Awareness and Management of E-Waste by Librarians in University Libraries: an Exploratory Study

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to ascertain the level of awareness and management of Electronic waste by Nigerian librarians. Specifically, the study looked into the reason for the generation and growth of electronic waste in university libraries and also examined various ways electronic waste is being managed, challenges they face in this process and strategies that can be used in averting these challenges. The study gave a critical review of literature on electronic waste, which provides a clarification of the concepts related to the work. Furthermore, descriptive survey was adopted for the study; the population consists of 88 librarians in three Federal university libraries in Nigeria. Questionnaire was used in the collection of data from these libraries. Out of 103 questionnaires distributed to librarians 88 were returned and found usable for the study. The result of the study on the awareness of electronic waste among librarians showed that 9(10%) of librarians, are aware of some and 11(12%) are aware of many of them. However, the study revealed that 68(77%) of respondents are not aware of the toxic content of electronic waste. Meanwhile, 55(6.5%) of respondents chose dumping their obsolete electronic equipment permanently in a store, discarding them and collecting vital parts with 9(6.8%), and dismantling them and taking vital parts with 24(27.2%) as methods of disposing e-waste in libraries. Respondents with mean score of 3.46 indicated that lack of knowledge in e-waste management with mean score of 3.46 as major challenges associated with e-waste management in libraries. The strategies identified by respondents to avail these challenges include,  organization of training sections on e-waste and management by university libraries for librarians, attendance of international conferences on e-waste management by librarians, provision of legal frame work in Nigeria that will contain roles expected by government to play on e-waste management in libraries. The implication is that if this is not done e-waste management in university libraries in Nigeria will remain a perpetual problem in university libraries in Nigeria. Also, librarians will remain victims of e-waste toxicity and health hazards. There should be more awareness on e-waste and its management in libraries. This will stand as a medium of overcoming the environmental challenges that emanates from electronic- waste in libraries. The originality of this study lies in the analysis in the knowledge of the toxicity of E-waste and its health hazards to individuals that handles it, especially in libraries. Its values relates to its contribution to literature on management of e-waste by librarians in university libraries with specific reference to environmental information in university libraries of developing countries.