Staff Training, Institutional Support and Digital Readiness on Sustainability of Special Archival Collections in Academic Libraries, Cross River State

This study investigated staff training, institutional support and digital readiness on sustainability of special archival collections in academic libraries, Cross River State. Four research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A population of 768 library staff formed the basis of the study, from which a representative sample was drawn. The descriptive statistics showed that staff training, institutional support, digital readiness, and sustainability of archival collections all had mean scores above the scale midpoint, indicating respondents generally agreed with the importance of these constructs. The inter-item correlation matrix revealed significant positive associations among all variables, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.61 to 0.78, suggesting moderate to strong relationships. This implies that libraries with better-trained staff, stronger institutional support, and higher digital readiness are more likely to achieve sustainability of archival collections. The findings revealed that staff training significantly influenced the sustainability of archival collections, as personnel equipped with relevant skills were more capable of preserving and managing archival resources. Institutional support also have a significant effect, highlighting the importance of adequate funding, administrative commitment, and supportive policies. Similarly, digital readiness emerged as a strong contributor to sustainability, underscoring the critical role of technological infrastructure and digital literacy in archival practices. It was recommended among others that library managers and policymakers should have a continuous professional development programs for staff. Finally, investing in ICT infrastructure to meet the challenges of digital preservation Institutions must also formulate and enforce supportive policies that prioritize the sustainability of archival collections as part of their broader mandate of knowledge preservation and dissemination.