UTILIZATION OF OPEN ACCESS RESOURCES FOR ACADEMIC PRODUCTIVITY BY ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES IN NORTHWESTERN STATES OF NIGERIA
UTILIZATION OF OPEN ACCESS RESOURCES FOR ACADEMIC PRODUCTIVITY BY ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES IN NORTHWESTERN STATES OF NIGERIA
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Date
2015-05
Authors
Musa, Aminu Umar
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Abstract
This research was carried out to investigate the utilization of open access resources by academic
librarians for academic productivity in Federal universities in Northwestern States of Nigeria.
To achieve the objectives of the study, six research questions were set and answered for the
study. Two hypotheses were formulated, and tested. The research questions raised among others
include; what is the level of awareness of open access by academic librarians in Federal
universities in Northwestern States of Nigerian? What is the level of usage of open access
resources for academic productivity by academic librarians in Federal universities in
Northwestern States of Nigeria? What factors militate against the use of open access resources
by academic librarians in Federal universities in North Western States of Nigeria? The
hypotheses formulated for this study were: there is no significant relationship between
awareness and use of open access resources for research productivity of academic librarians in
Federal universities in Northwestern States of Nigeria. There is no significant relationship
between use of open access resources and research productivity of academic librarians in
Federal universities in Northwestern States of Nigeria. Survey research method was adopted for
the study while structured questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The
population comprised academic librarians in Federal universities in Northwestern States of
Nigeria. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics for the research questions and
for the hypothesis Person’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used in order to test the
relationship between the variables under study. The findings from the study revealed that
majority of the respondents indicated high level of awareness about open access publications
(OAP). Although they showed some level of awareness and familiarity with OA, their awareness
was hinged mainly on the nature and types of open access and not on open access initiatives. The
study also discovered that librarians portray high level of usage of open access resources. Even
though majority claimed to have accessed open access resources, majority of the respondents
acknowledged that they do not make their scholarly output via same source. The study revealed
that inadequate funding for building and upgrading ICT infrastructure in academic and research
institutions, unstable power supply, unavailability or slow Internet connection, technological
barriers from digital rights, lack of sensitization to adopt open access, intellectual freedom
issues (such as privacy, copyright, censorship) and lack of Skill on how to use ICT facilities were
the major factors militating against the use of open access resource by academic librarians. In
view of the above findings, it was therefore, recommended that advocacy on other forms of OA
initiatives have become so imperative as this would help in inculcating and improving the level
of awareness on open access initiatives. There is also the need for sensitization campaign to
encourage librarians to publish via open access models of scholarly communication so as to
contribute to the existing body of knowledge not mere consumers. Finally, adequate funding is
seriously needed for building and upgrading poor ICT infrastructure in academic and research
institutions. Unstable power supply, unavailability or slow Internet connection should be
improved. Likewise measures need to be taken on technological barriers arising from digital
rights, intellectual freedom issues (such as privacy, copyright and censorship) need to be
addressed. Adequate training on skill on how to use ICTs facilities is equally needed. This could
be achieved by collaborating with institutions, government agencies, open access related
initiatives and agencies.
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES,AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE MASTER OF LIBRARY SCIENCE (MLS)DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE,FACULTY OF EDUCATION,AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
Keywords
UTILIZATION,, OPEN ACCESS RESOURCES,, ACADEMIC PRODUCTIVITY,, ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS,, FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES,, NORTHWESTERN STATES,, NIGERIA.