Perceptions of University Staff Toward On Preservation and Global Accessibility of Nigerian Cultural Heritage

International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 - 6510(Online),
Volume 5, Issue 9, September (2014), pp. 01-12 IAEME

1

PERCEPTIONS OF UNIVERSITY STAFF TOWARD ON PRESERVATION
AND GLOBAL ACCESSIBILITY OF NIGERIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE:
A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

C. I. Ugwu (Ph.D)
1
, Ejikeme A.N
2

Nnamdi Azikiwe Library,
University of Nigeria, Nsukka

ABSTRACT

This study tries to ascertain the perceptions of University of Nigeria, Nsukka staff toward the
preservation and global accessibility of Nigerian cultural heritage. This study employed a case study
approach to collect data from lecturers in the cultural heritage conservation fields in the University
and from academic librarians. A paper-based questionnaire was used to collect data from the
university staff studied. The copies of the questionnaire were personally administered and collected
by the researchers. Data collected were analyzed using Mean ( x ) and Standard Deviation (SD) and
t-test was used to test the significance of the responses of staff on each of the questionnaire items.
The results of this study reveal that the Nigerian heritage materials that should be globally accessible
include songs and music, dance, written languages, religious doctrines and the intellectual aspects of
religion. The study also found that access could be provided to these materials through the internet,
cultural websites and cultural networks. The major problems facing the global accessibility of the
nations cultural heritage include lack of efficient documentation of cultural heritage materials and
absence of courses in cultural preservation and documentation. The most effective ways to improve
the global access to the nations cultural heritage materials include strong political will, provision of
internet facilities and a strong IT backbone. The new information environment requires that library
operations should be handled electronically and globally. It also implies that library services should
be globally available and accessible. This study enhances librarians understanding of the cultural
heritage materials that should be preserved for global accessibility. The study not only identifies the
nations cultural heritage materials that should be preserved but also how to make them globally
available and accessible.

Keywords: Preservation, Global Accessibility, Cultural Heritage, University Staff, Nigeria.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT (IJM)

ISSN 0976-6502 (Print)
ISSN 0976-6510 (Online)
Volume 5, Issue 9, September (2014), pp. 01-12
IAEME: http://www.iaeme.com/IJM.asp
Journal Impact Factor (2014): 7.2230 (Calculated by GISI)
www.jifactor.com

IJM
I A E M E
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INTRODUCTION

The rapid and unprecedented global transformation in the world today can be linked to the
process of globalization due to advances in information technology development. Globalization has
been defined differently by many authors. Globalization as defined by Dollfus (2003)[1] is the
product of a generalized interaction between the population forming the human race, a process which
has been internalized in societies in the same way as it has been written within the life of the
individuals composing them. Robertson (1996)[2] defined globalization as an accelerated
compression of contemporary world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as singular
entity. This study dwells on the definition provided by Omekwu and Echezona (2008) [3].
According to them, globalization is the growth and enhancement of world culture.
Globalization has been found to affect the world either positively or negatively. The
Wikipedia (2003) [4] carefully outlined the effects of globalization in the society as consisting of but
not limited to industrial, economic and cultural. Industrial globalization is the emergence of
worldwide production market and broader access to a range of foreign products of consumers and
companies. Economic globalization is the realization of global common market based on the
freedom of exchange of goods and capital. Cultural globalization is the growth of cross-cultural
contacts; advent of new categories of consciousness and identities which embodies cultural diffusion,
the desire to increase ones standard of living and participate in a World Culture
The present study will explore the cultural aspects of globalization. Culture, according to
Schaefer (2002) [5], is the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material
objects and behavior. It includes ideas, values, customs, and artifacts. Banjo (1998) [6] defined
cultural heritage as the way of life and in a broad sense their traditional behaviour including the
ideas, acts, artifacts which are passed from one generation to another. The University of Nigeria,
Nsukka is one of the first generations of university in Nigeria. It was established in 1960 to restore
the dignity of man. Its University library known as Nnamdi Azikiwe library is currently digitizing
the scholarly papers of lecturers, library-based information resources and students theses and
dissertation. Through this process the university now has an institutional Repository (IR) for proper
management of the academics and research woks generated in the university. The university also has
fields of study in the cultural heritage conservation such as arts, theatre/dramatic arts, music,
religion. Sociology/anthropology, history and archeology.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The specific objectives of this study were to determine

