EXTENT OF UTILIZATION OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES BY LIBRARIANS IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

The study examined the extent of the utilization of emerging technologies by librarians in public university libraries in South-South Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised librarians in public university libraries in the South-South region of Nigeria, and total enumeration sampling was used to cover the identified respondents. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and the responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation. A criterion mean of 2.50 was used to determine the extent of utilization. The findings revealed a generally positive extent of utilization of emerging technologies, with a grand mean of 2.71, which exceeded the criterion mean of 2.50. All 15 emerging technologies examined recorded mean scores above the criterion mean, indicating that emerging technologies had gained a meaningful presence in library practice. However, the pattern of utilization was uneven with social media recording the highest mean (M = 3.01, SD = 0.96. The findings indicate that librarians utilized communication- and access-oriented technologies more strongly than some advanced, specialized and data-intensive technologies. The study concludes that although emerging technologies have become an important part of library practice, their utilization has not reached a uniformly mature level. Sustainable and effective technology-enabled library services require adequate infrastructure, staff competence, technical support, appropriate policies and sustainable funding. The study recommends continuous professional development and strategic institutional investment to strengthen the utilization and integration of emerging technologies in public university libraries.