Abstract

Digital libraries are established to meet the demands of students who are ever in need of information that must be current, updated and available at a go, to satisfy their academic needs. However, in spite of the benefits accrued to the use of digital library, postgraduate students, hardly make meaningful use of digital libraries. The study therefore investigates digital preservation practices and use of digital library by postgraduate students in selected universities in South-west, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised 29,017 postgraduate students and 363 library personnel in 12 universities in South-west, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to draw a sample size of 385 from the postgraduate population, while simple random technique with a sampling fraction of 50% was used to draw a sample size of 182 from the library personnel population. The predominant purpose of digital library use by postgraduate students in the selected universities is for examination preparation ( = 3.36) and to complete assignment ( = 3.29). There is a low frequency of digital library use by the postgraduate students. Copying of old information into new and higher technology media was the predominant digital preservation practice ( = 3.47). The study identified erratic power supply ( = 3.25), slow internet speed ( = 3.15) and inaccessibility of some websites ( = 3.13), as some predominant challenges to digital library use by the postgraduate students. Digital preservation practices do not independently and significantly influence digital library use by postgraduate students: digital preservation practices (β = -.122, P >.05). There is a weak, positive but not statistically significant relationship between digital preservation practices and digital library use by postgraduate students (r =.067, P > 0.05). Digital preservation practices influences the use of digital library by postgraduate students. Libraries should prioritise investment in digital preservation practices and collaborate with other institutions and stakeholders to share best practices, develop common standards, and promote interoperability of digital resources, as this can help to improve the quality and availability of digital resources and facilitate access to resources across different institutions.