1) The Nigerian cultural heritage materials that should be preserved.
2) The Nigerian cultural heritage materials that should be globalized.
3) The methods of providing global access to Nigerian cultural heritage.
4) The problems of providing global access to Nigerian cultural heritage.
5) The strategies for improving global accessibility of Nigerian cultural heritage.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Theoretical Framework
There are many theories of globalization with focus on system, culture and polity theory
(Robertson, 1996) [2]. This study dwelt on the cultural theory of globalization. According to
Robertson (1996) [2], the cultural theory of globalization consists of four concepts namely:
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relativisation, emulation, globalization and interpretation. Omekwu and Echezona (2008)[3]
described these concepts thus:

1. Relativisation: This theory postulates that each unit in the emerging world order takes shape
relative to others that surround it.
2. Emulation: The argument holds that although globalization does not create a common culture
in which everyone holds the same beliefs and values, it does create single arena in which all
actors pursue their goals by deliberate comparison with others, using at least some common
standards as yardsticks.
3. Globalization: The universal idea and processes involved in globalization necessarily
interpret and absorb differently according to the vantage point and history of particular
groups.
4. Interpretation: This postulates that specifically, universalism has become part of a single
nexus. Hence, globalization is a form of institutionalization of the two fold process involving
the universalization of particularism and particularization of universalism.

This study was based on the interpretation theory. The theory has two principal concepts
namely: particularism and universalism. Omekwu and Echezona (2008) [3] explained these concepts
thus: when particular organizations or institutions or information services become universally
available and accessible, they move into the universalism domain and when these information
services are domesticated, they transform into particularism. They concluded by observing that the
driving engine or integrating process is information and communication technology (ICT).
This approach allows the researchers to explore ways of making Nigerian cultural heritage
materials universally available and accessible. These materials falls into the particularism domain
and this can be moved into universalism domain through various means including information and
communication technology (ICT).

PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

The cultural heritage of a people is the memory of its living culture. Global access to this
memory begins with its preservation. According to Alhassan (2002) [7] as quoted by Nwegbu (2008)
[8]. Preservation is the act of keeping in safety from harm, injury, decay or destruction. It is the act
of guarding or violation. This idea of preservation comes from the fact that human beings learn from
the past, whatever that takes place in the past is an important evidence for the progress of the future.
These cultural artifacts to be preserved are divided into tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The
tangible cultural heritage consists of those physical artifacts like monuments, cultural sites such as
Zuma rock, Ogbunike cave, etc. The intangible cultural heritage consists of traditional skills, beliefs,
tradition, Oral tradition, music, song, dance and drama.
Libraries, university lecturers and museums are said to be the custodians of cultural heritage.
The library is an information preserver and conserver. In the literature, information preservation is
seen as a large-scale operation concerned with effective management of the librarys stock, or the
information resources to which it has both local and distant access. It is also used for collection
management responsibilities intended to preserve print and non-print material for future generation.
The library performs series of activities that will ensure easy accessibility of library materials. The
rapid growth and impact of digital revolution has brought about some digitization of library materials
for global consumption. The university teachers also play a very important role in preserving our
cultural heritage. The overall mission of the university is to create and disseminate knowledge
through research, teaching and public service. Teaching of our languages and culture in the
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university is a better way of preserving our culture. This study will focus on librarians and university
lecturers as major stakeholders in the preservation of Nigerian cultural artifacts.

GLOBALIZATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

It has been established that globalization can enhance the universality of the cultural heritage
of the nations of the world. This can be seen from the globalization process within cultural
dimensions. The cultural dimensions that will be considered in this study include language, religion
and community.

i. Languages and Globalization
Language is the soul of culture. Human beings are meant to dialogue and through dialogue
we adopt a common language as an essential tool for communication and socialization. With the
development of information techniques, men increase this aptitude with the ability to use words in
oral, written or in digital form. Cheu(2003)[9] acknowledges that with the globalization of human
communities, information technology represents a major source of linguistic change, a change that is
more rapid than ever before. This implies that human languages both in oral and written forms can
now be digitized and made available on the web. In Nigeria, the three major languages being spoken
include Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. These languages have all written forms that can be easily digitized
for global accessibility.

