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At the Conference on Information Ethics (IE) held
in September 2010, a paper was presented which
gave an overview of library and information
science (LIS) departments in Nigeria and the
teaching of Information Ethics.
At the Conference held in 2012 at Pretoria, I
submitted a report on the situation at the
University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
It was reported then, that no department, was
teaching IE as a course.
On return to Ibadan, I organised a seminar for
academic staff, librarians and other stakeholders on
9 November 2010, to sensitize LIS practitioners in
tertiary institutions to the concept of IE, the need to
teach a course on IE, what is to be taught and the
expected challenges
Some of the challenges identified include:
promoting the idea within the university’s Senate
and getting approval,
the course content and
the time it will take to include the course in the curriculum
3-4 years before revision.
Colleagues were quite receptive of the idea of teaching IE.
Undergraduate Level
LIS113 Reference Sources and Services
LIS 312 Marketing of Library and Information Products and Services
Postgraduate Level
LIS 702 Reference Sources and Services
LIS 709 Research Methods
LIA717 The Information User
ARM 702 Records and Information Management
ARM 707 Oral Archives and Indigenous Knowledge Systems
ARM 713 Documents and Data Management
LIS 718 Information Resources Management
LIS 720 Information Products and Services
LIS 747 Knowledge Management
HPE 736 Ethics in Population and Reproduction Health Research
MPC 705 Legal Issues in Publishing
MPC 750 Copyright and the Literary Industry
MPC 751 Copyright and the Electronic Media Industry
The Department of Library, Archival and
Information Studies of the University of
Ibadan has the following degree
programmes in LIS:
PhD in Library and Information Science;
PhD in Publishing and Copyright Studies;
PhD in reservation and Conservation and
PhD in Archives and Records Management.
Masters in Library and Information Science,
Masters in Archives and Records Management,
Masters in Publishing and Copyright Studies,
Masters in Health Information Management
and
Bachelor in Library and Information Science.
The curriculums of the Department were
last revised and approved in 2011. They
became effective in 2011/2012 session.
The curriculums will be used till 2015 when
they will be due for a review. Normally, a
set of students are to graduate with the
curriculum in operation when they were
admitted into a programme.
A curriculum review committee has been
set up to design the curriculum for 2015/16
session. IE and Social Media will be taught
as two separate courses.
The Africa Regional Centre for Information Science (
ARCIS) is a centre that teaches only at the
postgraduate level and offers Masters in Information
Science and Masters in Information Resources
Management degrees.
The curriculum for M.Inf was revised in 2012. IE is
taught as part of the following courses:
FSC 701 Introduction to Information Science and
Theory
FSC712 Research Methods in Information Science
FSC 731 Information Users, Sources and Systems
FSC 755 Information Technologies
FSC 744 Design and Marketing of Information
Products and Services.
In the Master of Information Resources Management
programme, IE is taught as a full course in IRM 765:
Social and Ethical Issues in IT and Services.
IE is mentioned in the following courses:
IRM 766 Information Security
IRM 767 Government Information System and E-
Governance
IRM 768 Electronic Society.
ARCIS has no full course on Social Media but the concept is
taught as part of FFC 731 Information Users, Sources and
Systems.
This is a school library that has emerged into an
academic department that teaches media technology
and school media in education.
The Centre, which is proposing to become a teaching
department and to change its name, has submitted its
new curriculum to the Faculty Board of Studies for
approval. Reports from the Centre indicate that there
is no individual course on Information Ethics and
Social Media.
However, they are mentioned in two courses:
AMR 801 Themes and Issues in School Media
AMR 721 Information Centre Cooperation and
Networking.
At the Faculty of Law of the University of Ibadan,
Ethics is taught not as Information Ethics.
