Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
2023
Abstract
Information and Communication Technologies have pervaded every sphere of human endeavour and nowhere has its impact been felt more than in the library. ICT covers all forms of computer and communications equipment and software used to create, design, store, transmit, interpret and manipulate information in its various formats. Personal computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, transport systems, televisions, and network technologies are just some examples of the diverse array of ICT tools. The research was carried out because of the need to fill the knowledge gap of how private university libraries have utilized information and communication technologies to deliver services to their users. The research used the survey method and questionnaires were distributed to librarians in the two institutions and they were requested to fill the answers they felt were germane to the questions asked. Findings from the investigations revealed that private university libraries have made giant strides in the application of ICT hardware and software to deliver services to their users. It was also revealed that private university libraries utilized open-source integrated library software to deliver effective services. While the Babcock University Library used the KOHA integrated library software, the Veritas University Library used the OpenBiblio integrated library software. The use of these integrated library software has made core library functions such as cataloguing, classification and circulation easier and have rendered the “backlog syndrome” a thing of the past in private university libraries.