LIBRARIANS’ TECHNOLOGICAL READINESS AS PREDICTOR OF THE CREATION OF INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORY IN UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH-SOUTH, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated librarians’ technological readiness as a predictor of the creation of institutional repository (IR) in universities in South-south, Nigeria. To achieve this, two research questions were raised and one research hypothesis was formulated and tested. The study employed the descriptive survey design of the correlational type and the population for the study consisted of 181 librarians drawn from public university libraries in South-south, Nigeria. Total enumeration sampling technique was employed for this study. The instrument for data collection was the questionnaire. The face and content validity was established by the two experts in the field of Library and Information Science. The spearman Brown Prophecy Formula correlation coefficient (r) employing the split half method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument and this produced a reliability index of 0.81. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequency and mean to answer the research questions. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and multiple regression statistics was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that: (i) librarians demonstrated high level of technological readiness towards the creation of IR in the universities in South-south, Nigeria; (ii) librarians are highly willing to create IR in their respective institutions; and (iii) librarians’ technological readiness significantly influenced the creation of IR in South-south, Nigeria. It was therefore recommended that Management should encourage librarians to improve on their current state of technological readiness in order for them to be fully equipped to fit into the 21st century technology and the creation of IR. Also, technology manufacturers should take note of the insecurity challenges faced by users in order to proffer lasting solutions to such issues.