AN ASSESSMENT OF LBRARY SERVICES RENDERED BY PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN RIVERS STATE OF NIGERIA

Abstract

The study set out to assess the services provided by public libraries in Rivers State, Nigeria. The purpose of the study was to assess the services of public libraries in Rivers State to know if it is in line with the UNESCO public
library standard. A survey design was employed for the study. The population of the study comprised (1150)
public library users and librarians in Rivers State. The sample size of two hundred and thirty (230) respondents,
made up of (220) library users and 10 librarians were selected for the study through purposive sampling techniques. Three research questions were posed to guide the study. An instrument titled; Assessment of Public Library Services in Rivers State, (APLSR) was designed based on views and findings from related literature to collect data for the study. The instrument was validated by three experts comprised librarians and measurement and evaluation professionals for face and content validation. Internal consistency reliability using Cronbach Alpha method was computed for each section of the rating scale. Data collected were analyzed using Mean, and the hypothesis tested using z-test statistics. A mean score of 2.50 and above was accepted as a cut-off point, while scores below 2.50 were taken as a non significant result. The study revealed; that services are rendered by public libraries in Rivers State to a low extent, awareness of users with services provided is low, and problems faced by public libraries are lack of ICT resources, absence of vans, and boats for extension services and inadequate funds among other challenges. Some recommendations were made among which include that, the State Government should provide fund for staff training, and that public library should adopt strategies to create awareness among users to know various services available in the library.