University of Nebraska - Lincoln

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Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal) Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

November 2020

LECTURERS’ PERCEPTION OF COLLEGE LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA:

THE CASE OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION LIBRARY, WARRI.
Eniekebi Regina ejiroghene

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ejiroghene, Eniekebi Regina, "LECTURERS’ PERCEPTION OF COLLEGE LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA: THE CASE
OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION LIBRARY, WARRI." (2020). Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal). 4423.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/4423
LECTURERS’ PERCEPTION OF COLLEGE LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA: THE CASE OF
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION LIBRARY, WARRI.

ENIEKEBI EJIROGHENE REGINA

LIBRARY DEPARTMENT
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, P.M.B 1251 WARRI,
DELTA STATE NIGERIA
08036287275
[email protected]

ABSTRACT
This study set out to ascertain the perception of the lecturers of the College of Education Warri
Library, Delta State, Nigeria. The population of the study consisted of 100 lecturers drawn from
the five Schools of the college. The survey research design was adopted using the questionnaire
as an instrument for data collection. Frequency counts and percentages were used to analyze the
data generated. Findings revealed that (36%) of respondents were dissatisfied with the library
resources, (21%) of respondents are moderately satisfied while (26%) were satisfied with the use
of the resources; and (17%) were undecided about library resources. But most of the lecturers
have an unsatisfactory perception of library resources The study recommended that the library
management should make efforts to acquire current textbooks and journals and organize in-
house training programmes geared towards assisting library staff to improve their service
attitudes. Also, efforts should be made by library management to organize user education
programme for lecturers to enable them to become aware of the available library resources and
service and use them effectively.

Introduction
A library has been variously viewed as the intellectual powerhouse of the school, the pivot on
which all the academic programmes of the institution revolve, the live wire of the college, but
more succinctly as the academic heartbeat of the school system, (Oyewusi & Oyeboade, 2009).
This implies therefore that the academic library has a significant contribution to the success of
academics in the institution. The school has the mandate to produce highly skilled manpower for
the economic and national development through teaching, research and community services
(Popoola, 2008).
In order for the institutions to be able to achieve these objectives, the information needs of the
academic community have to be satisfactorily met through the provision of adequate library
resources, facilities, and services. In recognition of this obligation, academic libraries make it a
point of duty to select, acquire, process and make available the needed information resources to
the academic community their teaching, learning research and other needs. The extent to which a
college library is able to meet the information needs of its users determines its relevance in the
system and consequently the users' perception of it.
A study of user perception is actually a performance appraisal of the library’s effectiveness.
Nisonger (2003) reiterates that in the past, inputs were used as performance measures to the
effect that it was widely assumed that a library with more volumes would be more effective in
meeting information needs than one with fewer collections. He observed, however, that in the 2l
century, outcomes would become the ultimate test of library effectiveness even though inputs,
outputs and outcome measures could also be considered.
Onwubiko (2007) asserts that academic libraries should move with time and be influenced by
what happens around them. Against this backdrop, therefore, they should, like and private, profit
and non-profit oriented, evolve and put measures in place to assess arm reassess existence,
activities, programmes, and operations. Okiy (2006) observes quite pointedly that even though
librarianship is one of the key professions which shape societal life in most parts of the world
including Nigeria, it is not accorded the recognition it deserves.
She explains the proliferation of academic, public, school and special library in various parts of
the country and in various spheres of the economy are inevitable for development but notes with
sadness that the government and many people in Nigeria still appreciate the role of libraries and
librarians enough to accord them due regard and recognition. Lawal (2002) views the non-
recognition of the status and contribution of libraries and librarians as a grievous misconception
of the profession. Studies by Oberg, Schleiter and Van Houlten (1989), and Ajidahun (1997) as
reviewed by Okiy (2006) all point to the immeasurable contributions of libraries and librarians to
the development of man and the society in general from their lowest state of nature to what they
are now, and what they will be in future. An institution is often said to be only as good as the
quality of its library.
This is probably both the lecturers and students depend on the resources and services of the
library for their teaching, learning and research needs. The unique position of the library in the
college system, therefore, makes it mandatory for librarians and library administrators to
constantly assess, review and evaluate not or resources and services but also its performance to
ensure that it continues to be relevant in the institution: particularly to the academic community.
Academic libraries are expected to support the programmes of the institutions that establish
through selection, acquisition, processing, presenting and dissemination of adequate library
information materials that are not only relevant but also current. There has been strong
reservation about the quality of services provided by libraries to their user communities,
(Ochogwu, 2009). The advent of ICT in the learning environment enhances information retrieval
and offers librarian a new personality and position of importance in the teaching and learning
process by taking beyond the "storehouse" concept of traditional librarianship.
The librarian now suggests resources faculty, locates and acquires needed materials, recommends
strategies, facilitates the use of technologies provides instruction to users in information seeking
and retrieval methods. In some cases, the librarian, after obtaining the information, critically
evaluates it and synthesizes the findings into new knowledge before presenting it to the users,
(Brown, 1990). This is what differentiates the new librarian from the traditional one. However,
mere recognition or identification of the roles of the librarian is not enough to provide the real
value of the library to users.
Their performance and resourcefulness must be constantly evaluated to see how far they are
meeting the needs of users, and by extension, fulfilling the purpose for which they were
established. The most reliable resources for this evaluation are the users; in this case, the
lecturers that are directly affected by what goes on in the library, what happens or fails to happen.

