ABSTRACT

The study examined the influence of information services provision and students’ patronage of business library, University of Uyo, Uyo. To achieve the aim of the study, four objectives and corresponding research questions and hypotheses were formulated. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 164 respondents. A validated researcher structured questionnaire titled “Questionnaire on Information Services Provision and Students’ Patronage (QISPASP)” was used to obtain data for the study. To justify the study information provision and capacity utilization and expectancy disconfirmation theories served as the theoretical framework. A survey research design was adopted and the population consisted 822 registered students in the Business Library of the University of Uyo. 164 copies of the questionnaire were administered but 161 copies were valid for data analysis. The obtained data were analyzed using Mean and Standard Deviation to answer research questions while T-test a nalysis was used in testing the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed that there is a significant influence of reprographic, bindery, reference and Internet services on students’ patronage of Business Library, University of Uyo, Uyo. It was recommended among others that students’ should always endeavour to patronize the information services of Business Library for high qualities of educational products.            

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background of the Study

          The library can be described as the powerhouse of any ideal academic institution. It is a repository of knowledge and the axis of the institution where intellectual activities are carried out. According to Nkanu (2007), libraries are known to be service oriented institutions, and these services they provide are centred on basic assistance to library users who need some measure of help in locating information on the shelves. Nkanu further stated that, the main aim of the providing quality services in library is to stimulate and sustain users' satisfaction in the utilisation of library resources.

          Academic library is one of many libraries that exist with significant objective of making information materials available to the users who are mainly students, lecturers, and researchers. It is sometimes referred to as Academic and Research Library. It is academic in its provision of books and other documentary records that support the students' programme of instruction and encourages the habit of reading and the use of libraries, while it is research in the sense that it provides collections in depth and caters for more homogeneous interests (Ejimkonye, Nwogu & Obiagwu, 1991). Academic libraries are libraries in institutions of higher learning such as universities, polytechnics, Colleges of Education, institutes etc.

Ezekwe & Muokebe (2012), noted that in academic institutions, libraries are inseparably necessary because they play indispensable role in the dissemination of information and knowledge. The authors further observed that, it is on this premise that all academic bodies of educational institutions refuse to credit their programmes when they fail to provide standard libraries for the students. In many institutions, apart from the central library situated at the centre of the institution, there also exist what is known as the branch libraries. The University of Uyo like many other universities run this type of library system. It has inter faculties and departmental libraries and faculties resource centres. The Business Library which is situated in the Annex, town campus is one of such libraries. It caters for the faculties of Business Administration, Agriculture, Environmental Studies, etc.

          The University of Uyo Business Library serves the information needs of the students, staff and researchers of those faculties. Just like a resource centre, a business library can be generally perceived as a library service unit, with collections, which are organised primarily to serve the needs of one or more academic areas and is physically removed from the main library (Udo, 2012). Since information has become a critical element in life and society, it is essential for every library to provide information resources and services that will meet special information and knowledge needs of users. Business libraries provide information services such as reprographic services, bindery services, Internet services, reference services, Current Awareness Services, referral services, user education services.

          Reprographic service is among the various services being offered in the library. A photocopier is now regarded as an essential part of the furniture of most libraries. Reprography has a great impact on many areas of library services. Most library materials are limited in copy and because of this some of them cannot be loaned out to users, instead of denying the user access to such information, they are allowed to reproduce the material while the original copy is returned to the shelves. This service is usually attached to Readers' Service Division, and is always visible. This service helps to reduce the rate of book theft and book mutilation by library users.

          Another service that is very essential to library operation is bindery services. It is a service rendered in the library for book repair. It is now mandatory for modern libraries to have bindery services to repair damaged reading materials that come to the library in series. Bindery sections in most libraries have the required equipment that enables them to offer commercial services to the public for relatively small charges. Projects, theses and other printing works are bound in the library as support service to the library and its users.

          Reference service is another service that is provided in the library. Reference service is the ability of the reference librarian to translate the query into terms that can be met by a given reference source (Enang, 2015). In some libraries, it is regarded as direct personal assistance to readers seeking information. Reference service has impacted a lot on the parent institution, users and other aspects of librarianship, and such impact is based on library support, services, organisations, circulation of documents, book selection and acquisition, and cataloguing and classification. Reference service in academic libraries is based upon the curriculum, research programms, method of teaching and objective of the university education, and special attention is being given to current awareness service in the form of documentation lists, bibliographies etc.

