HUB LIBRARY NETWORKS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 THE STUDY’S BACKGROUND
Libraries, regardless of type, are designed to meet their users’ information needs. There are many library users in university libraries, including undergraduate students who need information for project writing. Students require information for their studies and research, whereas lecturers require information for teaching and research.
However, no library, including university libraries, can house everything that users require. As a result, Internet connectivity was implemented in university libraries to supplement printed resources used by undergraduate students for learning and research projects (Ani, 2005).
Using library information sources, researchers conduct a variety of studies. In today’s world, information is needed faster than ever before. Because there are many other sources of information besides libraries, it is necessary for the library to do everything possible to ensure that its relevance is felt among its clients who value its usefulness based on the available information sources found in it (Atsugh&Gwaza, 2012).
Regardless of the size of the library’s collections, it cannot hold everything the users require within its walls; therefore, the Internet is readily available to supplement its efforts to assemble information not found in the library building. As a result, the use of the Internet has significantly improved information dissemination.
Internet service provision has become a critical factor for undergraduate research activities, particularly in developing countries such as Nigeria, where the problem of limited access to current and reliable information resources has not been adequately addressed.
According to the World Almanac and Book of Facts (2004), no aspect of contemporary life is more influenced by the Internet than education. Selcher (2005) observed that the Internet is a veritable tool for academic research work, particularly at the higher education level.
The Internet is a network of linked computers located at various points around the world that allows for easy communication between people and organizations regardless of their location.
The Internet is mostly used to gather information. The Internet has numerous advantages in the academic cycle because it provides access to global sources of information. It also allows researchers to discuss and share their experiences with their colleagues (Ojedekun, 2001 as cited in Audu, 2006).
The Internet has a role to play in libraries, which serve as the hub of university research activities. The Internet has a significant impact on library services. It can be consulted and used in the same way as any other reference tool, but it is more dynamic and far-reaching than any other resource found in a library.
It offers a medium of communication that has expanded the potential of undergraduate students’ interaction beyond the physical library to users. Adegboji and Toyo (2006) discovered that the Internet contributed significantly to the ease of research by allowing them to download materials.
It is believed that researchers and students are confronted with inadequate and out-of-date materials. The only way to overcome these obstacles is to use Internet resources that provide comprehensive and up-to-date information (Kamba, 2008).
According to Lubans (2000), the Internet has an impact on undergraduate students’ academic work. He discovered that the internet had a positive impact on the number of found items and the quality of students’ written work. He also stated that with the indiscriminate use of the internet, students are enticed by the ease of access and frequently fail to question the value or quality of material found on the web.
Because there is no discernible orderly classification or categorization, the internet is a chaotic library. As a result, it puts students’ ability to distinguish between information from refereed scholarly journals available digitally and the digital equivalent of vanity press publications to the test.
The Internet is essentially the world’s computer network, in which computers are linked to share information. According to Preeti (2002), the Internet contains a variety of resources such as the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic mail (e-mail), File Transfer Protocols (FTP), Chat, Archives, Gopher, Telnet, Statistical Packages, Virtual Library, Search Engines, Directories, and others. All of these resources make research more effective and efficient.
According to Nworuh (2001), the Internet is a network of individual computers holding vast amounts of data that can be accessed directly from a personal computer that is purposefully programmed to share services, transfer, receive, and distribute information among people with similar interests and needs. As a result, it has proven to be the most important vehicle for accelerating information flow.
Adeoti (2000) listed the advantages of using the Internet, which revolves around the provision of current information services. It is also used to search libraries for interesting new discoveries; find the most recent information about education, sports, medicine, engineering, airspace, agriculture, software development, the most
recent books on politics, military, navy, and air force, or the most recent in cyber space technology. As a result, it is critical for undergraduate students to understand the significance of the Internet, to have the necessary knowledge and skills for Internet use, and to make adequate use of Internet resources available at universities for their studies and research.
Reitz (2004) defines research as “a systematic, painstaking investigation of a topic or in a field of study, often employing techniques of hypothesis and experimentation, undertaken by a person intent on revealing new facts, theories, or principles, or determining the current state of the subject’s knowledge.” Undergraduate students benefit from a one-of-a-kind and enriching activity in research.
According to Adebiji (2001), students who have basic Internet skills such as evaluating what they find, unzipping files, copying files, printing, starting existing programs, editing text, and so on, will be able to get the most out of the Internet. Users must understand how to decompress (unzip) files (usually large) sent over the Internet in a compressed (zipped) state for faster transmission.
According to Ampka (2000), undergraduate students’ visits to university libraries and information centers for research are frustrating due to a lack of Internet resources and basic Internet skills required to exploit Internet resources.
Similarly, Ani (2005) identified a number of issues affecting undergraduate students’ use of Internet resources in some Nigerian universities, such as access to Internet infrastructure and connectivity, as well as non-sustainable Internet services. Electronic journals and online databases, which are essential for learning and research, are underutilized.
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HUB LIBRARY NETWORKS
INSTRUCTIONS AFTER PAYMENT
- 1.Your Full name
- 2. Your Active Email Address
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