Management of Electronic Books in Nigerian University Libraries

Abstract

This study examined E-book management in academic libraries in three of Nigeria first generation university libraries in South West region. The study adopted mixed method technique. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses of the data collected showed that Nigerian university libraries have embraced e-books subscription, and that relevance of e-books to subjects offered in the universities were the guiding principle when subscribeing to ebook databases. The study revelaed thar users friendliness of the database interface were major factor when when subscribing. However, management problem areas identified in this study consisted of University policies, funding, attitude of staffingstudents and changes ininformation technology Infrastructure. Consequently, it was recommended that heads of library should subscribed to ebooks with users friendly interface, increase of fund by the University mamangment. It was also recommedned that electronic information resources librarians should integrate such e-books into the WEBOPAC. The university library is the bedrock upon which any institution is built in order to achieve her primary aim of teaching, learning, research, and provision of community services. Every university library has the major aim of providing information materials that support teaching, learning, and research. Information can be stored in books, periodicals (such as newspapers, professional journals,) machine-readable databases, manuscripts, archival materials and in many other formats. According to Ashaver and Bem-Bura (2013), university libraries are the depositories of knowledge that provide a vital role for national development. Being an integral part of the university, the library collects materials in various format either published or unpublished, and these materials are in almost all fields of knowledge, sometimes spanning beyond not necessarily in those offered in the university. However, the value of the records of human communication lies in the information which libraries contain. In the view of Koren (2010) citing Ranganathan (1892-1972): Libraries grow and change and will always do so. Collections increase and change. Change comes along with growth and in order to be healthy, that growth and change require flexibility in the management of the collections, in the use of space, in the recruitment, retention, and deployment of staff and nature of programmes. Academic and research libraries have been considered to be early adopters of e-books. According to a survey done by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) on 75 member libraries, the earliest purchases were in the 1990s with packages like netLibrary, but most libraries Nigeria started adopting e-books began (Anson and Connell, 2009). Khan and Khan (2010) states that collection development policy reflects the policy, mission, and objectives of the University Libraries by providing the background to collection development and guidance in building quality and relevant collections. It outlines the underlying principles and guidelines in the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and maintenance of library resources.