Strategies for Sustaining Digital Libraries and Electronic Information Resources: A Survey of Nigerian Universities

This study investigated the strategies for sustaining digital libraries and electronic information resources (EIRs) in universities in Nigeria. A total of 15 universities took part in the study and the random sampling technique was used to select 90 respondents. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design with a self-constructed online questionnaire was designed and distributed to collect data from the respondents. 75 online questionnaires were found valid and used for analysis. The data were analysed using frequency, percentages, and mean scores. The result established that there are functioning digital libraries/E-Resources Units in the universities. It identified the available EIRs to include free internet resources, electronic journals, and online databases, among others. The uses of these resources are mainly for finding relevant information, research activities, completing assignments, and accessing current and up-to-date information. The strategies for sustaining digital libraries and EIRs use in the universities were: allocation of adequate funding, lecturers subjecting students to the use of e-resources for coursework, provision of adequate internet facilities, improving ICT skills of users, and marketing and promotion of digital libraries and EIRs. The study also revealed that the factors that pose as threats to the sustainability of these resources in universities are; epileptic power supply, frequent breakdown of digital facilities, lack of skills, inadequate number of computers to access digital information resources, and inadequate bandwidth for Internet access. It was, therefore, recommended among others that the management of universities in Nigeria should budget adequate funds for the library for the purpose of digital libraries and electronic information resources.