ASSESSMENT OF REFERENCE AND INFORMATION SERVICES IN STATE TEACHING HOSPITAL MEDICAL LIBRARIES IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This project examine Reference and Information Services in State Teaching Hospital medical libraries in the South East Nigeria with a view to finding out the  extent  of  services  provided  to  users,  problems  that  hinder  effective reference and information services. It also proposes strategies that would help to improve these services in the libraries. To achieve the objectives, six (6) research questions were drawn to guide the study. The design of the study is descriptive survey. A total of one hundred and eighty six (186) respondents were randomly selected for the study. A 96 items questionnaire, oral interview and an observation checklist were the instruments used to collect data which were presented in tables and analyzed using frequencies, percentages and the mean. Findings reveal availability of reference and information services, dissatisfaction with reference collections and services provided in these libraries, also  the  study  further reveal  that    poor  infrastructure, outdated materials, online catalogue and ICT facilities were not available for reference and information services. To redress the situation, the researcher makes recommendations improvement in funding as well as provision and application of  ICT  facilities in reference services.

CHAPTER ONE

Background of the Study

INTRODUCTION

Medical libraries can play a critical role in medical education and provide a balanced perspective on medical issues. In addition, a variety of services have been developed to improve information delivery. Information providers are convinced that medical libraries are useful; however, this is not enough. (Adio, Akewukere and Ibitoye 2007) Medical library also  known  as  health library is  designed to  assist physicians, health professionals, students, patients, consumers and medical researchers in finding health and scientific information to improve, update, assess or evaluate health care. Medical libraries are typically found in hospitals, medical schools, private industry and in medical or health associations. To become accredited, every Nigerian college  of  medicine,  nursing,  dentistry,  pharmacy,  veterinary  medicine  or  public health is required to have a health or medical library appropriate to the needs of the school, as specified by an accrediting body, such as Nigerian Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria’s standards. These accreditation standards include having qualified

library staff on hand to answer reference questions, and provide training in using electronic resources. Some academic medical libraries are located in the same building as the general undergraduate library but most are located near or in the medical college or faculty. (Wikipedia 2010)

Federal and State University Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria were established to provide the best possible health care delivery to Nigerians in general and to those in its catchments areas in particular. Ogunbode (2005) indicates that the philosophy is simple: “to  produce health professionals who  are  responsive to  the  needs of  the community they serve.” The objectives of the medical library are inevitably tied to the objectives of its parent institution. Roach and Addington as quoted by Garfield (1985) make it clear that, “Medical libraries are established to provide services and information resources to support and advance the mission to patient care, research and bio-medical education for health institutions.” The library’s position within an organization is therefore strategic and pivotal. It is key to the success and indeed to the very existence of an enterprise. Abels, Gogdil, and Zach (2002) state that in their research, “it is no over statement to say that whatever may be the future, the services of  information  provision  will  continue  to  be  an  essential  instrument  of  human welfare.” Likewise, Margetson (2002) recognizes the importance of dynamic access to information. In the Nigerian health sector, there is an urgent improve library resources and managerial effectiveness. Medical libraries are established to meet health information needs.  (Adio, Akewukere and Ibitoye 2007). These cover a broad area of life.

De Gennaro (1984) predicted correctly that, “there is the need to evaluate medical libraries, because in no distant time, the excellence and usefulness of a library will be measured not only by the state and quality of its collections, but also by the range of resources that its staff are able to deliver to users by conventional and electronic means from a growing variety of services. Users will no longer ask what the library has, but what it can provide.”

Medical library roles are enumerated by Walzer, Stott, and Sutton cited in

Adio, Akewukere and Ibitoye (2007) as follows:

1)  Provision of current information to users in a quick and cost effective manner

2)  Provision of balanced perspective on medical issues

3)  Provision of alternatives to formal learning in form of material support for continuing medical education

4)  Provision of value services, which improves information delivery

5)  Dissemination of health information and promotion of healthy lifestyles

6)  Satisfying the health information needs of the community

7)  Locating and assisting in the development of relevant information or materials

8)  Pairing information outreach with other activities in which the populations already engaged e.g. workshops, conferences, community events etc and

9)  Integrating health information into ongoing programmes of the target population in the community, thereby empowering members of the health community