ii. Religion and globalization
Religion globalization reflects radical transformations of the religions situations in a country.
Inoue (2003) [10] sees religious globalization as a radical reorientation of the global religious
situation within which spheres of religious culture are originally established in close relationship to
nations or ethnic group. He further emphasized that globalization of religion can be understood as a
process of realignment in the global religious situations and that this process involves three facets:
first, it implies the inevitable transformation of individual religious organizations: second, it can be
expected that new characteristics will be produced in the contents of doctrines and rituals, and third,
g globalization will be accompanied by changes in human beings supporting religions, particularly in
their intellectual perspectives.

iii. Communities and Globalization
Advances in information technology have brought also the globalization of human
communities. This is another way of saying that human societies and communities enjoy the process
of globalization (Oliver, (2003)[11]. Dollfus (2003)[1] supported this when he opined that human
societies and communities enjoy the process of globalization in different ways and forms which
manifest differently according to individual or place. One way of looking at the degree of this
enjoyment is by examining the proportion of human activities that have been globalized or preserved
for globalization. These activities which may differ by culture include dance, song and music,
paintings, dress and costume, theatre and drama, archaeological sites, architectural sites, personal
profile behavior and so on (Omekwu, 2003)[12]. The process of globalization of communities
begins with providing global access to some or all of these cultural artifacts.

METHOD OF PROVIDING GLOBAL ACCESS TO CULTURAL HERITAGE

The success of global accessibility of cultural heritage largely depends on the methods
developed for this purpose. Bovero (2009) [13] opines that access to specific and common heritage
needs methods, systems and infrastructure that will be able to guarantee access for the future.
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Access can be provided globally to a countrys cultural heritage through information and
communication technology. This is why Omekwu (2003)[12] rightly stated that information
technology has made it possible to document the entire culture of a community or a country and store
everything including sounds, graphics and texts in a few CDS. Cheu (2003)[9] is also of the view
that the unprecedented development in technological innovation involving the use of electronic
devices and computerized communication for the dissemination of information, values and beliefs
and the rapid spread of global culture through the media have far-reaching effects on the
development of human communities. To buttress this point, Inoue (2003)[10] expressed the decisive
change in our means of communication which was signaled by the invention and popularity of
computer, with the result that one could claim that the most apt keyword expressing this situation is
the age of personal computer. The development of audio-visual mass media such as broadcast
satellites, while on the other hand the continuing spread of personal communication media such as
personal portable telephones and the world of multi-media are now expanding at a rapid pace.
The Internet, according to Omekwu (2003)[12], is one key development in the growth of
globalization in the 20
th
and 21
st
centuries. Globalization has changed the nature of national
government, imposing national and international culture on local culture and promising to regulate
economies. The Internet communication platform, like e-mail and web pages has led to the evolution
of what has been rightly called the virtual community or global village. The Internet certainly offers
the great opportunity for cultural exchange. Omekwu (2003)[12] emphasized that although Internet
usage and institutional connectivity may be slow, or low, that cannot be said of African culture.
Anthropologists, artists, computer and information technology specialists from within and outside
Africa, have exploited the powerful and pervasive potentials of the Internet to show case African rich
culture. African arts, paintings, sculpture, dance, music, song, politics and theatre command a
significant presence on the web.
Another method that facilitates the process of globalization is digitization. Ezeani and Ezema
(2009)[14], in their study, defined digitization as the creation of multimedia database enhanced by
digital information and thus offering easy access to cultural and scientific heritage for large
population of users. Tsebe (2005) [15] noted that digital imaging technology provides unprecedented
advantages to institutions with some collection of scholarly resources since these resources can be
accessed by wide range of users no matter their locations.
Cultural network is another unique method of global accessibility. Dollfus (2003)[1] sees
network as being used in two senses: material networks (infrastructure of transportation and
communication, for example a telephone network), and the networks formed between individuals
who have a common interest or affinity. Here, cultural networks are formed between institutions or
organizations for the exchange of cultural artifacts or values. This exchange is accomplished via the
world wide web or any other established methods such as tapes, CD-ROMs and so on.

