Critique of the implementation a Natinal Virtual library for Higher Institution in Nigeria

The writer (Gbaje,E.S) has a good knowledge of what a virtual library is and what makes up a virtual library.The fact that we are in the information age and creating an environment for accessing these information is a good idea ,does not mean we (Nigerians and the Government) should rush into creating a virtual library without enabling necessary policy and providing enabling infrastructure to support its successful implementation. The paper highlighted the limitation of implementing a virtual library , steps and issues that has to be corrected for proper implementation of virtual libraries in Nigerian Higher Institutions.

CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING VIRTUAL LIBRARY IN NIGERIA

The virtual library concept which was conceptualized to ease the access of learning and teaching of digitalized databases, encyclopedia, historical and current events has been a success in many countries. But in Nigeria where the National Universities Commission (NUC) has been championing the course the initiative still remains a mirage and this is due to:
1. Funds
2. Lack of planning
3. Government attitude to education

But before we go further let us look at the various means/technologies that will be needed to implement this virtual library concept.
The technology to get a virtual library going is already here available (i.e. languages like HTML, XML) databases that include Oracle, My SQL. Networking protocols like IP (versions 4 & 6), UDP. The challenge here is getting these technologies together, which is not a problem in developed countries, but in developing countries like Nigeria this posses quite a challenge.
which brings us back to the problems and why the virtual library project may take time before it comes on board or may never take off at all even with the efforts of the National Universities Commission (NUC)/ Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in organizing workshops, sensitization and implementation of new technologies.
Funds: over the year Government has refused to implement the United Nations recommendation that Education has take at least 20% of the nation’s annual budget. These funds are needed to put in place the infrastructure and train personnel.
Lack of Planning: even the little funds that the government budgets for education yearly is poorly planned for, for instance there is no need to start building new physical structures when the ones in place have not even been renovated or buying furniture when there are no classroom to put them in.
Government attitude to education: over the years strikes in the academia has been a common phenomenon because the government has shown time and time again that it cannot be trusted to fulfill agreements signed by its representatives, this is added to the fact that even when the government budgets monies for the education sector not all of the funds are realized to the sector. so this causes the sector to only pay personnel costs only and not being able to undertake any research work, physical development, training & re-training etc.

The way forward is simply; government in Nigerian must show more serious in the virtual library project, commit resources, train the right personnel, put in place the infrastructure and give the National Universities Commission the necessary legal backing in order for it to carry out its functions



Shehu Mohammed
MIM/EDUC/03844/2008-09

inplementing a national library for higher institutions in nigeria

NAME: - SUZANAH DOUGLAS ZAKI
NO: - MIM/EDUC/05890/2008-09
COURSE: - LIBS 883/ONLINE INFORMATION INDUSTRIES

IMPLEMENTATING A NATIONAL LIBRARY FOR HIGHER INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA
A virtual library is defined as a library that provides access to tools such as databases, electronic journals, alerting services, electronic references and quality- vetted e- resources. It is considered as a library that consists of both digital and electronic library, it cannot function as a digital library.
The inability of Nigerian government to stock libraries in the academic institutions with relevant information resources has great implications for learning, teaching, research and development. Realising this, the Nigerian government has been making efforts through the National Universities Commission to implement the National Virtual Library Initiatives, which will enhance access to locally – available resources and international library collections for sharing with university libraries all over Nigeria using digital technology. However, six years after the project was initiated, the virtual library is yet to be functional.
To facilitate the development and implementation of the national virtual library, the NUC convened a stakeholder work in Abuja in July 2001 where the blue print for the project was developed and subsequently approved by the federal executives’ council in January 2002. Eleven universities were selected as pilot centers for the first phase of the project unfortunately, six years after the national virtual library was initiated and despite all the achievements enumerated by the NUC and series of training workshops, none of the eleven universities pilot centers has began operations and National Virtual Library which is now funded by Educational Trust Fund (ETF) is yet to be fully functional. The Nigerian government approved a national information technology policy in March 2001.
Numerous recommendations were made far away forward to actualizing the National Virtual Library project in Nigeria.

mim class

The Inefficient Information Industry
Because information-based businesses are becoming increasingly crucial to our commercial and social lives, inefficiencies in the information marketplace are becoming less tolerable. For example, today's information industry is characterized by the following:

IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL VIRTUAL LIBRARY FOR HIGHER INSTITUTION IN NIGERIA
The importance of virtual library in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized due to the fact that there is a massive advancement in technology leading to a change in the way the information profession is carried out.
A virtual library can be defined as a library that provides remote access to tools such as databases, electronic journals, alerting services, online reference tools, and quality selected web resources, that improves the quality of teaching, learning and researches. It is an interactive environment where people can access and share information in a remote way.
The emergence of a virtual library in Nigeria came up, due to the inability of the Nigerian government to stock the academic libraries with relevant information resources, which perhaps has a great implications for learning, teaching, and researches for overall development.
Therefore in order to solve this problem, the Nigeria government decided to implement the National virtual library through the National Universities Commission (NUC), to provide all the necessary information both locally and internationally which is required for teaching, learning, and researches in all the Nigerian universities.
However, six years after the virtual library was initiated, it has only been able to achieve little in some areas like, the recruitment of technical staff and consultants, carried out rapid NEEDS assessment in eleven Universities, developed and host virtual library websites, digitization and uploading journals published in Nigerian universities and among others.
The virtual library project is yet to be functional due to some reasons which includes lack of funds, competent personnel with know how, computer phobia, and lack of local resources for digitization.
The virtual library can be successful if the government can provide the necessary funds, necessary technology, training for librarians, and also develop national information infrastructures and among others.

