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Reference Services Review
Reference inquiries received through different channels: The challenges reference
librarians face in university libraries in Nigeria
Ebikabowei Emmanuel Baro Bueaty U. Efe Gboyega K. Oyeniran
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To cite this document:
Ebikabowei Emmanuel Baro Bueaty U. Efe Gboyega K. Oyeniran , (2014),"Reference inquiries received
through different channels", Reference Services Review, Vol. 42 Iss 3 pp. 514 - 529
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Diane Kresh, (2005),"“Going Where the Users are: We'll Get There Only If We Want to”", Advances in
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David McMenemy, Adrianna Lukasiewicz, (2007),"Exploring the role of digital academic libraries: Changing
student needs demand innovative service approach", Library Review, Vol. 56 Iss 9 pp. 821-827
Rory Patterson, (2001),"Live virtual reference: more work and more opportunity", Reference Services
Review, Vol. 29 Iss 3 pp. 204-210
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Reference inquiries received
through different channels
The challenges reference librarians face in
university libraries in Nigeria
Ebikabowei Emmanuel Baro, Bueaty U. Efe and
Gboyega K. Oyeniran
The University Library, Federal University Otuoke,
Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Abstract
Purpose – This study aims to investigate the different channels reference librarians receive reference
inquiries from patrons in university libraries in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was used to collect data on the various channels
through which reference librarians received reference inquiries in Nigerian university libraries. The
questionnaire was administered using an online method.
Findings – It emerged that the face-to-face traditional reference desk was rated as the highest channel
through which librarians receive reference inquiries in Nigeria, followed by library Facebook page and
phone/short message service (SMS). Instant messaging (IM) and e-mail were identied as the least used
channels by the patrons. The challenges mentioned include the absence of policy statements concerning
virtual reference services; the lack of information and communications technology (ICT) skills on the
part of librarians; slow Internet connectivity; power failures; management’s lack of support for
emerging technologies; IM’s limitations; user’s expectations of instant answer; inarticulate requests;
and lack of adequate current reference materials.
Research limitations/implications – The ndings are from a small sample size; therefore, the
ndings may not be substantial enough to generalize. Further study is necessary to determine if these
results are consistent throughout other university libraries in Nigeria.
Originality/value – The ndings will inform university libraries in developing countries that are
planning to adopt virtual reference services to deliver reference services to users anywhere, anytime.
Keywords Librarians, Nigeria, University libraries, Reference channels
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Everyday reference librarians help people locate the information they need and give
directions to information sources. While librarians are able to help thousands of patrons
with their information needs, they have always been concerned with the patrons who
need help, but do not ask (Graneld and Robertson, 2008). The present study seeks to
investigate the channels through which reference librarians in Nigeria receive reference
inquiries. Academic research is made easier for students when reference services are
offered at the point-of-need, whether it is via the traditional reference desk, chat
reference or short message service (SMS) reference (Graneld and Robertson, 2008).
Librarians currently answer reference questions in a variety of modes: in-person,
telephone, e-mail, instant messaging (IM) and Skype, in virtual worlds such as second
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0090-7324.htm
RSR
42,3
514
Received 26 September 2013
Revised 15 January 2014
24 February 2014
28 April 2014
5 May 2014
28 May 2014
13 June 2014
23 June 2014
Accepted 23 June 2014
Reference Services Review
Vol. 42 No. 3, 2014
pp. 514-529
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0090-7324
DOI 10.1108/RSR-09-2013-0049
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life and via virtual reference software (Pope et al., 2009). A focus group study by Agosto
et al. (2009) on the future of reference and information services in a virtual world
revealed that today’s reference librarians must multitask on a nearly continual basis.
For, example, while stafng a reference desk, reference librarians are often responsible
for answering phone, keeping up with chat and monitoring e-mail.
Participants in Agosto et al.’s (2009) study saw a shift toward Library 2.0 in reference
and information services. That is, not only are the question answering and research
components of reference services increasingly collaborative, users are playing an
increasing role in information production. Just as Library 2.0 means library services
provided via the Internet that encourage feedback and participation from users,
Reference 2.0 means that users are acting as information providers as well as
information seekers (Agosto et al., 2009). Because many users are now fairly procient
at nding information, they are moving toward providing information for others, by
creating blogs, adding to library collaborative blogs and wikis, reviewing materials to
be posted on library Web sites, answering questions and so on (Gervasio et al., 2010).
