Investigating technological methods for information resource preservation in university libraries in Delta and Edo States, Nigeria

The study investigated technological methods for information resources preservation in university libraries in Delta and Edo States, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study is two hundred and twenty-five (225) librarians in university libraries in Delta State and Edo States from which a sample size of one hundred and seventy-one (171), was drawn using purposive sampling technique. Self-constructed questionnaire was used for data collection. One hundred and Seventy-One copies of the questionnaire were administered and One Hundred and Sixty-Five (165) copies were found valid for analysis. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean and standard deviation for research questions and T-test was used to test the hypothesis. The finding of the study revealed that: technological methods such as: digitization, institutional repository, databases, cloud technology and CD-ROM are used for the preservation of information resources in university libraries in Delta and Edo States. The extent information resources are preserved in university libraries in Delta and Edo States is high. The challenges faced in preserving both physical and digital information resources in university libraries in Delta and Edo States includes: inadequate power supply, unskilled professionals, technological obsolescence, poor maintenance culture, changes in technology, storage media degradation and inadequate funding. There is a significant difference in the extent technological methods are adopted by librarians in Delta and Edo states, and the preservation of information resources in university libraries. The researcher therefore recommended among others that university library management should further promote the adoption of technological methods by providing the necessary resources, training, and infrastructure.