Adoption and Use of Information and Communication Technology in Academic Libraries of Selected Private Universities in Ghana.

Abstract

The importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in libraries cannot be over emphasized. The advent of information and communication technology has changed the way libraries operate in recent times, and private university libraries cannot be left out in the ICT revolution. Librarians have changed from simple storekeepers who were concerned with the protection of books against theft and mutilation, to information officers who encourage the use of information in the vast array of information material. Private university libraries have a lot of challenges in terms of level of adoption to ICT when compared to their counterparts in their public university. In view of the above, this study set out to examine the level of ICT adoption in private university libraries in Ghana in terms of physical and to find out how committed the management of private universities are in acquiring ICT tools for to the libraries. The study further examined the capabilities and competence of both library staff and student in the use of ICT facilities and the level of satisfaction in the use of ICT in the various universities. This study used the mixed method approach which involved adopting both the quantitative and qualitative approach. The study used thirty percent of the graduate students as the sample size. Therefore, sample size of the student’s respondents was one hundred and eighteen (118). Since the population of the library staff was not too large the entire population of professional librarians and 6 paraprofessionals was used.

The research revealed that even though private universities have adopted ICT use in the libraries, there are challenges with training of staff in the use of ICT, and the lack of satisfaction with the work of technical people who do not understand the technicalities of the library work. The recommendations given were that management of private universities should invest more in ICT facilities for the libraries. Library staff should also be given enough training in ICT so that they can be in better position to help their users. Again, the government should constitute a body to oversee the affairs of private university libraries so as to ensure conformity with the library standards.