CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Introduction
The role of academic libraries in supporting successful educational systems is indeed vital. Academic libraries serve as crucial hubs of information and knowledge resources for teaching, learning, and research activities within their parent institutions. These libraries house organized collections of a wide range of information sources, both in print and electronic formats, to cater to the diverse needs of their users, primarily students and faculty members.
The types of information resources available in academic libraries are extensive and include textbooks, journals, research papers, indexes, abstracts, newspapers, magazines, reports, electronic databases, internet access, multimedia resources, and more. The core objective of an academic library is to align its services and resources with the overarching goals of its parent institution, which is typically centered on education, research, and knowledge dissemination.
To fulfill this mission effectively, academic libraries must recognize and understand the specific information needs of their user community and take steps to meet those needs. This means not only providing access to relevant information sources but also delivering the necessary services to ensure that users can navigate and utilize these resources effectively.
Reference services are an essential component of academic libraries. These services involve assisting users in locating and retrieving information that is pertinent to their research or coursework. Academic librarians play a pivotal role in providing reference services, and their expertise helps users access the information they require. Reference services can take various forms, including one-on-one consultations, research assistance, information literacy instruction, and more.
The satisfaction of library users, particularly students, is a primary goal of academic libraries. A satisfied user is one who has had a positive experience with the library's resources and services. Meeting the information needs of users is a key driver of this satisfaction, and academic libraries work diligently to provide the required resources and support.
In the context of your study, you are focusing on reference services, which are instrumental for researchers and students engaged in academic activities. Understanding the information sources that play a role in student satisfaction with reference services is a valuable area of investigation. By identifying the types of information sources that students find most useful and how they impact their satisfaction with reference services, your research aims to provide insights that can contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of academic library services and, in turn, support students' academic success.Top of Form
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1.2 Statement of the Problem
Every library strives to obtain resources to meet the needs of its users effectively. They acquire various relevant materials and human resources to support teaching, learning, research, and knowledge sharing within their parent institution. To ensure that they offer comprehensive and efficient services, libraries aim to provide a diverse range of resources. This raises the question: Are the students who use the Nyong Essien Library satisfied with the types of resources and reference services available? It's important to note that the satisfaction of library users can only be determined by the students who actually use the library. This perspective is in line with Basha and Zuhi-Al (2010), who emphasized that library users are the best judges of its services. With this in mind, this study has been undertaken to investigate the information sources and the level of student satisfaction with reference services at the Nyong Essien Library.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
- To examine the information sources and their importance
- To determine the level of students satisfaction
- To identify types of reference sources and services provided
1.4 Significance of the Study
The study would be of benefit to the University library, library staff and the students. The study would be of significant important to the University library in that it will help them to act with certainty when planning to acquire information sources into the library.
Also, it would be beneficial to the library staff as it will enable them to ascertain the level of students satisfaction as regards reference services and thereby taking the necessary precaution if need be. Further, the study would be of benefit to the students since it will enhance their knowledge of different types of information sources and services provided them in the library. Generally, the study would serve as a research material for other researchers.
1.5 Delimitation of the Study
The study is delimited to Nyong Essien Library of the University of Uyo. It is further delimited to the following areas; information sources types and importance, students satisfaction and problems militating against it, also reference services sources, and their effectiveness.
1.6 Area of Study
The area of the study is the Nyong Essien Library of the University of Uyo. The library holds enormous volumes of sources including reference sources, journals of various discipline, currently the library has the public division that deals directly with readers and regulates the use of library resources. Nyong Essien library is as old as the University of Uyo itself established since 1991. The library serves as a central library that covers all the faculty libraries in the town campus of the University of Uyo located along Ikpa Road, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State (University of Uyo, 2017).
1.7 Operational Definition of Terms
Information Sources: These are materials from which information comes from or knowledge is provided about something.
Student’s Satisfaction: This is the perception of accomplishment in the learning or educational environment.
Reference Services: Is a personal assistance provided to the library users seeking information.