 CRITICISM FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL VIRTUAL LIBRARY IN NIGERIA
Though the virtual library is very important in the academic environment, the technology attached to it creates a limitation to the network bandwith and slow speed in transmission thereby leading to instances of either no network or slow network thereby hindering the ability to make access to the information resources.
Unlike in the traditional library’s settings the users can only get access to the resources in the virtual library through the use of a password before the proxy server can attend to him. This to some extent hinders the ability to get information resources in the library.
The national library team should try and understand what constitute a virtual library and how to build it, for it to come in to reality.
Workshops, and training will have to be organized for institutions and individuals concerned with particular specification to key areas like web technology, content management, access management, database administration, network administration and security.
In conclusion, there should be a proper information technology policy for virtual libraries to be successful.

MURJANATU ABDULKARIM

MIM/EDUC/00051/2008-09

SUMMARY OF THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF INFORMATION BY DAVID BELIN

The article seeks to measure the economic value of information. Informational values may vary relative to one’s profession but it is said to be an expression of impacts or how it is need. 

The value of information were examined under three themes and these themes are:

1. INFORMATION VALUE AS “USE’: 
Here the value of information denotes an expression of how useful a piece of information is to the recipient. Informational value is frequently expressed as a derivation from communicational utility which also takes into consideration availability of data within an organization, its flow to members of that organization as well as impact of those data to the structural organization of the firm.

2. INFORMATION AS “TRAFFIC”: 
This tries evaluate the material or monetary worth of information as in traffic or sales. Porat (Porat 1977) in his study in 1977 discovered that the portion of U.S. National Economy involved with information was large and rapidly growing taking up 49% of Gross National Product (GNP) and earning 53% of labour income. A recent survey shows increase in revenue recorded with the online database industry as well as increased rate of electronic dissemination of information. 

3. INFORMATION VALUE AS “COMMODITY”: 
Information here is seen as a unique commodity the is not consumed in its use but could be exchange as well as used many times. Exchange value and use value of a commodity (information) were distinguished with commodity acting as the unifying factor between the two.

Pricing was deduced as an acceptable measure of value and a reliable indicator of exchange when taken over time. 

In conclusion, the article won given preference to valuing information in its commodity form since market price serves as a good indicator or measure for value. 

NAME: AJAYI OLUGBENGA S.

MIM/EDUC/07812/2008-09  

SUMMARY AND CRITQUE OF THE CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING A NATIONAL VIRTUAL LIBRARY

 

SUMMARY 
The idea behind the establishment of the national virtual library is to establish an online network among Nigeria universities where access to tools such as database, electronic journals, alerting services, online reference and quality selected web resources that improves the quality of teaching and research can be obtain. Unfortunately this initiate has become a mirage.
The virtual library is expected to provide value-added solution for all higher education institution and facilitate online access to an enormous current volume of academic information.
Amongst other things, the virtual library is expected to 
(i) Improve the quality of teaching and research in institution of higher leaning in Nigeria through the provision of current books, journals and other library resources.
(ii) Enhance scholarship, research and lifelong learning through the establishment of permanent access to shared digital archival collections etc 
Digitization, acquisition and collection development and enabling technology all form the bedrock of a successful virtual library. Unavailability of basic information infrastructure, poor policy implementation, lack of web technologies skilled digital system librarians, information technology policy and technological challenges are the hindrance to the implementation of a National virtual Library in the institution of our higher learning. Aside from these, there is need for a librarian with web technology skill who will be able to facilitate skilled information retrieval and to intervene between user and the information, to help user evaluate what they retrieved.
It is not totally a lost hope for the actualization of the virtual Library if only the following steps can be taken:
(i) An improvement in the basic national infrastructure
(ii) Librarian and information professionals to be trained in information and web technology skills.
(iii) The virtual library should provide access to electronic resources free web based resources, heavily digitized resources and open access resources.
(iv) They should seek more grants and other source of funding to upgrade, etc.

In conclusion, since the aim of the virtual library is to provide networking amongst universities for the purpose of sharing resources online, the government should try as much as possible to make available every necessary materials that will make this a reality.

CRITIQUE  
This work cannot be condemned as the write has help in identifying the challenges the implementation of the National virtual library is presently facing and the way out of it.
A very good work I must say.

NAME: OLUGBENGA S. AJAYI
REG NO: MIM/EDUC/07812/2008-2009