Application of Information and Communication Technologies for Library Services in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria

Abstract

This study looks into the Application of Information and Communication Technologies for Library Services in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria. In order to carry out this study, three (3) research questions were formulated. The research questions sought to find out which library services are ICT facilities are applied for in the College of Education Library, Zaria; to what extent are ICTs utilized for library services in the College of Education Library, Zaria; and what are the challenges facing the application of ICT facilities in the library services in the College of Education Library, Zaria. The research methodology adopted was quantitative and survey design. The total population of the study is 490 registered students of the Federal College of Education Library, Zaria, which was derived from the student’s register of the Circulation Service Division of the Federal College of Education Library, Zaria from the years 2017 to 2020. The sample size was chosen to be 30% (147) of the total population (490). A selfdeveloped questionnaire was used for the collection of data. The findings revealed that ICT resurces applied for library services in FCE Zaria include computers, printers and storage technology such as CD-ROM, CD, and DVD and also indicated that shortage of manpower, occasional system failure, lack of ICT skills, poor maintenance of ICT equipment, staff attitude towards ICT utilisation/technophobia, nonchalant attitude of users towards ict resources, power outages, inter-connectivity problems, and obsolete equipment were the challenges faced in accessing and utilizing ICT facilities at the Federal College of Education Library, Zaria among others. It was concluded that the application of ICT to library services in the Federal College of Education Library, Zaria, was not fully available and utilized. It was ecommended that College Management should adequately make a provision for those ICT resources that are not available in the library, such as the internet, online instructions on the use of the library, library web site, smart card for user’s identification, scanner, online public access catalogue, e-mail, teleconferencing technology, RFID use in tracking and managing library resources, library management software package, institutional repositories, chat services such as Facebook, Whatsapp, barcode sensors or readers, database services, electronic bulletin boards, close circuit television (CCTV) and CAS & SDI services.