GENERAL, PROJECT, KOHA, 2023, Virtua Integrated Library System 

The Journal of Academic Librarianship 

The paper explores the experience of using Virtua Integrated Library System by some university libraries in Nigeria for automating their operations throughout a decade. It also accounts for the challenges encountered by the libraries and reveals their switch over to other software. Survey method was used to collect data from systems' staff and librarians of the six universities that adopted Virtua software via self-distributed online questionnaire. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select the respondents. The findings revealed that majority of the libraries used Virtua for years more than any of their previous software. The initial source of funding the software and staff training was provided by the Carnegie Corporation and MacArthur Foundation. The modules implemented by the libraries include cataloguing, circulation, administration and Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) and serials control and acquisition were partially used. The system was friendly used by the university libraries with few challenges which included increase in subscription fees. At different periods of few years back, the libraries dropped the software and switched over to Koha and locally developed library system respectively. It is recommended that the University Management of the libraries should provide adequate funds to enhance the implementation of library automation software. 

Subscription Required 

Zubair, M. S., Ikwe, J. A., & Edet, G. (2023). The Experience of Using Virtua Integrated Library System in Nigerian University Libraries. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(4), 102735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102735