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Library Automation in the Nigerian Defence Academy: Issues and Challenges

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Library Automation in the Nigerian Defence Academy:
Issues and Challenges

By

Dr. Lawal Umar

Academy Librarian
Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna
lawalumar@nda.edu.ng
08032965156

&

Dr. Maimuna Izah

Department of Library & Information Science
Ahmadu Bello University Zaria

&

Miss Aisha Ibrahim Mohammed

Academy Library
Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna
Introduction

University libraries are established primarily to support their universities’ mission,

vision and strategic goals and objectives. This is achieved through the assemblage and

provision of relevant information resources, services, facilities and equipment. In order for

the libraries perform their support role effectively and efficiently, librarians realize the need

for them to embark on library automation.

Library automation is the use of computers to automate or manage the usual or

manual procedures of library operations and services such as acquisitions, cataloguing,

circulations, indexing, abstracting, serial management, public service access, etc. Library

automation according to Das and Chatterjee (2015) ‘is the application of computers and

utilization of computer based products and services in the performance of different library

operations and functions in provision of various services and production of output

products’

Students and researchers can expand their horizons more effectively and efficiently

with an automated library especially now that almost all students are computer savvy. It

also allows staff to serve their users efficiently. Libraries are automated to improve the

delivery of information to their users, so that students and staff can be excited about

accessing and using library materials that enhance their studies remotely, quickly and

easily, twenty four hours a day (24/7) from anywhere at any time.
 The academy library has a total collection of about 38,696 volumes of books, and

917 volumes of journals, magazines, and research projects. For more than three decades of

its existence, the Academy library operated a manually driven routine services of

acquisitions, cataloguing, classification, storage, retrieval and circulation. Nevertheless, in

the last six years, the academy library started the process of automating its operations,

services and functions as well as the establishment of e-library services to conform to the

demand of the dynamic world of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). It

is in the light of this, that this chapter discusses the issues and challenges of library

automation in the Nigerian Defence Academy library with the aim to documenting its

experiences, successes and challenges therefrom.

A Brief on Nigerian Defence Academy

Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) is the only Military University in Nigeria. With

undergraduates as military students and referred to as officer cadets, while the Postgraduate

students are both military and civilian students. Following the upgrading of Nigerian

Defence Academy to a degree awarding institution in 1985 and its subsequent relocation

to the permanent site, the main library was restructured to meet the growing needs of its

clientele. Apart from the main library, there are other branches of the library complex

which include: the Postgraduate School Library, 4 faculty Libraries, 16 departmental

libraries, 1 library in each of the Army, Navy and Air force military wings were established

in order to provide cadets, PG Students, officers and staff with serene and comfortable

learning environment with information resources and services delivered at their door steps.
 The Academy Library is expected to contribute to the pursuit of the Academy

vision, mission and strategic goals by facilitating access to information resources in print,

non-print and electronic format to all. Despite the regimental nature and peculiarity of

cadets’ training, the Academy Library provides an environment for reading, learning and

research that is non-threatening and neutral, where rank and seniority does not matter and

puttee is not tolerated. Thus, the need for library automation becomes appropriate.

Concept of Library Automation

The word “automation” has been derived from Greek word “automose” meaning

something, which has power of spontaneous motion or self-movement. The term

automation was introduced by D.S. Harder in 1936. He defined it as, “automation is

handling of parts between progressive production processes who was then with General

Motor Company in the U.S. Since then the term has been applied to a wide variety of

automatic machinery and automatic systems. This is the effort to achieve an automatic and

self-regulating chain of processes.

According to Encyclopaedia of Library and Information Science, “automation is the

technology concerned with the design and development of process and system that

minimize the necessity of human intervention in operation”. (Dekker, 2003). McGraw Hill

Encyclopaedia of Science and Technology also defines automation as “a coined word

having no precise generally accepted technical meaning but widely used to imply the

concept, development, or use of highly automatic machinery or control systems”.

(McGraw, 1982). Oxford English Dictionary also defines automation as “application of

automatic control to any branch of industry or science by extension, the use of electronic

or mechanical devices to replace human labour” (Simpson & Weiner, 1989).