PROBLEMS OF GLOBAL ACCESSIBILITY OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

The global accessibility of cultural heritage materials is faced with a lot of challenges. A lot
of challenges facing the preservation of records where identified in the literature as consisting of
absence of organizational plans for managing records; low awareness role of records management in
support of organizational efficiency and accountability; lack of stewardship and coordination in
handling records; absence of legislation, policies and procedures to guide the management of
records; absence of core competencies in records and archives managements; absence of budgets
dedicated for records management; poor security and confidentiality controls; and absence of
migration strategies for records (Chigbu and Ezema, 2011[18]; Ekwelem, Okafor and Ukwuoma,
2011[16]; Ezeani and Ezema 2009[14])
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There were also challenges in the area of digitalization. Bultmann et al (2006)[17] found that
there were some people who never supported digitization because of insufficient demand for
digitized materials, lack of skilled manpower, lack of equipment, curatorial/ preservation priorities
and low commitment for their management. The problems of digitization Nigeria consist of
inadequate documentation of the Nigerian cultural heritage material, lack of rational commitment to
the preservation of Nigerian cultural heritage and absence of national policy on digitization (Chigbu
and Ezema, 2010)[18]. These authors identified other problems as insensitivity of the federal
government to digitization projects, steady disappearance of many important cultural activities and
poor coverage of cultural festival activities in the country.
Other problems identified in the literature include lack of proper documentation of cultural
heritage, providing access to cultural heritage is capital intensive, foreign influence on local culture
and lack of ICT skills especially in developing countries. For instance, Ekwelem, Okoafor and
Ukwoma [16] stated that lack of information technology (IT) skills due to inadequate training is one
of the impediments to the arrangement of electronic records.

EMPIRICAL STUDIES

The preservation of a nations culture is the benchmark for the continuity of history. In this
case, Ezeani and Ezema (2009)[14] rightly observed that preservation has increasingly continued to
take a center stage in information management and handling particularly with the proliferation of
publications and other recorded information in different formats. In line with this, Masakazi
(2009)[19] emphasized that every nation has to ensure the preservation, promotion and dissemination
of its arts, culture and the overall heritage using the tools in the present age. Digitization is a
necessary condition for both preservation and online accessibility of cultural materials. Masakazi
(2009)[19] noted that the European Union adopted a policy action on digitization in 2002, and in
2004 made recommendations on digitization and online accessibility of cultural materials. The G7
countries had earlier given prominence to digitization at the G7 and the Information Society Summit
held in Naples in 1994.
In the study by Ezeani and Ezema (2008)[14], the level of proficiency of personnel involved
in the terms of the use of digitization skills was determined. It was found that the librarians have
high computer literacy skill. It was also found that the librarians have low rasterization and book-
making skills. Similarly, signing of digital signature, web linking and Internet surfing skills are high
among the librarians. This is why it has been emphasized in the literature that for any preservation
and conservation programme to succeed in libraries there must be adequate and well-trained
manpower because preservation and conservation of information is a specialized field of knowledge
that requires information professionals who understand the physical and chemical nature of the
materials in their libraries.
In another study Omekwu (2003)[12] found that local cultures could be globalzied through
internet, cultural networks and cultural websites.
The paper by Chigbu and Ezema (2010)[18] carried out in Nigeria can assed the idea of
adopting digitalization as a strategy for preserving Nigerian cultural heritage by libraries and
librarians. This study was necessitated by the fact that documents on Nigerian cultural heritage are
fast disappearing. These materials ought to be documented in a more secure format and lasting
environment for easy accessibility. The study adopted a survey research design. The population
consisted of 100 Librarians who attended a seminar workshop organised by NLA and held at UNN
library. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed
using descriptive statistics. The results of the study revealed that Librarians in Nigeria were of the
opinion that digitalization should be used to preserve and promote Nigerian cultural heritage. The
cultural heritage materials to be digitized were found to include books on Nigerian history and
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culture, journals on Nigerian culture, documented Nigerian folk literature, and theses/dissertation on
Nigeria culture. The paper also found that the major constraints to digitization of Nigeria cultural
heritage were absence of national policy on digitization and inadequate documentation of Nigerian
cultural heritage material. Based on the findings, the study recommended the creation of cultural
websites to harmonize scattered resources since Nigerian values and norms will be better appreciated
when accessible to many users.
Finally, literature reveals a serious gap in studies dealing with global accessibility of Nigerian
cultural heritage. The present study seeks to fill this gap.