Reference and information service exist in libraries because the many means of access to information in library collections are complex and are not intuitively self evident to users. To mediate between all library users, information needs and the

information  resources  of  the  library,    libraries  offer  reference  and  information services.  The dual concept of reference and information service is a relatively new one.    Although  information  service-meaning the  provision  of  specific  facts  and information to library users, has always been implicit in reference service, libraries initially offered reference service for didactic reasons as a fact of their broad educational role.  The purpose of reference service is to help a library clientele to use its collections and external resources effectively to meet their information needs. The distinguishing features of reference service include a staff designated to provide the service, a collection of reference works accessible to the public in an area the set aside for the provision of the service, adequate guides to the library’s resources such as a classification scheme, a  catalogue, and  indexes and  a  high  degree of  interaction between the staff and clientele (Retting, 1993).

According to Clark cited in Ruteyan and Akporhonor (2007) direct reference service is personal assistance to individual seekers of information.  Indirect reference service consist of behind – the scene activities including selection, acquisition, processing and administration of reference section. Also Ugwuanyi cited in Ruteyan and Akporhonor (2007) defines reference services as “the personal assistance given to the user in finding specific information” whether direct or indirect. Bunge and Bopp (2001) categorized reference service into three broad groups which are as follows:

1)        Information service that involve either finding the required information on behalf of the users or assisting users in finding information.

2)       Instruction in the use of library resources and services.

3)        User guidance in which users are guided in selecting the most appropriate information sources and services.

Reference  services  are  accorded  great  importance in  libraries.  They  entail assisting library users to find the required library resources. Reference service is referred to as one of the most professional aspects of the librarian’s responsibilities, which every prospective librarian must properly grasp (Chowdbury, 2001).

In this study reference service is defined as the ability of reference librarian to strive within and outside available resources to provide answers to reference questions or  queries.  Reference  and  information  services  offered  in  the  libraries  include selective  dissemination  of  information  (SDI),  users’  instruction  services, photocopying services, Indexing and  Abstracting services. The resources of these reference and information services include Encyclopedia, Bibliographies, online services, Biographic, Almanacs, Maps, Dictionaries and Manual. However the method of rendering these services in medical libraries are answering ready made questions, Email, Telephone, Internet, Inter library loan, verification, selective dissemination of information (SDI), Database services and library instruction programme.

Information has been a strategic resource that is very critical to all levels, sectors and endeavors of the society including every type of development. It has played a leading role in the development and modernization of human society. Information is defined as embodying interrelated or structured data which are required to enable one to act knowledgably as well as take appropriate decision in any given setting.  (Aguolu  1989).    Akonobi  (1990)  defined  information  as  man’s  related

knowledge in all resources which will help users to make rational decisions. It is a data of value in planning and execution of programs.

Information service according to working paper on community information of library  association  (1980)  defines  it  as  services  which  are  designed  to  assist individuals and groups with their daily problems, through the provision of information or by putting them in touch with a helping agency.  These services concentrate on the needs of the lower social groups because they lack access to other sources of assistance. Also Adeyemi (1991) defines information service as products of information systems.   He further stresses that those information systems is a set of resources-men, materials and procedures designed to attain information goals within a particular social economic environment which produce and utilize the systems as a tool for development.

Debowski (2003) opined that information services are aimed at achieving six key outcomes.

1)       Ensuring that information provided is high quality accurate and appropriate.

2)       Assisting the user in interpreting the materials if necessary.

3)        Delivering those information sources to the user in a timely and appropriate fashion.

4)        Promoting user awareness of new services and information sources as they develop.

5)        Ensuring the needs of users and the accessible information sources are suitably matched at all times.

6)        Providing users with individualized guidance and support as they build their information search and application skills.

Assessment has always been a critical component of managing reference and information services, According to Kizlik (2011) Assessment is a process by which information is obtained relative to some known objective or goal. Assessment is a broad term that includes testing. Assessment of service in any organization is done in order to find out whether or not they are meeting the desired goals and to what extent. The  term assessment is  used  interchangeably with  evaluation. Kizlik asserts that evaluation concern determination of the level of quality while assessment concern how the level of quality performance could be improved in the future. The quality of the reference interaction, from either the user’s or the librarian’s perspective may be assessed  to  help  determine  how  effective  the  reference  service  is.  Cassell  and Hiremath cited in Fabunmi (2011) pointed that assessing reference staff is one way to help determine how effective service is and is one way to help assure quality reference service.  If there is no knowledge of the existing strengths and deficiencies of service, the services cannot be improved, nor can any worthwhile communication about the service take place with interested stakeholders.

