AVAILABILITY AND MANAGEMENT OF REFERENCE AND INFORMATION SERVICES IN SELECTED UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN ENUGU STATE NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The study examined the availability and management of reference and information services in selected university libraries in Enugu State, Nigeria. Five research questions guided the study. They covered: the types of reference and information services available in university libraries; the extent to which these services are provided in these university libraries; the extent to which the managerial functions of planning, organizing, directing, staffing and controlling, are applied to reference and information services by university libraries; the problems affecting the management of reference and information services in university libraries; and the strategies for enhancing effective management of reference and information services in university libraries. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was

258  respondents  consisting  of professional,  paraprofessional,  and  non-professional  librarians

drawn from the entire library staff of the three selected university libraries under study out of which  120  respondents  were  sampled  using  the  stratified  proportionate  random  sampling technique. The instruments employed for data collection were questionnaire and structured interview schedule. The data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed using quantitative descriptive statistics (percentages and mean scores) while the data collected from the interview schedule were analyzed qualitatively. Out of the 120 copies of the questionnaire distributed to the  respondents,  112  were  correctly  filled  and  returned  showing  93.3%  response  rate.  The findings of the study revealed that the most available types of reference and information services in university libraries are: orientation/instruction in the use of the library and reference resources/tools  and user education programmes  while selective  dissemination  of information (SDI), current awareness services (CAS), indexing and abstracting services, referral services, photocopying  services,  readers’  advisory  services,  inter-library  loan  services,  consultancy services, extension services, Internet services, etc, are not largely available in some university libraries.   It was also discovered that most university libraries engage in the five managerial functions of planning, organizing, directing, staffing and controlling, but do not apply certain crucial aspects of these functions and that the problems affecting the management of reference and information services in university libraries include: inadequate and out-dated reference collections, shortage of staff, poor funding, lack of ICT knowledge, poor digitization of library resources, unsteady power supply, poor selection criteria, among others. Based on these findings, the following recommendations were made: essential reference and information services that are lacking in university libraries should be made available and provided to a large extent, university libraries should  fully apply the five  managerial  functions of planning, organizing, directing, staffing and controlling to  the management of their libraries, university library management should ensure that their libraries are stocked with adequate and up-to-date reference collections, there  should  be periodic  recruitment of qualified  library  staff by library management,  there should be regular training and retraining of library staff, especially reference and information service staff, university libraries should be fully digitized and library staff equipped with ICT knowledge, government should urgently address the problem of unsteady power supply, part of the internally generated revenue (IGR) of universities should be allocated to their libraries to increase the funding of these libraries, among others.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Reference and information services can be seen as an indispensable part of any library, organization  or  establishment.  As  an  aspect  of  library  services,  reference  and  information services determine the rate of progress or otherwise of any library. In libraries, the manner in which information is made available to the public is of utmost importance. It is against this background  that the term “reference  and information services” should be taken seriously in university  libraries.  Reference  and  information  services  unit  is  an  integral  part  of readers’ services  division  which  serves  as  the  library’s  image-maker  (Ifidon  and  Ifidon,  2008). Reference and information services blossomed from the term “reference service or reference work,” which according to Harrod’s Librarians’ Glossary (1995), is that branch of library’s services which includes the assistance given to readers in their search for information on various subjects.

The above definition separates reference service from information service. Ifidon and Ifidon (2008) see information service as a kind of service in which the reference librarian not only provides the materials required by the library users but goes the extra mile to provide or supply the information from the materials. In this case, the reference librarian is providing real information service. Edoka (2000) views information service in the same but more complex way as “the in-depth analysis of the intellectual contents of the literature of a specialized subject area and its systematic  reorganization and dissemination  in form of bibliographies, indexes, abstracts, review journals, current contents and other alerting reporting journal literature for the use of specialists.”

