LIBRARIANS VIEWS ON CLOUD COMPUTING AND DATA MANAGEMENT IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

This study investigated librarians’ views on cloud computing and data management in University Libraries in Rivers State. Three objectives guided the study. Descriptive survey design was adopted. The population of the study comprised of 56 librarians in five university libraries in Rivers State. However, out of the 56 copies of questionnaire administered, 35 (63%) was successfully retrieved and used for the study. A 4-point scale structured questionnaire titled “Librarians’ views on Cloud Computing and Data Management Scale” (LVCC) was used for data collection. A trial testing technique was adopted to ensure reliability of the instrument. Cronbach Alpha was used to analyze the data and a coefficient of 0.96 was obtained. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the hypothesis was tested using the independent t-test at 0.05 degree of freedom. Findings of the study showed that librarians are of the view that cloud computing is safe for storing and sharing of data in the University libraries. Findings also showed that inadequate power supply and slow internet connection as well as lack of adequate policies to support cloud use in the library are major challenges against the use of cloud for data management in university libraries. Conclusively, cloud computing impacted positively on data management. Based on the views of librarians, the researcher recommends that management of libraries should be encouraged to use cloud computing for storing and sharing of her data resources. Also, they should ensure adequate provision of power, internet, and training of staff as well as policies to support the architecture of cloud computing in managing library data resource.