ABSTRACT
This study is aimed at ascertaining the level of utilization of information resources and services in medical libraries in Enugu State. Six research questions were formulated to guide the study. Similar literatures were reviewed pertaining to the study. The study adopted descriptive survey method. The population of the study was nine hundred and eighty (980) users of these medical libraries under study. Two hundred and forty five (245) users were sampled for the study using a technique of one respondent per four users. Observation checklist and the questionnaire were the instruments for data collection. The instruments were validated properly by two lecturers from the library and Information Science Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The researcher and her assistants who are also librarians of the medical libraries under study distributed and collected the questionnaires. One hundred and ninety seven (197) completed questionnaires were returned representing 80% response rate. The Data collected were analyzed and presented using mean scores based on the four-point scale. The findings of the study revealed that most medical libraries under study do no acquire resources as the ones they have are obsolete, that they provide fairly adequate services to their users, they lack up-to date information resources, most of the library staff lack relevant skills needed for the present country medical libraries to perform effectively and efficiently. Inadequate technology to access the on-line databases and lack of convenient access to the use of the medical libraries at wish, etc are some of the problems observed in these libraries. Recommendations were made to improve the utilization of information resources and services in these medical libraries. The recommendations include adequate provision of power supply to operate the electronic facilities of the library, adequate provision of up-to- date resources and services, adequate funding of these medical libraries and as well proper training and training of the librarians of these libraries.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Information resources and services’ utilization in medical libraries has become an important area of research that needs to be extremely explored. Medical library, being a member in the special library family has a lot to offer to its clients as its own quota to nation building. Meanwhile, many definitions have been given of the special library. Okoro (1999) describes it as a library established and maintained by corporate organizations such as banks, firms, hospitals, research institutes, government agencies, professional associations, etc to serve their members of staff. While Oduagwu (2002) defined the Special Library as a library designed to serve the circumscribed needs of a circumscribed community. The special library is mainly for research and therefore is established in order to improve the research needs of its parent organization. The library also serves as a life- wire of these firms/organizations in the sense that it documents, acquires and disseminates proper information needed for the day to day activities of these organizations. It plans, acquires, selects, organizes, utilizes, maintains and disseminates information materials that are relevant to the organizations’ day-to-day activities. According to Cabeceiras (1991), the special library could be divided into three categories or groups. These are those libraries dealing with special subjects, libraries limiting their services to special group of people and libraries whose interest is in special materials rather than books.
The Medical Library belongs to the first group which is the group that deals with special subjects. As a special library, it is established to serve the medical practitioners, medical students and other people who wish to carry out a research in the field of medicine. Good healthcare depends upon the existence of good communication and information network, hence the establishment of medical libraries, (Okoro and Mbagwu, 2008).
The medical libraries according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine in Ali (2010) are libraries found in hospitals, medical schools, private industries and in medical or health associations. These libraries continued the author, are designed to assist physicians, health professionals, students, patients, consumers and medical researchers in locating health and scientific information to improve, update, access and evaluate health care. Central to the issue of proper research and library information management is the need for the special libraries to be able to meet the challenges for which they are set up. These challenges for setting up the library include collection development in terms of resources and services, selection processes, library orientation cum instruction, funding, staffing and above all, the organization of these library resources (Mohammed, 2010). It shouldn’t be enough to have a collection of textbooks, periodicals, etc with no effective library services. Providing adequate resources and services help in the delivery of actual information to the information seekers. This information needed could either be in resources form or services.
Information is a given knowledge about something which could either be written or oral. According to Chambers Concise dictionary (1986) information is a given intelligence and or knowledge. Aiyepekun in Ifidon & Ifidon (2007) defined Information as man’s accumulated knowledge in all subjects, in all forms and from all sources that could help its users to make rational decision. It is also processed data of value in planning, decision- making and execution of programmes. Information can be conceived as anything that adds to our existing knowledge, ideas, skills and experiences positively or negatively that enables us take decisions or react to situations immediately or later at an appropriate period of time (Mohammed, 2010). Daniel (2002) opined that information is power, and how a nation accesses and uses this will soon be more important than how it uses its coal, oil, gas and others. It could be transferred from one medium to the other. It is truly a given intelligence which is passed through written or unwritten information.
Health professionals in any economy need information that is timely genuine and up-to-date in order to provide quality medicare. In other words, they need to be information conscious if the health sector is to continue to make progress (Okoro and Mbagwu, 2008). Information is important in medical training and education in the sense that without proper information, medical training and practice will soon be obsolete. It is information that gives this group the substantial knowledge and proof they want about anything. The authentic theories and proofs on medical lines are gotten through information. Being informed keeps one abreast of new developments in a given field as they emerge. Information could be useful and useless at the same time depending on the circumstance in question and the receiver. In the case of medical libraries, the medical practitioner, researcher, students and others in allied fields who are the patrons of the library need up-to-date information frequently in education programmes, diagnostic procedures and research in various fields of treatment of various ailments (Ajayi, 2004). Graves and Seliq (1986) emphasized the importance of the medical library’s role in developing life long learning skills in medical students indicating that medicine is an area among many other sciences in which the expansion of information is critically dependent and its services, enormous.
