Artificial intelligence readiness: Examining the role of digital literacy among librarians in university libraries in Nigeria

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare the extent to which librarians in university libraries in Nigeria and South Africa use Web 2.0 tools.Design/methodology/approachThe study is a descriptive survey using comparative method. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 110 librarians from 11 leading university libraries in Nigeria and South Africa.FindingsThe results showed that the librarians from both countries use Web 2.0 tools, but differences exist between the librarians in university libraries in Nigeria and South Africa. It emerged that librarians in South Africa use various Web 2.0 tools frequently, more than the librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. This might be as a result of lack of awareness, lack of interest, lack of skills, and not willing to embrace emerging technologies on the part of librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. The results revealed that librarians in university libraries in Nigeria are confronted with challenges such as power failure, lack of facilities, lack internet connectivity and lack of skills when compared to their South African counterparts in the use of Web 2.0 tools.Originality/valueThese research results can be consulted by interested librarians, mostly in developing countries, when planning for Web 2.0 applications in their libraries.

There is a dearth of literature in the relationship between in-service training and job performance of librarians in Nigerian Universities in the South South zone of Nigeria. This study examines the relationship between in-service training and job performance of Librarians in University Libraries in Nigeria. A sample size of 172 Librarians was drawn from 11 University Libraries in the zone. One hypothesis was formulated to guide the study. The statistical analyses used were Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and simple Regression Analysis. The result showed a significant relationship between in-service training and job performance of Librarians (r = 0.2757); r2, = 0.076, df = 170. Critical r = 0.195. The result also showed that in-service training can significantly predict the job performance of librarians in Nigeria (F = 13.943; df = 1,170; critical f = 3.84; x = 0.05). Recommendations are made based on these results.KEY WORDS: In-service training; job performance; librarians; university libraries; relationship

The study examined the essentiality of motivation in enhancing the effectiveness of librarians in Nigerian public universities. It adopted correlation survey research design. Its population consisted of 1,254 librarians in public university libraries in Nigeria, from which 923 were selected using simple random sampling. The research instrument used was a self-developed questionnaire. The study revealed that motivation is necessary in enhancing job performance of librarians in public university libraries in Nigeria. It concluded that contrary to general belief, motivation level of librarians in university libraries was high. It was recommended that university library management should continue to promote values such as improved employee recognition, good leadership style and improved employees’ motivational programmes that would increase productivity of its workforce.

Innovation has become one area that requires careful examination in today’s university libraries. Because innovation is one of the attributes of knowledge management, and knowledge management in itself is a survival strategy for university libraries facing challenges, it has become necessary to empirically determine the extent of involvement of librarians in knowledge management activities in federal university libraries in Nigeria. The aim of this study, therefore, is to determine the knowledge management activities of librarians in library services as well as the extent to which their involvement can be explained by their personal characteristics with a view to proposing a model for library service improvement through knowledge management. The study is a descriptive survey design. Responses to a structured questionnaire developed by the researchers were received from 200 librarians. The questionnaire was entitled, ‘Knowledge Management in Library Service Questionnaire, KMLSQ’. It was validated by experts and its reliability index was calculated as 0.91 using Cronbach alpha procedure. The data collected were analysed using Percentages, Mean, Standard Deviation and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. This analysis was done with Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. The results showed that librarians in university libraries in Nigeria were involved to a large extent in knowledge identification, acquisition, creation and dissemination. The results also revealed that only education and work experience correlated significantly with knowledge management activities of the librarians. The study concluded by proposing a conceptual model of knowledge management as a service delivery tool.

The aim of the article is to investigate the level of job satisfaction among cataloger librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. Eighty-six catalogers from 29 university libraries in Nigeria participated in the survey. A questionnaire was used for data collection, which was e-mailed to catalogers. Overall, 86% of the catalogers surveyed were very or somewhat satisfied with their current job. The findings revealed that catalogers in university libraries in Nigeria are dissatisfied with dimensions such as roles and responsibilities, workplace culture, rewards (salaries/benefits), and professional development. On the other hand, they are satisfied with administration and supervision, performance evaluation, and opportunities.

