1,721,020 research outputs found
Managing Stress Among Librarians in Selected University Libraries in Ogun State Nigeria
Get PDFAbstract
Stress is evident in every workplace, irrespective of type or location. This study revealed that librarians experience stress in federal, state and private universities. However, there are variations in the levels of stress experienced by librarians from private, state and federal universities. According to the findings, there is no significance difference in the causes of stress among the various kinds of libraries studied. The causes are rather evident in physical, environmental, organizational, cultural, and managerial factors. There is high prevalence of stress among women of child bearing age as a result of the interface between home and the workplace. The study equally revealed that job stress has significant effects on effectiveness of librarians in university libraries, resulting in low productivity and output. The negative implications of work stress are recognized as a challenge to both employers and employees. It was also vividly revealed in the study that librarians manage stress through social withdrawal, emotional regulation and wishful thinking. The study therefore recommends positive attitude, ergonomics, self development, cultivating stress-free environment as relevant strategies for coping with stress. It also enjoins the Library and University Management to make provision for constant skill development of librarians, provision of recreational facilities as well as acquisition of necessary facilities among others. The work concludes that since proper management of stress can help harness the best from librarians, it behooves the Management to ensure that the best is put in place so that stress can be reduced to the barest minimum in university libraries
Running and Maintaining an ICT-Based Library in a Developing Economy: The Covenant University Experience
Get PDFInformation and Communication Technology has revolutionized library and Information sen,ices delivery across the globe. The paper examines the Covenant University experience as a model to encourage libraries in developing economies that leveraging with international standards and benchmarks as well as best practices is possible. The superiority of ICT-based library over its manual counterpart is highlighted. This includes: easy integration of various activities, increase in the range of services offered, provision (~f round-the-clock access to
users, etc. The paper discusses inhibiting factors to running a hi-tech library in
Africa and draws heavily from the Covenant University context to underscore basic
infrastructures, skills, values and technological capabilities that are irreducible
imperatives and prerequisites for efficient as well as effective running and
maintenance of an ICT-based library. It concludes by admonishing that African
libraries must not be left behind in this era of flat world and universal as 11·ell as
unfettered access to global information. The panacea to intellectual inequity and
lopsidedness between the developed and developing world is the application of ICT
in information management and dissemination
Libraries and Librarians in the 21st Century: A new perspective
Get PDFThe 21st century has indeed witnessed a new dimension in the area of library
practice. This paper discusses libraries and librarians in this century. It portrays
vividly the traditional libraries which were devoid of any form of ICT, as well as the
librarians who lacked skills necessary for enhancing library services. The paper
also presents the 2 rr century libraries as those characterized by the use of ICT in the
acquisition, processing, preservation and accessibility of materials. It highlights the
new roles of the present day librarians who have eventually become image makers,
facilitators, intrusion server managers, online cataloguers, system analysts, web
designers etc. The paper recommends the need for the 2 r century librarians to
train and retrain themselves while parent institutions should ensure that librarians
are sponsored to both local and international conferences. Professional
Associations are also urged to organize seminars/workshops for librarians at
subsidized rates. The paper finally concludes that as libraries continue to change;
librarians should strive to acquire necessary skills which will position them to .fit in
and perform maximally in the present day libraries and those of the.futur
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Cataloguing and Classification in an ICT Age: Matters Arising
Get PDFThe paper discusses the current trends in cataloguing and classification of library
materials in the information and communication technology era. There is
outstanding evidence that ICT has improved cataloguing activities, but has at the
same time given rise to some issues of concern to the library, librarian and the
users. These identified issues include threat to the position of the cataloguer,
requisite skills, infrastructure, training, software etc. Suggestions given on how to
derive maximum benefits include capacity building through self-development,
review of curriculum, constant power supply and regular user bibliographic
instruction
Acquisition,Preservation and Accessibility of Indigenous Knowledge in Academic Libraries in Nigeria: The Place of ICT
Get PDFNigerians interact well with their natural environment, culminating in the
accumulation of diverse experiences. These experiences result in a body of
indigenous knowledge which though unique to a given society or culture,
forms part of the information needed by researchers. In spite of the place of
indigenous knowledge in enriching academic libraries, its documentation
and preservation for posterity have hitherto posed tremendous challenges.
However, the emergence of information and communication technology
(JCT) has provided opportunities for librarians to interact with their host
and other communities in a bid to document various indigenous information
that may be of use to the library.
This paper discusses various indigenous knowledge practices in Nigeria
·,such as language, medicine, agriculture, family, marriage and highlights
the benefits of indigenous knowledge which include contributions to
community development, exchange of cultural information, recognition of
indigenous community in the global setting, etc. The paper also discuss
various ICT facilities required in documentation and preservation of
indigenous knowledge like recorder, photographic camera, video camera,
tapes, films, CDs, computer etc. Problems hindering the use of ICT which
are discussed include lack of fund, power failure and attitude of indigenous
communities and distortion of information among others. For the purpose
of improvement, the paper recommends collaboration with multinational
organizations and donor agencies for the purpose of fund generation,
librarians ' skill acquisition, respect of indigenous copyright issues, and
persuading the custodians of indigenous information on the need to release
informatio
Resource Sharing in Academic Libraries in Nigeria: A Digital Imperative
Get PDFThis paper exwnined the past e./forts made by Nigerian libraries towards
sharing of resources and enum.erated the benefits accruing from such
ventures. It also identified the necessary conditions for digital resource
sharing such as fund, c01nputers, internet availability, constant power
supply, standard and up-to-date union catalogue, and proper
maintenance skills among others. 111e poor state of these conditions in
Nigeria were highlighted and the recommendations include generation of
fund for digital facilities, review of library school curriculum, staff
training, and acquisition of computer skills and maintenance of ·
standard
Changing Roles of Cataloguers in Information and Communication Technology Age: Implication for Library Science Educators
Get PDFThe introduction of ICT to any profession definitely brings dramatic changes.
Cataloguing and classification have completely been impacted as a result of the .
emergence of lCT 111 the library setting. Hitherto, cataloguing practices were
manual and involved some rigorous activities like bibliographic descriptions on cards,
filing and interfiling of cards. Today, with the advent of technology, the cataloguer can
process acquired materials using the internet. The paper discuses the present roles of the
cataloguer which have shifted from physical description on paper to using the internet in
discharging of duties. It highlighted the need to examine the state of the library school
curriculum in connection with courses that will prepare cataloguers to fit into current
trends. The paper also suggested that the library school curriculum be redesigned to
include courses on computer application to 1ibrary service
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