Purpose This study aims to examine the awareness and perception of the relevance of blockchain technology in the management of libraries and archives in the fourth industrial revolution in a developing country, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Ten system librarians selected from five different libraries and ten archivists selected from five different archives in the Southwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria represent the sample for the study. The study adopted a purely qualitative approach where data was collected through an open-ended questionnaire mailed to the participants to guide against physical contact and maintained social distancing to observe COVID-19 protocol. Findings The results reveal that both the librarians and archivists are aware of blockchain technology, its adoption and use in libraries and archives. There is a positive perception about blockchain technology believing that it can assist libraries and archives in storing information in a distributed settings through gathering, preserving and sharing authoritative information, and supports archivists in creating a unique verifiable record that can be accessed by anyone in archives. Implementation, maintenance cost and difficulty in sustainability are identified as the challenges of blockchain adoption. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to one geopolitical zone of Nigeria which necessitates the need for further research on the similar subject matter in other geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Practical implications The findings of the study have identified the need for librarians and archivists to increase their awareness and develop a positive perception toward blockchain technologies. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to research the relevance of blockchain technology in Nigerian libraries and archives. This paper reported the benefits libraries and archives could derive from the adoption of blockchain, and how such can improve effective services delivery to the satisfaction of the users of archives and libraries.
This study investigated the perceptions of undergraduate students at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, of the usefulness and challenges associated with computer-based testing. The population for the study consisted of undergraduate students at the University of Ilorin. According to the data collected from the Directorate of Academic Planning at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, the population of undergraduate students for the 2017/2018 academic session was 43 983. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample. A questionnaire was used as data collection instrument. The findings from the study showed that using a web-based assessment system contributed positively to the undergraduate students’ academic achievements while the majority of them preferred taking all their exams with the web-based assessment system. The findings further revealed that to the undergraduate students, CBT is an interesting technique in examinations and makes the taking of examinations easier. Also, there is high level of competence among undergraduate students with regard to possession of the required skills for CBT examinations. Delays in the commencement of the exams, power failures at the CBT centre and overcrowding are major challenges encountered by the students taking CBT examinations. One of the study recommendations was that the university management should endeavour to eliminate the delays in the commencement of tests by providing assessment timetables which should be strictly adhered to.
The emergence of open access is one of the most significant changes to the world of scholarly publications since the migration from print to digital publishing began. Reports of some authors have demonstrated how libraries across the membership are changing, in response to a need for new services and an increasingly diverse client group. In order to contribute to the existing knowledge in the area of open access movement in libraries, this chapter discusses how the 21st century library provides a service that can open access to knowledge for the growth and development of communities they serve by highlighting the concept of open access and open content, roles of libraries in open access initiative as well as library collection development and open access. This chapter also sheds light on legal and ethical issues in open access and the future of open access in libraries.
This chapter discusses how to transform libraries into a social library by integrating social networking tools into library reference services. Social networking/media tools enable Reference Librarians to communicate, network, and share documents with many library clients regardless of location, and at little or no expense. Reference Librarians can build relationships and keep up to date with library clients. Social networking media, however, open up new forms of collaboration that are not so bounded by time, place, and access to funding. This chapter looks at the following: needs and purpose of reference services, social responsibility of library, social networking in library reference services, challenges and prospects of integrating social networking into reference services, social media platforms, and ways to improve the use of social networking in library reference services in the future.
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