Assessing the Availability of Secondary School library Materials and Services in Onitsha North Local Government Area

Abstract

The study assessed the availability of secondary school library print materials and services in Onitsha North Local Government Area. A total of seventy-five (75) questionnaires were raised out of which fifty-five (55) were returned and used for the study. The objective of the study is to determine the type of print resources available in these school libraries, to determine the condition of school libraries in Onitsha South Local government Area, to determine the type of library services provided by the school libraries under study, find out the availability of qualified personnel for the management of school library resources and to identify the factors hindering the provision of library services, among others. In this study samples were not used because the population of the school libraries staff involved was small. The population involved only fourteen (14) government-owned secondary schools in Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra state. The instruments for data collection were questionnaire, checklist, personnel observation and interview. Percentages and frequency tables were used to determine the distribution of responses while questionnaire was distributed to the library staff. The principals and teachers in charge of the libraries of the fourteen secondary schools were interviewed. The findings of the study revealed that print materials available were very few and non-availability of current print resources, condition of the school libraries not fully conducive, no Internet facilities, no professionally trained librarians, acute shortage of space in the various libraries visited, among others. It is recommended that Acquisition of current print resources, audio visual and ICT facilities should be made, students should be provided with ICT facilities and Internet services and allowed to have access to them, professional librarians should be employed to manage the libraries, adequate accommodation and a special building should be set apart for library, and federal, state, local government should allocate funds, among others.