Professional ethical code is taught as part of
Nigerian legal system. There is no full course on
IE or Social Media
Ethics of communication is taught as a course
but not Information Ethics. Information Ethics is
mentioned in the following courses:
CLA 309 Legal Aspects of Communication
CLA 319 Ethics of Communication
LAC 709 Advertising Regulations and Ethics
Library and information science and related
programmes are available in about 30 universities in
Nigeria.
Many of them are newly established institutions in
the last five years. They all offer bachelors degree
and a few of them have postgraduate programmes.
In Nigeria, the National Universities Commission,
Abuja has provided benchmarks/minimum standards
for all programmes but there is some flexibility such
that individual institutions can adapt and include
some new courses in the curriculum.
Data were collected from the universities on
teaching of IE and Social Media at all levels. All
Nigerian LIS departments except two do not teach
IE Social Media as individual courses.
Africa Regional Centre for Information Science
teaches the course at 700 level and Babcock
University teaches at all the levels.They were
the exception.
S/No Universities Date Curriculum
was last Revised
Teaching IE as Part
of a Course
Teaching Social
Media as Part of a
Course
1 Abadina Media Resources Centre 2010 No Part of Themes and
Issues School Media
2 Abia State University, Uturu 2010 No Part of New Media at
700L
3 Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University,
Bauchi
4 Adeleke University, Ede 2013 No No
5 Africa Regional Centre for Information
Science
2012 Taught as a course Mentioned in some
courses
6 Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria 2011 400L Part of Digital Inf
Systems
7 Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma 2011/2012 Part of LIS 407 Public
Relations, Advocacy
and Lobbying
Part of LIS 415 Trends
in Information Science
and Modern Technology
8 Babcock University,
Ilishan
2011
Taught as a whole
course
Taught as a course
9 Bayero University, Kano Mentioned in IT courses Mentioned in IT courses
10 Baze University, Abuja
11 Benson Idahosa
University, Benin City
2012 No No
12 Benue State University,
Makurdi
2010/2011 No No
13 Delta State University,
Abraka
2012 LIS 103 Part of Emerging
technologies
14 Federal University of
Technology, Minna
2012 Intellectual Property
Laws and Information
Products and Services
No
15 Federal University of
Technology, Yola
16 Ibrahim Badamasi
Babangida University,
Lapai
17 Imo State University,
Owerri
2011 Mentioned in a course Mentioned in a course
Imo State University,
Owerri
2011 Mentioned in a course Mentioned in a course
18 Kwara State University,
Ilorin
2010 No No
19 Madonna University,
Okija
2011 No No
20 Modibo University of
Technology, Yola
2008/2009 No No
21 Nnamdi Azikiwe
University, Akwa
2009 No Part of Internet and
Electronic Libraries
22 Tai Solarin University of
Education, Ijebu-Ode
2011 As part of Information
Technology
Mentioned in a course
23 Umaru Musa Ya’adua
University, Katsina
24 University of Calabar,
Calabar
2013 Inf Ethics, Govt policy,
Inf User-
No
25 University of Ibadan,
Ibadan
2011 Mentioned in courses Mentioned in courses
26 University of Ilorin, Ilorin 2009 Part of Information User Part of web design
27 University of Maiduguri,
Maiduguri
2009 No No
28 University of Nigeria,
Nsukka
2013 Part of Inf User and
Information Policy
Part of Contemporary
Technologies in Africa
29 University of Uyo, Uyo - No No
Babcock University is indeed a model to other
Nigerian universities.
IE is taught at :
400 level as Legal and Ethical Issues in Information
Resources Management
800 level as Information Ethics and Policy
900 level as Information Policy.
Social Media is not taught as a course; but the
concept is embedded in a 300 level course:
Networking and Internet for Information Managers.
The table gives more details on these.
There is an urgent need to sensitize the
departments to the need to urgently include the
courses in the curriculums.
Thus, there is an urgent need to involve more
institutions and departments in ANIE programmes
and hold a national conference or workshop in
Nigeria to catalyse the desired change.