This paper aims to determine the influence of transformational and transactional leadership on knowledge management activities of librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. Quantitative methodology was considered appropriate for this type of research and adopted to accomplish the main goal of this study. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a total of 215 librarians who participated in the study. Factor analysis and multiple regressions were used to analyze data. The results of the study reveal a positive and significant influence of transformational and transactional leadership on knowledge management activities of academic librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. Further, the results show that transformational leadership behaviours impacted knowledge management activities of librarians more than transactional leadership behaviours. The study provides both theoretical and empirical evidence on the impact of transformational and transactional leadership behaviours on knowledge management processes.

This is a case study on information literacy (IL) practices in university libraries in Nigeria, the UK and the US. An online questionnaire was used for data collection. University libraries in the UK and US provide IL training in all the areas mentioned compared to university libraries in Nigeria. There are differences between university libraries in UK, US and Nigeria in IL training delivery methods. However, barriers such as lack of facilities, lack of understanding of IL, students' nonchalant attitude towards attending IL sessions, and low acceptance of the online approach were identified as factors militating against librarians' efforts when advocating and providing IL training in the university libraries in Nigeria, while barriers such as lack of time allotted for teaching IL skills, students tendency to be apathetic and bored, and a lack of understanding of what IL is were mentioned by the libraries studied in the UK and US. To have effective IL training programmes, university authorities in developing countries should see the need to provide the necessary facilities such as computers with stable Internet access in university libraries, regular power supplies, and training of librarians on IT. Most of all, librarians should collaborate with other stakeholders in their institutions to ensure an IL policy formulation and implementation in their institutions.

Abstract
 Objective – University libraries in Nigeria are facing challenges arising from poor funding, increasing user demands, and a competitive information environment. Knowledge management has been accepted by information professionals as a viable management tool, but issues surrounding its application require empirical investigation. The aim of this study is to determine the organizational factors that are correlates and predictors of knowledge management practices in federal university libraries in Nigeria.
 Methods – The study was based on a correlational research design. Twenty heads of university libraries in Nigeria responded to a structured questionnaire developed by the researcher. The questionnaire was validated by experts and its internal reliability was 0.78 obtained through Cronbach’s alpha procedures. The data collected were analyzed using Mean, Standard Deviation, One-Way ANOVA, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, and regression analysis.
 Results – The study found that management support and collaboration were the most significant predictors of knowledge management practices in federal university libraries in Nigeria. Even though human resources policy and rewards systems had positive correlations with knowledge management practices, their correlation coefficients were not significant.
 Conclusion – The success of knowledge management in university libraries in Nigeria depends on some contextual factors such as the support given by the management staff and the extent of collaboration among staff.

This study investigated relationship between emotional intelligence, job satisfaction and productivity of librarians in Nigerian public universities. A correlational survey research design was adopted. The study population consisted of 1,254 librarians in public university libraries in Nigeria, from which 923 were selected using simple random sampling. The research instrument used was a self-developed questionnaire. Its validation was subjected to the scrutiny of experts in the areas of the variables studied; it gave a reliability coefficient of 0.91 for Emotional Intelligence; 0.78 for Job Satisfaction; and 0.94 for Productivity. A response rate of 67.2% was achieved. Data were analysed using descriptive (percentage, mean, average mean and standard deviation) and inferential (Pearson Product Moment Correlation) statistics. The study revealed a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction (r = 0.034, P < 0.05), between emotional intelligence and productivity(r = 0.032, P < 0.05) of librarians in public university libraries in Nigeria. The study concluded that contrary to general belief, job satisfaction and productivity levels of librarians in university libraries were high. It is recommended that university library management should continue to promote values that would boost emotional intelligence and increase job satisfaction and productivity of its workforce. Article visualizations:

Talent management practices and job performance of librarians in university libraries in Nigeria

