Library Philosophy and Practice 

About: Library Philosophy and Practice is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): The Internet & Information needs. It has an ISSN identifier of 1522-0222. Over the lifetime, 1978 publications have been published receiving 14938 citations.

Work Motivation, Job Satisfaction, and Organisational Commitment of Library Personnel in Academic and Research Libraries in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract: A well-managed organization sees employees as the source of quality and productivity. This study examines the perception of work motivation in relation to job satisfaction and organizational commitment of library personnel in academic and research libraries in Oyo state, Nigeria. Two hundred library personnel (41% female, 59% male) were selected through a total enumeration sampling from five research and four academic libraries. A questionnaire called Work Motivation, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment Scale (WMJSCS) with the overall co-efficient of r = 0.83 cronbach alpha was adapted from Organization Commitment Questionnaire by Mooday et al. (1979), Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire by Weiss, 1967, and Motivation Behaviour Scale of Akinboye, 2001. The Executive Behaviour Battery was used for data gathering. Four research questions were developed and analyzed using multiple correlation/classification, multiple regression, and t-test statistical tools. The result indicates that both job satisfaction and commitment correlate with perception of work motivation by library workers. No significant difference exists in the perception of work motivation of professional and non-professional library personnel. Employees in academic libraries and research libraries have the same level of job satisfaction. Years of experience have no relationship with commitment.

Knowledge Management as an important tool in Organisational Management: A Review of Literature

Abstract: Introduction If information is the currency of the knowledge economy, human expertise is the bank where it is kept, invested and exchanged--the researcher. "A firm's competitive advantage depends more than anything on its knowledge: on what it knows--how it uses what it knows--and how fast it can know something new."--HR Magazine 2009, p.1. It is no longer a controversy that we live in a globalised world characterised by fast information transfer across large geographic areas by means of the Internet. The consequence of this globalization is the emergence of knowledge-based economies where importance is placed on effective management of human capital to ensure that workers continue to create the right value for the economy. Nowadays, organisations no longer compete solely on the basis of financial capital and strength, rather knowledge is the new competitive advantage in business. In fact the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate is now determined, amongst other factors, by the quantum and quality of knowledge stock harnessed and applied in the production process in sectors of the economy. This knowledge based economies require that Knowledge Management (KM) good practices be put in place to improve organisation effectiveness. There is a popular saying that knowledge is power. Based on this assertion, it can be said that the management of knowledge is the key to power. KM as a discipline has been a focal point of discussion over the past decades. In recent years, the importance of KM has been widely recognized as the foundations of industrialized economies shifted from natural resources to intellectual assets. Since 1995 there has been an explosion in the literature surrounding the developing concept of KM. Today, there is hardly a conference or published journal without seeing literature referring to the concept, KM. The importance of KM as a critical tool in organisation and the society can therefore not be overemphasised. As Desouza (2011) put it, KM has become a trendy buzzword. Much of the interest in KM came from the realization that organisations compete on their knowledge-based assets. Even noncompetitive organisations (e.g. governmental institutions and nonprofits organisations) succeed or fail based on their ability to leverage their knowledge-based assets. It is stated by Teng and Song (2011) that the importance of KM is no longer restricted to knowledge intensive firms in the high-tech industries but to all sectors of the economy. Zack (2003) further says that even companies in the traditional industries, such as cement, can benefit greatly from KM. In essence KM is beneficial to all sectors, be it educational, banking, telecommunications, production/manufacturing, and even the public sectors. The management of knowledge has generated considerable interest in business and management circles due to its capability to deliver to organisations, strategic results relating to profitability, competitiveness and capacity enhancement (Chua, 2009; Jeon, Kim and Koh 2011). The management of knowledge is promoted as an important and necessary factor for organisational survival and maintenance of competitive strength. KM is identified as a framework for designing an organisation's strategy, structures, and processes so that the organisation can use what it knows to learn and to create economic and social value for its customers and community. Organisations need a good capacity to retain, develop, organise, and utilise their employees' capabilities in order to remain at the forefront and have an edge over competitors. Knowledge and the management of knowledge is regarded as an important features for organisational survival; while the key to understanding the successes and failures of KM within organisations is the identification of resources that allow organisations to recognize, create, transform and distribute knowledge. Organisations that effectively manage and transfer their knowledge are more innovative and perform better (Riege, 2007). …

Using Google Analytics for Improving Library Website Content and Design: A Case Study

Abstract: Google Analytics is a free web analytics solution that provides webmasters with insightful information about how visitors find and interact with their websites. In this case study, we have experimented in using Google Analytics to analyze two of our websites: The Rutgers-Newark Law Library main website and The New Jersey Digital Legal Library website. It was used to monitor our visitors' browsing activities and viewing behaviors for three months. Based on our findings from Google Analytics reports, we have redesigned our website. Subsequent data collected by Google Analytics have confirmed that our new design better fits the information needs of our visitors and librarians. Google Analytics is very powerful and can be used for almost any website. We believe that other libraries will benefit from using Google Analytics as well. Limitations of Google Analytics are also discussed based on our experience with it.