Jacoby & O’Brien (2005) in their contribution state that to perform an effective evaluation and assessment of a reference department, one have to choose what reference  department  will  be  focused  on  during  assessment  activities.  Usually emphasis will be placed on the three segments of the department.

1)        Reference collection: The collection includes print materials but subscription databases must constantly be evaluated for usage, efficiency and relevancy

2)        Reference  staff:  The  assessment  of  staff  has  to  be  done  with  as  much objectivity and honesty as possible, the goals and standards need to be clear to all staff and the focus should be on helping staff improve their skills, the goal is not to make librarians fear for their jobs or begin ranking themselves.

3)        Reference service: As patrons are constantly finding and expecting new ways of accessing information, reference, librarians need to constantly evaluate the different ways in which they deliver their service – desk, roving, virtual, and “embedded”.

Akin Oluwakuyide (1972), reviewed Nigerian Medical Library Service, the first medical library in Nigeria, Yaba central medical library was founded in 1945 as section of the ministry of health. The existing medical libraries of note are attached to the medical college of teaching hospitals. The sprang up out of the inevitable need to support teaching and research in the medical colleges. The demand for more doctors and paramedical staff has necessitated establishment of medical colleges at the Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, University of Ife and University of Nigeria as well as in the South East states. Because of the late development and paucity of medical libraries, the art of medical librarianship lacks a well established tradition. Service therefore is not usually based on expertise but rather on the ability of individuals to apply imagination and initiative in learning on the job.

In South East States of Nigeria, the state teaching hospital medical libraries of Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo were created to support their parent institutions medical college by meeting up with the needs of the institutions, faculty, staff, students and health  professionals  and  general  public  seeking  information  on  about  specific diseases, diagnoses or treatment which affect either their health or in case of clients at medical libraries.  Medical libraries maintain print and electronic information sources for the purposes of delivering reference and information services as well as answering clinical questions. From the above, the place of reference and information services in medical libraries cannot be overemphasized. It is against this background that the researcher is examining the reference and information services in these libraries, with a view to recommend solutions for improvement.

The medical library of Abia State UniversityTeaching Hospital (ASUTH) was established in  1991  as  part  of  College  of  Medicine,  Abia  State  University.  The collections of the state teaching hospital library primarily focus on the curriculum and research needs of the students and staff of colleges of medicine, nursing and public health. Reference section has various health science books, subscribes to print journal titles, local and foreign as well as national magazines, newspapers and periodicals. (www.absuu.net)

The medical library of Ebonyi State Teaching Hospital was established in 1991 as ESUT Faculty of Health Sciences developed in response to a guinea warm pandemic. The Abakaliki specialist hospital created for the purpose was remodeled to Ebonyi State university teaching hospital. The library was established primarily for

research/learning for  medical  student  and  resident  doctors.  The  library  reference section houses the following materials encyclopedias (both Americana and Britannica) abstracts, periodicals, thesis, and journals books in print. (www.ebsu.edu.net)

The  medical  library  of  Enugu  State  Teaching  Hospital  known  as  ESUT Medical Library College of Medicine and Health Sciences was established in 1996 at Nsukka campus but moved to the present library complex in Park lane GRA, Enugu in

2005.  It was established to serve the information needs of college of medicines staff and paramedical, students as well as individual from other institutions.  The library medical complex houses ICT Centre, Auto visual/ illustration unit and Reference section with update journals, periodicals and books. In April 2006 the college of medicine statute was sign into law similarly the law establishing ESUT Teaching Hospital Park lane was signed ESUT Teaching Hospital (ENSUTH) constituted significant achievements in medical education and health care in the state. (www.esut.edu.ng/college of medicine)

Imo State University Teaching hospital medical library was established along side with its University. The need to establish a Teaching Hospital in Imo State become mandatory with the emergence of the first set of clinical students of the college of medicine of the Imo State University in 2003. A law setting up the hospital was sign on December 22nd, 2002. The mission of the hospital is to provide and promote  high   quality   medical  education.  The  Medical  library   was  therefore established to acquire resources in line with existing departments and curriculum of the college of medicine.   and health science. The reference collection of medical

library includes health science books, journals, reports, monographs, electronic based materials. (www.imsuonline.edu.net.ng)

