Information Provision for Students with Visual Impairments in Nigerian Universities: Charting a Course from Project to Service Delivery
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Date
2017
Authors
Zaid, Y.A
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Abstract
Purpose: There is paucity of data on the experiences of students with visual impairment (SWVI) in the usage of library information resources and services in Nigerian university libraries. This article examines the extent of information provision for the SWVI in the University of Lagos with a focus on the outcomes of the Braille Project funded by a non-governmental organisation to meet the information needs of the SWVI.
Design: The article is based on a case study of the University Library service mechanism to develop a sustainable information service for meeting the needs of the SWVI. The data used for this article were derived from a systematic review of the relevant literature and 35 in-depth interviews among the SWVI at the Soroptomist Braille Centre, University of Lagos. The data obtained from the interviews were subjected to content analysis and ethnographic summaries.
Findings: The findings revealed how the library is currently meeting the information needs of SWVI through the use of innovative technology. The results also revealed that the following services were being offered by the library: regular meetings with a service staff, retrieval of materials from stacks, scanning and conversion of print request to CD-Rom, research assistance services; conversion of library orientation materials to braille, document delivery services; reference services, hold/track request services; online database search services; lending and inter-library loan services, and specific and general information literacy services. The library sustainability planning process developed to ensure an inclusion of the needs of the SWVI in the library service was discovered in the study.
Research limitation/Implications:This paper is a case study and not representative of a population. However, at the level of practice, the viewpoint article offers some tips which can be applied quite readily when charting a course for meeting immediate information needs of students with visual impairments in Nigerian universities.
Originality/value: This study has shown the outcomes of the efforts geared towards meeting the information needs of the SWVI in a sustainable manner through collaboration between the University of Lagos Library and a non-governmental organisation
Description
Scholarly articles
Keywords
Library Services , Information Needs , University of Lagos , Student with Visual Impairment (SWVI) , Information Resources , Research Subject Categories::SOCIAL SCIENCES::Other social sciences::Library and information science
Citation
Zaid, Y.A (2017). Information Provision for Students with Visual Impairments in Nigerian Universities: Charting a Course from Project to Service Delivery. Journal of Applied Information Science and Technology, 10(1), 1-11.
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https://ir.unilag.edu.ng/handle/123456789/9426
https://ir.unilag.edu.ng/handle/123456789/9426