Effects of Browser Competence and Use on Information Service Delivery by Librarians in University Libraries in South-East Zone of Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the effects of Browser Competence and Use on Information Service Delivery by Liberians in University Libraries in South East Zone of Nigeria. The study was guided by two objectives, one research question and one null-hypothesis which was tested at 0.05 level of significance. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The target population was all the 189 Liberians working in government owned University Libraries in South East Zone of Nigeria. This includes nine (9) University Libraries as follows: the Anambra State University Uli (ASU), Abia State University Uturu (ABSU), Ebonyi State University Abakiliki (ESUA), Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) and Imo State University Owerri (IMSU). Others were Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Nnamdi Azikwe University Awka, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) and Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUA). Since the population of the librarians in these Universities was manageable (189), there was no sampling. The research instrument adopted was questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using: frequency counts, percentage, means, standard deviation, for research question and ANOVA. The following findings were made: the librarians in the Universities in the South- East zone of Nigeria could use ICT to enhance their service delivery to a large extent; the librarian’s competence in browsing as well as its use has a significant positive effect on their service delivery. However, it was recommended among others that the University Library Managements in the South- East zone of Nigeria should continue to update the ICT competence of the librarians by exposing them to more seminars, workshops and conferences that will lay emphasis on current trends in the use of ICT; it was also recommended that the library management should expose the librarians to more lectures, Seminars and workshops that will lay more emphasis on browser competence and how to apply these techniques to library functions like cataloguing and classification, serials management, collection management, budgeting, circulation management, referencing, indexing and abstracting in order to improve information services to library users. The study concludes that Librarian’s competence in browser techniques has significant effect on their service delivery.