          Internet service is one of the services provided by the business library. Provision of the opportunity to surf the net is the baseline networked service. The Internet has been described as the largest  cooperative ventures, information is made available in the world wide web. The Internet provides users the opportunity of retrieving information from any part of the world. The Internet is a network of networks that connects an estimated 513 million users on over (200) two hundred countries using over (10) ten million central computers (Ezekwe & Muokebe, 2012). The worldwide web (www) or the web is a means of accessing, organising, and moving through the information in the internet; hence, the web is part of the Internet. According to Ezekwe & Muokebe, the Internet is like a gigantic library and the web is the classification scheme used to organise and access the library. All these services play central role on students patronage of the library and it services.

Students’ Patronage refers to the level in which library users patronize or use the information services available in the library. The main objective of any library is to provide information services to its users. A library tends to witness low patronage if it is unable to make available adequate resources and services to its patrons to satisfy their information needs. Service is the most important commodity that any library can offer to its users. Therefore, it stands to reason that what constitutes a good library is the availability of high level information services. Nkanu (2007) noted that, for any library to provide information services that justify their existence, patrons must first be satisfied with the services they provide. A low level services in any library witness low or no patronage. 

1.2    Statement of the problem

          Libraries are places where information services are rendered to users. Catering for the needs of users in the context of libraries, ideally means provision of physical and bibliographic access to information sources. It is an expectation therefore from the information scientists to provide information services of the highest level to cater for various numerous and anticipated needs of the users who are students, lecturers, researchers etc. A library cannot exist if the users do not patronize it. In academic libraries, it is observed by Joel (2004), that many students do not patronize library because of lack of Internet services, ineffective bindery services, insufficient instruction services, inadequate reprographic services, and all other information services that a library suppose to provide. When there is a problem of this nature, the users tend to develop apathy for the library and this result in low patronage, which affect students’ academic activities. Many library users have this insight that there is no difference between a library and a bookshop due to inadequate services rendered in the library. Some of them do not even see the need to use the library because of the perception they have towards the library. Based on these incongruities, this study seeks to find out information service provisions and students patronage of Business Library, University of Uyo, Uyo.

1.3    Objectives of the Study

           The main objectives of this study is to examine information service provisions and students' patronage of Business Library, precise objectives are as follow:

1.       To examine the influence of reprographic services provision and students' patronage of the Business Library, University of Uyo, Uyo.

2.       To ascertain the influence of bindery services provision and students' patronage of Business Library

3.       To determine the influence of reference services provision and students' patronage of Business Library

4.       To examine the effect of Internet services provision and students' patronage of Business Library

1.4    Research Questions

          This study posed the following research questions:

1.       What is the influence of library instruction reprographic services and Students' Patronage of the Business Library, University of Uyo, Uyo?

2.       What is the influence of bindery services provision and Students' Patronage of the Business Library Library, University Of Uyo, Uyo?

3.       What is the influence of reference services provision and Student/.s' Patronage of Business Library, University of Uyo, Uyo?

4.       What is the influence of Internet services provisions and Students' Patronage of Business Library, University of Uyo, uyo?

1.5    Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were presumed to guide the study.

1.       There is no significant influence of reprographic services provisions on Students' Patronage of the Business Library.

2.       There is no significant influence of bindery services provision on Students' Patronage of the Business Library

3.       There is no significant influence of reference services provision on Students' Patronage of the Business Library.

1.6    Significance of the study

The study is significant to the following under listed beneficiaries; undergraduate students, post graduate students, faculty members, including university library committee, policy makers as well as researchers.

          The study is beneficiary to the undergraduates and post graduates students by way of making them realize the need of patronizing, the services that are provided by the business library. Through this study, the students would find it easy in going about seeking for and gathering information that would be relevant to their area of needs. The findings of this study would be significant to the university library, committee and even the policy makers by helping them to understand the right information services that must be provided to attract the users' patronage of the library.

1.7    Scope of the Study

The scope of the study was delimited to the Business Library, University of Uyo, Uyo. The scope of the study was also delimited to reprographic, bindery, reference, and Internet services. It was delimited to the users of the Business Library of the University of Uyo, Uyo. 

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