Written by
IMUERO,Patience Erero
Department of Library and Information Science.
Nnmadi Azikiwe University,
Akwa,
Anambra State.
MEANING OF ICT?
Information and communications technologies (ICTs) is an umbrella term this is currently used to refer to a wide range of services (telephony? fax, internet), applications (such as distance education and management
information systems), and technologies (anything from ‘old technologies’
such as television to ‘new technologies’ such as cellular phones), using
various types of equipment and software, often running over telecoms networks.
The ICT (or information, or communications, or microprocessor) revolution is radically averting the way we share information about development issues; and governments, NGOs, businesses, institutions, and individuals have jumped on the bandwagon to make ICT part of them.
Information Communications Technologies (ICT) are technologies that enable society to create, collect, consolidate, communicate, manage and process information in multimedia and various digital formats for different purposes i.e. computing and telecommunications technologies like the personal computer, CD-ROM, cable TV, cellular phones and the
Internet.
Importance of ICT to the Librarian.
The duties of the Librarian are enormous and the use of ICT reduces duplication of work and helps to handle this era of information explosion,
This makes it less monotonous and burdensome.
2. ICT often modifies librarians’ roles in various ways, also librarians as administrators of libraries need ICT to enable them carry out their duties efficiently and effectively and have good information service delivery.
3.ICT makes information creation in digital format possible in the library and the shift from print to digital information has a high impact on libraries, information center and other institutions directly involved in processing information. This shift is generally attributed to the merging of computing,
telecommunications technologies and other industries. Computers have permeated society because of their ability to perform high volume error-free repetitive tasks at speeds much faster than human beings, while recent and
emerging developments in the area of computing; telecommunications, networking and resource sharing made access to information anytime, anywhere possible.
ICT makes online access and file transfer possible for the librarians and other information agencies.
ICT makes networking and sharing of information resources possible for the librarian. The library willbe networked,be stocked with a core collection that is multimediahave access to global information become digital,become virtual. Libraries now and in the future will be quite different from the traditional libraries that we know today. We may still see books and other printed materials within the vicinity but many materials will be available and accessible in electronic format. These resources can be easily accessed and shared through LANs (local area networks) and WANs (wide area networks), of which the best example is the Internet.
Most of the collections will be in multimedia and various digital formats.
6. ICT helps the librarian develop collections that will not be only limited to what is inside the libraries since access to information globally is readily available. Eventually, digital libraries will become common and most of the resources will be digitized and available to anyone, anytime, anywhere. There is even a prediction of virtual libraries wherein all information resources and the library itself will no longer exist physically but will exist digitally in the virtual world.
ICT help librarians to establish easy rapport with user’s therebyincreasing the level of technology literacy of library clientele. Users are exposed to different applications of technology in their life, users nowadays are more adept at its use and are expecting to have access to it in their times of need. In libraries, users that are knowledgeable in using computers and the Internet for their research demand nothing less than a computer with Internet access.
8. ICT calls for theneed for continuous learning in the context of rapidly changing information technology. The emergence of powerful technologies, vast amounts of information in multimedia and other digital formats, more technologically proficient users, and the widening "digital gap" means that libraries and librarians in particular are faced with the great challenge of dealing with this information revolution.
Furthermore, the recent developments in the capability of computers to store, locate, retrieve and transfer huge amounts of digital data at high speed have contributed to the evolution of an information-based society. Libraries must respond to this development in order to remain relevant and important to the society they aim to serve.
However, libraries and librarians must first educate and equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and skills before they can deal with these enormous challenges.
Conclusion
Libraries and librarians must cope with the demands of an information society. Librarians must have the knowledge, skills and tools in handling digital information to be efficient creators, collectors, consolidators and communicators of information. Librarians with the knowledge, skills and tools required of information professionals in an information society will constitute the key success factor in enabling the library to perform its role as an information support system for society.
Technology alone is not the solution to efficient and effective information delivery, although it is the major contributor to the development of multimedia information and networks. The basic library education acquired in school is more important than the tools but the tools will make information creation, acquisition, consolidation and communication more efficient. ICT are powerful tools that can only be used effectively if the users, administrators, librarians, and patrons in this case - have acquired adequate knowledge and skills and a certain level of competency according to their needs.
REFERENCE
OECD, “Measuring the ICT Sector”, Information Society, Paris, forthcoming.
OECD, “Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard, Towards a Knowledge-Based Economy”, Science and Innovation, Paris, 2001.
Jorgenson, D.W., “Information Technology and the U.S. Economy”, American Economic Review, vol. 91, No 1, March 2001, pp.1-32.
Please let me know from your own experience what it has done for you.
Dr Chinwe
