Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
Winter 2-8-2016
Abstract
This study examines the prison inmates’ challenges in accessing library media resources in preparation for Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination in Nigeria from 2009 to 2013. Three regional prisons in Nigeria that prepare and register inmates for these Examinations were randomly selected for the study. These are Abakaliki prisons in the South-East, Ikoyi prisons in South-West and Kuje prisons in North-Central Nigeria. Five hundred questionnaires were administered on the inmates registered for SSSCE in the various prisons sampled, namely: Abakaliki 160 inmates with a response rate of 142, Ikoyi 240 inmates with a response rate of 209 and Kuje 100 inmates with a response rate of 87. Thus, 438 questionnaires (87.6%) were duly completed and returned, and found useable for the study. The study revealed that 77.4% of the inmates had access to photocopying services, 76% had access to inter-library loan services, 56.8% had access to book loan services and 50.9% could access past examination questions among others. On the other hand, 50.5% of the inmates claimed that their cell was far from the prison library, 57.5% claimed that the general library reading materials were not accessible to them, 59.1% equally claimed that the prescribed (recommended) textbooks by the West African Examinations Council were not accessible to them and 88.8% of the inmates claimed that they do not have free access to the prison library resources. Recommendations were made accordingly as deduced from the findings.