LIBRARY RESOURCES UTILIZATION BY LECTURERS IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY

This study was designed to examine the utilization of library resources by lecturers in Nigerian tertiary institutions using lecturers Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) as case study. The specific objectives of the study is to find out the level of availability of library materials in Nigerian university, and determine the extent of use of the materials by lecturers. It is also to find out the factors that impede lecturers use of the library. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population for the study consisted all the full time lecturers made up of 536 females and 298 males lecturers of ESUT numbering 834 as at the time of the study. Purposive sampling techniques was used to draw a sample 153 (102 female and 51 male) lecturers from the population. Five research questions guided the study. Frequency counts and mean scores were used to answer the research questions. Findings from the study revealed that there are many library resources such as books, journals, bulletin, transactions and proceedings, research monographs, research reports patents, technical bulletin, price lists, data sheets, dissertations, indexes/abstracts, biographies, gazetteers, dictionaries, and encyclopedias amongst others, and that lecturers use the library mainly for consultation of books and reference materials. They also use it for research purpose and borrowing of books. A major findings was also that lecturers utilized books more than any other source of information. A number of recommendations were put forward for improvement of library use but the most prominent suggestion was that more up to date and relevant information sources should be acquired for the library, and that the library should be properly funded