Mitigating Threat to Academic Libraries: Operational Optimization for Effective Service Delivery

IntroductionLibraries have existed as long as records have been kept.It first came into being with the intent to organize collections of documents.These collections consisted of archives of the earliest form of writing like the clay tablets in cuneiform script.On this, the Greek played a big role in the idea of 'book collecting' which is to be called Library later (Britannica.com).Then, there was no distinction between a record room, archive and a library Staikos, K (2007).Being dynamic in nature, it later translated to academic discipline devoted to the study of the history of diverse disciplines in life Staikos, K (2007).Today, the library has evolved that its importance in any society and academic environments cannot be over emphasized.Its traditional roles and functions have been evolving in tune with the need and demand of its users.One of the greatest advancement or paradigm shift that has dramatically impacted and made a rapid change in the academic library environment ever is Information Communication Technology (ICT).It has brought about immense pressure and limitless spheres in information accessibility that it has become an imbedded part of the library, this means that any 21 st century library that is not in tune with the numerous measures of ICT in accessing and passing across information is automatically in the phase of a moribund library.This paradigm shift requires highly skilled librarians.According to Mathews (2014): 'Evidence has convinced me that the 21st Century Library Paradigm shift is that libraries will be defined by those librarians running them and their local community more than by the profession, or any librarian associations' standards'.This translates to people who will come together and work as a team; as enablers who go the extra mile to make things work when it is actually snowballing, those who understand the advantages and disadvantages of each service rendered at the library, they offer every service with a high level of expertise to build the confidence needed at the library; Librarians who have the desire to acquire and/or have high level of information (science) technology expertise among other relevant knowledge needed.These Librarians must have a placed mission which is: 'All Users remain the defining Force in our Libraries' which is in tandem with one of the basic laws of the library as postulated by Ranganathan.Hence, Mathews (2014) opined that 'Public Libraries must agree upon a mission if we are to survive'.All hands must effectively be on deck to meet the challenge of satisfying the 'defining force'.On this ground, one might be tempted to ask, why the academic library?Why not use the various search engines available online to get what one needs?To answer this, the premise made above is vital to what will be said eventually because, going by what is established already, it automatically means that the academic library is a sole collector, manager, preserver and disseminator of information, hence the need to transform it into a technically equipped one to serve the modern user.According to Williams (2015), academic library is not just about 'research' or information literacy… it must be seen as a place where all aspects of the Approaches to Learning are inspired in new ways'.He gave examples like the library being a place for 'Reflection, Information literacy skills, Critical thinking, Creative-thinking, Transfer skills,