LIBRARIES AND ACCESSIBILITY TO INFORMATION RESOURCES AMONGST STUDENTS AND STAFF OF FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL), OMOKU.

Abstract

The study examines libraries and accessibility to Information Resources amongst students and staff of Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku, Rivers State. Three objectives and three research questions were formulated to guide the study. The population of the study was (296), comprising students (187) and staff (109). A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used for the study. In which the entire population was also used as the sample size. The instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire titled "Libraries and Accessibility to Information Resources (LAIR)". The instrument was validated by an expert who affirmed its validity. The reliability of the instruments was established through test re-test. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. The findings reveal that: there are different types of information resources available, there is also a high level of accessibility of information resources amongst students and staff while there are high negative factors affecting the accessibility of information resources. Based on the findings the study recommended among others that: there should be an upgrade from the traditional method to the automated or digitized method of rendering services in the library. Seminars should be made available and accessible; librarians and library officers should endeavorto organize information resourcesfor easy accessibility and utilization.