ABSTRACT
An attempt to find out a study of the
influence of academic library on the academic performance of library and
information science students prompted this study. Ambrose Alli University was
used as the case study. The 100 level – 400 level students in Library and
Information Science was the target audience. Since the research is an
evaluative one, a survey research method was adopted. A 57- items structured
questionnaire supplemented was used to generate data. Tables and Simple
Percentage were used to analyze the data collected. The major findings of the
study revealed that students make regular use of academic libraries; that there
is a direct positive relationship between the use of academic libraries and
students’ academic performance. Finally, the research recommends that there is
need for expertise and professionalism in Library Practices; and the use of the
library should be an introductory course for Fresh Students in higher
institutions of learning and it should be taken beyond the classroom level;
libraries should be centrally located for easy accessibility, and the teaching
staff should always refers students to the library for assignments and other
relevant things.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Education is the primary agent of transformation towards sustainable
development since it increases people’s capacities to transform their visions
into reality. Education does not only provide scientific and technical skills, it
also provides the motivation, justification, and social support for pursuing
and applying knowledge. The quality of education as instrument of societal
transformation is often predicated on the quality of the library.
A
library is a collection of sources and services and the structure in which it
is housed. In this connection a library as it relates to academic library is
organized for use and maintained by the institution where it is domiciled. In
order words, a library is a collection of books. The term can mean the
collection, the building that houses the collection, or both.
Libraries
are repositories of knowledge. They are more than just a place where books,
films, records and other information-bearing materials are kept.
Osumah (2004) defines a library
as a collection of books and non books materials systematically organized for
the maximum utilization of those in search of information and engaged in
research work. While Akowe (2001) defines a library as collection of records of
human culture in diverse formats and languages preserved, organized and
interpreted to meet broad and varying needs of individuals for information,
knowledge, recreation and aesthetic enjoyment.
In
addition to housing books, journals, documents and other physical
manifestations of the printed word; Karl (2003) stated that libraries are now
places to go to accomplish the following tasks, which are:
“A place where you Access e-mail, you can send e-mail, you can access
on-line journals or database, get inter library loan forms and fill them to
enable you acquire a book or any article of any kind from any other library,
then obtain and photocopy course materials and also acquire training for
software packages applications etc.
The
purpose for which academic libraries exist is to perform functions directly
related to the mission of the institution they are attached.
The international Encyclopedia of information
and library science {2003} defines academic libraries as those libraries that
are attached to academic institutions above the secondary or high school level,
serving the teaching and research needs of students and staff.
Academic
libraries are libraries attached to higher institutions of learning. E.g. university,
polytechnics, monotechnics etc. The library exists to support the academic
curriculum of the parent institution.
The
services academic libraries in the university provide is more elaborate than
that of college of education, schools of nursing etc. the materials found in
the academic library of universities are more in number to that of college of education;
They are distinctive and unique because they are not limited. Academic are
centers for research and learning. The academic is a nerve center or hub around
which scholarship resolves. It is an indispensable instrument for intellectual
development. A well-stocked academic library is a storehouse of information or
a record of human experience to which users turn to for data or information.
Yusuf and Iwu (2010) citing
Jubb and Green (2007) states that academic libraries have for centuries played
critically important roles in supporting research in all subjects and
disciplines within their host universities or colleges. Opara (2001) according
to Yusuf and Iwu, posits that the library stands in the same relationship to
the society as the memory of an individual by making available and accessible
to its users information required for teaching and independent study. The main
purpose of an academic library as stated by Aina (2004) is to support the
objectives of an academic environment in the areas of learning, teaching,
research and service.
Oyesiku and Oduwole (2004)
assert that in academic communities, libraries are indispensable. Guskin (1996)
notes that the use of university libraries promotes active learning, thus contributing
to students’ ability to think critically and work well independently or in
group. An academic environment without a library is tantamount to a person
without a brain.
Academic libraries are setup solely to provide
materials and services which will now in the future best contribute to the
fulfillment of the objectives of the institution and to provide materials in
support of the learning processes, that is materials for students’ course work,
assigned reading as well as background reading for essays, term papers and projects.
In stating the purpose of academic libraries, Nwana (2005) said that college of
University library is especially established to aid scholars in their never
ending search for knowledge. These libraries are regarded as Focal Point for
teaching, learning and research.
1.2 Statement
of the problem
Academic
libraries provide numerous services to their clientele to facilitate teaching,
learning, research and other interests of the parent academic community. Undoubtedly,
libraries are the centre of academic activities and therefore attract
instructors, learners and the general public. They are the backbone of tertiary
educational institutions. Educational institutions oblivious of the fact that
academic libraries are the driving force behind them and fail to adequately
resource their libraries are doomed to extinct.
The
rapid advances in information communication technologies have widened the
borders of accessing information as it enables users to retrieve and store
information in varied formats. This has the tendency to influence information
seeking behavior of users through the options it offers in accessing and
storing information. Adeniran (2011) cites Cullen (2001) as stating that the
global digital revolution is affecting both the traditional forms of the
creation, organization and dissemination of knowledge and the world of tertiary
education itself. The e-learning resources on the web have spurred learners to
look for information stored in various formats and from places previously
unimagined for learning and research purposes. The use of computers and modems
by students to access information on the internet may lead to low patronage of
the services of academic libraries.
