ABSTRACT
The study on the impact of library user education on the utilization of library resources was carried out in kashim Ibrahim library. Four research questions and objectives were raised. The research question among others is; What are the types of user education program available for you in kashim Ibrahim library and the objective among others include identifies the types of user education program available for users in kashim Ibrahim library. Some literatures related to the topic were reviewed. A survey research method was used for the study, A total number of one hundred and ten were drawn as population and used as sample size for the study, A questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. The data collected were analyzed and presented using frequency distribution tables and percentages. The summary of the finding among others indicate that: the users are more acquainted with library tour, and the researcher recommend that user education should be given more priority in the library.
Table of Contents
ABSTRACT vi
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study 1
Statement of Problem 5
Research Question 6
Research Objectives 6
Significance of the Study 7
Scope of the Study 7
Operational Definition of Terms 8
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION 11
User Education Programs 11
Information Resources 15
Classification of Library Collection 17
Reference Books 23
Documented Materials 25
Challenges that Hinders Users from Accessing Resources 26
Strategies that can be Adopted to improve Effective and Efficient Use of Resources 31
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
Introduction 36
Research Design 36
Population of the Study 36
Sample and Sampling Techniques 37
Instrument for Data Collection 37
Procedure for Data Collection 38
Procedures for Data Analysis 38
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTODUCTION 40
Response Rate 40
Gender Distribution 40
Age Distribution 41
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION
INTRODUCTION 50
SUMMARY 50
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 51
CONCLUSION 51
RECOMMENDATIONS 52
Suggestion for Further Study 53
Bibliography 55
APPENDIX I 60
APPENDIX II 61
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Students in the tertiary institution requires the use of library resources for their academic endeavour and for a life-long education. Most students use information resources for their academic workload which includes information to do their assignment, test and research; they also utilize information resources to satisfy their personal development, health, implementation and global information (Ossai, 2011). The phenomenal increase in the students enrolment in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, coupled with knowledge explosion, shortage of learning materials has warranted that every institution of higher learning in Nigeria must provide good library services to the students in order to achieve its set objectives (Akimbola, 2010). Primarily, the objective of an academic library is to implement, enrich and support the educational programmes of the parent-institution. Other objectives include the development of reading skills and instruction in the use of books and libraries. This instruction in the use of books and libraries is a programme that teaches students/library users how to make maximum and effective use of the resources of the library. This instruction in the use of books and libraries is often referred to as, "User Education." It encompasses all activities undertaken to help students/users of libraries to locate and evaluate their information needs. Ultimately, the goal of user education is to bring information seekers together with the information they need. User education is a process whereby potential users to the library are made to learn how to make efficient and effective use of the library and its resources through the acquisition of knowledge and skills in identification, location, retrieval and exploitation of information. User education can be in the form of orientation/training programmes, workshop, and seminar; “know your library programs” occasionally organized by the library for both new and old library users. These programs/activities may be packaged in hard copy that is manuals, hand out or in soft copies that is compact discs. The fundamental objective of user education is to expose, acquaint and inculcate in the clients, the basic knowledge of understanding and skills which are necessary for effective and efficient use of the library resources and services. User education is, therefore, all about empowering undergraduate students with knowledge and skills to enable them to make judicious use of information resources and services available in a given library. The adoption and implementation of technological devices obviously place on library service provider the responsibility of carrying library use along through design/packaging of quality user education determines the rate of use of nay library and also actualizes the sustainable optimal user satisfaction. The corollary to this is that a poorly packaged user education may account for low rate of use of library resources and services, which equally runs counter to the user satisfaction policy of the library (Uwakwe et al, 2016).
The focus of any library is to meet the information needs of its users. When the library acquired information materials and processed them for use, library users may not have easy access to its collection if the users are not familiar with the way the information materials are organized. Therefore, it is pertinent for library personnel to train the users on how to make effective use of library resources. When this is done, users would be acquainted with how library resources are organized. Thus, library users would be encouraged to make maximum use of the available materials. Fleming (1990), as cited in Suleiman (2012) defined user education "as various programs of instruction, education and exploration provided by libraries to users to enable them to make more effective, efficient and independent use of information sources and services to which these libraries provide access”. Murugan (2012) described library user education as instruction which equips library users with the skills to enable them to be independent and sophisticated users of libraries and their resources. He added that it included all the activities involved in teaching users how to make the best possible use of library resources, services and facilities, including formal and informal instruction delivered by a librarian or other staff member one-on-one or in a group. There is a need to train the library users on how to use the library materials due to the incredible increment of information resources in variety of formats. In institutions of higher learning, it is assumed that students who are coming in newly have not taken the use of library in their secondary schools. This is one of the reasons why the Use of Library course is to be taken by students in year one and it is compulsory for students to pass it before they graduate.
In this era of digital library, electronic resources are acquired and subscribed to. These resources may require password and user identity. For these information resources to be used, the library personnel need to equip the users with technique and skill required. They needed to be able to retrieve materials by themselves or with the aid of library catalogue of Online Public Access Catalogue nature. Suleiman (2012) revealed, in his study on library user education, that all the respondents agreed that user education program helped the users better as they use the OPAC to retrieve materials in the library.
User education is a means of equipping users with enough knowledge on the use of the library. Furthermore, he said that through user education, the user is able to get any information he/she desires as well as developing the skills to use the resources of the library independently, Aina, L.
