The Influence of ICT Competencies on Job Performance in Nigerian University Libraries

Abstract

The study looked at the impact of ICT skills on librarians’ job performance in university libraries in Nigeria’s southeast. A descriptive research design was used for the study. The population of the study included 235 librarians from university libraries in southeast Nigeria. For the study, the total enumeration sampling technique was used. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents. The findings revealed that librarians in South-East Nigeria are above average in terms of ICT competence in university libraries. They also use ICT to post new problems, carry out current awareness tasks, and perform user education tasks. It was also stated that ICT has improved the services provided by librarians while decreasing creative activities in university libraries. Poor funding, insufficient ICT training, insufficient professional manpower to conduct in-house ICT training, LIS curriculum not properly structured in line with current ICT realities, insufficient ICT implementation and planning, and other issues have hampered librarians’ acquisition of ICT skills in university libraries. The study recommended among others that adequate funding be allocated for the training and retraining of librarians in the use of ICT, that training on network-based services, database management/searching, QR Code services, and web design be organized for librarians to boost their competencies, and that the use of ICT for task execution be adequately incorporated into the curriculum of library and information science to expose young professionals to the prospects of the use of ICT.