ADOPTION AND USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION FOR ENHANCING USER EXPERIENCE IN BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES, MAKURDI

The study investigated the adoption and use of digital technology integration for enhancing users’ experience in Benue State University Library and Information Services. The purposes of the study were to identify the availability of digital technology, assess the level of integration of digital technology, level of adoption and use of digital technology, influence of digital technology on users’ satisfaction and experience and challenges of adopting and integrating digital technology in Benue State University Library and information services. Five (5) research questions were raised to guide the study. Literature pertinent to the study were reviewed under the conceptual framework, empirical studies and summary of literature review. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The area of study was Benue State University, Makurdi LGA, Benue State. A sample size of four hundred (400) undergraduate students from the Benue State University, Makurdi was drawn using the simple random sampling technique. A self-structured questionnaire titled; “Adoption and Use of Technology Integration for Enhancing User Experience Questionnaire (AUTIEUEQ)”, validated by three experts from the Department of Library and Information Science from Benue State University Makurdi, Benue State, was used to elicit data from the respondents. Frequency counts and Percentages were used to analyse the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents, while Mean and Standard Deviation were used to analyse the research questions. The findings revealed that digital technologies are available for student use in the library. The study also found a high level of digital technology integration into library services and that digital technology positively influences user satisfaction and experience in the library. Based on the finding the recommendations were made; The university administration should allocate more funds for the procurement, maintenance, and upgrading of digital technologies in Benue State University Library and Information Services and regular training workshops should be organized for both students and library staff to improve their digital literacy skills. Training should focus on efficient use of digital resources, online research methods, and troubleshooting common technical challenges. This will promote greater adoption and utilization of available digital technologies.