IMPACT OF PROMOTION STRATEGIES OF LIBRARY IN INFORMATION SOURCES AND SERVICE IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The place of libraries in any academic environment cannot be over-emphasized. However with the advent of social media provided by computer and its associated resources, students are now found of hardly visiting and consequently using conventional libraries. Instead students are now commonly found of being adapted to the use of electronic social media. Since students are now commonly found of using social media resources such as facebook, twitter, e-mail, etc., it then become imperative to see the possibility of adapting these media to library practice. The study investigates the extent of utilization of electronic library facilities by students in colleges of education. The study was guided by two research questions and two research hypotheses. The population of the study was made up of students in a public college of education in south – South Nigeria.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page

Approval page

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Abstract

Table of content

CHAPTER ONE

1.0   INTRODUCTION

1.1        Background of the study

1.2        Statement of problem

1.3        Objective of the study

1.4        Research Hypotheses

1.5        Significance of the study

1.6        Scope and limitation of the study

1.7       Definition of terms

1.8       Organization of the study

CHAPETR TWO

2.0   LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER THREE

3.0        Research methodology

3.1        sources of data collection

3.3        Population of the study

3.4        Sampling and sampling distribution

3.5        Validation of research instrument

3.6        Method of data analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1    Introductions

4.2    Data analysis

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1    Introduction

5.2    Summary

5.3    Conclusion

5.4    Recommendation

Appendix

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background of the study

A library is an agency, which engages in the collection. Processing, preservation and dissemination of recorded information in the various formats most convenient to its target users (Olanlokun and Salisu, 1993).Akande, (2008), described library as a collection of information materials and the place where the materials are kept for consultation. The person who makes the stored information accessible to users is referred to as the ‘librarian. A collection of information resources like books in room without a systematic organization to ease the retrieval does not make a library. Hence the library is a repository of various forms of recorded information which may be in print and non-print formats such as books, periodical, reference materials, manuscripts, magazines, theses, gazettes etc. Other non-printed materials like microforms, films, magnetic tapes, slides, video tapes and data stored in electronic media like discs, CD-ROMs can also be found in libraries.

According to Okunoye (2007) who cited Gregorian (1998) an investment in libraries, is an act of faith in the continuity of life. He went further to represent the library in the following words; Libraries contain the heritage of humanity: the record of its triumph and failure, its intellectual, scientific and artistic achievements, and its collective memory. They are source of knowledge, scholarship and wisdom. They are an institution withal, where the left and the right God and the devil are together classified and retained in order to teach us what to emulate and what not to repeat. Libraries are in short the mirror held up to the face of human kind, the diary of human race. Libraries are not only repositories of past human endeavor, they are instrument of civilization.

They provide tools for learning, a laboratory of human aspiration, a window to the future. They are a source of self-renewal, intellectual growth, and hope. In this land and everywhere on earth, they are a medium of progress, autonomy, empowerment, independence and self- determination. They have always provided and will always provide place and space for imaginative recreation, for imagination rebirth. The basic purpose of academic libraries, according to Buckland (2002) is to provide access to information’’. In order to be able to do this, Ochogwu (2007) documented that libraries and other information related organizations provide a variety of information to society in different physical formats. These range from printed sources such as audio-visual materials, film, computerized/machine readable materials, etc. Singh and Kaur (2009) stressed that preservation and access to knowledge and information is the main mandate of academic libraries alongside 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 time’s academic libraries are referred to as the heart or nerve centres of institutions of higher learning where all academic activities revolved.

Paradigm shift in Academic library service with the advent of Information and Communication Technologies

(ICTs), the role and position of libraries has dramatically changed. Etim (2004) cited in Okon (2005) observes that the rapid pace of development in the field of information technology and the advent of networked information services have prompted a comprehensive review of the Library and Information Sciences (LIS) profession. The global trend is now characterized with a fundamental shift from traditional information environment to an e-environment where emphasis is placed more on the acquisition of e-resources such as ebooks, e-journals as well as online databases. However, traditional library and information services and functions are still relevant.

Jubb and Green (2007) observe that academic libraries have for centuries played critically important roles in supporting research in all subjects and disciplines within their host universities or colleges. 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. It would be pertinent to discover whether academic libraries are indeed living up to their objectives. The effectiveness and efficiency of services provided in academic libraries are mainly determined by library users. Perera (2005) submits that satisfying user needs is essential to the management of libraries. The management staff of a library should be aware of the current needs of their users, which may vary from one library to another as well as from time to time. Therefore, carrying out regular surveys on user needs at regular intervals on various aspects of library usage will be an invaluable guide in determining the future directions of library developments.

