Leveraging virtual library services in promoting research in academic libraries in Nigeria

The study examined leveraging virtual library services in promoting research in academic libraries in Nigeria. Two objectives guided the study. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study (30) consisted of the entire academic library staff in both University of Abuja with 16 staff and Federal University Lokoja with 14 staff. The population was not sampled because of the small size. The researcher developed a questionnaire titled “Leveraging Virtual Library Services in Promoting Research in Academic Libraries in Nigeria” LVLSPRALN and an observation checklist which were used to collect data for the study. All the 30 copies of the questionnaire that were distributed were returned and found to be correctly filled. Frequencies, percentages, Mean (x) were used to answer the research questions. The finding of the study revealed that most of the listed virtual library services are fully available in both institutions. Also, the findings of this study revealed that virtual library services play significant roles in supporting research productivity, scholarly communication, and access to information resources in the libraries of the University of Abuja and Federal University Lokoja. Based on the findings, it was strongly recommended that the academic libraries in Nigeria should continue to strengthen the provision of virtual library services through increased investment in electronic databases, digital repositories, online journals, and remote access technologies in order to improve research productivity and scholarly communication.