Furthermore, libraries have reported experimenting with Skype as far back as 2008
when Char Booth, then at Ohio University (OU), described the library’s experience of
using Skype as a means of interacting with reference staff (Beaton, 2012). OU’s library
was well known as an early adopter of providing Skype-based reference service. The OU
Skype-based service was introduced in early 2007 and included the option of asking
reference questions via Skype within the library or remotely (Beaton, 2012). A recent
survey report of approximately 20 libraries offers reference and other services via Skype
(Gervasio et al., 2010). Many of these libraries are in smaller institutions, but a handful
of somewhat larger institutions (Framingham State University, Madison Area
Technical College, St. Edwards University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University
and University of North Carolina at Greensboro) now incorporate Skype into their suite
of reference services (Gervasio et al., 2010).
Technology now allows users to submit their queries to the library at any time from
any place in the world. However, the pace of this transformation is comparatively very
slow in developing countries like Nigeria. Nigerian libraries are far behind as compared
with modern developed libraries in terms of their resources, services and information
and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. According to Graneld and
Robertson (2008, p. 45) “reference librarians have considered and studied these
wide-ranging transformations: the demographics, technological pressures, and the
changing educational climate and have experimented with and adopted new approaches
to services”. Library users have ever-increasing amounts of digital contents at their
ngertips, and many studies show they prefer this format over print (Tenopir, 2005).
According to Beaton (2012), The Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries offer
Twitter as a medium for receiving inquiries and noted that because they have been
on Twitter, they have noticed an uptick in reference questions tweeted to them.
Supporting Twitter as a medium for receiving inquiries supports their mission to
communicate with their students, faculty and staff in whatever means they prefer
(Beaton, 2012).
However, studies conducted in the area of reference services see the reference desk as
the premier reference service offered by their libraries and also see the face-to-face
personal encounter with a staff member as desirable (Graneld and Robertson, 2008;
Beaton, 2012). There are changes in the help-seeking preferences of students. Presently,
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library patrons are open to several communication channels ranging from face-to-face
traditional reference services to more sophisticated digital reference services in a digital
environment. The latter is to enable librarians in the developing countries like Nigeria to
provide reference services to users anywhere and at anytime.
The study was conducted to reveal the different channels through which students in
universities submit reference inquiries to reference librarians in university libraries in
Nigeria. Second, the authors sought to know the different challenges associated with
receiving reference inquiries in university libraries in Nigeria. The study focuses on
reference librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. This group was chosen because
they are the primary service providers supporting large population of users submitting
inquiries to reference librarians through different channels.
Research questions
The following research questions are addressed in the study:
RQ1. Through what channel do librarians in university libraries in Nigeria most
frequently receive reference inquiries?
RQ2. What are the various challenges associated with receiving reference inquiries
via the various channels?
Literature review
Librarians are urgently attempting to reinvent themselves and fully embrace the
challenge of meeting the needs of their users in a climate of rapid change where users
have many options and use many different types of ICT. Technological developments
have affected not only the format and sources of the information libraries use to provide
reference service but also where librarians provide these services. The literature review
that follows focuses on ndings from different studies that report the use of different
channels such as traditional reference desk or face-to-face, phone/SMS, Facebook, IM/
chat and e-mail to provide reference services to users. The literature review is organized
under the following headings: traditional reference desk or face-to-face, phone/SMS,
Facebook, IM/chat and e-mail reference services. To date, there are no studies from
developing countries focusing on different channels reference services are delivered.
The present study aims to ll the gap.
Traditional reference desk or face-to-face reference service
Studies have shown that despite the emergence of virtual reference services, the
traditional reference desk is still preferred. The study by Connaway and Radford (2011)
reveals that 70 per cent of virtual reference users believe a good relationship can be
developed with a librarian via face-to-face communication. The authors add that people
choose face-to-face reference when given a choice, but chat reference was seen as the
least intimidating and most convenient when researching from home or ofce. Similarly,
Malik and Mahood (2013) report that most of the libraries studied were using
face-to-face delivery channel for providing reference services with the highest mean
score of 3.32.