Statement of the Problem

Reference and information service help the medical professionals, students and management of teaching hospital to get the right kind of document and information. It assists medical researchers to avoid duplication of work and help them in the introduction of new ideas as well as makes information available to decision makers to take the  right  decision.   Reference and  information services are  very  vital in meeting information need of medical patrons. The reference services provided by reference librarian are the prime factor in gathering the resources. Reference and information services are rendered in libraries with a view to assisting library users to find adequate resources especially those library users who lack the skill of searching for library resources.

In spite the importance of reference and information services, it is observed that  state  teaching hospital  medical  libraries  in  South  East  Nigeria  seem not  to recognize the vital role of these services, which shows that medical professionals and students of these hospitals are not making use of these reference resources for their medical research and academic education,  rather they make use of other information

centers and books outside their libraries for their medical and academic research as well as information needs. It appears that these medical libraries users find it difficult to  locate  and  make  use  of  these  information materials  which  is  due  to  lack  of knowledge about reference and information resources and services. This may also be due to inabilities of these libraries to procure current resources, thereby affecting the delivery of quality reference and information services to the medical library users.

The consequences of these prevailing situations are low productivity and possibly degrading of academic standard, a situation which could impede growth in the library and medical profession.

Scholars have researched on different aspects of reference and information services in different types of libraries but assessment of reference and information services in state teaching hospital medical libraries in South East Nigeria has not been carried out. All the above necessitated the need for the study. This study will examine reference and information services, challenges and find solution as it affect these state teaching hospital medical libraries in South East Nigeria.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to investigate the current status of reference and information services in state teaching hospital libraries in the south east states of Nigeria. Specifically the study seeks to:

1)        Find out the nature of reference and information services available in hospital libraries in South East Nigeria.

2)       Identify methods of reference and information services delivery.

3)        Identify  the  resources  on  ground  that  can  facilitate  the  reference  and information services.

4)        To ascertain user perception and satisfaction with the reference and information services in these libraries.

5)        Identify problems that may hinder effective reference and information services in these libraries.

6)        Determine strategies that may be used to solve the problems which may hinder effective reference and information services in these state medical libraries.

Research Questions

The study was guided by the following research questions.

1)        What are the reference and information services available in these state teaching hospital libraries?

2)        What are the methods of reference and information services delivery in these state teaching hospital libraries?

3)        What resources exist for performance of reference and information services in these state teaching hospital libraries?

4)        What  are  the  users’  perception  and  satisfaction  with  reference  and information services in these state teaching hospital libraries?

5)        What  are  the  problems that  hinder  effective  reference  and  information services  in these state teaching hospital libraries?

6)        What are the strategies for enhancing the provision of effective reference and information services in these state teaching hospitals?

Significance of the Study

It is expected that the study will be useful to: library educators, reference librarians, medical professionals, other researchers as well as library committee members in grappling with problems in the area.

The study will assist reference librarians and other library staff to adjust to new reference and information services system of selecting, structuring and providing information resources to users.

The study will assist state teaching hospital medical libraries management to identify areas of deficiencies in provision of resources and materials for reference services.

The study through its findings will expose the reference librarian, staff and library authorities to know what is expected from them for proper management of state teaching hospital medical libraries.

The finding of the study will provide library educators, information sciences lecturers and reference librarians with improved curriculum and training programmes for educating librarians, and enhancing the skills of library staff.

It  is  also  hoped that  study will  assist state  teaching medical libraries and management in providing information to support decision making in budget and staff planning.

The study will show the paramount importance of reference and information services in state teaching hospital medical libraries and in addition, medical students and professionals will identify availability reference resources and their various use.

It will add to the literature of librarianship in south east of Nigeria and help in important dissemination of information in various libraries. The study will clearly indicate the result of possessing good and efficient reference services in these medical libraries to librarians and management of these libraries.

Scope of the Study

The  scope  of  this  study  is  limited  to  the  assessment  of  reference  and information services   in state teaching hospitals in four south east states of Nigeria. It will also cover reference and information services provision, methods of reference and information delivery, perception of users on reference section, problems and strategies for solutions on and information reference services.

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