On the other hand, library automation According to Eyo & Augustine (2014) implies

the process of the use of computer in carrying out library operation and services. It is the

technology that enables the library to process, store, retrieve and communicate information

in electronic format and it is unrestricted by distance, time and space. It can also be seen

as the application of computers to perform traditional library housekeeping activities such

as acquisition, circulation, cataloguing, and reference and serials control. Automation is

used to reduce the amount of staff time devoted to repetitive (and often less challenging)

activities that must be done in any properly functioning library, (Nebeolise & Osuchukwu,

2014). According to Bhardwaj & Shukla (2000) library automation is generic term used to

denote the various activities with an improving quality of products and services of library

and information centers. It enhance the speed, productivity, adequacy and efficiency of the

library professional staff and save the manpower to avoid some routine, repetitive and

clerical tasks such as filing, sorting, typing, duplication checking etc.

It can therefore be deduced from the foregoing that library automation in its broadest

conception refers to the process of reshaping, repackaging and remodeling of library

services, operations and functions through the deployment of computers and other

information and communication technologies in order to enhance and facilitate access to

information by users.
 Library automation has many advantages, in that, it reduces the number of repetitive

routine tasks, it generates library statistics easily, and more importantly, it speeds up library

services, and is more efficient than traditional or manual library services.

Library Automation in NDA

Nigerian Defence Academy library started automation of its library operation

(cataloguing) in 2010 using an Integrated Library Software known as Liberty Software.

The software is web based. Before the Library embarked on the automation, and, for the

automation to be more effective, the need for the change from manual processing to

electronic was communicated to the staff so that they will see the change as positive,

because according to Kuruppu- Arachchi and DE Silva (2007), ‘If the employees are

informed about the need for change, they will be more likely to help with its

implementation”. When the Library software was purchased, the Management contracted

the automation work to the vendor that supplied the software, due to the large volumes of

books that could not be handled by the staff. The library staff, who are computer literate,

also participated in the retrospective-conversion in collaboration with the ICT Unit of the

Academy. The library has currently entered over 37000 volumes of books. With this

development, the level of cataloguing has so far reached 97.3%.

It is noteworthy to state that the automation project of the academy library was

conceived to be implemented in three phases. The phases are: E-library/internet facility

procurement and installation, Selection and Installation of automation software package;

post-installation Phase f; and Retrospective conversion of data.

Phase 1: Procurement and Installation E-library/Internet facilities

 The NDA first conceived the idea of setting up e-library in the Academy library in

2009. At this stage, the decision to acquire requisite ICT facilities for the establishment of

e-library unit and provision of Internet services was made. Computer sets and their relevant

accessories were procured. Dial-up technology was implemented. Due to inconsistency of

electricity supply, inverters were also obtained and installed to provide an alternative

source of power. The system librarians are to ensure that the servers are ready, and signals

distributed to all the workstations.

Phase 2: Selection and installation of library automation software package

Having set up the e-library facility in the Academy library, the library management

further took another bold decision to select and install appropriate library automation

system from the myriad of so many library software available in the automation industry.

There are lots of application software packages in the market such as sierra, X-lib, Alice

for window, Integrated Library Software Koha, Greenstone, Galaxy etc. Using a well-

drawn parameter as given by Adekanye (2011) the software packages were assessed.

Adekanye (2011) stated that, suitability of a package could be assessed based on the

Producer/vendor reputation and reliability base on the performance of previous

installations, Software functional flexibility and expandability, Indexing and searching

capabilities, Interactivity of input and output interfaces, System security provisions, Good

system documentation and manuals, Cost, Scope of customer training, Possibility of

system upgrading and Compliance with the Internet.

To this end, the academy library management adopts the Liberty integrated library

application software. It is a proprietary based software developed by Softlink Company in

the United Kingdom. Some librarians in the Academy attended workshop in Prince Consort

Library UK where they learned about the liberty software’s features in terms of ease of

use, support maintenance and wide scope library modules of operations. The installation

of the software was carried out by the Softlink company sales vendor in Nigeria.

Phase 3: Post Installation Phase

At this stage, having completed the installation which marks the beginning of the

Academy library automation project, training was organized by the vendor in order to equip

the library staff with the operational and technical know-how of the Liberty package. The

first day of the training was on installation and configuration of software thus it was

devoted on setting up and pre-set into the server. Only few of the staffs that are involved

in the library service delivery network participated in the training sessions among them are

the chief librarian, system librarian, senior staffs and some of the academy ICT technicians.

Liberty is made up of operational modules, each module take part in each of the

workstations such as cataloguing, Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), acquisition,

circulation, reference, serials and report modules were extensively treated.