Guo and Turner (2005) studied college students’ perceptions of messaging systems.
They determined that while face-to-face was the most preferred communication
medium, chat and SMS communication would become more popular as students
increase their usage and familiarity with them. The study by Ruppel and Vecchione
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(2012) reports that 25 students (57 per cent) indicate they do not usually ask for help at
traditional library reference desks because the “person at the desk does not look like they
want to help or they look too busy”. Many of the comments (36 per cent) in Ruppel and
Vecchione’s (2012) study relate to the personalized service that traditional reference is
able to offer, in contrast to SMS and chat reference service. Ruppel and Vecchione add
that respondents value the direct nature of traditional reference service (33 per cent of
the comments).
Chow and Croxton (2012) examine user preferences for face-to-face and ve virtual,
or not in person, reference support services offered by an academic library – e-mail,
telephone, online chat, Skype video conference and text messaging. The researchers
found that participants preferred face-to-face reference interactions over a suite of
virtual reference options, followed by e-mail. In the aggregate, e-mail was the preferred
virtual reference service over telephone and online chat with little interest in text
messaging or Skype video.
Phone/SMS reference service
Text messaging, also known as SMS, is described as “near synchronous” because the
sender and receiver have time to thoughtfully compose and edit a message before
sending it (Guo and Turner, 2005). SMS reference is a personal medium because it is
similar to spoken communication and is efcient due to the fact that it can be employed
anywhere cell phone service is available. According to the Pew Internet and American
Life Project 2011, 97 per cent of American adults aged 18-24 years exchange an average
of 109.5 messages during a normal day (Smith, 2011, p. 2). Libraries that have
implemented SMS reference are able to reach students on their mobile phones and other
portable devices at the point of need which extends their relevancy to college students.
For example, the use of the telephone as a delivery channel was rated by the respondents
in the study by Malik and Mahmood (2013) to a moderate extent.
Albertsons Library at Boise State University (BSU) expanded their reference services
by implementing SMS reference in July 2010. The need for SMS reference service was
identied during a review of BSU EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR)
(EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2010). ECAR conducts and shares research
regarding the role of information technology (IT) in higher education across the USA. In
2009, 209 BSU students responded to the ECAR survey and in 2010, 319 students
responded. The authors studied the 2009 and 2010 data to discover the following trends:
• a predominant number of BSU students owned and used their own cell phone;
• more students owned a cell phone than a laptop or a personal computer;
• 63.9 per cent exchanged text messages for school, work or recreation;
• 44.8 per cent did not own a desktop computer;
• 93.5 per cent used their handheld mobile device to send or receive text messages;
and
• more BSU students owned a cell phone than use popular social networking sites,
including Twitter and Facebook (EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2010).
Luo (2011) discovered that participants at San Jose State University used SMS because
they needed information immediately (55.6 per cent), wanted to see how the service
worked (38.9 per cent), did not have Internet access (33.3 per cent) and needed help from
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a librarian (16.7 per cent). The participants mentioned features they appreciate (speed
and convenience), but mentioned the challenge of asking a more complex question via
SMS. Tomaszewski (2011, p. 284) reports that students preferred SMS reference because
“the convenient and unobtrusive nature of SMS makes it the more popular choice with
students who own a cell phone”, Similarly, Ruppel and Vecchione (2012) surveyed SMS
reference usage during the spring 2011 semester. The authors report that among the 44
students who participated, eight (18 per cent) had previously used SMS reference service
and almost all the respondents stated that they would use the SMS reference service
again in the future (p. 434). In Ruppel and Vecchione’s study, most respondents rate the
quality of help received through SMS reference positively. Ruppel and Vecchione (2012)
conclude that while SMS reference is at an early diffusion stage, it will likely become
more heavily used in the future. According to Pope et al. (2009, p. 12), “the number of text
messages sent has increased more than 25 per cent over the last two years”. Studies nd
that users prefer particular types of reference mediums for particular types of questions
(Cummings et al., 2007;Hill et al., 2007).
The study by Hill et al. (2007) found text messaging reference to be a unique service
well suited for short answer questions. As academic libraries become fully immersed in
the 21st century, they are beginning to realize that to best meet user needs, they must
rst look at user preferences. With the proliferation of online resources and distance
education opportunities, many libraries are attempting to meet user demands by
expanding their reference services beyond the face-to-face or telephone reference
interaction (Chow and Croxton, 2012).