METHODOLOGY

The design of this study was case study. The population of the study was made up of
professional librarians at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Library, Nsukka and Lecturers in the cultural heritage
conservation fields in the University such as Arts, Theater/Dramatic Arts, Music, Religion,
sociology/Anthropology, history and Archeology. One hundred Lecturers were drawn from about
250 lecturers in these fields in addition to fifty (50) Professional librarians in the University library.
Paper-based questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. The questionnaire was divided
into six sections. Each section was meant to address a specific issue of this study. For instance,
Section A was specifically on the respondents bio data; Section B was designed to collect data from
the respondents on cultural heritage to be preserved, while Section C dwelt on specific Nigerian
cultural heritage materials to be globalized, Section D was to capture responses on methods of
globalizing Nigeria cultural heritage. Section E and F dealt with problems of providing global access
to Nigerians cultural heritage and the strategies for enhancing this access, respectively. The
responses on each of the questionnaire items were measured on a 4-likert scale of strongly Agree = 4,
Agree = 3; Disagree = 2; and strongly Disagree = 1. The data collected were analyzed using means
( x ) and Standard Deviation (SD) and t-test used to test the significance of the responses of the
lecturers and librarians on each of the questionnaire items.

Findings

Table 1: Mean ratings on Nigerian cultural heritage materials for preservation
S/No Statement Librarians Lecturers t Decision
x
SD
x
SD
1 Oral tradition 3.57 0.77 3.48 0.36 0.78 NS
2 Written Nig. Languages 3.27 0.77 3.19 0.59 5.23 S
3 Song and music 3.36 0.63 3.27 0.66 2.13 S
4 Paintings 3.14 0.67 3.01 0.69 1.11 NS
5 Archaeological sites 3.02 0.69 2.90 0.72 0.68 NS
6 Theatre/Drama 3.14 0.67 2.93 0.82 1.67 NS
7 Dressing //costume 3.01 0.69 3.04 0.81 -0.24 NS
8 Sculpture 3.03 0.79 2.99 0.67 0.13 NS
9 Dance 3.80 0.43 2.50 0.79 3.01 S
10 Architectural sites 3.04 0.46 2.71 0.86 3.51 S
11 Local comm.. culture 2.99 0.67 2.89 0.94 0.75 NS
12 Intell. Aspect of Nig. religion 2.88 0.70 2.56 0.75 2.58 S
13 Nigeria rel. doc. Irt & pra 2.51 0.71 2.96 0.75 -3.59 S
14 Nig. rel. organizational 2.99 0.67 2.80 0.73 1.59 NS
15 Personal Prof. behaviour 2.57 0.98 2.51 0.71 0.38 NS

** S significant; NS Not significant
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Table 1 above shows the mean rating of Nigerian cultural heritage materials for preservation.
The cultural heritage material that should be preserved as depicted in the above table include written
Nigerian languages (t = 5.23, P < 0.05), song and music (t = 2.13, P < 0.05), Dance (t = 3.01,
P < 0.05) and archaeological sites (t = 3.51, P < 0.05). These findings reveal that both librarians and
university lecturers have significant opinions on some cultural heritage materials that should be
preserved.

Table 2: mean Rating on Nigerian Cultural Heritage Materials for Global Accessibility.
S/No Statement Librarians Lecturers t Decision**
x
SD
x
SD
1 Oral tradition 3.15 0.67 3.01 0.69 1.19 NS
2 Written Nig. Languages 3.34 0.58 2.79 0.81 4.77 S
3 Song and music 3.49 0.61 3.24 0.77 2.16 S
4 Paintings 2.90 0.72 2.86 0.74 0.32 NS
5 Archaeological sites 2.55 1.12 2.70 0.07 -0.78 NS
6 Theatre/Drama 2.59 0.99 2.90 0.87 -1.88 NS
7 Dressing /costume 2.57 0.47 2.61 0.87 -0.36 NS
8 Sculpture 2.81 0.88 2.73 0.89 0.52 NS
9 Dance 2.92 0.57 2.50 0.87 3.54 S
10 Architectural sites 2.84 0.50 2.58 0.87 2.32 S
11 Local comm.. culture 2.96 0.75 2.99 0.66 -0.24 NS
12 Intell. aspect of Nig. religion 2.80 0.53 2.50 0.72 2.89 S
13 Nigeria rel. doc., rituals and
practices
2.87 0.58 2.61 0.88 2.16 S
14 Nig. rel. organizations 2.31 0.98 2.20 0.95 0.64 NS
15 Personal Prof. behaviour 2.47 0.60 2.35 0.85 1.00 NS

Table 2 above shows the ratings of Liberians and university lecturers on the Nigerian cultural
heritage materials that should be made accessible globally. The Nigerian cultural heritage materials
that should be prepared for global accessibility include written Nigerian language (t = 4.77, P <
0.05), song and music (t = 2.16, P < 0.05),, Dance (t = 3.54, P < 0.05), archaeological sites (t = 2.32,
P < 0.05), intellectual aspects (t = 2.89, P < 0.05), and Nigerian religious doctrines, rites and
practices (t = 2.16, P < 0.05). Both respondents were of the opinion that the above cultural material
should be prepared for global accessibility.