Academic
libraries are faced with competition as a result of the seemingly easy-access
platform offered by information communication technologies which could lead to
low use of the traditional services it provides. It is apparent that the
digital environment poses a threat to libraries which predominantly have
printed materials.
Apart
from the easy-access platform offered by information communication technologies
ICT’s, not all libraries located within an academic community today are meeting
these expectations or performing these functions of enhancing the teaching,
learning and research of the academic libraries. This could be due to stocking
materials that are irrelevant to institutional objectives; the library been
starved of fund for smooth operation, ignorance of the existence of a collection
and non-acqusition of the necessary skills needed to locate and use such
materials by users, etc.
The
undergraduate students constitute the primary and major users of any academic
library, meeting the needs of these students is one of the ways in which
academic libraries justify their existence.
But where the aforementioned are prevalent, the academic performance of
the students in particular will be influenced and the learning function of the
parent body in general will not be enhanced. The study therefore will embark
upon to determine a study of the influence of academic libraries on student’s
academic performance of library and information science undergraduate in
Ambrose Alli University.
1.3 Objectives
of the study
The objectives of this study are;
1
To know the types of library materials available
in the library
2
To know the purpose for which Library and
Information Science undergraduates use the library
3
To examine the frequency of library usage by
Library and Information Science undergraduates.
4
To ascertain if and how library usage influence
Library and Information Science undergraduates academic performance.
5
To know the effect/ influence that academic
libraries has towards L. I. S academic performance.
6
To
determine the hindrances against the use of academic libraries by Library and
Information Science undergraduates.
Research Questions
1. What
are the types of library materials available in the library?
2. What are the purposes for which Library and Information
students undergraduate use the library?
3. How
often do L .I .S undergraduate use the library?
4. How
does library usage influence L. I. S undergraduates academic performance?
5. Does
the resources effect/ influence L. I. S undergraduates academic performance?
6. What
are the hinderances against the use of academic libraries by L.I.S students?
1.4
SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
The library is regarded as
the heart of the intellectual system of the university. To a large extent
therefore, the quality of an academic library has a direct bearing on the
students and their performance academically. Therefore, the scope of this study
covers the resources and usage of academic libraries, perceptions of library
services and student relationship between academic libraries and their academic
performance using Ambrose Alli University, Edo State.
1.5
SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
The purpose of an academic
library is to support both the instructional programmes of its parent
institution and the research needs of students, faculty members and other
members of the Academic community. In an academic community, students constitute
the majority of the users yet, many of the students do not believe there is a
common denominator between the use of the library and their academic
performance. This is because many academic libraries have failed in the area of
quality of service delivery. The findings of this research work will create
awareness among students in an academic setting so they know that making use of
the library has great influence in their lives academically. To this end, they
owe the library a duty of offering constructive and suggestions with a view to
helping the library to enhance the quality of service delivery which in turn
improve their academic performance.
1.6
OPERATIONAL
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Some of the terms used in this work are
defined below.
Academic
Libraries: Academic libraries are libraries attached to tertiary institutions
such as universities, polytechnic institutions, colleges of education, colleges
of Agriculture, colleges of technology and also research institutes
(Akporhonor, 2005). Singh and Kaur (2009) stressed that preservation and access
to knowledge and information is the main mandate of academic libraries along
side supporting the mission of their parent institutions which is teaching and
research.
Academic
libraries are at the forefront of providing information services to their
respective communities which comprises of students, lecturers, and researchers
in order to support their teaching, learning, and research needs. Scholars have
emphasized on the crucial role of academic libraries in research and
scholarship in institutions of higher learning. Many a times academic libraries
are referred to as the heart or nerve centres of institutions of higher
learning where all academic activities revolved.
Academic
Performance: Academic performance refers to the way students may be faring
in their academic responsibilities. It can also be seen as the outcome of
education; the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved
their educational goals.
Influence:
Influence means the effect that somebody
or something has on the way a person thinks or behaves or on the way that
something works or develops.
Influence is the power that
somebody/something has to make somebody/something behave in a particular way.
Influence means to have an effect on the way that somebody behaves or thinks,
especially by giving them an example to follow. Most students are influenced
academically, in a positive way. Being influenced, it helps them to be broad in
knowledge and also in their various areas of learning.
Perception:
Perception is said to be the way one notice things, especially with the senses.
It means the ability to understand the true nature of something. Perception
also means an idea, a belief or an image you have as a result of how you see or
understand things.
Summary
In
this chapter, various definitions of the concept of library by different
authors were examined. This was done with a view to having a better
understanding of the traditional functions of libraries so that future services
can be anticipated. Academic libraries are basically set up to promote and
enhance the teaching learning and research function (academic programmes) of
their parent bodies.
In
the statement of the problem, steps were taken to present the problem that
awoken the researchers’ consciousness to conduct this investigation. The
research objective were unambiguously itemized which in a way reflect the
research questions. Significantly, those who tend to benefit from the study
were identified such as undergraduate student, post-graduates students e.g
researchers; budget authorities as well as those who want to make advances in
similar fields of endeavor.
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