Objectives of the study

The study set out to:
1. Find out the extent of availability, accessibility, and utilization of library resources and
services by the lecturers of the College of Education Warri
2. Explore the academic staff level of satisfaction with the resources and services of the library.
3. Determine the perception of lecturers on the resources and services of the college
4. Find out the problems encountered by lecturers in accessing and utilization of the resources in
the college library.
 Methods
The descriptive survey design was adopted for this study. The sample of the study consisted of
100 lecturers drawn from the five schools in the college. The instrument used for data collection
was a structured questionnaire. Frequency counts and percentages were used to analyze the data
generated. A total of 100 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to respondents who are
lecturers of the college.

Findings and discussion

The analyzed data are presented in tables, followed by presentation and discussion.

Table 1: Accessibility of resources

Items Freq. %
Materials are easily accessible 30 30
Materials are not easily accessible 55 55
Materials are inaccessible 15 15
Undecided - -
Total 100 100
 Effective retrieval devices are a critical factor in accessing and utilizing information resources.
This is because information resources have to be accessed before they can be located and
utilized. It is an important duty of any library to provide easy and effective access to its
collection. Table 1 above reveals that 55(55%) of the respondents indicated difficult accessibility
to materials with only 30(30%) indicating easy accessibility. This could be accounted for by the
search strategies adopted by users as well as insufficient or inadequate bibliographic description
by the library staff.

Table 2: Utilization of resources

Library resources Heavily used Lightly used
Freq % Freq %
Textbooks 40 40 8 8
Journals 5 5 3 3
Newspaper 16 16 9 9
Reference materials 4 4 - -
E-resources 15 15 - -

Heavily Used library Materials Displayed on the graph below.

Lightly Used library Materials Displayed on the graph below

 The relevance of the materials, the ability of the users to exploit the resources independently, the
awareness created of the presence of such materials in the library has great roles to play in the
utilization of the resources. As can be observed in the Table 2 Books are the most heavily used
materials with a frequency of 40(40%), the newspaper is 16 (16%), while E-resources are 15
(15%). The least used resources are reference materials which could be explained by the fact that
the part of the library with reference resources does not have significant materials whereas the
textbook, networked section of the library provides a reasonable access to e-resources. In the first
place, the availability rate is very poor, and this accounts for its very poor extent of utilization.
Something drastic needs to be done to reverse the situation.