Currently, in the academic library environment (which university libraries belong to), reference and information services are viewed as one thing. It is in this wise that Ifidon and Ifidon (2008) gave an all-encompassing definition of reference an information services as:

direct personal assistance given by librarians to library patrons who are in pursuit of information for whatever purpose. This involves not only directing the user to the location of the material where the information can be  found  or  the  identification  and  selection  of  materials  related  to  a particular information need and the provision of a piece of brief factual information but also locating what information is relevant from a mass of relevant and   irrelevant information. The process also involves practical help, community education, outreach services and referrals (P. 5).

The above definition shows that the librarian providing this specialized service must ensure that the information so provided is relevant, especially in this information age. But the question that arises is: where would the provision of this information take place?

Reference  and information  services cannot take place in a vacuum. The provision of reference  and  information  services  takes  place  in  libraries,  but  they  are  most noticeable  in academic libraries, that is college or university libraries, where reference librarians are required to provide effective and efficient services. For the purposes of this study, university libraries serve as the focal point for the provision of reference and information services.  It is important to point  out  that  reference  and  information  services  are  highly  needed  in  university  libraries because of the large size of this type of libraries and the objectives of their parent institutions which are mainly the pursuit of research, teaching and learning. Therefore, without effective and efficient reference and information services in university libraries, these core objectives would not be achieved. According to Odunewu and Omagbemi (2008), the university library is the part of the university with the responsibility for selecting, acquiring, processing, storing and disseminating needed information, to meet the mandates of the university. They emphasize that

university libraries are established with the aim of advancing the frontiers of knowledge and enlarging human choices, skills and capabilities through the development of human resources. Similarly, Okiy (1998) identifies six major functions of university libraries which are in line with the functions performed by their parent institutions. They are:

    Conservation of knowledge ;

    Pursuit, promotion an dissemination of knowledge through teaching;

    Advancement of knowledge through research;

    Provision of intellectual leadership;

    Development of human resources for meeting manpower needs;

    Promotion of social and economic modernization.

It could rightly be said that university libraries exist mainly to advance the functions of the universities which they are attached to as seen in the above discussion. In addition, university libraries’ collections are geared towards meeting the academic and research needs of their host communities. This explains why reference and information services form part of the basic roles provided  by  university  libraries.  However,  the  manner  in  which  reference  and  information services are provided or made available to library users is as important as the library itself and also depends on the kind of leadership provided by the University Librarian who is the overall head of the university library.

It is pertinent at this juncture to point out the types of reference and information services that are being managed and made available to the various library patrons. Reference and information services have been grouped into two, namely: the traditional or in-person or face-to- face reference and information services and digital or virtual reference services [DRS or VRS]. Thus,  we  have  the  traditional  reference  desk  [TRD]  where  the  traditional  or  face-to-face

reference service takes place and the digital or virtual reference desk [DRD or VRS] where the digital reference services are carried out. Traditional or face-to-face reference is characterized by users directing or channeling their queries to the librarians in the library who assist them in providing  the  materials  or  information  they  need.  Ifidon  and  Ifidon  [2008],  outlined  these reference queries as directional, simple, factual or ready reference, specific search, and in-depth research  questions.  Moreso,  the  traditional  reference  and  information  services  in  university libraries comprise one or more reference desks usually manned by reference librarians who assist the various library clientele whenever they need any assistance. The librarians normally make use  of  the  various  reference  resources  that  are  housed  in  the  reference  section  such  as dictionaries,   encyclopedias,   ready   reference   sources   (directories,   yearbooks,   almanacs, handbooks, manuals), bibliographies, periodical indexes, abstracts, maps and atlases, gazetteers, etc. The quality of information that is made available to the library users depends on the quality of the resources in this section of the library.

On the other hand, digital reference service (DRS), or virtual reference service (VRS) arose  as  a  result  of  the  challenges  of  information  explosion  occasioned  by  the  advent  of information  and  communications  technology  (ICT)  which  ushered  in  the  “information  or electronic  age”. Thus  there  is  a marked  shift  from  the  traditional  or  face  to-face  reference interactions that rely on paper-based information services to digital or virtual interactions using electronic information resources.  Reference and User Services Association (RUSA, 2004) in its Guidelines  for Implementing  and  Maintaining  Virtual Reference  Services, defined  digital or virtual reference service as a kind of reference service initiated electronically, often in real-time, where patrons employ computers or other Internet technology to communicate with reference staff, without being physically present. DRS comes in two types, namely: asynchronous, where a

