Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abstract
This survey study investigated the attitude of librarians towards library users with learning disabilities in Nigeria. The study applied descriptive survey method and was guided by three research questions and hypotheses respectively. The sampled population for the study stood at 451 drawn among certified librarians working in various libraries in the country through proportionate stratified random sampling technique based on gender and years of experience. The major instrument used in collecting data for the study is the questionnaire titled ‘Librarians’ Attitude Towards Library Users with Learning Disability Questionnaire (LATLULDQ) and validated by professionals in psychology and Educational evaluation and Measurement. To establish the reliability of the instrument, Cronbach Alpha Statistical technique was used and a reliability coefficient of 0.82 as a measure of internal consistency was established. In answering the research questions, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used while chi-square, independent t-test and one way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. The outcome of the study shows that librarians with positive attitude towards library users with learning disabilities are at the high side than those librarians with negative attitude. The result of attitude based on gender, reveals that librarians attitude towards library users with learning disabilities based on gender differ significantly as the outcome shows that male librarians tend to exhibit positive attitude to these users than their female counterparts, whereas there was no significant difference in attitude of librarians based on their years of experience. It was based on the findings of this study that recommendations were made which include that female librarians should apply their nature endowed motherly care and passion while discharging their duties as librarians more so when attending to users with learning disabilities.