STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES ON THE APPLICATION OF INTERNET OF THINGS FOR EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT LIBRARY SERVICES IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

ABSTRACT

The study focuses on students’ perspectives on the application of internet of things for effective and efficient library services in academic libraries. The study goals were to identify the level of students’ awareness of Internet of Things (IoT) and applications in academic library settings; examine the perceived benefits students associate with the integration of IoT in academic libraries; ascertain the factors affecting students' views on IoT integration in academic libraries; and etermine students’ primary concerns and challenges in the implementation of IoTenabled library services. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of the study consisted of five hundred and thirteen (513) students of Library and Information Science and a sample size of one hundred and three (103) respondents. The instrument used for study was the questionnaire designed by the researcher and administered to the target respondents. The data generated with the questionnaire were carefully collated and analysed with the statistics method of data analysis such as frequency table, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The findings from the study indicated that students have high levels of awareness regarding IoT applications in academic library settings, students perceive the integration of IoT in academic libraries to be significantly beneficial. Privacy and data security associated with IoT-enabled systems, attitudes towards technological innovation and adoption of new technologies in academic environments, accessibility of IoT-enabled systems for students with disabilities or special needs, perceived fairness and equity of access to IoT-enabled services and resources among different student groups and institutional policies and regulations regarding the use of IoT technology in academic library environments are factors affecting students' views on IoT integration in academic libraries. Technological failures and disruptions in IoT-enabled library services, possible data breaches and unauthorized access to personal information in IoT-enabled library systems, lack of technical support and training for using IoT-enabled library technologies, reliability and stability of IoT technologies in library settings, and privacy and x security implications of IoT-enabled library services are students’ primary concerns and challenges in the implementation of IoT-enabled library services. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others: There should be development and implementation of comprehensive education and awareness programs to increase students' knowledge and understanding of IoT applications in academic library settings. Library management should prioritize the implementation of IoT assistive technologies to improve accessibility and inclusivity for users with disabilities in academic libraries.