patron submits a question through e-mail and web-form and the librarian responds at a later time; and, synchronous, where a patron communicates directly with a reference librarian in real-time using  web  chat  applications  (Grandfield  &  Robertson,  2008;  Singh,  2004).  Asynchronous reference tools include e-mail, web forms or Ask-a-Librarian services, Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) Service, Question Point, Online Pathfinders.  Also web 2.0 tools, which include Face book,  Second  Life,  Twitter,  blogs  and     media  or  resource  sharing,  are  also  applied  in asynchronous reference services where in library clients may seek 24/7 help from the reference librarian with time delay response (Ramos & Abrigo, 2011). Synchronous reference tools include chat reference or text-based chat, video conferencing or web-camera services, digital reference robots, Voice-over-IP  (VoIP, Voice-over-Internet  Protocol), Short Messaging System (SMS), and Instant Messaging (IM) (Singh, 2004). Becker (2009) had this to say about DRS:

The provision of DRS in academic libraries is a response of librarians to the ever growing  information  needs  and  changing  information  seeking patterns and behaviour of the clients-who are becoming less visible in the library. A majority of today’s library clients are Millenials, who are characterized as technology savvy, visually oriented, multi-taskers, very demanding and expect nomadic, anytime  and anywhere communication (Pp. 2/3).

This summarizes the raison d’etre for the provision of digital reference service in university libraries.

Having discussed the types of reference and information services that exist in university libraries, it is important to look at the concept of availability as regards reference and information services. According to Longman Dictionary of contemporary English (2007), “something that is available is able to be used or can easily be bought or found”. In the case of library services, reference and information services ought to be made available to the users at all times. In making these services available, it is important to bear in mind that reference and information service

resources in the library should be current or up-to-date  and useful to library users. But this depends on how these services are managed. The term “management” has a lot to do with every service that is provided in the library. According to Nwachukwu (2009), management can be defined  as  the  coordination  of all  the  resources  of an  organization  through  the  process  of planning, organizing, directing and controlling in order to attain organizational objectives. The author also sees management as the guidance or direction of people towards organizational goals or objectives or the supervising, controlling and coordinating of activity to attain optimum results with organizational resources. In library management, these resources include both human and material resources. Also, Koontz and O’ Donnel (2002) have included “staffing” as one of the management functions. Essentially, this study would be guided by the five key management functions: planning, organizing, directing, staffing and controlling. In a university library, the extent to which these management functions are carried out and the strategies for carrying out these functions would be largely determined by the university librarian and the library staff under him. This  is to  say that the university librarian  should bear the library  staff in mind  while planning, organizing, directing, staffing and controlling. Ifidon and Ifidon (2007) noted that the four key resources, which the librarian manages are: people (library staff and library clientele); information (bibliographic and media resources); physical facilities (building, furniture and equipment); and finance. The overall successful management of all these human and material resources  would  lead  to  good  service  and  user satisfaction.  It is  the onus of the university librarian  who  is  at  the  helm  of  affairs  to  deploy  qualified  librarians  to  the  reference  and information services unit of the library; ensure that up-to-date bibliographic and media resources are acquired and supplied; plan the furniture and equipment needed; and source funds for the library in general and reference and information services unit in particular.