This study investigated emotional intelligence as correlates of productivity of librarians in Nigerian public universities. A correlational survey research design was adopted. The study population consisted of 1,254 librarians in public university libraries in Nigeria, from which 923 were selected using simple random sampling. The research instrument used was a self-developed questionnaire. The questionnaire validation was subjected to the scrutiny of the experts in the areas of the variables studied; it gave a reliability coefficient of 0.91 for Emotional Intelligence and 0.94 for Productivity. A response rate of 67.2% was achieved. Data were analysed using descriptive (percentage, mean, average mean and standard deviation) and inferential (Pearson Product Moment Correlation) statistics. The study revealed a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and productivity (r = 0.032, P < 0.05) of librarians in public university libraries in Nigeria. The study concluded that contrary to general belief, emotional intelligence and productivity levels of librarians in university libraries were high. It is recommended that university library management should continue to promote values that would improve emotional intelligence and productivity of its workforce. Article visualizations:

The study examined the roles played by librarians in promoting the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in their institutions in South-South and South-West geo-political zone of Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Data were collected using an online questionnaire and a total enumeration sampling technique was used. Data were analyzed with frequency counts and simple percentages, and Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 23 was used to generate the mean and standard deviation. A total of 200 librarians in university libraries were sent the online questionnaire and 83 librarians responded by filling out the questionnaire giving a total response rate of 42%. The 83 librarians who responded to the online questionnaire was used as the sample of the study. The questionnaire were validated by two experts in research methodology and educational technology. Cronbach Alpha was used to establish the reliability of the instrument, which yielded 0.86. The findings revealed that the librarians have a high level of awareness of the concept of OER and that the majority of librarians were actively involved in promoting the use of OER in their various institutions. Lastly, the study established that inconsistent power supply, lack of library sensitization on the use of OER, poor Internet connectivity, and lack of institutional support for the creation and use of OER were some of the significant challenges to the effective use of OER in universities in Nigeria. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended that academic libraries in Nigeria must meet global standards by promoting universal access to education through the use of OER among others.

PurposeThis study aims to ascertain gender differences in librarians’ publication output in Nigerian university libraries; to spotlight the benefits librarians derive from publication, and to identify the problems encountered by librarians in their publication efforts.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a descriptive survey method supported by a questionnaire. The population of the study consisted of a focus group made up of a total number of 55 academic librarians from five university libraries in Edo and Delta States. The researchers also engaged both male and female academics in the various institutions using a semi‐structured interview.FindingsIt was revealed that male librarians publish more than their female counterparts. The interview responses also revealed that female academics noted family responsibilities as a major factor hindering them from publishing equally as their male counterparts. It was discovered that male and female librarians in the university libraries investigated publish their works mostly in the African continent, and enumerated promotion/career advancement, contribution to knowledge, personal and institutional prestige as the major benefits librarians derive from publication.Originality/valueIt is hoped that the study will help librarians to see the advantages in publishing in order to improve promotion prospects and advance in their careers. The findings of the study will also be useful in making library management and the university authorities aware of the need to enable improved conditions to support research and publication by librarians.

This paper proposes a mediation model of transformational leadership for improving the job performance of librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. A quantitative approach underpinned by positivist philosophy was considered appropriate for this type of research and adopted to accomplish the main goal of this study. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a total of 215 librarians who participated in the study. Factor analysis and multiple regressions were used to analyse data. The results of the study reveal that knowledge management has full and partial influence on the relationship between transformational leadership and job performance of librarians.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of organizational culture on the relationship between knowledge management practices and the job performance of academic librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. The study employed a quantitative research methodology. A total of five hypotheses were proposed for testing, and a conceptual model was developed to test these hypotheses for significance at the .05 level. A questionnaire survey was used and a total of 230 academic librarians agreed to participate in the study. The data collected was analysed with the aid of SPSS. The results of the study reveal that knowledge management and organizational culture made positive and significant contributions to job performance. The results of the study also provide compelling evidence in support of the impact of organizational culture on the relationship between knowledge management and the job performance of academic librarians in university libraries in Nigeria.