Determinants of Gender and Users’ Level of Satisfactions with Circulation Policies in Academic Libraries in North-Central Zone of Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate determinants of users’ level of satisfactions with circulation policies in academic libraries in the North Central Zone of Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population comprised all the undergraduate registered users of the university libraries in the zone. The stratified random sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 600 registered library users for the study from four university libraries in the zone. A total of one research question were raised and one hypothesis formulated to guide the study. A self-constructed questionnaire entitled: “Determinants of Gender and Users’ level of Satisfaction with Circulation Policies in Academic Libraries Questionnaire (DGULSCPALQ)” was the instrument used for data collection. A reliability of the instrument was carried out using 100 registered users of the Delta State University Library, Abraka over a time lag of two weeks in order to determine its content and construct reliability. Data generated were analysed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation, which yielded an r of 0.80, which was considered adequate for the instrument. The data collected were analysed by using mean and standard deviation to answer the research question, while z-test statistical technique was used to test the formulated hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that Federal universities had moderate mean in the level of satisfaction with library opening hours than State owned Universities; The study also revealed that male library users had a high mean in the level of satisfaction with library opening hours on week days and a high mean score in level of satisfaction with the total number of cards issued for borrowing of items than female, there were no significant differences between federal and state universities in user’s level of satisfaction with library holdings, borrowers’ cards, loan period, fines and reservation. There was no significant difference between federal and state owned universities except in user’s level of satisfaction with library opening hours. Also, there was no significant difference between male and female users except in users’ level of satisfaction with library loan periods. Finally, it was recommended that public university libraries in the North Central Zone of Nigeria should extend their opening hours on Sundays to make the users more satisfied with opening hours on that day; that the libraries should ensure that their circulation policies on fines for damaged and lost borrowed materials should reflect the present realities/cost of the items.