International Journal of Academic Research in Library & Information Science

Awareness and Utilization of Electronic Library Resources among University Academic Staff in Law Faculties in Enugu State, Nigeria

2025-10-17T05:20:49+00:00

The study investigated the awareness and utilization of electronic resources among law academic staff in selected universities in Enugu State of Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to determine the extent of awareness of e-resources for teaching and research among faculty of law academic staff in the universities in Enugu State, and find out the extent of use of e-resources for teaching and research among faculty of law academic staff of the universities in Enugu State.The descriptive survey design was used to carry out the study. The population of the study was the 177 faculty of law academic staff in the trio of University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC)-federal (76 academic staff in the faculty of law); Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT)-State (64 academic staff in the faculty of law); and Godfrey Okoye University (GOU)-private (37 academic staff in the faculty of law). The census approach was used to study all the 177 academic staff in the selected universities. The questionnaire was used for data collection. Copies of the questionnaire were administered and picked up immediately they were completed by the respondents. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation to determine the extent of awareness and utilization of e-resources for teaching and research. Findings showed that the extent of awareness of e-resources for teaching and research among majority of the respondents is very high but the awareness of the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) is not high though not very high. The findings also showed that the extent of utilization of e-resources for teaching and research among majority of the respondents is generally very high but specifically, the extent of use of the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) is low. Accordingly it was recommended that the universities’ libraries should adequately raise the awareness of the academic staff on what Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) entails and how it could be utilized to access information for teaching and research. In addition to using other e-resources, the academic staff should endeavor to familiarize and use the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) for convenient access to library collections.

Academic Publishing at a Crossroads: Advocating for Structural and Epistemic Transformation

2025-11-06T09:55:07+00:00

Academic publishing, once intended as a vehicle for disseminating collective knowledge, has become a commercialised and exclusionary system. This paper critically examines the structural and epistemic inequities embedded in the current publishing model, arguing that radical change is necessary to realign scholarship with the public good. Guided by knowledge equity theory and critical political economy, the study analyses how corporate concentration, profit-driven access models, and impact-factor hierarchies distort the production, evaluation, and distribution of academic knowledge. The current findings reveal that oligopolistic publishers extract substantial profits from publicly funded research while restricting global access, thereby perpetuating what has been described as “knowledge apartheid.” Moreover, open-access alternatives often replicate inequalities through prohibitive article processing charges, shifting economic exclusion from readers to authors. The discussion emphasises the necessity of decommodifying academic publishing, reforming research evaluation systems, and decolonising epistemic practices to promote inclusivity and fairness. Policy recommendations include public investment in open infrastructures, multilingual publishing, and the adoption of equitable licensing frameworks. The paper concludes that meaningful reform must extend beyond institutional restructuring to encompass a cultural transformation in how academic value is defined and rewarded. Reclaiming knowledge as a public good requires dismantling profit-centred paradigms and embracing open, collaborative, and decolonised modes of scholarly communication.

Integrating Structural, Epistemic, and Cultural Reforms for Equitable Scholarly Communication

2025-11-08T09:24:17+00:00

Academic publishing is a cornerstone of knowledge creation and dissemination; however, structural inequities, commercial monopolisation, and cultural biases compromise its ability to serve a global scholarly community. This paper examines how structural, epistemic, and cultural reforms can be integrated to establish equitable, inclusive, and sustainable scholarly communication. Drawing on Knowledge Equity Theory and Critical Political Economy, the study critically analyses the monopolistic tendencies of commercial publishers, the marginalisation of Global South scholars, and the dominance of Western epistemic paradigms. The current findings indicate that reforms targeting the structural (open access and cooperative publishing), epistemic (decolonisation and multilingual dissemination), and cultural (evaluation metrics and collaborative norms) dimensions are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. The discussion emphasises the need for policy interventions, capacity-building, and incentive realignment to achieve systemic transformation. Recommendations include public investment in open infrastructures, support for regional journals, reforms in academic evaluation, and global partnerships to foster inclusive scholarly practices. This paper concludes that integrated reform across these three dimensions is imperative to ensure knowledge equity, enhance accessibility, and restore the public mission of academic scholarship.