The ANIE Curriculum on IE and Social Media was sent to
Heads of Library and Information Science schools in
Nigeria for their information, adaptation and other
necessary actions.
All LIS professionals were also informed about the ANIE
Conference 2014 in Kampala, Uganda through the
Nigerian Library Association Online Forum.
A few have responded to the posting while the majority
have indicated that they would work towards adopting
the curriculum as soon as possible.
Heads of departments and individuals have expressed
interest in participating at the forthcoming workshop or
conference whenever it holds in Nigeria.
After the conference in Pretoria, it was decided that we
could hold a workshop at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria
to sensitize LIS departments and other information related
institutions in Nigeria to IE and Social Media.
In July, 2013, Rachel Bothma suggested that the workshop
should coincide with a visit to Accra, Ghana, but the exact
details had not been worked out by then. In December 2012,
It was also suggested that we could involve the
internationally acclaimed Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation in the
programme at the University of Ibadan.
Mr Michael Anyiam-Osigwe, the Coordinator-General of the
Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation, had already
participated in some of the Information Ethics activities in
the USA and in South Africa.
We received a tentative programme
of the workshop from Rachel.
ACIE requested from our institutional
support with accommodation,
venues, refreshments, participants
and speakers.
Some universities were to be invited from Ghana, including the
University of Ghana in Legon.
Major inhibitions were:
the national strike by all lecturers in Nigerian universities and
funding.
The strike lasted from June to December 2013.
When it was called off in January, all lecturers and students
returned to the classrooms and up till now, it has been work all
the way.
The strike also affected: other statutory
functions like holding meeting, so,
curriculum review was affected.
Obtaining financial support from the
University of Ibadan and externally, for the
conference was also affected.
It was difficult to function during the
second half of 2013.
There is no doubt that LIS professionals need to
know the ethics of information use, provision and
dissemination;
Know how to protect the interest of the information owner as
well as that of the information seeker,
Need to know versus privacy,
Be involved in protection of personal data and intellectual
property and protection of peoples’ integrity.
Recognize of information ethics as a vital tool in information
dissemination and repackaging.
The ANIE Curriculum on IE and Social Media was sent to Heads
of Library and Information Science schools in Nigeria for their
information, adaptation and other necessary actions.
All LIS professionals were also informed about the ANIE
Conference 2014 in Kampala, Uganda through the Nigerian
Library Association Online Forum.
A few have responded to the posting while the majority have
indicated that they would work towards adopting the curriculum
as soon as possible.
Library, Archival and Information Studies (LARIS) Department,
the premier and leading library and information Science (LIS)
School in Nigeria as well as ARCIS are quite willing to join the
ANIE programme and be fully involved.
STEP 1 The first step could be to further sensitize the
heads of the selected departments to the benefit of
offering such a course in the university.
STEP 2 Seminar/workshop for participants from all
the interested departments, in the University.
STEP 3 The national/international conference can be
hosted by the University of Ibadan for Nigeria and
African countries.
LARIS Department will include the courses
in its revised curriculum for the bachelors
and masters of library science degrees
programme, expected to be produced in
2014 and presented to the University
Senate, the highest academic body, for
approval.
Once it gets approval, the courses will be
taught to students in all LIS related
schools and be available as an elective
course in other relevant departments in
the University.
While collecting the data for this paper,
Heads of Departments have indicated
interest in belonging to the African Network
on teaching Information Ethics and they are
ready to include the courses. The conference
is likely to catalyze this.
Recently, I discussed a proposal to host a
conference for the ACIE in 2014/2015 with
the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic). He
was very receptive to the idea and has
asked me to submit a proposal to the Vice
Chancellor to include the support expected
from the University.
I believe relevant departments at the
University of Ibadan and other LIS schools in
Nigerian universities have been well sensitised
to make information ethics and social media
courses components of their curriculums.
The momentum must be maintained.
The proposed conference on Information
Ethics and Social Media at the University of
Ibadan in 2015 should be vigorously pursued.