Utilization of Reference Resources by Undergraduate Students of Library and Information Science for Effective research in University Libraries in Enugu State

Utilization of Reference Resources by Undergraduate Students of Library and Information Science for Effective research in University Libraries in Enugu State

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine how well library and information science undergraduate students in Enugu State used reference materials in university libraries. The study specifically looked at whether students had access to reference and information services and resources. The study determines how much the students utilize the various bibliographic tools in their information-seeking process. The survey also determines the degree of reference and information services’ and resources’ accessibility. Last but not least, the investigation determines whether there is a reason why students use information services and resources. The survey descriptive research design was used for the investigation. 30 replies from the survey were verified in total. The results of the responses collected and evaluated showed that Enugu State University of Technology students have access to reference and information services and resources. Additionally, students make extensive use of the numerous bibliographic tools in their information search. Additionally, students at Enugu State University of Technology have very good access to information resources and services. The university library’s information services and resources are also used by students. The study thus suggests that library administrators mandate library orientation to students as a matter of policy to ensure effective use of library resources. Additionally, it’s important to encourage students to make extensive use of the bibliographic tools available for information search. Additionally, university administration, stakeholders, and the government should do everything they can to provide facilities in university libraries so that students will have high levels of access to information services and resources, and so that the proportion of students using the library’s various resources and services will significantly rise.

Chapiter 1

Introduction

1.1 Study’s Background

Reference books from university libraries are crucial for producing top-notch instruction, learning, and research. Reference materials are made available and accessible by indexing and abstracting services in print and electronic formats. Reference materials’ main goal is to provide accurate and timely information. Reference resources are information-bearing objects, such as people, printed materials, and digital files, that reference librarians use to provide users with access to specific knowledge. Information retrieval tools like indexes, abstracts, bibliographies, and catalogues; personnel like reference librarians and support staff; print materials like dictionaries, encyclopedias, research monographs, directories, biographies, and almanacs; and electronic materials like computers, projectors, CD-ROMS, and the internet, as well as e-journals, databases, and e-prints Users value reference resources more than other library materials because they contain information compiled from a range of sources and organized for quick and easy access for a specific purpose. They should be used as research tools rather than being read from cover to cover or checked out from the library (Abdulahi & Mamza, 2014). Reference materials are in the reference section’s gold mines and are incalculably valuable to users looking for pertinent information (Attama, 2013). University libraries must hire qualified personnel who care about people and provide services that will help in facilitating easy access to reference materials if users can effectively utilize these rich resources, given the influence of these resources on student academic accomplishment. Reference resource accessibility refers to how easily users can find and use reference materials that are physically or digitally published in the bibliographic universe to find specific and accurate information in the library through indexes, abstracts, bibliographies, and catalogues. Azubuike (2014) defined accessibility as the “ability to acquire access to and benefit from some system or organization.” Azubuike believes that this idea frequently places more emphasis on the results (pleasure from the product) than on the processes. Reference resource utilization is the level at which library users make use of and gain from reference resources in various formats to satisfy their information needs. Effective usage of technology by students advances their knowledge and overall academic performance. Usage, in the words of Mucai (2013), is “taking advantage of and profiting from a thing.” Utilizing the right resources is so essential to achieve educational goals. Use determines the quantity and caliber of information gathered as well as the caliber of users’ research output. Therefore, it is necessary to look into how Enugu State undergraduate library and information science students use reference materials to carry out useful research in academic libraries.

1.2 Definition of the Issue

Even though the University library may provide excellent reference and information resources, it is crucial that students have regular access to these materials. Given their high regard, it is unknown how many reference and information resources are made available and how much students use them. On the other hand, even though the university library may not offer the best reference and information services, it is unlikely that students would not have access to the materials within the parameters of their availability and would not fully utilize the resources that are offered. However, other academics contend that for a number of different reasons, the availability of information resources does not always indicate accessibility or consumption, citing Aguolu (2002) and Ugah (2008) as examples. This illustrates how resources were used and made available in a variety of ways. This is equally troubling since it calls for additional investigation into these problems to close the consumption, availability, and accessibility gaps. Determining the level of sufficiency, accessibility, use, usefulness, and enjoyment children derive from resource utilization is also vital. There is a need to assess how undergraduate library and information science students in Enugu State use reference resources for fruitful research in university libraries, which leads to the study’s justification.

1.3 The Study’s Goals

The study’s goal is to look at how well undergraduate students of library and information science use reference materials at Enugu State university libraries. In particular, the study aims to:

to determine whether Enugu State University of Technology students have access to any reference or information services or resources.

To determine how much the students at Enugu State University of Technology use the various bibliographic tools when looking for information.

to assess the degree of reference and information resources and services accessibility at Enugu State University of Technology.

to ascertain whether Enugu State University of Technology students are using information services and resources for a specific purpose.

1.4 Research Prompts

To direct the study, the following research questions were created:

Do students at the Enugu State University of Technology have access to reference and information services and resources?

How much do the students use the different bibliographic resources in their information search?

What level of information services and resources are available to Enugu State University of Technology students?

Do students utilise the information services and resources offered by the libraries at Enugu State University of Technology?

1.5 Importance of the Research

The project will look at how undergraduate library and information science students in Enugu State use reference materials for productive research. The study will therefore be important in the following ways:

Librarian: The outcome will benefit librarians as information providers because it will allow them to refine how they give information to pupils. They will also note any informational gaps and fill them in their respective institutions.

Academia:

The study will be significant to the academic community because it will add to the body of literature in the field of librarianship, particularly in the area of accessibility and utilization of reference and information services and resources in the Universities, and because it will act as a guide for other researchers in other Universities who wish to conduct similar research in the area in their respective states.

1.6 Study’s Purpose

The types of reference and information services and resources that are available to students will be identified by this study. The study will also determine how much the students use the various bibliographic resources in their information-seeking. The scope of reference and information services and resources’ accessibility will also be determined by the study. Last but not least, the study will establish why students use information services and resources. Thus, the study is restricted to the state of Enugu.

1.7 Study’s limitations

The researcher encountered some obstacles while conducting this study, including time restrictions, budget limitations, language hurdles, and respondents’ attitudes.

There was also the factor of researcher bias. Here, the researcher had some biases that might have been evident in the manner in which the data was gathered, the kinds of people who were interviewed or sampled, and the subsequent interpretation of the data gathered. It is impossible to understate the possibility that all of this will have an impact on the results and conclusions.

Furthermore, because the results of this study are restricted to the study area’s sample population, they might not be applicable to other businesses and places.