Information services according to Aman, et al (2001), could be described as those varieties of activities which the librarians engage into which makes the library an active force in the society. These services include the daily activities of the librarian towards giving their users quality services.
Information Resources according to Webster’s encyclopedic dictionary (1974) are those materials that give information seekers the accurate and or actual thing needed to know about. Therefore Information Resources are those materials found in a library which are charged with the provision of current and retrospective information services to information seekers. These materials could be in book or non-book forms:
A book according to UNESCO in Umunna (1999) is a non periodical printed publication of at least forty nine (49) pages or more that are bound together having a spine and a cover, written by an author or group of authors. They are arranged in a definite order. These materials are meant for consultations from time to time.
In medical libraries, these books could be in reference forms of dictionaries – which give the meaning of most medical words, Encyclopedias – which give detailed information about words and events. Gazettes – which give information on periodicals including journals and newspapers. The physicians’ desk Reference (PDR) book – which is a commercially published compilation of manufacturers’ prescribing guideline updated annually and is designed to provide physicians with full legal mandated information relevant to prescription. So also is the Index Medicus – a book that gives abbreviations of journal titles in alphabetical order of arrangement giving a comprehensive index of medical scientific journal articles published since 1879. Card catalogue – a card filled in a cabinet alphabetically either in letter by letter form or word by word form giving a description of the material in question particularly books. WHO model Formulary – which is a list of essential medicines that serve as a guide for the development of national essential medicine lists updated and revised every two years by WHO expert committee on selection and use of medicines. Prostaglandin abstracts current therapy: a mainstay treatment given to pulmonary hypertension, a fatal disease which when left untreated progressed to death from right heart failure. This book gives a current detail of how to handle such cases and it is renewed every two years.
The library collections could also be in serials forms which include Pamphlets, medical Journals, medical magazines, the medical annual, current medical reference, the Nigerian medical practitioner, and other medical publications. Non- Book materials are other materials in the library which as the name implies are not books. These include charts, maps, cassettes, diskettes, CD-ROM, Micro card, Microfiches, and other
microforms. All these contain vital information necessary for research. There are also the E-Resources which simply mean the Electronic resources of the library. By the name one can easily decode the meaning as well as attributing it to the use of computers. The internet on its part has been a wonder working tool in the case of research. The above mentioned e- resources have been used or rather being used to carry out several researches in medical field. This process of using these resources end services in these medical libraries is called utilization.
Utilization is a stage where the individual uses the information, and the main function of the utilization stage are to actually use the trial results and continue or discontinue to use the innovation at a later date, (Omekwu, 2002). Therefore the utilization of information resources and services in Medical Libraries is not far from the description. Utilization of medical information is a communication process which has to be properly observed since it is normally for research purposes. On daily basis, a research is being made to ascertain a proof about something or to prove something. Since the medical students in community health programmes write their projects sessionally, they normally visit the library to choose topics and as well use library materials to complement the oral interviews conducted in the environment. Doctors also make consultations on materials in the library to help them ascertain a process of ailment treatment or other areas of medicine to achieve a good result.
According to Iroka (2004), in 1987 when Siamese twins, joined at the pelvis were born in the University of Nigeria teaching hospital Enugu (UNTH), journal articles from the library were consulted to find out how to separate them since that type of Siamese twin was not common. Although all the materials consulted according to the report, did not give the exact method of separation but gave an idea of other related methods of separation which helped the surgery to be carried out successfully. Lawyers also come to the library to consult materials on some forensic cases they have in court. Infact, forensic medicine and
medical jurisprudence are big areas of specialization for lawyers and doctors today and they need a sound medical library to back them up. For this genuine reason(s) medical libraries should be able to meet up with its clients’ needs in terms of resources and services provision. Also some materials on the traditional medicine of Nigeria have been sought and obtained from the medical library. Since information is the difference between success and failure, lack of access to information has been identified as a major hindrance to effective utilization (Sheba, 1998).
Because many of the users of medical libraries are professionals who need up-to- date information to make important decisions, the medical library therefore need to update the potential of its resources and services in the medical world. It must help their clienteles keep up with rapid developments in medical field of knowledge. It is also good for the librarian to have knowledge of medical librarianship so as to effectively and efficiently carryout the job. The medical library being a typical example of special library serves its clientele as next to none. It is a library established in order to serve a particular group of people or people of the same field in order to enable them meet there research purposes and needs. It could also be to enable them have a proper keeping of their records and documents.
The first medical library in Nigeria according to National Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria Regulation (2006), could be traced to the college of medicine library, University of Ibadan in 1948. This was followed by others including the college of Medicine library UNEC Enugu in 1967. Because of the particular needs of the group of people the medical library will serve, an analysis is always made as well as consultations on some outsiders who posses professional experiences. A visit by the establishing authorities to the libraries that are functioning already in the similar area is always made to enable adequate selection and acquisition of library resources as well as proper service to clienteles (Cabeceiras, 1991).
