IntroductionLibrarians' readiness for metaverse technology in Nigerian universities of technology is not well documented. This study aimed to assess librarians' awareness, digital skills, perceived infrastructure, organizational support, and challenges regarding metaverse technology in Federal Universities of Technology in Nigeria, and to examine the relationships between awareness and digital skills and between infrastructure and organizational support.
MethodsThis cross-sectional survey was conducted between April and July 2026 in six Federal Universities of Technology in Nigeria. Academic librarians in these universities who agreed to participate were included, and incomplete questionnaires were excluded. Data were collected with a validated online questionnaire using four-point scales. Descriptive statistics were used with a criterion mean of 2.50, and Pearson correlation was used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level.
ResultsA total of 103 librarians were included. Overall, 97 (94.2%) reported very high or high awareness of the metaverse concept. While 91 (88.3%) reported being able to operate metaverse access devices, 29 (28.2%) reported being able to upload library content. Reliable internet connectivity was reported by 87 (84.5%), and augmented reality devices by 27 (26.2%). Inadequate training was the most highly rated challenge, reported by 98 (95.1%). Awareness was correlated with digital skills (r = 0.49, p < 0.001), and infrastructure with organizational support (r = 0.38, p < 0.001).
ConclusionLibrarians appeared to be aware of metaverse technology, but their skills and resources seemed better suited to accessing virtual environments than to delivering library services within them.
Keywords Metaverse technology
· Digital skills
· Technological infrastructure
· Organisational support
· Academic librarians
All subjects