Application of ICTs in Nigerian Secondary Schools

Abstract: Introduction Information and communication technologies (ICT) are electronic technologies used for information storage and retrieval. Development is partly determined by the ability to establish a synergistic interaction between technological innovation and human values. The rapid rate at which ICTs have evolved since the mid 20th century, the convergence and pervasiveness of ICTs, give them a strong role in development and globalization (Nwagwu, 2006). ICTs have a significant impact on all areas of human activity (Brakel and Chisenga, 2003). The field of education has been affected by ICTs, which have undoubtedly affected teaching, learning, and research (Yusuf, 2005). A great deal of research has proven the benefits to the quality of education (Al-Ansari, 2006). ICTs have the potential to accelerate, enrich, and deepen skills, to motivate and engage students, to help relate school experience to work practices, create economic viability for tomorrow's workers, as well as strengthening teaching and helping schools change (Davis and Tearle, 1999; Lemke and Coughlin, 1998; cited by Yusuf, 2005). In a rapidly changing world, basic education is essential for an individual be able to access and apply information. Such ability must find include ICTs in the global village. The Economic Commission for Africa has indicated that the ability to access and use information is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for development. Unfortunately, many developing counties, especially in Africa, are still low in ICT application and use (Aduwa-Ogiegbean and Iyamu, 2005). This paper focuses on ICT application in Nigerian secondary schools. It particularly dwells on the importance of ICT and the causes of low levels of ICT application in Nigerian secondary schools. Recommendations for improvement are offered. The Need for ICT Application in Nigerian Secondary Schools Improved secondary education is essential to the creation of effective human capital in any country (Evoh, 2007). The need for ICT in Nigerian secondary schools cannot be overemphasized. In this technology-driven age, everyone requires ICT competence to survive. Organizations are finding it very necessary to train and re-train their employees to establish or increase their knowledge of computers and other ICT facilities (Adomi and Anie, 2006; Tyler, 1998). This calls for early acquisition of ICT skills by students. The ability to use computers effectively has become an essential part of everyone's education. Skills such as bookkeeping, clerical and administrative work, stocktaking, and so forth, now constitute a set of computerized practices that form the core IT skills package: spreadsheets, word processors, and databases (Reffell and Whitworth, 2002). The demand for computer/ICT literacy is increasing in Nigeria, because employees realize that computers and other ICT facilities can enhance efficiency. On the other hand, employees have also realized that computers can be a threat to their jobs, and the only way to enhance job security is to become computer literate. With the high demand for computer literacy, the teaching and learning these skills is a concern among professionals (Oduroye, n.d.). This is also true of other ICT components. New instructional techniques that use ICTs provide a different modality of instruments. For the student, ICT use allows for increased individualization of learning. In schools where new technologies are used, students have access to tools that adjust to their attention span and provide valuable and immediate feedback for literacy enhancement, which is currently not fully implemented in the Nigerian school system (Emuku and Emuku, 1999 & 2000). ICT application and use will prove beneficial in improving Nigeria's educational system and giving students a better education. A technologically-advanced workforce will lead to ICT growth in Nigeria, with the potential to improve military technology and telecommunications, media communications, and skilled ICT professionals who will be well-equipped to solve IT problems in Nigeria and other parts of the world (Goshit, 2006). …

Reading Habits Among Students and its Effect on Academic Performance: A Study of Students of Koforidua Polytechnic

Abstract: IntroductionReading habits are well-planned and deliberate pattern of study which has attained a form of consistency on the part of students toward understanding academic subjects and passing at examinations. Reading habits determine the academic achievements of students to a great extent. Both reading and academic achievements are interrelated and dependent on each other. Students often come from different environments and localities with different levels of academic achievement. Therefore, they differ in the pattern of reading habits. While some students have good reading habits, others tend to exhibit poor reading habits. Academic achievement means how much knowledge the individual has acquired from the school (Bashir & Mattoo, 2012).A creative and pragmatic education involves the habit of personal investigation. The act of personal investigation requires self-study to be followed by self-thinking and analysis. Self-study, otherwise referred to as reading at one's own accord, requires a habit, which is known as reading habit. Reading makes way for a better understanding of one's own experiences and it can be an exciting voyage to self-discovery. "Reading habit is best formed at a young impressionable age in school, but once formed it can last one's life time (Green, 2001).Reading and academic achievement are essential for research workers and educationists to know that every child whether he or she is gifted, average, normal or backward etc, should be educated in his or her own way but if he or she possesses good study habits, he or she can perform well in academics and in every situation. It is the reading habits which help the learner in obtaining meaningful and desirable knowledge. Good reading habits act as a strong weapon for the students to excel in life (Bashir & Mattoo, 2012).According to Palani (2012), reading habit is an essential and important aspect for creating a literate society in this world. It shapes the personality of individuals and it helps them to develop proper thinking methods, and creates new ideas. However, the developments in the Mass Media, had continued to influence interest in reading (hard copy of literatures such as...) books, magazines and journals, among others.Palani (2012) is of the opinion that, effective reading is important avenue of effective learning and reading is interrelated with the total educational process and hence, educational success requires successful reading habit. He believes reading is the identification of the symbols and the association of appropriate meaning with them. It requires identification and comprehension. Comprehension skills help the learner to understand the meaning of words in isolation and in context. Before the advent of the television, both the young and the old found enough time to read. Apart from teachers, other professionals used to spend their leisure time in reading both English and vernacular literature. English medium schools almost always demanded extra reading from their students. But all these have become a thing of the past. Palani (2012) further added that, nowadays, reading habit has lost its importance as both the young and the old are glued to the television. As far as educational institutions are concerned, coaching students for the examinations seems to be the be-all and end-all of our educational system.A lot of researchers like Ogbodo (2002), Bhan & Gupta (2010), and Singh (2011) have done work on reading, especially how it affects the academic performance of students. However, most of these works pertain to the international community. Few ones such as Ward, (1997), Agbezree, (2001) conducted in Ghana were limited to primary and secondary levels of education. It is against this backdrop that it has become necessary to conduct similar study in Ghana to examine the effect of reading habits on the academic performance of students in the tertiary level of education in Ghana with particular reference to Koforidua Polytechnic. …