Staff Use and Satisfaction with Open Source Software in the Management of Selected Federal Universities’ Libraries in South Nigeria

Abstract

Aim of the Study: Libraries are the key source of knowledge and information in the educational setups especially in universities. The aim of the current study to explore the use and satisfaction of open source software by university library workers in Nigeria.

Methodology: The study was conducted using a survey-type descriptive research design. The study's sample size was (N=203), which represented every member of the library staff at the chosen university libraries as a whole. The “Library Staff Use and Satisfaction with Open Source Software Questionnaire (LSUSOSSQ)” was used as the instrument for data collection and the census sample technique was used for the study. By employing the test-retest procedure and the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r), which produced a reliability coefficient of 0.84, the instrument's reliability was increased. From the whole population of 203, in return 195 copies of the questionnaire were received and noted 96.1% return rate. To address the study issues, data were examined using descriptive statistics like mean and standard deviation, and the t-test to evaluate the hypotheses at a significance level of 0.05.

Findings & Conclusion: The study found that university libraries in South-South Nigeria used the administration, cataloguing, and circulation modules of OSS extensively and had high levels of satisfaction with their use. The study suggested using OSS in university libraries in Nigeria to facilitate teaching and research, which will also increase the visibility of Nigerian academics in the committee of scholars across the world.