Abstract
This study examined the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for records management
by librarians in university libraries in South-South Nigeria. The study was guides by four
research questions and one hypothesis. A structured questionnaire was administered to 213
librarians across university libraries in the region, and data were collected and analysed
using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed that Optical Character
Recognition (OCR) (Mean = 3.85), AI-powered Cataloguing Systems (Mean = 3.67), and
Machine Learning Algorithms (Mean = 3.42) were the most widely adopted AI tools, while
Natural Language Processing (NLP) (Mean = 2.96) and Automated Indexing (Mean = 2.74)
were less utilized. The study also identified key factors influencing AI adoption, including age
(B = 0.032, p = 0.032), educational level (B = 0.589, p = 0.001), institutional support (B =
0.876, p = 0.000), and technological infrastructure (B = 1.032, p = 0.000). The study
recommended that universities should develop policies that encourages AI adoption,
collaborating with technology firms, AI researchers and professional bodies to facilitate
transfer of knowledge with capacity-building programs like workshops, seminars to enhance
librarian's technical expertise and the allocation of financial resources and targeted
investment in AI infrastructure to facilitate AI integration in university libraries in South-
South Nigeria.
Keywords: Adoption, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Records Management, Librarians, South-
South, Nigeria.
Publication Date: 2025-11-08