Various scholarly works have reported the absence of library and information services provision to rural dwellers for addressing their information needs for sustainable development. Coupled with this is the absence of community information centers in the rural areas. Thus, a key question that keeps arising is: whose job is it to provide effective community information services (CIS) to rural dwellers in the country? This necessitated the study, with a view to ascertaining if librarians in academic institutions, considering their location in rural areas, are involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) by way of providing library and information services in communities? Using four federal tertiary institutions in Imo and Ebonyi states, South East, Nigeria, which are located in rural areas, it was discovered that librarians perceived such idea in the positive direction and also responded positively to the types of CIS that could be rendered as CSR. Possible challenges that may affect the planning and delivery of such CIS programme were also discovered, among which are financial implications, unavailability of communication gadgets and other requisite resources, absence of approval and support from the management of parent institutions, librarians may see such as additional responsibility without financial reward which may lead to resistance, and possible resistance or non-acceptability by leaders and traditional rulers in the communities involved. Recommendations were made for academic librarians to take up provision of CIS as CSR for actualization of sustainable development goals in rural areas in the country.

The paper examines how information and communication technology can be utilized for resource sharing among university libraries in Nigeria. It was based on the study and review of recent library and information science literature on both print and electronic resources. It discusses the meaning of information and communication technology, resource sharing practices, and how information and communication technology facilitates resource sharing. It traces the history of resource sharing among Nigerian libraries. The current state of information and communication technology application and utilization in Nigeria and its university libraries is revealed, with emphasis on university libraries that are located in different zones of the country. The paper examines challenges facing Nigerian University Libraries with respect to information and communication technology application and utilization for resource sharing, as well as to areas of library operations to which information and communication technology can be applied and utilized for resource sharing. It concludes by proffering solutions for viable information and communication technologies-based cooperation among university libraries in Nigeria. 173 174 K. N. Igwesoftware, networks, satellite links, and related systems that allow people to access, analyze, create, exchange, and use data, information, and knowledge in ways that until recently were almost unimaginable (Beebe, 2004). UNESCO (2000) defines ICT as the scientific, technological, and engineering disciplines and management techniques used in information handling and processing. In the words of Aina (2004), ICT is concerned with the technology used in handling, acquiring, processing, storing, and disseminating information. According to Aina, the use of computers and communication technologies in information handling and processing has arisen because of the increased workload involved in coping with information explosion. In order to keep pace with handling the increasing number of information carriers, computers and telecommunication technologies are utilized to handle information processing that can be accessible over long distance regardless of where the information was processed.In sum, ICT is the aggregate of computers, telecommunication equipment, multimedia, and other related technologies that are applied and utilized in the total process of information management and dissemination. The components of ICT include the computer system (hardware and software, input and output devices); storage media like CD-ROMS, USB disk/flash, and smart drives; and telecommunication equipment like telephone, facsimile transmission, services of the Internet (e-mail, WWW, newsgroup, Usenet, etc.), video, teleconferencing, and so forth. Computers process and store information while telecommunication technology provides information communication tools, which make it possible for information users to access electronic resources and link them with other networks at different library locations.The voluminous growth of publishe...

The focus of this paper is on information infrastructures that are required for information delivery and development of rural communities in Nigeria. It x-rayed the concepts of information infrastructure, and its types for information delivery in rural areas, which are community information centres, rural school media centres, rural information and communication technology centres as well as community radio stations. The paper concluded that the absence of these rural information infrastructures is affecting the provision of information to rural dwellers, and therefore made a case for governments to factor rural information infrastructures in their development programmes for communities in Nigeria.

This paper articulated various dimensions of information literacy (IL) as well as the expectations from librarians in Nigeria. It examined the emergence of IL and its conceptualisation, and also discussed various dimensions of IL from academic, agricultural, business, media, political and legal perspectives. Expectations from librarians in this multi-literacy era for the delivery of IL education and programmes were also x-rayed; with deficiencies in the IL skills of librarians identified. The paper concluded that librarians should arise to the task of IL delivery to users, and therefore recommended, among others, that practising librarians should articulate and make case for IL programmes in their institutions, there should be continuous professional development programmes on IL for librarians and the integration of IL in the curriculum of library and information science schools in Nigeria.

This study examined the information needs, sources, information-seeking behavior of women artisans and the implications for empowerment in Offa, a semi-urban area in Kwara State of Nigeria. Survey research method was adopted with questionnaire as tool for data collection, involving 210 women artisans. Findings revealed that women artisans have information needs related to their work, but with information accessibility challenges due to unavailability of accessible information sources like libraries, as well as absence of empowerment programmes from government. It further revealed that the major sources of information for most women artisans were verbal or face-to-face mode of communications. The paper concludes that women constitute a vital asset of Nigeria and are a resourceful group with a good number practicing artisanship. Therefore, there is need to develop the information consciousness of the women artisans by the provision of efficient, effective and reliable formal information delivery mechanisms to them, such as community information centres.