Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
5-14-2013
Document Type
Article
Citation
Okoye, M.O. (2013)
User Education in Federal University Libraries: A study of Trends and Developments in Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose: The paper aims at investigating how user education is organized, coordinated and implemented in South East Nigeria Federal University Libraries. It also addresses the challenges encountered by academic librarians in the process and itemizes the strategies for enhancing user education.
Methodology: Survey method was adopted and the instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. Population of the study was twenty-six and. twenty-six copies of the instrument were administered. All the copies were returned and were found usable. Descriptive statistics involving frequencies, percentages and mean scores were used for data analysis
Findings: Only one university library did not have user education policy but all of them had written objectives. User education lectures were compulsory and credit bearing. Responsibility for delivering user education lectures differed among university libraries. Coordination and implementation of user education studies were centered in the university library but the university libraries differed in the manner in which coordination of library user education was handled. Course-related and course-integrated instructions were the means of delivering user education lectures and an examination taken by students before the end of the session was the only means of evaluation of library user education. Hands-on demonstration using workstations, online resources and online databases were not being used during lectures.
Practical Implications: Students were not exposed to the current ICT technologies of accessing and retrieving information resources. So, their approach to library usage remained mainly traditional
Originality/Value: The value of this paper lies in the identification and recommendation of available critical ICT-enabled library services which could provide students with current approaches to library use. It articulated various categories of evaluation of both the course content and course lecturers in order to improve both the quality of the content of the course and the erudition of the academic librarians