Facebook reference services
In recent times, the popularity of the library’s Facebook page usage has increased the
number of reference transactions received by librarians in academic libraries. For
example, librarians at Pennsylvania State University found that promoting their
Facebook page during library instruction sessions and reference interviews resulted in
increased research trafc in their Facebook message boxes (Mack et al., 2007). The
authors add that, during the fall of the semester, 126 of the 441 reference questions
received by a Pennsylvania State librarian were through Facebook. They concluded that
Facebook received the highest percentage of reference transactions among the various
options such as e-mail, phone, IM and in-person interactions. Participants in the study
by Chu and Du (2013) perceived social networking tools like Facebook to be very helpful
in terms of information sharing, knowledge sharing, enhancing reference services and
promoting library services. The study by Ramos and Abrigo (2011) on “Reference 2.0 in
Action: an Evaluation of the Digital Reference Services in Selected Philippine Academic
Libraries” reveals that the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Library’s
Facebook page received 176 reference queries in 2010, wherein 61 per cent (110) of the
total transactions are factual and brief reference queries.
IM/chat reference services
Reference services using IM or chat reference are often referred to as “live online
reference”, “virtual reference” or “digital reference” (Malik and Mahmood, 2013).
According to Sloan (2006), chat reference has been around since the mid-1990s. It is very
common now for libraries of all types to often provide chat reference, but stafng
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patterns and hours of operation vary widely. Chat reference at many institutions is
offered within the periods that other reference services would normally be available.
Some institutions have joined consortial arrangements to extend the availability of
chat reference at their libraries. For instance, library users at the Newman Library, the
City University of New York, USA, were thrilled to nd a librarian online at 3:00 a.m.,
Sunday evenings and all other odd hours of the week when the library is closed (OCLC,
2009). The study reveals that 76 per cent responded they were satised with their online
answer, and 81 per cent say they would likely use the service again (OCLC, 2009).
According to Stepten Francoeur, OCLC’s virtual reference service, QuestionPoint,
Information Service Librarian, “having this chat reference service available to them
around the clock gives them a lifeline to the library whenever they need it” (OCLC, 2009,
p. 1).
Several studies show that library patrons value electronic reference services using
IM and e-mail (Ramos and Abrigo, 2011;Ruppel and Vocchione, 2012). IM was
reportedly used for handling inquiry-related services and internal staff communication
(Chu and Du, 2013). The study by Ramos and Abrigo (2011) reveals that IM and
Facebook were found to be the most useful tools in nding relevant information. The
authors further state that a majority of the queries received were brief and factual
information inquiries and questions on how to use online databases.
With IM, reference questions are answered immediately without the need to go to a
reference desk (Stephen, 2006). Librarians and patrons both appreciate the fact that IM
is faster than traditional chat services and librarians also like the fact that the software
can be downloaded for free (Houghton and Schmidt, 2005). IM helps the patrons easily
and quickly get in touch with the librarian for assistance. On the other hand, the
librarian provides feedback to the patrons via the IM tool (Houghton and Schmidt, 2005).
IM is vastly being used for online reference services in libraries. The “Ask a librarian”
service is provided by IMs all over the world. Connaway and Radford (2011) found the
leading factors for choosing virtual reference service (online chat) were convenience,
anytime/anywhere access, immediacy and efciency.
E-mail reference service
E-mail reference which is also an electronic or virtual reference service is most suited for
brief research such as factual types of information. One disadvantage of using e-mail is
that it is not timely; patrons do not always have a denite idea of when to expect a
response because it is not instant.
Rehman and Mahmood (2010) report a less developed culture of delivering reference
service through e-mail and other electronic means of communication due to the lack of
IT skills and professional knowledge on the part of librarians. Similarly, unfavorable
use of e-mail was also reported by Graneld and Robertson (2008, p. 50) when they state
that “it is difcult to generalize the problem with a low preference for e-mail. This could
be the result of a lack of awareness”. They add that the participants of the focus group
generally conrmed this, and there was a perception that it is not fast enough. Ramos
and Abrigo (2011) reports that a majority of the respondents are familiar with the
existence of digital reference services, but only 65 out of 189 respondents (73 per cent)
have asked for help from the librarian using the Ask-a-librarian, e-mail reference,
Facebook, etc. To remain relevant and render virtual reference services to meet users’
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needs anywhere, anytime and librarians need to stay attuned to potential technological
applications for service enhancement and expansion.