The National Orthorpaedic Hospital library Enugu, was established in January 1989 and also has a library for their post basic nursing school. The Federal Neuropsychiatry Hospital library Enugu, was established in 2006. They also have a mini library for patients. The Federal School of Dental Technology and Therapy Library Enugu, was established in
1982 as a reading room but fully took off as a library in 2001, due to the bid to satisfy the research needs of the students and lecturers of the institution, (D. Adigwe, personal communication, June 17, 2011). The College of Medicine Library, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (Park Lane) was established in 2005. All these medical libraries were established with the motive of meeting the research needs of the students, nurses and staff of the hospital as well as researchers in other fields and assisting the clienteles with information resources and services they require and thus for proper utilization.
Information services in the medical libraries in Enugu State cannot be far from the general services of special libraries. These services are those which give the clients direct answers to their research needs. A good Medical library should have a private cataloguing unit, circulation section, technical section, study rooms, book processing, and journal recording and acquisition sections. Beside institutionally sponsored research, individual medical practitioners also visit the library to conduct their personal research. Other people who are not in medical profession do also visit the library for research. These medical libraries should therefore gear themselves towards fostering all research by having up-to- date resources and qualified librarians for effective and quality service delivery to their clienteles.
Statement of the problem
A major objective of every medical library is to provide access to biomedical bibliographies and health information as sources in support of sound medical education, viable research and qualitative healthcare. Preliminary observations and interactions with the users of these libraries suggest that most of these books are not being used. Lack of
utilization of these books defeats the purpose of great expenditure on the acquisition of the library resources and does not augur well for the research and teaching in these health institutions.
Furthermore, the current trend from manual packaging to electronic digitalization of information and the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tends to broaden the capacity for utilization of library resources and services by researchers and students. Although Enugu is known to possess some of the best hospitals in the south eastern states of Nigeria and people are normally referred to these hospitals in Enugu for better treatment, the extent to which these medical libraries assist in information delivery to their clienteles and as well, assist their parent bodies to successfully carry out their jobs still needs to be examined. This study therefore derives from the need to provide empirical evidence on the status of information resources and services utilization in medical libraries in Enugu State which has not been extensively explored.
That examination will hopefully fill an apparent research gap on the state of utilization of information resources and services in medical libraries in Enugu State and thereby provide answers to the seeming under utilization of information resources and services in these libraries.
Purpose of the study:
The main purpose of this study is to ascertain the level of utilization of information resources and services in these medical libraries under study. Specifically, the study seeks to:
1. Identify the types of information resources available in medical libraries in Enugu
State.
2. Ascertain the extent of services rendered to clienteles by the medical libraries in
Enugu State.
3. Determine the extent of users’ utilization of information resources in medical libraries in Enugu State.
4. Determine the extent of users’ utilization of information services in medical libraries in Enugu State.
5. Find out the problems associated with the utilization of information resources and services in medical libraries in Enugu State.
6. Determine the strategies by which utilization of information resources and services in medical libraries in Enugu State could be enhanced.
Research Questions:
The research will be guided by the following research questions:
1. What are the types of information resources available in medical libraries in Enugu
State?
2. What is the extent of services rendered to clienteles by medical libraries in Enugu
State?
3. What is the extent of utilization of information resources by users in medical libraries in Enugu State?
4. What is the extent of utilization of information services by users in medical libraries in Enugu State?
5. What are the problems associated with the utilization of information resources and services in medical libraries in Enugu State?
6. What are the strategies to enhance the proper utilization of information resources and services in medical libraries in Enugu State?
Significance of the study:
The findings of this study are expected to be useful to library management authorities, medical practitioners, medical students, other researchers and individuals of public and private sectors in terms of awareness creation. It is expected to be useful to the library management authorities of the medical libraries as it will reveal level of utilization of the resources and provide relevant strategies for enhancing the utilization of these resources and services. This will lead to information service provision to both the public and the private sectors for enhanced economic development through effective utilization and patronage by clienteles of these libraries.
It will also be useful to Medical practitioners who would deem it wise to search for more information concerning their field especially the current trends in the field of medicine through the aid of the medical databases explained in this research.
It is hoped that individuals as well as the private and public sectors would better appreciate the cardinal role of the medical librarians in nation building through the packaging and provision of relevant information resources and services for proper utilization. This will contribute to the national development just as the saying goes that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. Appropriate resources as well as services given to clienteles by the medical librarians could save a nation health wise.
It is hoped that this study would be of great benefit to researchers as it will provide sources as well as e-sites to facilitate their research in medical field and project writing. Also students who wish to carry out research in medical libraries will benefit as it will furnish them with information for further research. It would finally add to existing library literature and serve as a reference to future researchers.
This study shall also be of great benefit to medical students in the sense that it will help facilitate their search in the library. It will serve as an index especially to the new students since they can get some explanations on their work.
Scope of the study:
The study is specifically limited to the utilization of information resources and services in the five medical libraries selected. The specific areas of the utilization of resources and services curved in this study are the types of resources available, extent of services available, extent of utilization of both information resources and services, problems associated with the utilization of these resources and services and the strategies that could enhance the utilization of information resources and services in these medical libraries.
This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research
UTILIZATION OF INFORMATION RESOURCES AND SERVICES IN MEDICAL LIBRARIES IN ENUGU STATE
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