"Network Literacy Skills of Academic Librarians for Effective Services Delivery: The Case of University of Nigeria Library System"

Abstract

The use of information Communications Technologies (ICTs) in the Library and Information Science profession has been widely reported, Ezeani and Ekere (2009); Ozioko R; Ezeani C; Omeje E (2009) Adebisl, 0 (2009) Ahiauzu B (2008) Armah, A. (2009). Ezeani and Ekere (2009) have further established that Librarians and information professionals presently operate within a professional climate that is characterized by change. Ezeani (2005) furthermore, has posited that in developing countries such as Nigeria, libraries have had their budgets steadily on the decline. As a result most Nigerian libraries have had to perform their services within a reduced purchasing power. Knowledge of the use of these new skills will ensure that services are rendered more creatively and ensure the effective discharge of duties even within a reduced budgetary allocation. From the twentieth century need for computer literacy we have gradually migrated to a more advanced use of the Internet known as Network literacy. There has therefore, been a move over time from print literacy, to computer literacy and recently to network literacy. Network literacy therefore, is distinct from the forms of technological literacy present during the first generation of Internet communication. This is because it goes beyond the responsibility of knowing how to access information on the web, to critically reading web content and determining the credibility of online sources. This is often recognized as the critical literacy for the twenty-first century. Adrian (2007) has defined Network Literacy as the ability to participate as a peer within the emerging knowledge networks which are now the product of the Internet and to have a 'deep' understanding of the logics or protocols of these networks as we do of print. It therefore, requires an understanding of the means of participating on the web .by writing and connecting to the public sphere. Librarians in the twenty -first century need to be abreast of these emerging skills in order to be able to deliver their services effectively. They need to be able to have an understanding of the ways in which people read, write, and participate actively In the distributed, collaborative environment of the Internet in its current form Benson and Reyman (2009). The Internet offers a uniquely rich resource for authentic inquiry and librarians must learn to orchestrate sophisticated strategies to become literate in this complex environment. This work therefore, seeks to examine the network literacy skills of librarians in the university of Nigeria, library system in recognition of the fact that these are critical skills needed for optimal service delivery within the 21st Century.