Liberty Software and Its Features

Liberty management software comes with a set of fully-integrated core modules to

optimize the collection, management and dissemination of information. The services that

each of the modules can do are highlighted below:

Cataloguing Module

This module makes it easy for the staff to import, create, edit and delete resources

and copies using the extensive Cataloguing features of Liberty. The staff can also use
Wizards to speed up day-to-day tasks such as resource searches, adding of bibliographic

records, creating and printing labels and weeding, catalogue searching using Z39.50 for

copy cataloguing and verifying existing titles to determine the status of the new book to

catalogue. See figure 1.

Fig. 1: Cataloguing Module

Circulation Module

This module provides the staff with a clear Circulation Desk facility to manage all

the library’s lending processes. You can conduct in depth circulation management

processes, including Check out or issue out books, check in or return of books, compilation

of overdue books, calculation of overdue fines and generation of circulation related reports

and statistics issuing overdue notices and running statistical reports, using the built-in

Wizards in the Circulation Home Screen as presented in Figure 3.

Fig. 3: Circulation Module

Acquisition Module

This takes control of the library’s funding. Acquisitions includes easy-to-use

Wizards which will help the staff align expenditure and commitments against budgets and

streamline catalogue ordering processes such as: management of vendors records,

generating newly selected books including online book selection, generating receipt

reports. See figure 4:

Fig. 4: Acquisition Module

OPAC Module

This module is particularly relevant to users navigating their search for relevant

intellectual materials, checking of available books in the library and accessing the library’s

virtual databases. The OPAC screen is shown in figure 5.

Fig. 5: OPAC Module

Report Module

This module is essentially used to generate various reports such as acquisition

statistics, patron statistics, cataloguing statistics, circulation, reference, and serial statistics.

It also promotes the true value of the library to stakeholders also drag and drop any number

of data fields and filters into the report building Analytical Reporting feature to quickly

generate powerful reports in a range of formats including graphs, tables and charts. See

figure 6.

Fig. 6: Report Module

Serial Module

This maximizes your library’s investment in electronic journals and periodical

subscriptions. Serials allows you to manage all facets from claims, to circulation lists and

orders. Keep interested borrowers engaged with immediate email notifications of new

arrivals as shown in figure 7.

Fig. 7: Serial Management Module

Issues and Challenges of Library Automation

Library automation like any other project and services in the library have been

confronted with issues and challenges which have affected its speedy implementation and

sustainability. Several factors such as lack of adequate qualified skilled manpower;

technological issues; Internet facilities; library finances etc. have been identified by

Manikowski (2000); Aguolu (2012); Nebeolise & Osuchukwu (2014); Kari & Baro (2014)

& Bala (2017) as being the major issues and challenges surrounding the inability or slow

pace to which libraries automate their functions and operations in Nigeria. For the purpose

of this essay, only issues and challenges affecting the library automation in the NDA will

be briefly highlighted below:

Staffing Requirement

Staffing is an indispensable element and a key to successful library automation

project. The need for adequate and qualified competent library staff is a prerequisite for a

viable effective and efficient library system. Library management will therefore require a

team of skillful professionals which include librarians, system analysts, computer experts,

subject specialists etc. in order to drive the automation of the library operations and

functions effectively and efficiently. This is in line with the minimum standards and

guidelines for Academic libraries in Nigeria (LRCN, 2014).

Regrettably, most Nigerian Libraries do not have the requisite number and

combination of library staff to effectively realize their library automation goals and

objectives. Tiamiyu (2000) observed that libraries in most developing countries have low

or lack the knowledge and or experience in automation. He found out that the greatest

obstacles to library automation are the scarcity of internal library manpower with the

requisite computer knowledge and experience to plan, analyses, evaluate and implement

automated library systems. It is saddening to mention that the situation as observed by

Tiamiyu almost two decades ago continues to persist due to the inability of university

management to recruit more library staff.

In the same vein, the Academy library is in dire need of more professional library

staff in order to actualize its goals of library automation. It is a fact that successive

Academy librarians have made several efforts towards improving the quality and quantity

of library staff for effective and efficient service delivery to cadets, postgraduate students

and faculty members.

Managerial Issues

It is no doubt that planning as one of the element and function of management is a

basic determinant factor in the success of library automation project in every library.

Planning of library automation simply involves proper and informed feasibility study of

the project framework to ensure successful and profitable investment has been made.

Library management is therefore saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that critical

but rational decisions are taken through concrete planning taking note of the library budget,

library services and goals and objectives. It is sad to state that very often library managers

tend to embark on library automation without proper planning. This situation will always

result in cases of library automation abandonment, suspension, outright cancellation,

frequent library automation software switch over and unnecessary troubleshooting

behavior and user frustration. Eyo & Augustine (2014) lamented that many academic

libraries had started automation but failed at the end of it because of inadequate planning

strategies; due largely, inability to identify all the important variables likely to bear on the

project, for success of the library objectives.

