Librarians Awareness and Competencies on Data Creation and Storage Processes for Research Data Management Services in Federal University Libraries in Northern Nigeria

Introduction: This study investigates librarians’ awareness and competencies on data creation and storage processes for Research Data Management (RDM) services in federal university libraries in Northern Nigeria. The research was guided by two key objectives.

Method: The study employed a quantitative approach using a multi-stage sampling technique to select federal university libraries across Northern Nigeria. Respondents comprised 213 professional librarians working in these six federal university libraries. A questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection, and the data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics through frequency, percentage distribution, mean, and standard deviation.

Result/Findings: The analysis revealed that librarians generally have a high level of awareness on data creation processes, with a mean awareness score of 3.01 (on a 4-point scale). Most librarians (74.7%) indicated being highly aware of how data is created in various formats, and 80.1% acknowledged understanding data storage solutions such as cloud systems and repositories. However, awareness of metadata schemas and data documentation standards remained relatively low, indicating areas requiring further training. Regarding competencies in data storage, the study established librarians have strong general data storage competencies (mean = 3.21), but lower proficiency in managing institutional repositories (mean = 2.70) and research-specific databases such as MySQL and PostgreSQL (mean = 2.93).

Conclusion: The study concludes that while librarians in federal university libraries in Northern Nigeria have a solid foundation in RDM-related activities, continuous professional development, structured training programmes and institutional policy implementation are necessary to bridge existing knowledge and skill gaps.

Recommendations: The study recommends addressing challenges related to technical deficiencies in metadata handling, advanced data descriptions, research-specific repositories, and database management skills. These will enhance librarians' capacity to support researchers, improve institutional RDM services, and ensure long-term data preservation and accessibility.