Leveraging Technology to Improve Access to Health Information during Covid-19: Approaches and Challenges in Nigerian Libraries

Abstract

This work is focused on establishing how medical librarians in Nigeria leverage technologies to improve medical researchers’ access to health information during and after the COVID-19 pandemic era. The descriptive survey method was adopted for the study while the purposive random sampling technique was adopted in selecting medical librarians in Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire and the data collected were analyzed using simple frequency and percentages. The result revealed that the librarians provide remote access to e-resources, circulate information on preventive measures for COVID- 19, and, provide health information literacy services. Mobile phones and email were the highest accepted tools adopted in this service. The most obvious challenges were reduced budget, inadequate skills possession by the librarians, and poor Internet access.