Retrospective Conversion of Bibliographic Records in Nigerian Academic Libraries: An Empirical Study of Libraries using KOHA ILS

Abstract

Retrospective conversion of bibliographic records is not a recent practice among Nigerian academic libraries. However, the end product of this process, which is a functional Online Pubic Access Catalog (OPAC) has been underwhelming. This is due to various challenges that have hindered the libraries from achieving a successful retrospective conversion. Some of these challenges include unreliable software, lack of a union catalog, and sheer absence of exchange of information among the libraries. This study therefore measures the practices and experiences of twenty Nigerian University Libraries in the course of carrying out retrospective conversion of their resources using the KOHA library software. The study adopted a survey method of research with a self-developed questionnaire as the instrument of data collection. Data analysis was with the aid of the SPSS software and the presentation was done using simple frequency and percentage. Findings show that erratic power supply and low Internet bandwidth are the major challenges facing Nigerian libraries in the course of retrospective conversion.