Librarians’ Perception of Opportunities and Challenges Associated with Big Data in Public Libraries

Abstract

This study examined librarians’ perceptions of opportunities and challenges associated with big data in public libraries. An open-ended survey was used to collect data from the respondents. A total of 35 librarians were selected from seven state public libraries representing the sample for the study. Five research questions were answered in the study. The findings revealed librarians believe that experience with using big data in their libraries offers opportunities to enhance the library patron experience while improving internal functions. Specifically, respondents noted that internal use of big data, such as data management and data-driven decision making, would lead to enhanced library operations that would ultimately improve the user information search and retrieval experience. In terms of impact, big data is enabling effective service delivery to clientele, results in cost reduction, and swift response to users’ data/information needs. The challenges associated with the use of big data in public libraries in Nigeria range from inadequate experts/professionals, inadequate funds, irregular power supply, poor internet connectivity, and cost of training and retraining on big data. The study recommends, based on the findings, that to ensure the effectiveness of big data, public libraries in Nigeria should store data reliably across several databases and should recruit data experts/librarians to handle or manage the big data in their libraries.