The foregoing discussion would help us in understanding the tremendous potentials of reference and information services in university libraries, especially when effectively managed. According  to  Edoka  (2000),  the  librarian  provides  the  following  reference  and  information services in the academic library environment: orientation/instruction in the use of the library; acquisition  lists  and  bulletins;  current  awareness  services  (CAS);  special  bibliographies; provision  of  indexes  and  abstracts;  translation  services;  interlibrary  loan  facilities;  referral service e.g. providing access to an appropriate subject specialist; and photocopying. In line with this, Olanlokun (2003) outlines the following functions of reference and information services in university libraries when effectively provided by reference librarians: assistance and instruction (formal or informal) in the use of the library, including the location of materials, use of catalogue and basic reference tools and sources such as dictionaries, yearbooks, directories, manuals, etc; provision of brief, factual information of the “ready reference” type such as names, addresses, statistics, content of university/college courses, etc which can be located quickly within a group of general reference  sources; conducting  literature  searches  and compiling bibliographies on topics about which information is sought, or is expected to be sought, by users; inter-library loan; online  bibliographic  search  and  requests  for  photocopies  of  journal  articles  from  overseas national library services; abstracting; selective dissemination  of information  (SDI) to clients; editorial and publishing services; and public relations. These functions performed by trained library  personnel,  no  doubt,  constitute  the purposes  for  reference  and  information  services. Akinbode (2002) adds that reference librarians issue guide to the library and library regulations to readers; reserve documents for the benefit of readers; offer readers’ advisory services; assist readers with letters of introduction from other libraries; issue letters of introduction to readers

going to other libraries; and also hold library exhibitions, including displaying of new additions to the library. Ifidon (2000) points out that these functions of reference and information services include: user education programmes; user-centred and resource-based services; management of quick   service   collection;   compilation   of   subject   reading   lists   for   students;   subsidized reprographic  services;  assisting  readers  in  operation  of  the  online  public  access  catalogue (OPAC); and evaluation of services.

In essence, with effective management of reference and information services, the above services would be made available to the library users at all times. But unfortunately, observations have shown that the management of reference and information services in the past few years has taken an alarming dimension. In other words, the present state of the management of reference and information services in university libraries is as appalling as it is unsatisfactory. Ifidon and Ifidon (2008) have attributed this problem of management to “African librarians’ perception of readers’ services of which reference and information services form an integral part”. They argue that African library administrators do not take the issue of reference and information services seriously because their understanding is that majority of library users do not go beyond their subject areas. As a result of this, these library administrators deploy the most indolent and worst of their problem staff to that section of the library. Again, this problem of perception has resulted in  library  school  authorities  and  accrediting  agencies not  making  reference  and information services a core course. In the same vein, the management of reference and information services is plagued by the problem of lack of properly trained and skilled library personnel who would carry out  reference  and  information  service  work.  This  affects  the accuracy of the answers provided by these staff.

Most unfortunately, in some university libraries, an entity designated as reference and information services unit is non-existent, and even when reference and information services units exist in these libraries, they are often neglected by library managers who deploy their most unqualified  and  worst  performing  staff  to  these  units  with  the  result  that  they  display lackadaisical  attitude  and incompetence  in  the discharge  of their duties. As a result, library patrons experience  difficulty,  frustration,  and disillusionment  in  their search for information (Ifidon  and  Ifidon, 2008).  It is  this deteriorating  state  of the  management  of reference  and information services in university libraries that prompted the researcher to undertake this study with the intention of providing solution to the problem before it gets out of hand.

Another problem that has contributed immensely to the present unsatisfactory state of the management  of reference  and  information  services  is  the  allocation  of inadequate  financial resources  to  the  reference  and  information  services  units  of university  libraries.  Inadequate financial resources have led to lack of qualified staff and lack of acquisition of basic reference tools. At times, financial resources would be made available but poor selection criteria would mar the quality service that is supposed to be provided to the various library users. Thus, it could be could be summed  up  that the present bad  state  of reference  and  information  services  is orchestrated by, among other things, the problems of perception, incompetent staff, inadequate financial resources and poor selection criteria.

Added   to   the   problems   mentioned   above   is   the   advent   of   information   and communications technology (ICT) which has led to information explosion. The reference and information   service   librarians   and   the   library   users   are   saddled   with   the   problem   of distinguishing  relevant  information  from  irrelevant  one  as  a result of information  overload. These technological advancements also place serious responsibilities on the librarians who need

additional skills to cope with the challenges of the digital reference environment. Furthermore, most university library management do not make efforts to embark on digitization processes and even if they do, these efforts are not enough. Adequate digitization of reference and information services would make for easy information dissemination and retrieval.

