Effect of Migration from Analogue (Traditional) to Digital (Web Based) Readers Services in University Libraries in Niger State

Abstract

Purpose: This study examined migrating from traditional to web-based readers’ services in university libraries in Niger-State, Nigeria. It is generally believed that there is an ongoing activity of introducing web-based readers’ services in university libraries. Design/methodology//approach: To carry out this research, stratified (proportional random) sampling was used to gather the necessary data. Two research questions and one hypothesis were formulated for the study. Salant and Dillmans method of sample size determination was used to select 381 respondents out of a population size of 27,003 of both users and librarians in some selected academic libraries in Niger-State. A close ended questionnaire was developed which was used to collect the data for this study. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was determined using Cronbach alpha method and it was found to be 0.87. The data gathered from the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistic of mean, standard deviation and inferential statistic of Z-test. Findings: The major findings of this study revealed that is a significant difference between the opinions of library users on the migration process from traditional library services in Niger-State. Based on these findings, it was concluded that migration from traditional library services to web based library services is underway in university libraries in Niger-state and the acceptance and usability of this new form of service is slow compared to the available equipment for this new form of service. It was recommended that to ensure better migration process, academic libraries, should update their knowledge in web-based services and also sensitize their users on the availability of these services in their libraries. It was also recommended that special funds should be made available for smooth transition process. Originality/Value: the study has been able to establish that there is an ongoing migration activity from traditional to web based library services in university libraries in Niger state but the process is not as fast as compared to their counterparts around the world due to certain factors. The results of this research may be useful to tertiary institutions in Nigeria as a whole. Keywords: Migration, Web based, Traditional, Universities, Academic Libraries.