Table 3: Mean Rating on Methods of Globalizing Nigerian Cultural Heritage Materials
x
SD
x
SD
1 Internet 3.80 0.64 3.60 0.72 8.84 S
2 Cultural websites 3.70 0.70 3.50 0.69 6.84 S
3 Video camera 3.13 0.67 2.93 0.82 1.60 NS
4 CD-ROM 3.21 0.89 3.01 0.69 1.85 NS
5 Audio tapes 2.91 0.78 2.86 0.74 0.38 NS
6 Cultural export 2.80 0.73 2.99 0.67 1.54 NS
7 Open access publishing 2.89 0.94 2.99 0.67 0.67 NS
8 Cultural networks 2.96 0.56 2.60 0.74 3.69 S
9 Still camera 2.52 0.79 2.62 0.72 -0.75 NS
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Table 3 shows the ratings of librarians and lecturers on the methods that should be used to
provide global access to Nigerian cultural heritage materials. The methods for the globalization of
Nigerian cultural heritage materials include internet (t = 8.84, P < 0.05), cultural websites (t = 6.84, P
< 0.05) and cultural networks (t = 3.67, P < 0.05). Both respondents preferred that above methods for
the globalization of Nigeria cultural materials.

Table 4: Mean Rating on Problems of Providing Global Access to Nigeria Cultural Heritage
x
SD
x
SD
1 Insufficient cult. Heritage Doc. 3.70 0.61 3.60 0.70 8.13 S
2 Cult. hert. domin by foreign
culture.
3.34 0.83 3.10 0.71 1.75 NS
3 Very exp. To prov. Glob. acc. to
nig. cultural heritage
3.22 0.72 3.03 0.77 1.49 NS
4 Not keeping pace with IT
development
2.71 0.88 2.81 0.80 -0.68 NS
5 Not meeting IT challenges 2.68 0.97 2.61 0.87 0.43 NS
6 No courses in culture press &
Doc
3.22 0.57 2.80 0.67 4.20 S
7 Not moving with times. 2.57 0.47 2.94 0.98 -2.70 NS
8 Librarian not dev. themselves 2.81 0.88 2.99 0.67 -152 NS
9 lack of interest in prov. global
access
2.59 0.99 2.84 0.87 -1.52 NS
10 Lack of conducive environment 2.18 0.96 2.08 0.03 0.59 NS

Table 4 above shows the ratings of librarians and University Lecturers on the problems facing
the provision of global access to Nigerian cultural heritage materials. The problems of provisions of
global access to Nigerian cultural heritage materials include insufficient cultural heritage document (t
= 8.13, P < 0.05) and no course in cultural preservation and documentations (t = 4.20, P < 0.05).
Both the librarians and the university lecturers were in agreement that the above were the major
problems of global access to Nigerian cultural heritage materials. From the interview report both the
librarians and the university lecturers were of the opinion that the most effective ways to improve
global access to Nigerian cultural materials include strong political will to enhance IT development
in HELs in Nigeria, provision of Internet facilities in Nigerian University Libraries, and ensuring that
University Libraries in Nigeria have strong IT foundation, lecturers and information professionals in
Nigeria must improve on their IT and Internet literacy profiles, and empowering Lecturers in
cultural heritage conservation fields. Other strategic actions suggested by the respondents are
development of core IT manpower, training on web mastery and Internet research methodology, and
running course in cultural heritage documentation.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