Table 3: Satisfaction derived from the use of library resources

Type of Level of Satisfaction derived

Materials Very satisfied Moderately dissatisfied Undecided Total
satisfied
Freq % Freq % Freq % Freq % Freq %
Textbooks 25 25 35 35 35 35 5 5 100 100
Journals 10 10 15 15 40 40 35 35 100 100

Newspaper 60 60 25 25 5 5 10 10 100 100

Reference 16 16 20 20 40 40 24 24 100 100

materials
E-resources 45 45 30 30 15 15 10 10 100 100
Reprographi - - - - 80 80 20 20 100 100
c services
TOTAL 156 156 125 125 215 215 104 104 600 600
AVERAGE 26 26 21 21 36 36 17 17 100 100

If the library is to remain relevant in the scheme of events, users must derive a substantial level
of satisfaction from the use of its resources. This factor of satisfaction must be glaring for
lecturers and students to make the library a reference point in their lives. However, Table 3
shows that only a few users — 26(26%) - feel very satisfied with using library resources,
21(21%) feel moderately satisfied with Library resources while 36% feel dissatisfied with library
resources. It is worrisome to note the rate of dissatisfaction with the use of almost all the
resources and services with many cases of undecided.
Table 4: Perception of library resources and services
Resources and Outstanding satisfactory unsatisfactory Undecided Total
services Freq % Freq % Freq % Freq % Freq %
Availability of - - 30 30 60 60 10 10 100 100
library resources
Provision of guides - - 70 70 25 25 5 5 100 100
Maintenance of the 15 15 54 54 24 24 7 7 100 100
collection
The attitude of 30 30 50 50 15 15 5 5 100 100
Library Staff to
Patrons
Provision of 10 10 38 38 50 50 2 2 100 100
reference services
Dexterity of 10 10 35 35 55 55 5 5 100 100
Library staff
The sense of duty 25 25 50 50 20 20 5 5 100 100
for library staff
Circulation of 30 30 42 42 25 25 3 3 100 100
materials
General perception - - 30 30 60 60 10 10 100 100
TOTAL 120 120 399 399 334 334 52 52 900 900
AVERAGE 13 13 44 44 37 37 6 6 100 100

Table 4 shows that Lecturers of the college of Education perceived availability of resource,
dexterity, provision of reference services and the esteem of the library as unsatisfactory.
However, they rate the provision of guides, maintenance of the collection and more importantly,
the attitude of library staff as satisfactory.

Table 5: Problems encountered with the use of library resources and services
Problem Freq %
Lack of current journals 90 96
Lack of current textbooks 85 85
Insufficient copies of essential textbooks 90 90
Undependable reprographic services - -
The poor state of the library catalog 98 98
Location and retrieval of materials 98 98
Unhelpful loan period 80 80
Unavailability of Backset journals 65 65
Few numbers of books allowed on loan 45 45

Table 5 reveals that the problem encountered by a majority of lecturers with the use of the library
is lack of current journals and textbooks. The absence of reprographic services also poses a big
problem for users. The problem that ranked lowest is a little number of books for lecturers to
borrow. This collaborates earlier findings by Rathnakara et al (2011).
Conclusion
Based on the findings from this study, it can be concluded that the academic staff perception of
the college library is very low. The library lacks current journals and textbooks to support
effective teaching and research. The library does not operate any photocopying services and this
creates a problem for users who often need this service. Adequate access is not provided for the
available resources.
Recommendations
1. The library management should make efforts to acquire current textbooks and journals.
2. The library management and College authority should organize in-house training programmes
geared towards assisting library staff to improve their service attitudes. Also, library staff should
be encouraged to attend professional workshops, seminars, workshops and formal library and
information science programmes to improve their service delivery skills
3. Efforts should be made by library management to organize user education programme for
lecturers and other staff to enable them to become aware of the available library resources and
service and use them effectively.

References
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