low publication output and this has affected the rate of promotion of many librarians. This  may be due to lack of access to adequate electronic information resources, subscription  to current journals, lack of time for research work due to the nature of their routine work, insufficient skills in research,  poor training programme on research and erratic electric power supply, which may all lead to poor research output of the librarians. Oduwole & Ikhizama (2010) use the survey method to ascertain research output of librarians in Nigerian agricultural research institutes. They found out that the librarians‟ research output, although generally low, was related to their work routine.

Research provides a good platform for librarians to become successful academics. This is because research develops their knowledge and reinforces the skills needed for effective knowledge transfer. It also inspires librarians towards hard work, fills the gaps of previous research, and creates an opportunity for future research.

Research output is one of the criteria that is used for the promotion of librarians in universities and other higher institutions of learning in Nigeria. Research output contributes  towards image  building  for universities  as  well  as  ranking,  it  becomes highly necessary for universities to invest more on access to information resources especially electronic resources. Output is of primary concern to the management of every  organisation,  including  university  libraries.  Thus,  the  need  to  accord  high premium to the welfare of the employees have been the major preoccupation of management. Productivity is considered as an output of a staff on the job, measurable in terms of quality and quantity of job performed or done (Oduwole, 2009).  The quality of research could be measured by counting the numbers of books published, or journal articles produced over a period of time.

Haridasan and Khan (2009) Maintained that electronic information resources refer to information bearing materials that provide access to users in a digital or in an electronic format. Electronic information resources also have been viewed as a resource in which information is stored electronically and accessed through electronic systems and networks. Electronic information resources have many functions and benefits which can be of immense use to librarians. Once a user is connected to the Internet such user can link up with any part of the world for whatever purpose the user has in mind, Okiki & Asiru, (2011) view electronic resources as the product of information communication technologies  which  are  found  relevant  to  aid  librarians‟ performance  and  research process in the universities.

Electronic Information Resources has brought about innovation in librarianship where access to information is made possible to library users beyond the physical boundary of the university library. According to Pullinger (2012) the academic information environment has changed for both librarians and patrons, since most of the information resources are now available in electronic format, the electronic information resources have unprecedented contribution on library collections.

The availability of electronic information resources is very important as to the research output of librarians in Federal and other Universities, because it is perceived that when these resources are available, they contribute to greater research output of librarians and the development of the library at large. Hence, it appears that when electronic information resources are available, it may hamper the research output of librarians. This reason informed the need to examine the availability, accessibility and use of electronic information resources on research output of librarians in Federals Universities in North Central Nigeria. Oduwole and Akpati (2013) investigate the availability of electronic  information  resources  at  the  University  of  Agriculture  library,  Markudi Nigeria.  The study revealed that most members of the University community attest to have availability of electronic information resources and it was easy to access and use to satisfy with their research outputs.

The accessibility of electronic information resources according to Nawe and Kiondo (2010) in a study reported that research quality had improved significantly with the accessibility to electronic information resources. Results of the study also revealed that the  quality  of  teaching  and  learning  had  improved  significantly  as  a  result  of information  and  communication  technology  (ICT)  application  in  library  operation. Foster et al. (2009) argue that inadequate access to electronic resources affect  the publication outputs of Nigerian universities in international journals is reportedly low, and publication output is a major indicator of productivity; this implies that academic staff in Nigerian universities are not internationally productive.

Internet resources such as online databases, e-books, and e-journals were among the electronic  information  resources  (IR)  used  for  academic  purposes.  Other  resources found to be used were CD-ROMs and OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue), OARE, science direct and many others. Generally, literature has shown that there is a positive relationship between the availability, accessibility and use of electronic information resources and improvement in the quality and quantity of research output. Nawe and Kiondo (2009) in their study report that research quality had improved significantly with the availability, accessibility and use of electronic information resources. Results of the study also  revealed that  the quality of  teaching and  learning had  improved significantly as a result of information and communication technology (ICT) application in library operation.

The accessibility to electronic information resources has immense benefit to librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria. Electronic information resources assist librarians to produce or publish a good research output which can be added to existing body of knowledge. Electronic information resources provide access according to various literature reviews and these can broaden the mind of librarians when embarking   on   research   that   lead   to   quality   research   output.   The   availability, accessibility and use of electronic information resources enhances librarians research output by providing various information needed for research. It also increases access to information materials that will be of immense benefit to librarians in their research work.

The use of electronic information resources and academic performance of university teachers by Sivathaasan and Velnampy (2013) they jointly indicate that usage of electronic information resources has a strong positive association with academic performance in higher institutions of learning. The finding shows that both faculty and students use and like electronic information resources and most readily adopt them if the sources are perceived as convenient, relevant, and time saving to their natural work flow.

Electronic information resources are in digitised format which requires the use of computers  and  internet  connection.  Accessibility  and  Use  of  these  resources  is influenced by various factors. However, because of the flexibility of electronic information resources, they have added advantage over print materials in research conduction. Thus, the ease with which electronic information resources is accessed and use needed information significantly to influence publication output of librarians and this in turn has great impact on the research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria.

