Library User Education as it Correlates Students’ Use of Library Resources in Private University Libraries in Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined library user education as it correlates with students’ use of information resources in private university libraries in Edo state, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was used. Four research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. The population of the study comprised 7400 undergraduate students at the three private universities in Edo state. A simple random sampling technique was used to determine the sample size, which is 891 students, representing 65% of the total population. The study’s sample size was determined using the Taro Yamane sample size formula. The questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The study’s data were reviewed to see whether there was any internal consistency of reliability, and a reliability coefficient of 0.98 was gotten through the Cronbach Alpha method. The questionnaire was deemed credible based on the coefficient obtained. Data were analyzed with frequency counts, simple percentages, and Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 23 was used to generate the mean and standard deviation while Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 significant level. The findings revealed that the majority of the students used the library information resources daily with textbooks and digital resources being the most commonly used. The study also established that the students have a positive perception of the impacts of library user education on the use of information resources and that no challenges are hindering the effective use of information resources in the libraries. Lastly, the test of hypothesis shows that there is a significant relationship between library user education and student’s use of information resources in private university libraries in Edo state. The positive relationship implied that library user education enhanced students’ use of information resources in the libraries. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended that the university library administrators should regularly plan and enhance library user education training to better meet users’ information demands.