TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Approval page ii Certification page iii
Dedication iv Acknowledgement v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables ix
Abstract. x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 6
Purpose of the Study 7
Research Questions 7
Significance of the Study 7
Scope of the Study 9
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Conceptual Framework 10
Concept of university library 10
Library support initiative (LSI) 10
Concept of e-learning 13
Electronic resources and services of university library 18
Technologies involved in e-learning 22
Problems hindering the success of e-learning 22
Strategies that enhances the success of e-learning 23
Theoretical Framework 24
Ranganathan five laws of library science 24
Review of related empirical studies 25
Summary of Literature Review 31
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS
Design of the Study 33
Area of the Study 33
Population of the Study 34
Sample and Sampling Techniques 34
Instruments for Data Collection 34
Validation of the Instrument 35
Methods of Data Collection 35
Methods of Data Analysis 36
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
Research question One 37
Research question Two 39
Research question Three 40
Research question Four 42
Research question Five 43
Research question Six 44
Summary of the Result 45
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
Discussion of findings 47
Implication of the findings 51
Recommendation of the Study 52
Limitations 53
Suggestion for Further Research 54
Conclusion 54
REFERENCES 56
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Research Questions 61
Appendix B: Computer Analysis of Questionnaires 70
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Frequencies and percentages of electronic resources and services available in university libraries. 37
Table 2: Mean Rating and Standard Deviation showing level of information literacy (IL) skills of library staff. 39
Table 3: Mean Rating and Standard Deviations showing the university library support initiative for e-learning 41
Table 4: Mean Rating and Standard Deviation showing the extent which university library support initiatives enhance e-learning 42
Table 5: Mean Rating and Standard Deviation of factors impeding the success of e-learning 43
Table
6:
Mean Rating and Standard Deviation of the strategies that can be adopted to enhance the effective implementation of e-learning 44
ABSTRACT
The
study investigated university libraries support initiatives for e-learning, technologies
involved in e-learning, problems of e-learning, and the strategies to be
adopted to enhance e-learning. The design of the study was descriptive survey
design. The area of the study covered the north central zone of Nigeria, three
universities libraries were selected from the zone to represent other
university libraries. The population of the study comprises of one hundred and
twenty librarians and para professional librarians from the three selected
university libraries. The instruments used for data collection, were
questionnaires, checklist and interviews. The questionnaire was titled “University
Libraries Support Initiative Questionnaires (ULSIEQ),” which contained six (6)
sections, with a total of one hundred and ten (110) items. The questionnaires
were administered to the respondents directly. The data collected was analyzed
using percentages, frequencies, mean scores and standard deviations. The findings of the study indicate that most
of the electronic resources and services required for the development of
e-learning exist in university libraries, that the level of information
literacy skills of library staff was satisfactory. That online catalogues,
abstracts, indexes, institutional repositories, CD-ROMs, library databases,
open access initiatives etc, are the university library support initiatives for
e-learning. The study also revealed that
the problems militating against e-learning includes: low internet bandwidth,
high cost of electronic resources, poor or erratic power supply, etc The
recommendations raised to solve this problem include: Government should
subsidize the prices of electronic devices, provision of steady power supply,
improvement of internet service provision, etc.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Towards the end of the 21st century, library automation and the internet has revolutionalized access to information resources and library services around the world. The university libraries which are libraries found on the campus of university institutions to support the process of teaching, learning and research taking place in the institution, are able to take advantage of this development in information and communication technology (ICTs) to facilitate the processes of teaching, learning and researching. (ICTs) is the application of computers and other electronic technologies for the purpose of ordering, acquisition, organization, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of information. New methods of accessing information have emerged as a result of the internet and the World Wide Web. Library users are now able to access current and up-to-date international literatures as soon as they are published on the internet. This had been possible most especially in academic libraries, particularly the university libraries. Libraries in this institutions can now provide information access to off-campus students where ever they are located, even to sites hundreds and thousands of miles away. Services in university libraries had evolved from the days of closed stacks, through shelf browsing, card catalogues, punch cards and OPACS, to the concepts of; open access, institutional repositories, online catalogues, abstracting and indexing, electronic reference services etc. This historical migration has brought an increase satisfaction on the changing needs of library users, including ease of access to electronic and digital information resources. This development has posed a new challenge for university libraries, to initiate means by which they will make library resources and services available online to assist electronic and distant users.