Despite the importance and  advantages offered by electronic information resources Madukoma, Onuola and Ikonne (2014) identified a number of problems associated  with accessibility and use of electronic information resources, these problems range from lack of or inadequate resources, mainly computers, poor internet connectivity, inappropriate usage of electronic information resources lack of appropriate skills in research among librarians. All these need to be empirically processed, that is why the researcher embarked on this research to see how availability, accessibility and use of electronic information resources could be correlated with research output among librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

Research output contributes towards image building for Universities as well as their ranking. Research output is a criterion that is used for promotion and tenure of librarians in Universities and other higher institutions of learning in Nigeria. However, it seems likely that librarians record low research output, this low research output, could be librarians‟ inability to access and use adequate electronic information resources or could it be that librarians are inadequately accessing and using these electronic information resources on their research output? Therefore, this study sought to examine the availability, accessibility and use of electronic information resources as correlates of research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria.

1.3       Objective of the Study

The main objective of this study is to investigate the availability, accessibility and use of electronic information resources towards research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria. The specific objectives are to:

1.   determine the research  output  of librarians  in  Federal  Universities  in  North Central zone, Nigeria.

2.   determine the extent of research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria.

3.   determine  the  relationship  between  availability  of  electronic  information resources  and  research  output  of librarians  in  Federal  Universities  in  North Central Zone, Nigeria.

4. determine the relationship between accessibility of electronic information resources and research output of librarians in North Central Zone, Nigeria

5.   determine the relationship between the use of electronic information resources and research output of librarians in North Central Zone, Nigeria

6.   determine the challenges militating against the research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria

1.4       Research Questions

In order to achieve the above objectives of the study, the following research questions was use to guide the study and gather data pertaining the research work:

1.    What are the research  output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria?

2.    What is the extent of research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria?

3.   What is the relationship between availability of electronic information resources and research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria

4.   What  is  the  relationship  between  accessibility  of  electronic  information resources  and  research  output  of librarians  in  Federal  Universities  in  North Central Zone, Nigeria?

5.   What is the relationship between the use of electronic information resources and research –output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria?

6.   What  are  the  challenges  militating  against  research  output  of  librarians  in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria?

1.5       Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated to guide this study, and has been tested at 0.05 level of significance:

1.   There   is   no   significant   relationship   between   availability   of   electronic information resources and research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Nigeria.

2.   There  is   no   significant   relationship   between   accessibility  of  electronic information resources and research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Nigeria.

3.   There is no significant relationship between the use of electronic information resources and   research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central  Nigeria

4.   There is no significant composite contribution of the availability, accessibility and use of electronic information resources on the research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central  Nigeria

5.   There is no significant relative contribution of the availability, accessibility and use of electronic information resources on the research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North central Nigeria.

1.6       Significance of the Study

The outcome of this study should help librarians in academic institutions improve their research  output  through  availability,  accessibility and  use of electronic  information resources. Enhance librarians maximum publication output. The finding of this study is of immense assistance to all librarians in Federal Universities to know the importance of electronic  information  resources  that  enhance  their  research  output.  It  also  help librarians   policy implementation, the government and management board of Federal Universities and libraries who are involved in their research work explore information on electronic information resources. Furthermore, findings and recommendations of this study  has  added  to  the  existing  body  of  knowledge  in  the  field  of  library  and information technology and related discipline in information and communication technology.

1.7       Scope of the Study

This study is concern with the availability, accessibility and use of electronic information resources on research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Zone, Nigeria. The study cover seven (7) Federal Universities in North Central Nigeria namely: Federal University of Technology Minna, Niger State, University of Agriculture Markudi, Benue State, Federal University Lafia, Nasarawa state, Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State, University of Illorin, Kwara State, University of Jos, Plateau State and University of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT). However, the professional staff of these Universities library are the subject of the study and the content scope was limited to availability, accessibility and use of electronic information resources as correlate of research output of librarians in Federal Universities in North Central Nigeria. This is due to some constraints which include the spread and distance of the Universities, shortage of fund required to tour the study area, time within which to complete the study and the delay that was caused by respondents.

1.8       The operational terms were defined operationally as discussed in this study

Accessibility   of   electronic   information   resources:   Easily   locate   electronic information resources to aid research productivity in academic communities

Availability of electronic information resources:  Ability to provide, locate or obtain electronic information resource with ease in the conduct of research.

Electronic information resources: Information bearing materials that provide access to library users in a digital or electronic format

Librarians:  Professionally trained persons who possess a bachelor degree, masters or doctoral degree (PhD) in librarianship and works in any library, responsible for managing, organising, evaluating and disseminating information, providing support to members of an academic community including students, researchers and lecturers.

Research output:   Total number of productivity in terms of research report in professional journals, conference proceedings, number of workshops conducted, and training in emerging technology.

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