Influence of Library Value on Library Use: Undergraduate Students’ Perception Study

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of library value on its use by undergraduate students. The study adopted descriptive survey research method and employed a structured questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The study population comprised of all regular undergraduate students in a Nigerian University. Simple random and equal allocation sampling methods were used to select 500 students from 10 faculties in the university. The pre-tested questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of .95 alpha was used to collect data from the students in their faculty libraries. Data collected were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS 17.0. Results revealed that the university library is of great value to the students in their academic pursuit. The library is highly visited and used by majority of the students on a daily and weekly basis. The value of the library influenced its use by the students. There is no significant difference in library use per faculty or gender. It is concluded that the value of the library influenced library usage by students. Therefore, for a library to be highly used, it must be of great value to its patrons. University librarians should work towards improving the value of their libraries facilities, resources and services to enhance usage.