Methodology
The specic focus of the study is to investigate whether reference librarians in
university libraries in Nigeria receive reference inquiries through the traditional
reference desk or face-to-face, phone/SMS, Facebook, IM/chat and e-mail. A
questionnaire was used to collect data from reference librarians in university libraries
on the various channels through which reference inquiries were received (Appendix).
The online instrument was developed by the authors and pilot tested using ve
reference librarians for preliminary face and construct validity and reliability, after
which it was amended accordingly. The questionnaire was administered using an online
method. E-mail addresses of reference librarians were collected from the “Practicing
librarians in Nigeria” list published by the National Library of Nigeria[1] and library
Web sites. The questionnaire was sent via e-mail to the reference librarians.
A total of 67 questionnaires were distributed to 67 university libraries in Nigeria at
the beginning of March 2013, after which reminders were sent to the librarians to
respond to the study. Data collection was completed by August 2013. In total, 36
university libraries responded to the questionnaire with a response rate of 53.7 per cent.
Breakdown by status of the university libraries is as follows – 20 are public university
libraries, while 16 are private university libraries.
Copies of the completed questionnaires that were returned to the researchers via
e-mail were download, printed and used for the analysis. Responses from the
open-ended questions relating to the challenges associated with using the various
channels were sorted according to similar view points related to the various channels.
The responses were then grouped into similar categories for analysis.
Results and discussion
Of the 36 reference librarians who participated in the survey, the breakdown by gender
is as follows: 20 respondents were indicated as males, while 16 were indicated as
females. The breakdown by designation is as follows: six each indicated as Assistant
Librarians and Librarian II, ten indicated as Librarian I, eight as Senior Librarians, four
as Principal Librarians and two indicated as Deputy University Librarians. According
to the academic staff ranking in Nigeria, Assistant Librarian position is the least
position in the academic ranking with a bachelor’s degree in librarianship, followed by
Librarian II, Librarian I and Senior Librarian with a master’s degree in Librarianship,
Principal Librarians and Deputy University Librarians are all PhD holders in
librarianship.
Reference inquiries received through different channels
Librarians were asked to rate the channel through which they receive reference inquiries
most with a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 indicated least and 5 most. The study revealed that
the face-to-face traditional reference desk was rated as the highest channel through
which librarians receive reference inquiries in Nigeria. It was indicated by 77.8 per cent,
followed by Library Facebook page with 55.6 per cent and phone/SMS with 33.3 per
cent. On the other hand, IM and e-mail were indicated by the librarians to have been
never used or little used by the patrons for reference inquiries (Table I). The nding of
the high use of the traditional reference desk conrm the ndings of the existing
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literature (Chow and Croxton, 2012;Ruppel and Vecchione, 2012;Connaway and
Radford, 2011;Graneld and Robertson, 2008). For example, Graneld and Robertson’s
(2008) study compared virtual reference and reference desk users’ preferences and
behavior. The authors concluded that the reference desk is the most preferred method of
getting help in the library, despite some respondents admitting the reference desk
intimidated them and that it was sometimes frustrating to wait in line.
From the present ndings, it can be assumed that library users most probably prefer
face-to-face reference transactions due to the fact that the librarians can lead users
directly to the physical resources they need in the library building. Despite the wide
variety of options, the literature suggests that when given a choice, in-person
face-to-face interaction with a librarian is the rst choice for the majority of library users
seeking assistance.
The ndings on the use of the Library Facebook page is not surprising due to the fact
that recent statistics have shown wide use of Facebook by Nigerians. According to the
statistics of December 2012, in Nigeria, 48 million of the population are Internet users,
out of which 6.6 million are Facebook users (Internet World Stats, 2012). In other words,
librarians and students are among the 6.6 million Facebook users in Nigeria. A recent
study by Baro et al. (2013) revealed that the most frequently used Web 2.0 tool is
Facebook. It was used by 46.6 per cent of the librarians in Nigeria. The authors added
that 66.5 per cent of the librarians in university libraries in Nigeria use Web 2.0 tools like
the Facebook mostly for online reference services. It is very important for librarians to
appreciate what Facebook can do in the professional arena, especially as a
communication tool between their libraries and its users.