Consequently, the question that arises is: which management style is the most appropriate in university libraries for effective reference and information services? But it could be pointed out that any management style adopted depends on the type of leader. An autocratic  leader commands obedience while a democratic leader carries everybody along. A study carried out by Ifidon (1979) on the participatory style of management in twenty university libraries – one from Nigeria, five from Great Britain and fourteen from the United States – revealed that it works very well in university libraries because it involves the whole staff in decision-making at different levels before final decisions are made or ratified by the University Librarians’ Advisory Management Team (ULAMAT). This ensures high productivity reduction in operational costs and narrow span of control. The study also shows that participatory management also encourages management by objectives (MBO) thereby leading to job satisfaction. However, a more recent study carried out by Fabunmi (2010) on the standards of reference and information services in selected academic libraries in Ibadan, indicates that there are poor standards in these libraries. Though the above studies have attempted to solve the problems bedeviling the availability and management of reference and information services in university libraries, none of them have actually addressed these problems in a satisfactory manner. Moreover, in recent years, various attempts have been made by university libraries management in order to improve the quality of their  reference  and  information  services.  For  instance,  University  of  Lagos  (UNILAG), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), University of Ibadan (UI), Obafemi Awolowo University,

Ife-Ife (OAU), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU), etc have embraced the digital library environment thereby providing online reference and information services to their various library users. Nonetheless, these attempts are not without enormous problems or challenges which show that there is still a huge gap that needs to be filled in order to enhance the quality of reference and information services in university libraries. This underscores the need for this study which is aimed at determining the availability and management of reference and information services in university libraries in Enugu State, Nigeria.

In conclusion, therefore, the three selected university libraries under study are discussed hereunder.  Specifically,  the  three  selected  university  libraries  are: Nnamdi  Azikiwe  Library (NAL),  University  of Nigeria,  Nsukka;  Enugu  State  University  of Science  and  Technology Library (ESUT Library); and Godfrey Okoye University Library, Enugu (popularly known as Chief Nwobodo Library).

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka Libraries consist of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Library, the Enugu  Campus  Main  Library  and  the  Medical  Library located  at the College  of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu. The Nnamdi Azikiwe Library which is the main university library located at Nsukka houses the Union Catalogue showing a core of all the holdings of the libraries in the system. At the university’s inception in October, 1960, the Owelle of Onitsha, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe donated 12,000 volumes of books. In 1962/1963, the University Library holdings had increased to 27,000 volumes with a seating capacity of 220 readers. At present, the University Library System has about 735, 157 volumes of books and about 99,760 bound volumes of journals.

The Nnamdi Azikiwe Library has a growing collection of publications by international bodies such as:

    The United Nations;

    The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of

The United Nations; and

    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The library  also has special  collection  documents  published  by the  various  governments  of Nigeria as well as the Biafrana Collection (publications on Africa, about Africa and by Africans) (University of Nigeria, 2013: http://www.unn.edu.ng /library).

Reference  services  are  largely offered  in  Nnamdi  Azikiwe  Library.  The  services  are mainly found in the reference section of the library which is adjacent to the circulation section. Both the reference  and circulation sections are found in the Public Services Division of the library.  The  Public  Services  Division  (which  the  reference  section  belongs  to) supports  the missions of the library and the university by assisting users in finding and facilitating access to information,  and  teaching  concepts  and  skills  necessary  for  current  research  and  lifelong learning. Therefore, the staff in the public services are responsible for all library functions that involve  direct  contact  with  library  users  at  the  Nnamdi  Azikiwe  Library.  Specifically,  the reference section, as the handmaid of librarianship, is expected to provide the information the user needs as distinct from what he wants. The core materials in the reference section  include encyclopedias,  directories,  indexes,  abstracts,  maps  and     atlases,  manuals,  guide  books, yearbooks, gazetteers, etc. The collection in this section has grown over the years, 2004-2010, and is estimated at 29,846 volumes. The vision statement of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Library is: to become  a  world–class  centre  of  excellence  in  support  of  learning,  teaching,  research,  and

scholarship geared towards the restoration of the dignity of man (University of  Nigeria, 2013:

http://www.unn.edu.ng /library).

