‘Funding, Bane Of Digitising Nigerian Libraries’

A library scientist of Riv
ers State College of Arts and Science (RIVCAS), Port Harcourt, Mrs Ebisemen P. Lulu-Pokubo, has identified key challenges mitigating against effective use of Information and Communication  Technology (ICT) by libraries in Nigeria in this era of digitization.
In a paper titled, “ICT: A Change Agent in Libraries and Librarians in Nigeria, she stated that funding libraries effectively has been a major setback in digitalising libraries in the country.
The paper, which she co-authored with Chinu Uchendu, Joyce A. Barth –Nengia, and Mercy Echen, noted that, “Money is required to maintain and upgrade equipment and software, pay software licence fees, pay for access to electronic journals and online database, pay for internet connections, etc”.
Other challenges are: copy right management,  preservation of digital information resource; charging roles of libraries and librarians and legal deposit.
In terms of copyright management, the paper noted that unlike print-based documents, digital-based information resources can be accessed from anywhere via electronic networks, copied several times, manipulated or deleted. It noted that print-based digital information resources are easier to preserve.
“There are print-based documents that are over 2000 years old in the world today and can still be read. The digital information resources are easier to preserve.
“There are print-based document that are over 2000 years old in the world today and can still be read. The digital information era is in its infancy and already some of the information is stored in formats or media that cannot be accessed or read,” the Paper said. Also, more library users are using digital technologies and have access to global information via the web, as a result of the changing roles of libraries and librarians.
Consequently, the huge amount of information available on the web has generally overwhelmed users.
There is also the legal challenge of deposing copies of publications for preservation. In the print-based environment, things are done by the National Library or National Archive, etc.
Presenting a paper titled: “Marketing of Library Services for Professionalism and Sustainability, Godbless W. Okede and Victor Wogwu concluded that librarians need to do more than they are doing currently to keep pace with developing trend.
“Library professionalism must connect to the vision of customers service delivery if they desired relevance in today’s society “times have changed when users were uninformed about sources of information materials and would accept any- thing given to them as service. The 21st century reader places more value on self –reliance, adaptability and survival under any difficulty than reliance on the use of the library services for every situation”, the paper said.