USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY, AWKA)

ABSTRACT

Academic libraries play a prominent role in providing information services in various forms to researchers, scientist, policy makers, planners etc. a well-organized academic library should have ICT to assist both users and information professionals in the libraries. This research work highlights the use and problems of I.C.T in Nigeria academic libraries particular interest on Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. ICT facilitates access to electronic information which has become invaluable and complementing traditional library resources. This study describes what an ICT is all about. It identifies the role of ICT in academic libraries to improve the standard of information in the country. This research work also describes the types of ICTs found in academic libraries and the problems facing the use of ICT and also suggests strategies on how to overcome ICT problems in Academic Libraries.

Background of study
Layman tends to equate the application of information and communication technology ( ICT) in any profession to being online, meaning connected to the internet. Although the internet is an integral part of the ICT, it is not all there is to it. This paper seeks to investigate the many opportunities for the application of ICT in Nigerian academic libraries. It is hoped that the use of ICT in academic libraries will assist both the patrons and the library and information professionals in the libraries.
However, what is ICT? ICT is an acronym for information and communication technology but beyond this acronym, “there is not a universally accepted definition of ICT why? Because the concepts, methods and applications involved in ICT are constantly evolving on an almost daily basis. It’s difficult to keep up with the changes that happen so fast. A good way to think about ICT is to consider all the uses of digital technology that already exist to help individuals, businesses and organizations use information. ICT covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in a digital form. For example personal computer, digital television, email, robots, etc.

Also ICT is an umbrella that includes any communication device or application encompassing radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them such as video conferencing and distance learning.
From these definitions, some of the application of ICT has become clear such as video conferencing and distance learning, both of which can be facilitated by the academic library. Other applications of the ICT specific to libraries could include access to online resources on the internet such as e-journals, e-books and e-magazines, e-publishing, using CD-ROM for literature searches, access to local or network data bases on LAN (local area network) or WAN (wide area network). The opportunities for the application of the ICT in an academic library especially in a developing nation like Nigeria seem endless.

The application of ICT in Nigeria academic library is justified in that it provides access to learning resources, information and knowledge until now inaccessible by reason of distance technology.
However, since according to the European commission the importance of ICT lies in the technology itself in its ability to create greater access to information and communication.