Availability and Utilization of Information and Communication Technology Facilities for Service Delivery by Librarians in Academic Libraries in Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The research investigated the availability and utilization of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) facilities for service delivery by librarians in academic libraries in Adamawa
State, Nigeria. The study was guided by two objectives and two research questions: The kinds of
ICT facilities available in academic libraries in Adamawa State and the types of service delivery
in academic libraries in Adamawa State, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted for the
study. The population comprised 116 library staff from three selected academic libraries in
Adamawa State. Out of these, 104 questionnaires were completed, returned, and found usable,
resulting in an 89.7% response rate, while 12 questionnaires were invalid, representing a 10.3%
non-response rate. The instruments used for data collection were a questionnaire and a checklist.
Data were analyzed using availability (A), non-availability (NA), and descriptive statistics such
as frequency counts and percentage scores. The findings revealed that various ICT facilities are
available in academic libraries in Adamawa State for service delivery, including email, internet
websites, CD-ROMs, e-journals, e-books, computers, free library online access, Wi-Fi
connectivity for personal devices, audio-visual equipment, and printing, scanning, and
photocopying services. The study indicated a high level of availability for all these services.
However, it recommended that library management should provide ICT resources that are
currently lacking, such as an online public access catalog (OPAC), e-dissertations, e-theses, enewspapers, e-encyclopedias, and e-dictionaries. Additionally, there should be a greater emphasis
on training and retraining of staff, particularly in reference services, circulation, interlibrary
loans, and user education, to enhance effective service delivery.