Abstract
This study examines how institutional support and digital literacy can assist in the use of
online databases by librarians in the scenario of digital scholarship. A quantitative survey
design has been used and the data gathered by a structured questionnaire which was
administered to 76 librarians in selected universities in Imo State, Nigeria. The levels of
institutional support, digital literacy competencies, and database usage patterns were
analyzed with the help of descriptive statistics. The results have shown that the degree of
online database use (Mean = 2.91) and digital literacy skills (Mean = 3.59) were relatively
high. Popular databases were Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. Digital literacy
was a strong predictor of database utilization and institutional support a weaker and
complementary one. Both variables had a positive interaction, which increased the
successful interaction with online databases. Even though it is restricted to a few
universities, the research highlights the importance of enhanced digital capacity-building
programmes, better ICT infrastructure, and regular technical assistance. The research
demonstrates that the enhancement of digital competencies and support of librarians
enhance the utilization of databases.
Keywords: Institutional Support, Digital Literacy, Online Databases, Digital
Scholarship, Librarians, Nigeria.
Publication Date: 2026-05-03