The Enugu State University of Science and Technology Library started in October, 1981. At its inception, the library occupied part of the top and ground floors of the Western wing of the academic block. The library was growing rapidly and as a result, the accommodation was small for the university library. By April 1984, there was no space for readers, books and equipment. To this end, a makeshift complex was used as the new library building in May 1984 to solve the problem. By April 1985, the innovation  which included  provision of security measures was completed, and relocation into the new library complex ended on May 8, 1985. Thus, full library services resumed on May 9, 1985. The new library complex at Agbani is a bungalow which houses all the sections of the library, including the University Librarian’s Office. The library stock is about 10,000 volumes. It has a seating capacity of 500 readers (Eze, 2008).

The reference section of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology Library provides reference and information services. However, considering the small size of the new library complex, which is still a temporary one, the services are not as pronounced as found in Nnamdi  Azikiwe  Library,  UNN.  The  reference  collection  in  ESUT  Library  is  about  4000 volumes. The library gets its stock mostly from acquisition, gifts and donations. The current University Librarian, ESUT Library is Mr. George Igwebuike (ESUT History (2013): mhtml:file://F:\ESUT%20History.mht).

The Chief Nwobodo Library, Godfrey Okoye University, Ugwuomu-Nike, Enugu State, was formerly a library owned by the Institute of Ecumenical Education, Thinkers Corner, Enugu. However, the library was inherited by Godfrey Okoye University as soon as the university got its approval  from  the  National   Universities  Commission   (NUC)  and  started   operations  on

November 3, 2009.   Though the library is a relatively small library, it has the public services division which comprises the reference section and the readers’ services section.

The library currently has 6000 volumes and formerly made use of the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme (DDC) when it belonged to the Institute of Ecumenical Studies of the Diocese  of  Enugu  State.  On  inheriting  the  library,  Godfrey  Okoye  University  started  re- classifying  the  volumes  to  Library  of Congress  (LC)  though  the process  is  still  on  as  the university is still very much in its early stages of development. At present, the university library is not digitized but the library is making serious efforts in this direction as it has acquired 16 public desktops and four laptops yet to be connected to the Internet. The library procures its stock through acquisition, gifts and donations. In terms of infrastructural development of the library  and  the  university  as  a  whole,  the  National  Information  Technology  Development Agency (NITDA) has been of immense help (GO-UNI: Librarian (2013): mhtml:file://F:\GO%20UNI%20Librarian.mht).

The Chief Nwobodo Library provides reference and information services, though to an extent expected of a private university library. The library has no designated section marked as the reference section but it has a small office manned by a qualified reference librarian, which serves as the first port of call for library users with various reference queries. Other reference librarians are found in the general section of the library where the library’s collections are also stocked. The reference collection of the library is estimated at 2000 volumes. Currently, Mrs. Mary Ellen Chijioke is the University Librarian, Chief Nwobodo Library, Godfrey Okoye University, Ugwuomu-Nike, Enugu State.

Statement of the Problem

Effective reference and information services not only boost the image of any library be it special, private, public, school or academic libraries but also guarantee user satisfaction for the various library patrons. For a university library to effectively carry out reference and information services,  it  must  be  well-stocked  with  adequate  and  up-to-date  reference  and  information resources.  Much  as university  libraries  need  these  current  information  resources  to perform effective reference and information services, there is need to make them available as well as manage them very well.  No doubt, effective management of reference and information services in university libraries promotes library patronage and also ensures that the universities that house these libraries stand tall in their responsibilities of teaching, learning, research and scholarship. However, poor management of reference and information services in university libraries leads to poor reference and information service delivery, which in turn, results in user dissatisfaction. User dissatisfaction, in itself, brings about low library patronage which does not augur well for libraries as social service institutions.