The phrase library support initiatives (LSI), means any innovation undertaken by university libraries, to provide e-resources and services available in university libraries, to support the process of teaching, learning and research, taking place in the institution, either electronically or digitally. Modern university libraries are hybrids, which provide both traditional and electronic access to library resources for users. The electronic resources provided by university libraries includes; e-books, e-journals, online catalogues, CD-Rom, open access, institutional repositories, subscription to online databases such as: HINARI, OARE, AGORA, EBSCOHOST, DATAD etc. Similarly the university libraries also digitized information resources found in the libraries and make them available online for users. University libraries have migrated from the use of manual library tools to the use of electronic devices such as; desktop / laptop computers, fax machines, reprographic machines, scanners, photocopiers, surveillance camera, flash drives, servers, and printers etc, to provide library and information services, to cater for the varying interest of their users. Gone were the days when the university libraries merely provide manual access to information resources, this practice was characterized by; time wasting, travel to common sites to access library resources, mutilation of library materials, theft, etc. Nowadays, there is an increase demand for university libraries to provide electronic and digital access to information resources and services.
E-learning is a generic term used to describe all electronically supported process of teaching, learning and research. It is the use of electronic resources to facilitate the process of teaching learning and research in the digital environment, e-learning is synonymous with computer based instruction, web based learning, multimedia learning, computer aided instruction etc. E-learning requires the use of both computer hardware and software’s with good internet connectivity. However, these resources and services are not adequately provided in many university institutions, due to varying factors. The national universities commission (NUC), of Nigeria required that university libraries wishing to involve in electronic or digital service provision should provide a minimum of one to ratio twenty-five (1:25) computers for library users. In addition, university libraries are required to have steady sources of power supply with good internet connectivity. Moreover, Staff of university libraries now posses sound knowledge of information literacy skills, which enable them generate e-resources and services on the internet, and guide users to locate, access and retrieve relevant information resources online.
The use of modern information and communication technology in the provision of library services to a wider range of users, have posed new challenges to university libraries. University libraries are mow faced with the daunting task of helping users to access different types of information resources and library services, existing digitally online from any part of the world. In other to cope with this challenges, university libraries have been providing constant training and retraining to the staff to enable them remain relevant in this era of electronic and digital resource sharing.
Reports by various researchers indicated that there are inadequate electronic resources in many university libraries in Nigeria. Generally, many university libraries have limited number of computer hardwares, erratic power supply and poor internet connectivity etc. Library staffs are equally deficient in the knowledge of information literacy skills etc. which led to poor development of e-learning in most university institutions. This scenario requires an investigation into the problem in other to find solution that will facilitate e-learning in university libraries.
The study covered the north central zone of Nigeria, three university libraries from the zone were selected, these included the libraries of; university of Jos, university of Agriculture Makurdi and Nasarawa state university libraries.
The university of Jos library was established in 1972 as a branch library of the university of Ibadan campus in Jos Gangare. The library became a university library in 1975 when the institution was given autonomy to operate as a degree awarding institution. The library has four branches found in the various campus of the institution; these are the main campus library, permanent site campus library, the law library and the medical library at Lamingo JUTH. The library has a sum of one hundred and seventy two thousand collections with a total of fifty two professional and paraprofessional staff. The university of Jos library was selected in the year 2002 by the Carnegie and MaCauthur foundations to operate a pilot project in online public access catalogue (OPACs), which was completed and launched in November 2010. The library have automated and even digitized some of its information resources. The library has twenty two thousand library users, according to library statistics across the four branches of the university library. The websites of the university library is ).
Similarly, the library of university of agriculture Makurdi came into existence in the year 1988. The library was established alongside with the institution, by the proclamation of military decree of 1988 which created special universities of agriculture in Nigeria. The library has a sum of sixty eight thousand three hundred and forty seven collections. It has both printed and non-printed information resources, mostly biased towards agricultural science and agric engineering, which is in line with the mandate of the university. The library has a total of forty-five professional and paraprofessional staff, working in the various branches of the university library, with a population of seven thousand users. The library have automated and it is currently digitizing some of its resources. The library website is (http:/www.uniagricmaurdi.ng/lib/index/htm).
While the Nasarawa state university library was established in the 2002, alongside with the institution by the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State. The library is located in Keffi, it has a total of there are both professional and paraprofessional staff, with a sum of one hundred and thirty eight thousand, six hundred and ninety four (138,694) collections, as revealed by the library statistical records. The library has large volume of both printed and non-printed sources of information resources. Currently the library has automated some of its resources and has equally digitized some of its services. The Nasarawa state university library has a total of twenty two thousand users, due to its strategic location near the federal capital territory Abuja, which made it to attract many users. The library is the fastest growing library among the libraries of state university institutions from the zone. The website of the university library is (http:/www.uninasslib/ng.com).
The learning theory used for this study was postulated by an Indian philosopher and reported by (Rahma, 1994). The theory stated that books are for use, every reader his book, every book its reader, save the time of the user and the library is a growing organism. This theory was considered relevant for this study, because electronic resources are equivalent of books which are meant to satisfy the information needs of the library users.
