Awareness and Use of Makerspaces for Innovative Service Delivery in Public Libraries in Niger State

Abstract

The study examined the awareness and use of maker spaces for innovative service delivery in public libraries in Niger state, Nigeria. The study was guided by four specific objectives and the design of the study was descriptive survey. The population of the study comprised of librarians. A sample of 103 librarians from various branches of public libraries in Niger State was selected using simple random technique. Checklist and questionnaire were the instruments used to generate data for the study and data generated was analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean scores. The findings of the study revealed that majority of librarians and users are not aware of the maker spaces used in the public libraries. The extent of make respaces usage in public libraries for service delivery in Niger State is very low. There is a strong consensus among respondents on the positive impact of the use of maker spaces for service delivery in Niger State. The challenges associated with the use of maker spaces for service delivery in public libraries in Niger State include poor funding, lack of requisite competences by staff due to inadequate staff training, poor administrative support and lack of equipment maintenance, among others The study recommended awareness campaign through community outreach programme, social media and library hosted events to educate patrons on the benefits of maker spaces, adequate funding of public libraries by the state government and training of librarians on the use of makerspaces, innovative service delivery, public libraries.