Cybersecurity management skills as determinant of effective digital library services provision in public university libraries in some states in Southern Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined cybersecurity management skills as determinant of effective digital library services provision in public university libraries in some states in Southern Nigeria. It adopted a correlational research design, with a population of 401 academic/professional librarians from eight (8) public university libraries in four (4) states in South-East and South-South in Southern Nigeria. The proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to select 180 academic/professional librarians as the sample size for the study. Data were collected using the researchers’ structured questionnaire and unstructured interview. The data collection process yielded 93% response rate, while the data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics of frequency counts, mean scores, standard deviations and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC), with the simple linear regression to test the single null hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that librarians’ level of awareness of cybersecurity management issues was relatively high on basic issues such as managing cybersecurity budgets and projects, etc., and low on issues of technical nature such as designing and developing cybersecurity architecture for digital library systems, etc. It indicated that the cybersecurity management skills required by librarians for effective digital library services provision are categorized into technical skills (such as knowledge in identifying and mitigating an attempt to hack library server to secure digital library services, ability to install and update computer virus for digital library services provision, etc.); managerial skills (like the ability to lead highly motivated teams in dealing with cybersecurity threats for digital library services provision; knowledge in effective collaboration with various departments and stakeholders in cybersecurity situation for digital library services, etc.); and soft skills (such as ability to make proactive decisions about cybersecurity issues, learn new skills about cybersecurity, and think critically in evaluating cybersecurity information for digital library services, among others). It identified rapid pace of technological evolution, general low level of librarians’ skills in digital technologies, lack of cybersecurity courses in LIS curriculum, lack of tailor-made training programmes for librarians on cybersecurity issues, etc., as the major factors militating against the acquisition of cybersecurity management skills by librarians for effective digital library services provision. The study concluded that cybersecurity management skills of librarians have a strong significant relationship with effective digital library services provision in public university libraries in some states in Southern Nigeria. It therefore, recommended, among other measures, that management of universities in collaboration with LIS schools should introduce cybersecurity management courses into the curriculum of Library and Information Science to provide the background for acquiring cybersecurity management knowledge and skills by LIS graduates, while the training and retraining of librarians in cybersecurity management incidents and trends should be prioritized by management of university libraries, library associations and professional bodies.