Global accessibility of the world cultural heritage requires contributions from four different
levels, namely: individual, institutional, national and international. This study represents contribution
at the institutional level on how Nigeria can be part of the global agenda by making available
globally her cultural heritage material. That is, Nigeria can possibly catch up with modernism by
show-casing her cultural heritage material on the World Wide Web. This process begins with
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preservation of these materials and ends with globalization of language, religious artifacts and human
activities such as dance, song, music and so on.
The results of the study reveal that Nigeria can begin the process of globalization of her
cultural values by preserving her oral tradition, written language and songs and music. These finding
agree with those of Cheu(2003)[9], Omekwu (2003)[12] and Chigbu and Ezema (2011)[18] who, in
their different studies, identified some of these cultural artifacts to include written language, oral
tradition, dress and custom, theatre and drams, songs and music, paintings and dance. Access to
these artifacts lays a solid foundation for globalization of human communities.
Both the librarians and the university lecturers agreed that it is about time Nigeria started
providing access to her cultural heritage materials or her cultural values. They agreed that Nigerian
songs and music should be made universally available and accessible. Other cultural materials to be
consistently available and systematically accessible include written Nigeria language, Dance,
Nigerian religious doctrines and the intellectual aspects of Nigeria religion. Studies have also shown
that many of these cultural artifacts or values in the continent are available on the web. Omekwu
(2003)[12] noted that anthropologists, artists, computer and information technology specialists from
within and outside Africa are using Internet to showcase Africa rich culture. African arts, paintings,
sculpture, dance, music, song, polities and theatre command a significant presence on the web.
Analysis of these findings done at the regional level revealed very low presence of Nigeria cultural
values on the web (Omekwu, 2003)[12].
Global access to Nigerian cultural heritage can be guaranteed through established systems,
procedures or methods. The respondents agreed that global access to the nations cultural materials
or values could be provided through internet, cultural websites and cultural networks. These findings
support the assertion by Cheu(2003)[9] that electronic devices and computerized communication
tools are used for the dissemination of information as well as the cultural values and beliefs of
human communities. In view of this, Omekwu (2003)[12] was correct when he pointed out that IT
systems are now evolving into a dynamic and complex platform that enable instant access to global
information literature and cultural heritage. In consideration of all this, Masakazi (2009)[20]
concluded that every nation has to ensure the preservation, promotion and dissemination of its arts,
culture and the overall heritage using the tools of the present age.
The findings reveal that there are problems facing global accessibility of Nigerian cultural
heritage. The major problem identified was lack of efficient documentation of the nations cultural
heritage. Another major problem identified was that Nigerian universities have no courses in cultural
preservation and documentation. These specific findings support the report by Ekwelem, Okafor and
Ukwoma (2011)[16] that a lot of challenges face the preservation and dissemination of cultural
heritage materials especially at the global level.
Both the librarians and the lecturers were of the opinion that the most effective ways to
improve global access to Nigerian cultural materials include strong political will to enhance IT
development, provision of internet facilities in Nigerian university libraries and ensuring that
university libraries in Nigeria have a strong IT foundation. Other strategies for promoting and
disseminating Nigerian cultural heritage globally include development of core IT manpower, training
on web mastery and internet research methodology and running courses in cultural heritage
documentation. These findings support those of Nwegbu (2008) [8] who reported that for any
preservation programme to succeed in libraries and archives, there must be adequate and well-trained
manpower.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The era of modernization poses great task to Nigerians with regard to providing global access
to her cultural heritage. However, the preservation of these cultural materials will go a long way in
11

showcasing our identity world wide and making our cultural heritage to be accessible. This study
reveals some of the cultural values that need to be globalized and preserved. They are oral tradition,
written language, songs and music, dress and customs, theatre, drama and paintings. The librarians
and university lectures are strongly of the view that these materials should be globally showcased for
global accessibility.
Following from this view, this study recommends that our nation has to ensure the
preservation of its cultural heritage materials like oral tradition, written language, song and music,
etc. Nigeria should also ensure that our cultural heritage materials are globalized for easy access
through internet, cultural websites and cultural networks. There should be sufficient documentation
of a Nigerian cultural heritage. Nigerian should not allow foreign culture to dominate our own
culture. Nigerian government should provide fund for the documentation and preservation of our
cultural heritage to enable easy accessibility of these cultural materials. There should be a strong
political will to enhance IT development in Nigeria. There should be provision of Internet facilities
and a strong IT foundation in Nigerian university libraries. There should also be a development of
core IT manpower, training on web mastery, internet research methodology and mastery and a
formal course in cultural heritage documentation.

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ISSN Print: 2277 3533, ISSN Online: 2277 3584.

Perceptions of University Staff Toward On Preservation and Global Accessibility of Nigerian Cultural Heritage

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Perceptions of University Staff Toward On Preservation and Global Accessibility of Nigerian Cultural Heritage

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International Journal of Management (IJM), ISSN 0976 6502(Print), ISSN 0976 - 6510(Online),

Volume 5, Issue 9, September (2014), pp. 01-12 IAEME

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