The present study also reveals that librarians receive reference inquiries via SMS.
SMS gives the library user the chance to text quick questions to the library, as a way of
complementing existing reference services. This nding agrees with the ndings of
ECAR at BSU that patrons ask a question with their cell phone by sending a text
message to a specic number (EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2010). It is an
easy and quick way of text messaging. One of the key differences between responding to
questions asked via e-mail and IM and questions posed using text messaging is the
length of the message. While e-mail and IM questions and answers can be of any length,
text messages are limited to 160 characters. With the increased usage of mobile phones
by students in Nigeria, it is time for university libraries to explore the option of using
text messaging to provide access to reference service. Text messaging presents a new
and existing opportunity for libraries of all types to provide information to people of all
ages, where they are, on their cell phones. SMS usage which is gaining ground in
Table I.
The channels through
which reference librarians
receive reference inquiries
Reference channels 1 least % 2% 3% 4% 5 most %
Library Facebook page 22.2 16.6 16.6 5.6 55.6
E-mail 50 11.1 11.1 5.6 5.6
IM 44.4 33.3 11.1 11.1 –
Phone/SMS 16.6 27.8 16.6 5.6 33.3
Face-to-face (the reference desk) – – 5.6 16.6 77.8
Note: 1 indicates least–5 most, n⫽36
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libraries ought to be promoted through campus posters, in-house yers, information
literacy instruction and orientation sessions for students.
On the other hand, the two channels not used by patrons to forward reference
inquiries in the present study are e-mail and IM. This nding agrees with earlier studies
that show the low use of IM and e-mail. For example, Bravender et al. (2013) assessed
chat reference at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) and concludes that “use of the
chat reference service at GVSU during the study period was low, averaging only 30
questions per week during fall and winter semesters” (p. 124). Similarly, Malik and
Mahmood (2013) reports that the culture of providing reference service through
traditional face-to-face method was still prevalent in most of the libraries in Pakistan,
while modern means of communication like e-mail and IM were being adopted but at a
low pace. The authors recommend that electronic means of communication like e-mail,
chatting and IM should be incorporated for delivering better reference services. The
respondents in the present study appear to prefer the specic type of reference channel
that most conveniently meets their needs at any given time.
Because responses related to the challenges for Facebook, e-mail and IM are similar,
they are, therefore, merged and presented in Table II.
Challenges related to Facebook, e-mail and IM reference inquiries
Librarians were asked to identify the challenges associated with the various channels
through which they receive reference inquiries. Responses were sorted according to
similar view points related to the various channels. The absence of policy statements
concerning virtual reference services was mentioned by 31 (86.1 per cent) of the 36
respondents. The lack of ICT skills on the part of librarians was mentioned by 29 (80.6
per cent) respondents. Slow Internet connectivity by 28 (77.8 per cent) respondents and
power failures by 22 (61.1 per cent) respondents (Table II). The results from the study
reveal that most of the participating university libraries lack policy statements
concerning virtual reference services in Nigeria. For effective service delivery and
continuity of the virtual reference services, policy statements are needed in the
university libraries to serve as a guide.
The lack of ICT skills on the part of librarians is mentioned by a majority of the
respondents (Table II). To overcome the lack of ICT skills by librarians in Nigeria,
frequent training workshops need to be organized by Tertiary Education Trust Fund
(TETFund)[2], National Universities Commission (NUC)[3], The Librarians’
Table II.
Challenges related to
Facebook, e-mail and
instant messaging
reference inquiries
(n⫽36)
Facebook, e-mail and IM Frequency Percentage
Slow Internet connectivity 28 77.8
Lack of Internet connectivity 10 27.8
Power failures 22 61.1
Lack of information and communication technology skills on the part
of librarians 29 80.6
Management’s lack of support for emerging technologies 12 33.3
Absence of policy statements concerning virtual reference services 31 86.1
Time consuming for using e-mail by librarians 9 25
IM’s limitations 12 33.3
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Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN)[4], the various universities and other
non-governmental organizations.