O. (2014). User education programs are planned in tertiary institutions to ease the work of librarians and quicken the efforts of clientele in getting and utilizing the library materials. Users had perceived libraries as a dead institution that cannot meet their need, it then poses the question, how have libraries and librarians responded to the prediction of the death of libraries?
Oyesola (2014) in Suleiman (2012) reveled that library user education increases students' ability to locate materials they need, extend their knowledge of useful library tools, encourage learners to make extensive use of the library and gives them rudimentary knowledge of correct study methods. One of the objectives of user education program is to enable students to patronize libraries for their academic activities independently. Kumar and Phil (2009) emphasized major reasons for the need of library user education. According to them, tremendous increase in the volume of publication as well as the resulting complexity of libraries and the methods by which literature is organized and disseminated necessitate the user education. Due to the rapid changes in teaching methods and the resulting trend towards a wider use of multi-media learning resources ranging from the press cutting to slide tapes package and multiple kit, there is need for library user education.
Brief History of Kashim Ibrahim library
Kashim Ibrahim Library was established in 1962, the University Library System of Ahmadu Bello University comprises the Kashim Ibrahim (the main Library) and eleven other satellite libraries located in different campuses of the university.
The library has a total holding of over 1.2 million volumes of books and 66,000 periodical titles. The university library has always been at the centre of research and scholarship playing a major role in acquiring, processing and lending library materials and responding to patrons inquires.
Today, online and CD-ROM searches are a common feature among staff and students of the university. With staff strength of 42 professionals and 109 Para-professionals, 22 senior staff and 102 junior non-professional staff in the entire university system, the library management is striving to upgrade the IT skills of the staff to enable them cope with challenges of the information age.
Mission of Kashim Ibrahim Library
The mission of A.B.U libraries is to support the current and anticipated teaching, learning, and research and community service activities of the university through provision of all relevant information resources, facilities, services and personnel. The divisions in Kashim Ibrahim library are: Resource Development Division, Human Resource Development Division, Information and Communication Technology Division, Resource Processing Division, Customer Service Division, Reference and Information Service Division, Research and Bibliographic Division, Media and Public Relation Division, Serial Management Division (Ahmadu Bello University Library Complex, 2019).
Statement of Problem
Undergraduates in the tertiary institutions in Nigeria should undertake a mandatory library user education in their first year aimed at acquiring skills for
effective and efficient use of the library resources. Educating a user is very essential for the successful functioning of any system which is new or complex. Today a modern library is such a system which demands suitable user education program for its users. Wilson (2010), opines that user education program is the process whereby potential users of information or those concerned with the creation of national information policies, are made aware of the value of information in specialized fields of activity and in everyday life, are instilled to use with positive attitude towards the need to seek information, and are motivated to use or develop information resources.
Most students walk straight to the bookshelves to browse for information only to come out frustrated. Some do not know the reference sources or literature to approach for their information needs. Others who have the knowledge of sources to approach often do not know how to sort out information from them. The above evidence buttresses the fact that user education in tertiary
institutions is associated with myriad of problems. The present study is an attempt to go further by investigating the problems and proffer solutions to them.
With the explosion of information on daily basis, the users need sufficient knowledge and ability to navigate and select relevant information library user education programs are necessary for all users especially the fresh students, because it involves orientation on how to access and use information resources available in the library (Joseph, 2014).The researcher observes that users in kashim Ibrahim library most times finds it difficult to access information resources on their own, this where user education come into place to assist the users. User education can help users developed the necessary skills for research and lifelong learning and to make maximum use of library resources available to them. It is with this regard, that the study seeks to investigate the impact of library user education on the utilization of library resources. Maduako (2013)
Research Question
The following are the research questions adopted for the study in order to find out the level of user education programs in the library:
1. What types of user education programs available for you in kashim Ibrahim library?
2. What types of library resources available for users in kashim Ibrahim library?
3. What are the challenges that hinder users from accessing kashim Ibrahim library resources?
4. What are the strategies that can be adopted to improve effective and efficient use of kashim Ibrahim library resources by users?
Research Objectives
1. To identify the types of user education program available for you in Kashim Ibrahim Library.
2. To identify the types of resources available for users in kashim Ibrahim library?
3. To identify the challenges that hinder users from accessing information resources in kashim Ibrahim library?
4. To determine the strategies that can be adopted to improve effective and efficient use of information resources in Kashim Ibrahim library by the users?
Significance of the Study
The significance of this Study is to expose, acquaint, inculcate and provide the users with knowledge and skills of accessing and use of information resources in kashim Ibrahim library. Which are necessary for effective and efficient use of the library and its resources through the acquisition of in identification, location, retrieval and exploitation of information. And to make provision of orientation for the fresh students into the university.
Scope of the Study
The study is limited to Users of Kashim Ibrahim Library. Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Operational Definition of Terms
• Information: the communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence.
• Information needs: this refers to the wants or demand of an information user aimed at satisfying or filling an information gap.
• Library: a place where information materials of different formats are systematically acquired, organized, stored, preserved and disseminated to users at the appropriate time to meet their information needs.
• Library Service: this refers to facilities which are provided by a library for the use of the books and the dissemination of information.
• Information resources: is an element of infrastructure that enable the transaction of certain selected significant so as to provide information that can be used by user.
• User Education: It encompasses all activities undertaken to help students/users of libraries to locate and evaluate their information needs.
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