MANAGEMENT OF DIGITISATION PROJECTS IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

ABSTRACT

The study Management of Digitisation Projects in Nigerian University Libraries was conducted to assess how digitisation projects are being managed in Nigerian University Libraries. This is because efforts are being put forward to improve on the information resource handling and management from being manually driven to electronic driven especially in Libraries and Information centers where information bearing mediums were originally in printed formats. And as such a particular library could not participate effectively in the information sharing methods that can be facilitated by digitisation. Four objectives were achieved by formulating and answering four research questions for the study. The objectives were to find out the skill sets available for managing digitisation projects in Nigerian university libraries, identify the types of information resources that are being digitized, find out the criteria that are being used for the selection digital asset management software and to assess digital preservation policy and strategies that are employed in the management of digitisation projects in Nigerian university libraries, Survey method was adopted for the study. The research instruments used to collect data for the study were questionnaire and interview. Since the whole population for the study is 40, all of them were used. That is 8 subjects from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 8 from University of Jos, 6 from Covenant University, Ota, 11 fron University of Nigeria, Nsukka and 7 from Federal University of Technology, Akure. Data were presented in frequency tables and percentages. Analysis and discussions were made to each table. Findings of the study revealed that majority of staff that engaged in digitisation project management are librarians who possess the ability to use software packages like Abbyfine reader, Omnipage and PDF respectively. Again the finding revealed that all universities where digitisation project is going on emphasize mostly on PhD dissertations, Masters theses and university Journal articles whose copyright have been obtained. That many universities consider open source criteria, functionality, interoperability, scalability and extensibility as criteria for selecting digital asset management software, principle statement, contextual link, preservation objectives and identification content were the major policy elements The study concluded that inadequate staff skill sets possessed by the digitisation staff and the digitisation management stakeholders impedes digitisation project management best practices in Nigerian university libraries. Based on these findings several recommendations were made such as librarians, system analysts and archivists should be awarded short and long-time training or courses to acquire more skills, University libraries in Nigeria should focus their digitisation project on local contents such as dissertations, theses, journal articles and university journals. They should be committed to a substantial investment in keeping pace with open source digital asset management software for managing digitisation projects and there is need for a written policy document that will help to focus the digitisation project management.

Background to the Study

Recent development in the world of information resource handling and management have moved from being manually driven to electronic driven especially in Libraries, Information centers, Museums and Archival centers where information bearing media were originally in printed formats. The need to source and present information for academic purpose is a daily routine for university libraries all over the world. Digitisation of library collections is a common phenomenon amongst academic and research institutions because it improves access and preservation of information resources. Libraries are making effort to convert text and images of their local and rare materials into digital formats so that they can be available to a wider audience. Gbaje and Bot (2009) stated that when print collections in the library are transformed into electronic and online resources, they reduce the need for library customers to physically visit the library building to access them.

Asogwa (2011) asserted that traditionally, librarians in academic institutions today make use of modern technologies to provide quicker, accurate and more sophisticated information services to customers. In Nigerian university libraries, the picture has rapidly changed due to the ability of librarians to make effective use of computer and telecommunication technologies to create, manage and disseminate digital contents across the globe. Creation of digital materials has become an emerging practice of today‟s information professionals. This is made feasible by high processing speed and large storage media capability of the computers as well as the power of the Internet to transmit information globally provided greater opportunities and challenges to librarians and information professionals. Technology has made information traditionally provided in paper to be digitised, preserved and made available and accessible to customers in electronic format.

Akintunde (2007) postulated that, the vision of any library that wants to go digital is the total digitization of its records and resources for easy access in electronic format with the goal to create and enhance access to electronic documents. The demands for more and more digital content in an ever-increasing electronic world as a result of its flexibility and its multimedia nature paved a way where access to information has become paramount in this millennium.

Urban (2002) in Akintunde (2007) stressed that the purpose of digitising library material is for increase in access to resources, preserving the original through reduced handling and for the building of a digital library. Other reasons for digitisation of library collections according to Akintunde (2007) include:

i. Increase access because of high demand from the customers and the desire by the library to improve access to a specific collection;

ii. Improve services to an expanding customers group by providing an enhanced access to the institution‟s resources;

iii. Reduce the handling and use of fragile or heavily used original material and creating a “back up” copy such as brittle documents;

iv. Development of technical infrastructure and staff skill capacity;

v. To create a virtual collections that permit sharing partnerships with other institutions to increase worldwide access;

vi. Reduction of the volume of the printed material and necessary operational space for its storage;

vii. Reduction of the cost for acquiring and maintaining the printed material;

viii. Faster search and access to the required information through a terminal;

ix. Multi-user access to the same information simultaneously through a terminal and among others.

In recognition of the significance of digitisation Durodolu (2010) asserted that university libraries in Nigeria are digitising their collections in order to contribute their own quota to the world information resource and making such resources available electronically for a wider access. Digitisation offers a way of preserving aging materials which could have otherwise gone out of use. Records such as dissertations, theses, journal publications, articles, public records and examination records amongst others are being digitized, printed, bound and placed back on shelves. In a similar opinion Gbaje (2010) remarked that when the materials are uploaded on the web it increases a library‟s visibility as the library‟s customers all over the world access the material. Fatoki (2005) pointed out that digitisation presents for improving the local content and improving indigenous knowledge which is abysmally low presently. Through digitization, visibility of Nigerian research and researchers, accessibility would be greatly improved, resulting in enhanced utilization of research outputs which has positive economic, social and industrial implications for the nation.

The concept „management‟ is not fixed, but changes according to time and circumstances. Terry (2000) defined management as a distinct process consisting of planning, organizing, directing and controlling in order to determine and accomplish the objectives by the use of human beings and other resources. Carlisle (2009) on the other hand defined management of digitisation project as the process by which the elements of a group are integrated, coordinated and utilized so as to effectively and efficiently achieve digitisation objectives.