CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background to the Study
         Libraries are at the centre of academic excellence of all educational institutions. The library which is known for its serenity and its status as a safe haven for those seeking to add more value to their education and also to channel their energy in pursuit of an academic future must make room for reprographic services. Okiy (2005), posits that they provide relevant information resources necessary for sustaining teaching, learning and research functions of the institution. The academic health, intellectual vitality and effectiveness of these educational institutions in producing high quality graduates into the labour market depend largely on the quality of information resources available in their libraries. Ishola, (2005) clearly pointed out that, this is even more real in today’s knowledge-driven world, that the best efforts of the library in providing access to quality library resources in education have not been fully realised in our citadel of learning. Reprography is the reproduction of graphics through mechanical or electrical means such as photography.
Binding is a strong covering holding the pages of a book together. In library binding, the library binder works on materials are they are submitted by the libraries. One book or one volume of a serial at a time. The edition binder works o larger numbers of identical volumes all requiring the same treatment. Binding is very important in reproducing the information in a book. It is one of the preliquisits for library collection development. Binding in the library is done by para-professional librarians (Weitz, 2015).
         Scanning services enhances the reproduction of historical documents where records and texts are typically very old, fragile and one of a kind. Digitizing these old documents properly is essential in order to capture and preserve the history and information they contain.Scanning requires great care, experience and highly specialized equipment. Colleges, museums, libraries, Historical Societies, non-profits and more rely on scanning to accurately digitize their priceless document archive. Scanning these precious archives allows libraries to easily make this history digitally available for those in the community who wish to review and appreciate it. Weitz( 2015) reports that once digitized and made available online, historically significant original documents can be stored remotely in an atmosphere that will prevent further natural degradation and aging. With scanning, it is possible to preserve valuable originals while also making them available to the general public.
         A photocopier (also known as a copier or copy machine) is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. According to Carter (2015), most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography, a dry process that uses electrostatic charges on a light-sensitive photoreceptor to first attract and then transfer toner particles (a powder) onto paper in the form of an image. Heat, pressure or a combination of both is then used to fuse the toner onto the paper. (Copiers can also use other technologies such as ink jet, but xerography is standard for office copying.) Earlier versions included the Gestetner stencil duplicator, invented by David Gestetner in 1881. Commercial xerographic office photocopying was introduced by Xerox in 1959 and it gradually replaced copies made by Verifax, Photostat, carbon paper, mimeograph machines, and other duplicating machines. Photocopying is widely used in the business, education, and government sectors. While there have been predictions that photocopiers will eventually become obsolete as information workers increase their use of digital document creation, storage and distribution, and rely less on distributing actual pieces of paper, as of 2015, photocopiers continue to be widely used. In the 2010s, there is a convergence in some high-end machines between the roles of a photocopier, a fax machine, a scanner, and a computer network-connected printer into a multi-function printer. Lower-end machines that can copy and print in color have increasingly dominated the home-office market as their prices fell steadily through 2017.
         Lamination according to Carter (2015), is the technique of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance or other properties from the use of differing materials. A laminate is a permanently assembled object by heat, pressure, welding, or adhesives. There are different lamination processes, depending on the type of materials to be laminated. The materials used in laminates can be the same or different, depending on the processes and the object to be laminated. Examples of laminate materials include melamine adhesive countertop surfacing and plywood. Decorative laminates are produced with decorative papers with a layer of overlay on top of the decorative paper, set before pressing them with thermo-processing into high-pressure decorative laminates.
Students patronage makes the effective and efficiency of library services to a large extent. According to Ogunmodede&Emeahara (2010), this has to do with what the patrons perceive of the whole library service. The processed information is usually distributed to end-users (patron) in different ways. Sometimes the information gets to the patron directly, but in most cases a number of intermediaries such as the librarian have to be involved before it gets to the patron. The patron is therefore very critical to the services of a library. Hence, the patron of a library must be constantly asked to access the services and resources provided as this will help to improve upon its services. This would also increase the frequency of library patronage by users, while the information professionals on the other hand have to provide added value to the information created to make it accessible to its numerous patrons. Bearing in mind that the environment in which libraries operate is open to rapid changes which could affect almost every facet of modern life.
In conclusion, academic libraries are developing services mostly reprography to encourage high patronage of the library among students of the academic environment. However, librarian management should not relent in their efforts to promote the library and rebuild its image in the environment through reprographic services. The essence of reprographic services is to allow students access and use in different formats, the available library resources to ease their information needs. It is in the light of the above that this study seeks to examine reprographic services and students patronage of library services in NyongEssien Library.
- Statement of the Problem
In the earlier two decades, there were no formal reprographic services in the library. As such, library practices were made difficult to disseminate needed information to the patrons.
Library practices in reprography are set up today, in order to meet up with the 21st century. Personal observation by the researcher over a period of time had revealed that, some librarians are not executing the opportunity of the presence of reprographic services to enable them carry out effective and efficient library services to the teaming patrons.
Most librarians interviewed claimed not to have more experience while the central library in the university of Uyo management contend that most of the library staff have the needed experience. It is based on this gap that this study seek to examine reprographic services and students patronage of library services in NyongEssien Library.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main purpose of this study is examine reprographic services and students patronage of library services in NyongEssien Library. The specific objectives are as follows:
To determine the relationship between binding service and students patronage of library services in NyongEssien Library
To examine the relationship between scanning service and students patronage of library services in NyongEssien Library.
To assess the relationship between photocopying service and students patronage of library services in NyongEssien Library.
To determine the relationship between laminating service and students patronage of library services in NyongEssien Library.
