ASSESSING THE INFLUENCE OF THE LIBRARY ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

ABSTRACT

This study investigated into the Influence of the Uses of library on the academic performance of secondary school students in Ilorin Metropolis.
Two hundred respondents participated in the study.

Four research hypotheses were generated for the study and t-test statistical method was used to analyses the data gathered with the questionnaire.
The study showed that significant relationship existed between non-funding of university library and students performance.

Also significant relationship existed between non-qualified staff and students’ performance, significant relationship existed between inadequate relevant resources and students’ performance and significant relationship exist between staff motivation and students performance.
It was therefore recommended that qualified library staff must be well equipped with relevant equipment, the library should be well equipped while there should be opportunity for future development of the library.

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Efficient services acquisition within an academic institution is linked with the academic development and activity of the institution.

The effective use of resources depends on the library with committees and towards concerned with forward planning.

Library development strategies are linked to institutional areas and this enables the librarian to create core collections, provide for new courses and options and support selected research areas within agreed budgetary limitation.
This measure of supports alone carries with it elements of planned insufficiency for areas less in need of supports such as these in declining teaching areas on these adequately covered in other local institutions or through systems of inter library cooperation.

On the face, such a system appears sensible and operationally sounds, but experience suggests that a clear understanding of academic priorities and objectives has not always been a strong feature of academic institution planning.
It is possible therefore to fund the library operating in something of a vacuum, on the one hand being deprived of the guidance crisping from effective forward planning but on the other hand having no luck of rather desperate subjective advice from individuals and department.

In such content, a well planned strategy for provision of resources has been extremely difficult to achieve.
It is also the case that the majority of academic institutions have to content with number of organizational and administrative features, which have considerable input on librarianship.

There is first the multi-site problem, which invariably splits the stocks between a number of libraries and course difficulties over duplication and proper administration and exploitation of materials.

Secondly academic institution in recent offer new commences.

Many of which are multi-disciplinary in nature, and this makes it difficult for the library to create collections along classic subject lines.
Ayandibu (2000) stressed that the multi-site academic institutions such as polytechnic create demand for multiple provision of resources.

Means have to be found to curtail spending on duplicate materials and these have included critical appraisal of all requests for additional of inter-site current awareness services designed to keep the academic user (students, lecturers) informed of contents pages even though resources themselves may be located else where.
Ogunmilade (1995) also stressed that on issue of major importance in recent times to the librarians in Nigerian higher institutions of learning has been and continue to be question of how to effectively manage the library resources particularly in a period of socio-economic stress.

This issue had been so critical that it continue to re-echo at the periodic meeting of committee of librarians of schools of education, polytechnic and universities.

Moreover, the issue has been attracting prominent attention at National Conference on Researches Management in Nigerian Institution of Learning.
The unique place of library in Nigerian Education System cannot be over-emphasized.

Library is simply described as a special designated building stocked with prints and non-prints which are readily made available to the library users such as teachers, students, researchers, and the public at large through convenient booking, cataloguing and delivery system.

This also described by Odetoyinbo (1993) as material on instructional and self-development center which operates as an integral part of school environment.

Today there has been a phenomenal increase in the number of library users in Nigerian Institution of Learning.
The increase in the number of library users can be attributed to a number of factors which include prohibitive cost of textbooks in the market, non availability of some periodicals and reference materials in the markets and the inevitable need for other library services such as photocopying, binding of books and research report word processing of materials on computers, viewing motion pictures, film strips on other audio-visual materials, studying teaching machines, audio-visual tape of disc recordings.
Library resources depreciate quickly as they are being subjected to daily use by numerous users.

Funds for new materials and equipment are glossily inadequate to meet the escalating prices of these materials, and such no library can afford to replace its collection every few years.

It is therefore expedient to find effective ways of managing the library resources so that they will last through many years of use.
In Nigeria institution of learning, students depend greatly on the library to pursue different kinds of activities which include finding materials for writing reports, book reviews, debates or research papers, seeking information, finding answers to questions that may arise from the teaching process or for personal curiosity, recreational reading browsing through current magazines newspapers and learning to use the library car catalogue, bibliographies, reference books and periodical.
It is therefore no superfluous remark that if the library is to successfully accomplish its lofty goals of servicing as information Centre, a teaching and learning laboratory and to stimulate reading interest, reading habit recreational reading, reading for pleasure, concerted effort must be geared towards effective management of the library resources.

Statement of the Problem
The issue of increase in population of students in higher institution of learning demands for increase in library resources.

However, experience has shown that economic situation in the country has not provided for adequate funds for resources development in the libraries.

This situation calls for more available resource in the academic libraries; for ensuring use fund to the uses.

This is because available resources became obsolete with time while others are worn out, thereby becoming useless to students and entire academic community.

The effect of non-availability of adequate resources is reflected in poor students’ academic performance in schools.
In view of this, it is necessary to find out the influence of the use of the library on the academic performance of students and proffer solution to it.

This is the problem of the study.

Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the uses of library on the academic performance of secondary school students in Ilorin Metropolis.

The study was also aimed at finding out if:
1. There is any difference in the influence of the use of the library on the academic performance of male and female students.
2. There is any difference in the influence of the use of the library on the academic performance on the school students.
3. There is any difference in the use of the library on the academic performance of Science and Arts students.
4. There is any difference in the influence of the use of the library on the academic performance of small and large schools.

General Questions
What are the influences of the uses of the library on the academic performance of secondary school students in Ilorin Metropolis?

Research Questions
The following research questions were generated to help the study:
1. Is there any significant influence of the uses of the library on the academic performance of male and female secondary school students in Ilorin Metropolis?
2. Is there any significant respect I using private and public school students on the uses of the library in the academic performance of secondary school students?
3. Is there any significant repeat I using Arts and Science students on the enhancement of students’ academic performance?
4. Is there any significant influence in the respect I using small and big school students’ performance?

Research Hypothesis
The following research hypotheses were formulated and tested in the study.
1. There is no significant difference in the influence of the uses of the library on the academic performance of male and female secondary school students in Ilorin Metropolis.
2. There is significant differences in the respect I using private and public school students on the uses of the library in the academic performance of secondary school students.
3. There is significant differences in the repeat I using Arts and Science students on the enhancement of students’ academic performance.
4. There is significant difference in the respect I using small and big school students’ performance.

Significance of the Study
The finding of the study is expected to be useful to academic library development and services.

It will be useful to the education planners and curriculum developers towards formulation of strategies for academic library development and services.

It will be useful to students to improve the uses of the library and their academic performance.

It will serve as a useful resource to students of education and library science including those already in the field to further enhances their knowledge.

The findings will serve as a useful tool for future research works.