Awareness and Utilization of Library Services among Secondary School Students in Yenagoa LGA of Bayelsa State

Abstract

Library services are vital services that form an integral part of the learning and training process of children. Despite its integral role in the education of an individual, there have been reports of poor utilization of library services around the world. This study thus set out to determine the level of awareness of library services, the utilization of library services as well as the factors affecting utilization of these services among secondary school students in Yenagoa LGA of Bayelsa State. The descriptive research design was employed in conducting this study among junior secondary two and senior secondary one and two students of government secondary schools located within the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. A sample size of 391 was used. The study instrument was a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire that consisted of four sections. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and relationships between variables were statistically tested using the chi-squared bivariate analytical test. Statistical significance was set at the 0.05. The overall level of awareness regarding library services in this study was found to be low with a grand mean of 2.01 out of 4. The level of use of library services was found to be low (mean: 2.29). Certain factors both affected library services utilization to both high and low extents. The respondents’ gender as well as the level of provision of library services was significantly related with the utilization of library services. It was concluded that awareness of library services as well as the utilization of these services by secondary school students was low. It was recommended that the provision of required books, reading materials and lacking resources in these schools be made to foster library usage among students in these schools.