It could be pointed out that the present state of management of reference and information services in university libraries in Enugu State is a considerable cause for concern. One is then tempted to ask: what is the cause of this worrisome state of the management of reference and information  services  in  university  libraries?  Aguolu  (1996)  and  Ifijeh  (2011)  argue  that the current situation of poor management of university libraries  and  their services  is caused by constant under-funding of these libraries or low budgetary allocation to them which cannot be divorced from the financial problems of their parent bodies. The problem of the study, therefore, is  the  perceived  gap  or  lapse  in  the  management  of  reference  and  information  services  in university libraries which has caused poor, unsatisfactory, inefficient and ineffective provision

and / or availability of these services in the university libraries under study. As a result of this perceived gap in the management of reference and information services in university libraries, the researcher decided to embark on this study with a view to providing solution   to the problem before it gets out of hand.

Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of the study is to determine the availability and management of reference and information services in university libraries in Enugu state. The specific purposes or objectives include, to:

1.         Ascertain the types of reference and information services provided in university libraries;

2.         Find out the extent to which these services are provided in these university libraries;

3.         Determine the extent to which the five managerial functions are applied to reference and information services by university libraries;

4.         Find out the problems affecting the management of reference and information services in university libraries;

5.         Ascertain the strategies for enhancing effective management of reference   and information services in university libraries.

Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the researcher in carrying out the study:

1.         What types of reference and information services are provided in university libraries?

2.         To what extent are these services provided in these university libraries?

3.         To what extent are the five managerial functions applied to reference and information services by university libraries?

4.         What are the problems affecting the management of reference and information services in university libraries?

5.         What are the strategies for enhancing effective management of reference and information services in university libraries?

Significance of the Study

It is expected that the findings of the study would be useful to library managers, professional librarians, the library staff, and the various library patrons. In effect, the findings of this  study  would  particularly  draw  the  attention  of  library  managers  to  their  hitherto  poor perception of reference and information services which has put this aspect of library services in its present sorry state. As a result, they should engage themselves in massive capacity building in order to enhance the quality of services rendered  to the various library users. This involves soliciting more funds for effective running of reference and information services in university libraries, deploying the most qualified librarians, and employing the best selection criteria before embarking on acquisition of information resources. It would also enable them to fully digitize their resources so as to improve their library services to users.

As for the professional librarians, the study would enable them to discover the purposes for good reference and information services in university libraries. This way, they would lend their much-needed support to the effective management of reference and information services. Most importantly, they would help in building the overall image of university libraries.

The library staff, which include, among others, the reference and information service librarians, would find the study most useful because it would help them to discover their hitherto incompetent handling of reference and information services and the need for them to take up short refresher courses for attitudinal change. This would boost the competencies or skills or qualities required of them which would in turn enhance the services offered by them.

Finally, the various library patrons would find the study useful as it would address the problems usually encountered by them in making use of the library and its resources. In this case, the problem of user dissatisfaction would be solved by them and when this is done, library users would greatly enjoy the services offered by the reference and information services librarians in university libraries. In this regard, researchers would find the study handy as it would help them in their various research endeavours especially in the area of reference and information services. The study would also add to the already-existing knowledge about reference and information services in university libraries.

Scope of the Study

The  scope  of  the  study  covers  the  availability  and  management  of  reference  and information  services  in  university  libraries  in  Enugu  State.  The  study covers:  the  types  of reference and information services provided in university libraries; the extent to which these services  are  provided  in  these  university  libraries;  the  extent  to  which  the  five  managerial functions are applied to reference and information services by university libraries; the problems affecting the management of reference and information services in university libraries; and the strategies  for  enhancing  effective  management  of  reference  and  information  services  in university libraries.

The study is delimited to three selected universities in Enugu State (that is, one federal, one state, and one private university respectively). The selection of these libraries is based on ownership (that is, two of them are owned by federal and state governments while one of them is owned by a private body), status of their parent institutions (in terms of difference in financial and staff strength)  and  the fact  that university libraries –  whether  federal,  state, or private, normally conform to acceptable library standards. Specifically, the universities are: University of Nigeria  Nsukka  (UNN);  Enugu  State  University  of  Science  and  Technology  (ESUT);  and Godfrey   Okoye   University   (GO-UNI),   Ugwuomu-Nike,   Enugu   State,   respectively.   The respondents  are delimited  to professional,  paraprofessional  and  non-professional  staff of the three university libraries under study.

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