TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… i
Approval ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ii
Certification …………………………………………………………………………………………………. iii
Dedication ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. iv
Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………………… v
Table of contents …………………………………………………………………………………………… vi
List of tables …………………………………………………………………………………………………. viii
Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ix
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………….. 1
Background of the study………………………………………………………………………………… 1
Statement of the problem………………………………………………………………………………… 5
Purpose of the study………………………………………………………………………………………. 7
Research questions ………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Significance of the study ……………………………………………………………………………….. 8
Scope of the study…………………………………………………………………………………………. 9
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE………………………. 10
Conceptual framework………………………………………………………………… 10
Need for use of library resources …………………………………………………………….. 12
Resources of the university libraries………………………………………………………….. 17
Utilization of the library by patrons …………………………………………………………. 23
Factors affecting use of library by various categories of users …….. 26
Strategies of effective use of the library by lecturers……………….. 28
Review of empirical studies …………………………………………….. 29
Summary of literature review …………………………………………………………33
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD……………………………… 35
Research design …………………………………………………………………………. 35
Area of the study…………………………………………………………………………….. 35
Population of the study………………………………………………………………….. 35
Sample and sampling technique……………………………………………….. 36
Instruments for data collection………………………………………………………… 36
Validation of the instruments …………………………………………… 37
Method of data collection……………………………………………………. 37
Method of data analysis …………………………………………….. 37
CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA …….. 39
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS ……………………………………… 47
Level of availability of information sources ………………………………. 47
Why lecturers use the library of university of agriculture, Makurdi……………………………….. 47
Extent of usage of library resources………………………………………….. 48
Factors that impede/hinders the use of the library……………………………… 49
Steps to be taken to improve university of agriculture library, Makurdi use by lecturers….. 51
Implications of the study………………………………………………….. 52
Recommendations………………………………………………………. 53
Limitations of the study………………………………………………….. 54
Suggestions for further research…………………………………………… 55
Conclusion………………………………………………………………. 55
References…………………………………………….. 57
Appendix I…………………………………………………………………… 60
Appendix II…………………………………………………………………… 66
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Mean Responses on the level of availability of library materials in University of Agriculture, Makurdi Library ……………………………… 39
Table 2: Mean responses on why lecturers use library responses in University of Agriculture, Makurdi ………………………………… 41
Table 3: Mean responses on the extent of use of library resources by lecturers in University of Agriculture, Makurdi………………… 42
Table 4: Mean responses on factors that impede/hinder the use of the library material by lecturers in University of Agriculture, Makurdi …………………………….. 43
Table 5: Mean response on the steps to be taken to
improve the use of library materials in University of Agriculture library,
Makurdi by lecturers …………………………………………………………………… 44
ABSTRACT
This research work was designed
to examine the utilization of library resources by lecturers in University of Agriculture, Makurdi. The specific
objectives of the study is to find out the level of availability of library
materials in the university, and determine the extent of use of the materials
by lecturers. It is also to find out the factors that impede lecturers use of
the library and make recommendations for improvement of library use. Six
research questions guided this study. A descriptive survey research design was
used for the study. The population of this study comprises all lecturers in
University of Agriculture Library, Makurdi whose number is put at 480. Out of
this population 192 representing 40% of the population was sampled. Out of the
192 questionnaire administered 153 were filled and returned representing 80%
response rate. Statistical tools used for the analysis were frequency counts
and mean scores. The major finding of the study is that there are many library
resources such as books, journals, bulletin, transactions and proceedings,
research monographs, research reports patents, technical bulletin, price lists,
data sheets, dissertations, indexes/abstracts, biographies, gazetteers,
dictionaries, and encyclopedias amongst others, in the University of
Agriculture, Makurdi and that lecturers use the library mainly for consultation
of books and reference materials. They
also use it for research purpose and borrowing of books. A major findings was
also that lecturers utilized books more than any other source of information. A
number of recommendations were put forward for improvement of library use but
the most prominent suggestion was that more up to date and relevant information
sources should be acquired for the library, and that the library should be
properly funded.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The main purpose of the University Library is to support the objectives of the University, which is to promote teaching, learning and research. The university library is meant to serve the undergraduates, post-graduates, lecturers and other members of the university community. The quality of a university is measured largely by the quality of its library because of its unique role in the university system. There can never be the existence of a university without a library since the university is meant to teach and carry out research. For the teaching staff and research fellows, the university library is supposed to provide information resources and services of sufficient quality and diversity.
The university library is supposed to provide a variety of services. It is also supposed to “serve” all the areas of knowledge taught in the university. Consequently, university libraries are sometimes decentralized with a main library co-ordinating departmental and faculty libraries. This is the situation in University of Agriculture, Makurdi Library where departmental libraries are co-ordinated by the main library. For a university library such as the University of Agriculture, Makurdi Library to perform its several functions, its collection must not only include books but other materials such as general and specialized reference collections, made up of journals, newspapers, manuscripts, historical maps, government publications, clippings, letters, thesis and audio-visual materials.