It is important for library services to focus more on the use of resources provided for their patrons. According to Whitmire (2002) academic library resources are considered a good measure of an institution’s excellence and quality. Popoola (2008) affirmed that the information resources and services available in institutional information systems must be capable of supporting research activities among the students and faculty members. Academic library use studies have evolved over the years. The problem of underutilization of library resources is a global one. Various user researches have probed user attitudes as well as the characteristics of use, reasons for library visits, and factors related to the use of the different types of library materials. Mann (1974) revealed during his research in Britain, that undergraduates are able to complete their causes of study with relatively little use of library books. This assertion was agreed to in later studies by Popoola (2008). In his studies, Seth and Parida (2006), Ugwu (2008), Nnadozie and Nnadozie (2008) cautioned that availability of information resources and services do not automatically translate to information accessibility and use.

Inadequacy of current and relevant information for teaching, learning and research had been the bane of tertiary education in Nigeria (Okonofua, 2008). Efforts had also been made to improve the situation through interlibrary loan and document delivery services, but the challenges persisted (Adika, 2003). It was in this light that the Internet was introduced into the educational system to bridge the prevailing information gap (Okonofua, 2008). Measures put in place to solve the prevailing problem include the introduction of inter-library loan and document delivery services. However, Adika (2003) noted that these efforts could not solve the problem of lack of access to current information for all faculties and students. As a result, many universities began to provide Internet access to their staff and students to foster educational activities of research, instruction and literature searching and to serve as a source of information to meet other needs (Hannah, 1998).

Similarly, Yumba (1997) observed that the Internet provides lecturers with access to colleagues through e-mail, powerful search facilities (engines), access to large and growing number of online journal and electronic databases on various subjects. In addition, Chan and Fu (2009) noted that Internet searching helps university students to boost their intellectual development and job preparation.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Promotion has been described and explained in many ways by different authors. Virtually all definitions are directed to single theme. Promotion means satisfying human needs when applied to the library, it means satisfying the information needs of the customers. Promoting library and information services begins with selection of resources in which publisher catalogues are sent to the lecturers, in case of academic libraries, other stakeholders will also have input in the selection. The resources, selected range from print and non-print. The catalogued classified, filed resources with appropriate good class mark and call mark will lead customers to obtain and retrieve their information within the library with satisfaction. It has been observed by the researcher that most Colleges of Education (CoE) do not market or promote their library information resources and services; this makes the information resources and services underutilized by the users. The well articulated service and the awareness provided, a well display resources and exhibition enables the customers to be in love with the library. To what extent are Nigeria Colleges of Education (CoE) been able to satisfy the above? Researchers observed that promoting library and information is not practiced as expected. It is with this background that the researcher is carrying out this research to examine the impact of promotion strategies of library in information sources and service in colleges of education in south-south Nigeria.

1.3   OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The study is guided by the following objectives:

1. To determine the impact of promotion strategies of library information and service in CoE in South-South Nigeria.
2. To elucidate the available and applicable strategies for promoting library information sources and services.
3. To recommend the effective promotion strategies which CoE can adopt to promote library information sources and services.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study seeks to provide answers to the following questions:

1. What kind of impact would promotion strategies of library sources and services make on the colleges of education in the South-South Nigeria?
2. What are the available and applicable promotion strategies open to the colleges of Education?
3. What are the effective promotion strategies which the Colleges of Education (CoE) can adopt for an effective service outcome?

1.5   RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

The study developed for testing the following hypotheses:

H0: Library Sources and Service promotion strategies has no significant impact on the Colleges of Education library output.

H1: Library Sources and Service promotion strategies has significant impact on the Colleges of Education library output.

H0₂: There is a low library information sources and service promotion strategy awareness among the librarians of colleges of education in the south-south Nigeria.

H1₂: There is a high library information sources and service promotion strategy awareness among the librarians of colleges of education in the south-south Nigeria.

1.6   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study focused on the library staff in College of Education, Asaba Delta state, their attitudes to marketing library services and the extent to which marketing principles are applied in the promotion of library services to patrons.

1.7   DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. Promotion:is the process of persuading a potential customer to buy the product. Promotionhere is designed to be used as a short-term tactic to boost sales – it is rarely suitable as a method of building long-term customer loyalty.
2. Strategies: a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim.
3. Library: a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for use or borrowing by the public or the members of an institution.

1.8   ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

The study is divided into five chapters. Chapter one deals with the study’s introduction and gives a background to the study. Chapter two reviews related and relevant literature. The chapter three gives the research methodology while the chapter four gives the study’s analysis and interpretation of data. The study concludes with chapter five which deals on the summary, conclusion and recommendation.

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