Abstract
The development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is reshaping
libraries, shifting operations from human-dependent to machine-dependent processes and
from stand-alone to networked systems. This study investigated the influence of library
automation on cataloguing and classification practices in nine selected academic libraries
in South-West Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was adopted, and the purposive
sampling technique was used to select all 75 cataloguing department staff as the study
population, of whom 67 valid responses were retrieved and analysed. Data were analysed
using frequency counts, percentages, and mean scores to answer three research questions.
Findings showed that cataloguing and circulation were fully automated in most libraries,
while acquisition, serials, and reference services remained partially automated. The
automated system was found to be quicker, to provide more access points and to ease
updates to bibliographic details compared with the manual system. Automation was also
found to have improved interpersonal relationships, job satisfaction and professional selfesteem
among cataloguers, although it was associated with health hazards such as technostress
from prolonged sitting. The study concluded that automation has considerably
improved cataloguing and classification practices in the libraries studied, despite the
persistence of partial automation in some functions. It was recommended, among others,
that automation grants be made available to libraries, that non-automated libraries adopt
automation promptly, that regular ICT training be organised for cataloguing staff, and that
ergonomic work conditions be improved to mitigate automation-related health hazards.
Keywords: Academic Libraries, Cataloguing, Librarians, Automated Systems
Publication Date: 2026-07-31