Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The relevance and adequacy of the Ashanti regional library, Kumasi, Ghana: an appraisal by users
Document Type Article
Abstract
Public libraries provide resources and services in a variety of media to meet the needs of users for education, information and personal development. The provision of quality information will always have a positive impact on the patronage of these libraries. This is because the users’ ability to access relevant information and make effective use of them to a large extent determines their willingness to visit the library in question. This paper therefore assesses the relevance and adequacy of public library materials at the Ashanti Regional Library in Kumasi. Data for the study were obtained through the use of structured questionnaire. A total of two hundred and fifty (250) questionnaires were administered between October and December, 2012 using both random and stratified sampling methods. The stratified sampling focused on both the registered users and regular users but who are not registered. The objective was to get their impressions about the resources available at the library. In all a total of 185 were received representing 74% response rate. This was supplemented by secondary sources such as books, journals articles and the Internet. It was observed that majority of the users of the library were students between the ages of 19 and 23 years and pursuing various programmes in the secondary and tertiary institutions in Kumasi who use the library to prepare for their examinations. The users were particularly dissatisfied with the stock of books, seating capacity, information and communication technology (ICT) facilities etc. They were however satisfied with the attitude of staff and the opening hours of the library. The challenges facing the library in its quest to providing adequate and relevant information resources to its users have been highlighted and appropriate recommendations made to ensure quality service delivery.