Internet connectivity in university libraries has never been stable in Nigeria. A
majority of the respondents mention slow Internet connectivity, others mention
complete lack of Internet connectivity (Table II). One reference librarian mentioned –
Sometimes the Internet services might not be working properly and this might hinder
the services, especially for those trying to make enquiries through Facebook. Virtual
reference services cannot be effective without a stable and high-speed bandwidth.
Despite the laudable directives from the NUC in Nigeria[5], for all university libraries to
have Internet connectivity for quality service delivery, some university libraries still do
not have Internet connectivity, as mentioned by some of the respondents (Tables II).
This may be why the author in his 2009 work on “the barriers to effective and efcient
reference and information services in Nigerian libraries” recommends Internet
connectivity for all libraries to enable them to provide reliable virtual reference services.
Power failures are also rated as a major challenge mentioned by the librarians
(Table II). Several other studies relating to use of technology have also identied
irregular power supply in Nigeria (Ezema and Ugwu, 2013;Fabunmi et al., 2006). The
purchase of giant power generators or installation of solar energy can be a solution to the
irregular power supply challenge faced in university libraries in Nigeria. Nine (25 per
cent) of the 36 respondents mention that receiving and responding to reference inquiries
using e-mail is time consuming. One reference librarian wrote – response to e-mail
inquiry takes time. This is as a result of Internet connectivity, unlike face-to-face which
involves quick response. This leads to patrons waiting for days before getting feedback
from the librarian.
Out of the 36 respondents, 13 (33.3 per cent) mention “management’s lack of support
for emerging technologies”(Table II). This suggests that some library administrators in
university libraries in Nigeria do not have interest in using emerging technologies, like
Facebook and IM. Because these library administrators lack the technological skills
(Alakpodia, 2010;Ezema and Ugwu, 2013), they may not want to support the use of these
technologies, thereby, making it difcult for the younger librarians with the skills to use
these channels to communicate with users in the library.
Challenges associated with SMS reference services
Librarians were asked to mention the challenges related to SMS reference services. Out
of the 36 respondents, 31 (86.1 per cent) mention service failure as a challenge to the SMS
reference service (Table III). Network services for mobile phones are not reliable in
Nigeria, e.g. text messages that are sent in many cases are never delivered as expected
due to service failure (Ochonogor, 2006;Baro and Endouware, 2013). In the words of one
reference librarian – network can be a problem.
Challenges associated with face-to-face reference services
Librarians were asked to mention the challenges related to face-to-face reference
services. The responses show that “expectation of instant answer” was mentioned by 25
Table III.
Challenges related to
phone/SMS reference
inquiries (n⫽36)
SMS Frequency Percentage
Service failure 31 86.1
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(69.4 per cent) respondents, inarticulate requests were mentioned by 23 (63.9 per cent)
respondents and lack of adequate current reference materials was mentioned by 14 (38.9
per cent) respondents (Table IV). One reference librarian mentions the challenges
associated with face-to-face reference interaction as – patrons’ inarticulate requests and
patron’s expectation of instant answers to their queries. In most cases, users nd it
difcult to properly frame their reference inquiries clearly. One reference librarian
mentioned – inability of the searchers to put up their queries properly. And another
mentioned – library users may be unable to present their reference enquiries clearly.
Conclusion
The research has shown that the face-to-face traditional reference desk was rated as the
highest channel through which librarians receive reference inquiries in Nigeria,
followed by the library Facebook page and phone/SMS. On the other hand, there was
little or no use of e-mail and IM as channels through which students make reference
inquiries. Librarians need to promote the use of the different reference inquiry channels
through the library Web site, information literacy instruction, orientation sessions, etc.
The study revealed challenges related to Facebook, e-mail and IM reference inquiries
including the absence of policy statements concerning virtual reference services, lack of
ICT skills on the part of librarians, slow Internet connectivity, power failures,
management’s lack of support for emerging technologies and IM’s limitations.
Mobile services in most cases are not reliable (Ochonogor, 2006;Baro and
Endouware, 2013), despite the competitive nature of service providers in Nigeria. The
study revealed that service failure is a challenge to SMS reference service. Challenges
related to face-to-face reference services as revealed in the study include user’s
expectations of instant answer; inarticulate requests; and lack of adequate current
reference materials.
