Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate knowledge sharing practices among health sciences librarians in African countries.Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was employed. The study population consisted of African health sciences librarians that attended the 16th Biennial Conference of the Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa on October 14–18, 2019, at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: The types of knowledge most commonly shared by respondents were information on conferences, workshops, and seminars as well as information on new trends and technologies in librarianship. The main avenue of knowledge sharing was face-to-face interaction. Unwillingness to share knowledge and a lack of awareness about current trends and issues were the top identified challenges to knowledge sharing.Conclusion: These survey results establish the existence of a low level of knowledge sharing among health science librarians in Africa and suggest that concerted efforts should be made to overcome barriers to knowledge sharing within and across African countries.
This paper examines the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities to technical service operations of Bayero University Library, Kano. Qualitative research method was adopted for the purpose of the study. The population for the study comprised of the eleven (11) staff members of the technical service unit of the library, while the head of the unit was sampled to respond to the interview questions posed. The study revealed that ICT facilities that were used in the technical service unit of the library were computers, printers, mobile phones, Virtual Library Software, internet, cataloguing and classification tools such as Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) and Library of Congress Online Catalog. Findings also revealed that inadequate training of staff on ICT application to technical services; poor electricity supply and insufficient fund were some of the challenges plaguing the application of ICT facilities to technical unit of the library. The study recommends that there should be adequate straining of staff, provision of sufficient funds and constant supply of electricity among others to boost ICT application in the technical service unit of the library.
Keywords: ICT facilities, Technical service, Bayero University Library
IntroductionAlmost every discipline and endeavor in the universe today has moved away from traditional ways of operations in the conduct of their activities. Libraries are not left behind in the transformation which information and communication technology (ICT) have brought in the conduct of their operations and service provisions.
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