Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
3-1-2023
Abstract
Library is the heartbeat of research and development in the educational sector. However, since the digital transformation, library patronage had swayed like a pendulum creating gaps in patronage. Expanding (to schools) and extending (to host communities) the tenets of academic librarianship to far reaching ends is imperative to improving library services and increasing patronage. This study attempts to extract from heads of household and librarians, their opinion on domesticating some library services through inclusion of new services for students within and outside the library/school environment, obviously to salvage patronage and contribute to learning performance of students. The survey design was adopted, questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection, and descriptive statistics deployed for data analysis. Data was collected from randomly drawn local communities where higher institutions and academic libraries exist. The results showed an overwhelming support for domestication of library services and extension of library services beyond the present status quo. It is believed that the domestication will encourage students reading habits, build a stronger student-librarian relationship, provide career based information and serve host communities by meeting their information needs. Creating a library-user friendly policy will improve the working relationship among librarians, library users and parents who desire good learning platforms.