Accessibility and use of electronic resources for digital reference services among university libraries in southern Nigeria

Abstract

Rationale of Study – The study examined the accessibility and use of electronic resources for digital reference services among university libraries in Southern Nigeria.
Methodology – The study adopted a correlational descriptive survey approach to interview 234 librarians who work in both public and private university libraries in southern Nigeria.
Findings – The study established that the available e-resources in university libraries in Southern Nigeria are e-books, e-journals, e-maps and databases and are extensively used for digital reference services in university libraries in Southern Nigeria. However, there are challenges emanating from low ICT literacy skills among librarians.
Implications – According to the study's findings, university library management, should set up a committee to look at the electronic resources that are appropriate for digital reference services and use that information as a benchmark for assessing the current electronic resources in order to identify those that are not currently available in university libraries but could provide potential solutions for digital reference services. Additionally, university library administration should regularly assess the digital reference services given in their libraries to determine the usage of electronic resources to enhance what university libraries offer.
Originality – The research has phenomenal significance because it has provided circumstantial information on the accessibility and use of electronic resources for digital reference services among university libraries in Southern Nigeria.