Policy Issues

Another fundamental obstacle to the automation of the Academy library is the

political environment and structure in which the library operated from inception till date.

Typically, University librarians report to the office of the Vice Chancellors directly.

Contrastingly, in the NDA, the Academy librarian report to the office of the Academy

Provost who will then transmit to the office of the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence
Academy through the Academy Registrar. This policy has greatly affected the overall

developmental issues relating to the library services in the Academy.

In addition to that, lack of budgetary allocation and steady decline in the overhead

cost is another serious policy issue affecting library automation project in the Academy

library. The practice where disbursement of funds have been highly centralized does not

foretell good fortune and rapid growth and development of any organization. Thus, it can

be rightly argued that inadequate funding to libraries by parent organization have continued

to hamper and slow the libraries’ ability to respond the dynamics of ICT world. This

situation becomes more worrisome due to absence of constructive positive attitude on the

part of university administrators towards their own libraries, (Balik, 2000).

Technological Issues

Another important issue of concern to librarians is the technologies involved in the

implementation of library automation. Many technologies have been introduced and

deployed to ensure success and sustainability of the automation projects in our libraries.

These are: integrated Library automation software; Retrospective Conversion; Technology

Adaptation and poor Internet facilities.

The proliferation of many integrated library software has been without its challenges

to the library automation industry. Libraries find themselves today intertwined with an

automation industry undergoing considerable transition and turmoil. Libraries have

become reliant on integrated library systems produced by a clique of specialized vendors,

(Breeding, 2009). This situation doubtlessly created a muddled atmosphere to librarians

over their choice of appropriate integrated library automation software. This perhaps
explains why the rate at which libraries are switching over to a new library software is on

the rise. Ajala & Anyakala (2012) lamented that many libraries have changed software 2

to 3 times because of inadequate performance, outright failure and so on.

In this regard, the Academy library had since 2010 opted for a proprietary based

library automation software known as Liberty.

Poor Internet Facilities

In order for the library automation project to be successful, good internet facilities

have to be institutionalized. This will facilitate the process of retrospective conversion of

library catalogue as well as hosting and ensuring remote access to the library OPAC. At

the NDA, the Internet facilities have not been effective, efficient and steady. This has slow

down the little progress made in the automation of the Academy library’s operations and

functions. Many efforts are been made now to ensure steady and effective Internet facilities

in the Academy library.

Other issues and challenges worthy of mentioning here includes technology

adaptation; retrospective conversion; issues of standards and sustainability.

The Way Forward

It is evidently clear that library automation in the Nigerian Defence Academy, like

in any other University has been characterized by some daunting issues and challenges but

surmountable. These challenges can be met largely by the NDA authorities by way of

providing adequate budgetary allocation to enable the Academy library acquire necessary

automation technologies, facilities, equipment and systems needed for the implementation

and sustenance of the library automation project.

 Also, the challenges can be met by recruiting more qualified and competent

professional and paraprofessional library staff ranging from librarians, system librarians,

system analyst, computer experts and technicians. This will go a long way in making the

Academy library automation investments profitable on one hand, and satisfy the

information needs of customers (cadets, postgraduate students, faculty members, military

officers and non-teaching civilian staff). In addition to that, there is the need for regular

training and retraining of library staff especially those in charge of automation in order to

update their skills, abilities and competences in line with the dynamics of library

automation industry.

There is also the urgent need for the NDA authorities to provide the Academy library

a dedicated steady and reliable Internet facilities in order to facilitate and guarantee remote

access to the library’s collection via OPAC. Lastly, the political structure of the NDA

where the Academy Librarian report to the Academy Provost and Academy Registrar need

to be restructured to give the Academy librarian direct line of communication to the office

of the Commandant. This policy change will ensure that Academy library developmental

issues and challenges are quickly brought to the notice of the Commandant for further

action. By this, unnecessary delays and bureaucratic bottlenecks will be removed.

Conclusion

The essence of library automation is nothing but to improve and enhance library

services’ effectiveness, efficiency and above all, to make the library users highly delighted.

In this regard, library managers are now compelled by these laudable objectives to make

adequate strategic plans towards the sustainability of the library automation project. In
order to achieve this therefore, the NDA authorities should as a matter of policy consider

library automation project as a living and continuous activity which requires regular

funding and constructive positive attitude of the top management.

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