University libraries in developing countries like Nigeria must make policy
statements regarding virtual reference services to guide the design and delivery of
virtual reference services and insure service continuity. Stability as demonstrated in the
University of Malawi’s Chancellor College library, (Sitima-Ndau, 2010) and high-speed
Internet connectivity are required if university libraries are to provide reference services
to users anywhere at any time irrespective of geographical locations. Frequent training
workshops need to be organized for reference librarians to enable them to acquire skills
to render digital or virtual reference services. Library staff should rst examine who
their users are and their respective preferences and then develop library services to
support them.
Table IV.
Challenges related to face-
to-face reference inquiries
(n⫽36)
Face-to-face Frequency Percentage
Expectation of instant answer 25 69.4
Inarticulate requests 23 63.9
Time consuming 9 25
Do not want to make request unless forced 8 22.2
Lack of adequate current reference materials 14 38.9
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Further research
The study provides evidence on the preferred medium students use to submit reference
inquiries to reference librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. These ndings
however, are from a small sample size; therefore, the ndings may not be substantial
enough to generalize. Further study is necessary to determine if these results are
consistent throughout other university libraries in Nigeria. From the survey results, it is
apparent that library patrons still value face-to-face traditional reference desk service
even though more virtual reference service channels such as e-mail, chat, Facebook,
Twitter, IM and Skype are gaining wide acceptance by librarians and library patrons. In
addition, further study is needed in other developing countries to investigate the
awareness, acceptance and use of these channels by patrons in their university libraries.
This will inform reference librarians as they seek to re-design their reference services to
meet patron’s needs and inquiry preferences.
Notes
1. Practicing librarians in Nigeria is a list of all practicing librarians published annually by the
National Library of Nigeria, Abuja. The list contains all practicing librarians in all types of
libraries in Nigeria including academic, special and school libraries.
2. Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) available at: www.tetfund.gov.ng (accessed 5
April 2014).
3. National Universities Commission (NUC) available at: www.nuc.edu.ng (accessed 5 April
2014).
4. The Librarians’ Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN) available at: www.lrcn.gov.ng
(accessed 5 April 2014).
5. The National Universities Commission (NUC) is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of
Education (FME) in Nigeria. The Commission is charged with the development and
management of university education in Nigeria.
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Appendix
Reference Inquiries Received Through Different Channels Quesonnaire.
University Library,
Federal University, Otuoke,
Bayelsa State.
20th March, 2013.
Dear Sir/Madam;
We are conducng a research on Reference Inquiries Received through
Different Channels. Please respond or forward to the reference librarian to
kindling respond to it. we promise that the informaon obtained through
this exercise will be strictly used for academic purpose.
Thanks for your ancipated cooperaon
The researchers.
SECTION A: Biographical Data.
1. NAME OF UNIVERSITY…………………………………………………………
2. Staff posion/Designaon…………………………………………
3. GENDER: a Male [ ], b Female [ ].
Reference Inquiries Received
4. Please, rate the channels you receive reference inquiries most.
1-least to 5-most. (Please respond to all items in the table)
Channels 1 2 3 4 5
Facebook
E-mail
Phone
Instant massaging
Face -to - face
5. What are some of the challenges you face when receiving reference
inquiries through the channels you indicated?
a) Facebook: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
b) E-mail: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
c) Instant messaging: --------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
d) Phone/SMS: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
e) Face-to-face: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Figure A1.
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About the authors
Ebikabowei Emmanuel Baro holds a master’s degree in Library and Information Science, Delta
State University, Abraka, Nigeria. He has published widely in local and international journals. His
research interests are information literacy, digital libraries, Web 2.0 technologies, information
seeking behavior and job satisfaction. He is a Certied Librarian of Nigeria (CLN). He works as
Senior Librarian at the Federal University Otuoke Library, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Ebikabowei
Emmanuel Baro is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: baroee@fuotuoke.edu.ng
Bueaty U. Efe holds a bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science, Delta State
University, Abraka, Nigeria. She works as Assistant Librarian at the Federal University Otuoke
Library, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
Gboyega K. Oyeniran holds a master’s degree in Library and Information Science, University
of Ibadan, Nigeria. He works as Librarian II at the Federal University Otuoke Library, Bayelsa
State, Nigeria.
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: reprints@emeraldinsight.com
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
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