Makerspace as emerging trend in academic libraries: advocacy for adoption and domestication in Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined Maker space as an emerging trend in academic libraries globally. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study, because the data is nominal. Four objectives and four research questions were formulated to guide the study. The population of the study comprised university librarians in the 165 universities in Nigeria approved by NUC, made up of federal universities, private universities and state universities. Purposive sampling technique was used to derive a sample size of 35 university librarians. The instrument for data collection was an interview schedule. 35 copies of the interview schedule were distributed and administered to the university librarians through email, telephone and face to face conversations and yielded a returned rate of 35(100%). Simple percentage was used for data analysis. Results from the analysis of the data revealed that university librarians were aware of the maker space concept as an emerging learning space in academic libraries; academic libraries in Nigeria neither had maker spaces, nor had any plans to establish any in the nearest future. Results also showed that university librarians have positive perspectives of the adoption and domestication of maker spaces in academic libraries, but with caution. The study therefore advocates for university libraries in Nigeria to embrace and explore the maker space concept for adoption and domestication. Finally, the study recommends among other things that academic libraries should come up with policy initiatives and strategies for the adoption and domestication of maker spaces in academic libraries in Nigeria.

Keywords: Maker spaces, emerging trend, adoption, domestication, academic libraries