Utilization of library resources simply means using of library resources. A person or thing that uses something somewhere or someplace to achieve his or her purposes is a utiliser or user. In the same context, one can state that those who make use of the library materials for their benefits are library users or utilisers. Also, those who enter the library and find such library materials useful are library users. Whittaker (1993) also defined a user as “a person who uses one or more of library services at least once a year. Hence, people who go either to the public, private, special school or academic libraries for some genuine reasons, requiring the attention of the library staff, are known as the library users or utilisers. Library users in the universities can be divided up administratively into external and internal users. The internal users consist of undergraduates, post-graduates, lecturers, research fellows and other members of the tertiary institutions, while the external users are those who are not members of the institution, but are also served by the libraries but under certain specific official arrangement.
Users of academic libraries are mostly made up of subject readers who concentrate their use of library materials on subject fields, they are working in or are studying. Students belong to these subgroups of subjects readers. Subject specialists or academic staff are also part of these subgroups, with the students obviously forming a high proportion of the users of academic libraries.
Lecturers need library resources because they are repositories of knowledge that provide the vital underpinning for national development. The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi Decree No 28 of 1992, established the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (U.A.M Calenda 1996/1997 – 1990/2000).
The general objectives of University of Agriculture, in Nigeria including that University of Agriculture, Makurdi were founded with a philosophy and objective of creating opportunities for progress, production and profit in agriculture by developing manpower for it (Ibekwe 1989). She went on to say that with these philosophies and objectives the conventional universities with Agricultural faculties were purely geared towards the production of graduates in Agriculture to man government ministries and research institutions, without actually embarking on agricultural training, research and extension with a view to enhancing high agricultural product, of the farming majority.
But more specifically, with the establishment of the Federal Universities of Agriculture in the country, the integration of agriculture education, research and extension, the service broad ecological zones of the country has probably resulted into the enhancement of agricultural production. Adedipe (1988) summed up the task and objectives of Nigerian Universities of Agriculture thus: the acceleration of the pace of agricultural production for attainment of self sufficiency in food production and improvement of human development and personal wellbeing of Nigerians through rural development.
Indachaba (1988) stressed that central to the essence of new Universities of Agriculture is the introduction of innovative approaches to research, training and extension. These include development of a strong disciplinary core with heavy practical training in crop production and husbandry, animal production and agricultural engineering technology. Development of training facilities and communication technologies for imparting new skills. There is also the need for cultural or research linkages between the agricultural research institute and outreach programmes of the universities. These are the challenges of Universities of Agriculture generally in Nigeria.
Surmounting the challenges above require information by the lecturers amongst other stakeholders in these institutions to address. The information they need is provided by the library. This is achieved by effectively providing materials for the required agricultural information dissemination to the lecturers and other stakeholders. By so doing, it enables the parent institution to discharge her teaching and research functions.
The functions of any academic library are summarized in the promotion of teaching, learning and research. These roles are prosecuted through balanced acquisition, proper processing, storage, interpretation and dissemination of relevant information. Anything on the contrary renders the institution impotent in achieving its mission.
The University of Agriculture, Makurdi Library like any academic Library is important because it is a storehouse of information or record of human experience to which students, lecturers and researcher can turn for information. The Library makes available and accessible to its clientele information resources needed for teaching and learning. By offering instruction in the use of Library and bibliographical resources, the Library participates in the transition of knowledge.
The library of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi started in 1981. It inherited the facilities of the defunct Makurdi campus of the University of Jos, which in turn inherited the faculties of the defunct Federal University of Technology, Makurdi. The library which had a capacity for 150 (one hundred and fifty) readers and about 5000 volumes of book started offering skeletal services to the University academic staff earlier than the formal opening of the Library to the University community. This was to enable the faculties prepare their lectures before the arrival of the pioneering students. The Library of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi had gone through several processes of merger and de-merger giving birth to the new University of Agriculture, Makurdi Library in January, 1988.
The Library started operations and services in the new library building named Francis Idachaba Library on the 20th March, 1995. At that time the library contained approximately 30,000 volumes of books and 3891 volumes of journals. The library is presently headed by a librarian Mr. Sugh Loho. It also has a total of about fifty-two staff made up of ten professionals and forty-two para-professionals. It has a reading capacity to accommodate 500 readers at a time. There has been no study on utilization of Library resources by lecturers at University of Agriculture, Makurdi and it is for this reason that the present study was undertaken. The choice of University of Agriculture Library, Makurdi lies in the fact that it is a new University with Agricultural bias and its investigation will enable us know the extent of library use by lecturers, and the impediments of library use by them.
Statement of the Problem
