ABSTRACT
The study is carried out to assess the Impact of Utilization of Library and Internet Resources on Students Academic Performance: A Case Study of Library and Information Science Students, Benue State University, Makurdi. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. The population was One Thousand Two Hundred and Seventeen Students (1,217) undergraduate students of Library and Information Science, Benue State University, Makurdi. The sample size for the study was 122 students which was 10% of the population. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The study adopted descriptive statistics in analysing the data. Findings revealed the types of internet and library resources utilized by students to include electronic books, online databases, academic journals databases, search engines, electronic libraries, blogs/forums, textbooks, reference materials, serials publications such as newspapers, magazines and journals as well as theses/dissertations and projects. The study also revealed that the students are satisfied with some of the library and internet resources provided by the library which in turn has brought about improvement in their academic performance. Challenges hampering the use of internet and library resources and services were found to include; of poor internet connectivity making it difficult for students to maximize the full potentials of internet in the library, among others. The study therefore suggested that the university management should urgently improve the bandwidth for full internet connectivity among others. Based on the findings, the study recommended that; the university management in collaboration with the library should subscribe to more electronic resources which would encourage students’ patronage or use in order to boast their academic performance and the library management should regularly carry out an awareness campaign about the existence of library and internet resources and services to inform the students of the availability of Library and Internet resources among others.
CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
In modern times, access to information is more relevant for academic work in all higher institutions. The role of academic libraries is to provide accessible information resources to the entire academic fraternity (Oak, 2016). Libraries make electronic sources of information available to users because e-learning is giving new dimension in learning and hence affecting education in many ways (Bajpai et al. 2016). The revolution in the world of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has shifted the content of libraries resources from printed information to online information resources (Israel and Edesire, 2016). Hence, the content of libraries is not restricted to physical formats such as books, magazines or journals. Libraries are now shifting from traditional printed resources to the use of electronic-driven services (Nnadozie and Nwosu, 2016; Okazie, 2016). This makes internet use a necessary condition for effective utilization of library resources. However, the use of electronic resources does not take the place of printed resources but facilitates it through access to large stock of Library materials (Okazie, 2016).
The use of the Internet has become very popular in many areas as well as in the educational sector. Accordingly, Internet access in schools has increased greatly over the last 20 years (Berson, 2000). This shows that more students are relying on the Internet for their academic needs than any other areas. In recent years the Internet has become a very effective and popular tool used by students for their academic work as well as for other various purposes including entertainment and communication.
The Internet provides a collaborative environment for sharing as well as to see information on a wide, divergent and variety of subjects. Consequently, its use has become very popular among the student community which is used by them to complement their studies. The availability of the Internet and electronic resources may have a negative effect on the use of an institution's library by students, while socio-economic and demographic characteristics of students can also have a significant impact. It is possible that while some students go to the library to use the available services, others may not go to the library, perhaps due to the availability of alternatives like personal e-resources and Internet connection at their service. Franscotti et al. (2007) are of the view that, libraries are trying to reinvent themselves to be more appealing to students. They are doing this by fostering literacy information through resources and services to encourage their clients to visit and use the library. In spite of this, studies have shown that attitude of students to the use of library and what characterized their use, reasons for using the library, and information need vary, and where there is low use, there are often pedagogic reasons for it.
Promise and Goodluck (2010) further buttressed that internet in the education sector plays an important role, especially in the process of empowering the technology in to the educational activities. In other side it can be the most effective way to increase the students’ knowledge. Internet has become a part of library environment today it has added a great value to the library and information service . The internet is not a substitute for the library, but a search tool to be used in addition to traditional sources in the library. No one would deny that with the high accessibility of the internet, libraries have been given less importance in society, compared to the past. While some people believe that the public libraries are no longer essential because of the internet, libraries still make a positive contribution in our societies (Promise & Goodluck, 2010)..
Chimey (2001) posited that the internet enables the users to obtain a wide range of information regardless of their locations. People would not travel to a local library in order to read books or any other reading materials as they have access to the information via the web research. Therefore, using the internet for acquiring information may cause a situation where visiting libraries seem to have no necessity for the internet users. The internet has introduced improvements in technology, communication and online entertainment but it is also incredibly useful for education purposes as well. Teachers use internets to supplement their lessons and a number of prestigious universities have open up free online lectures and courses to everyone. It has even allowed retired teachers to read to and educate children in poorer countries. Widespread use of the internet has opened up a substantial amount of knowledge to a much broader range of people than ever before. The internet contains a wealth of knowledge that is available instantly upon any search. Because of this, the internet has superseded libraries as a source for information gathering and research. Many teachers will now ask students to visit specific website to study from home, and online encyclopedias provide masses of knowledge of every topic imaginable. The variety of sources allows students to pursue subject in much greater details rather than being limited to whatever teacher’s sends home.
Etim, Akpan, and lbok (2013) defined the internet as the inter combination of system of subsystems of equipment that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission or reception of data or information. Dickson (2012) noted that the internet can be seen to provide resources and services that are used for accessing, processing, gathering, manipulation and presenting or communicating information. The use of internet in education is now growing in all parts of the world and their application is becoming an integral part of education in many parts of the globe. Abascal and Nicolle (2005) indicated that most developed countries have exploited the potential of internet to transform their education landscape. Nigeria as a country is yet to make available and use ICTs to transform its’ educational system.
Similarly, Library, according to Aina (2004) is concerned with the collection, processing, storage and dissemination of recorded information for the purpose of reading, study and consultation. He further sees university library as learning centre which provides materials that are needed for learning all the courses offered in the university, as well as potential courses that may be offered. Oyedum (2006) asserts that one of the objectives of a university is to encourage acquisition of knowledge, that is, to encourage and promote scholarship and research in all fields of learning and human endeavor. She claims that apart from classroom teaching and practical exercises in university laboratories, one of the main departments that assist the university to achieve this objective is the library.
Academic performance according to Hughes (2004 as cited in Nalah, 2014) is defined how students deal with their studies and how they cope with or accomplish different tasks given to them by their teachers. In educational institutions, academic performance is the out come of educational goals that are achieved either by students or the teacher that is how well a student meets standards set out by local authority or the institution itself. It is the ability to study and remember facts and being able to communicate your knowledge verbally or down on paper. Thus, it implies a process where 'a student’s success in school is measured to determine how they stand up to others in the same areas.
Miller and Brich (2007) stated that a number of factors can affect the academic performance of students either positively or negatively as a result of using internet and library resources. This may be as a result of the student efforts, previous schooling, parent’s educational background and family income, self motivation of student and learning preferences. It is generally assumed that the students that showed better or higher performance in their studies go extra miles in search of information through the internet and can perform better in future academic years at any level of learning.
Buttressing on the impact of internet and library to students, teachers and the educational sector in general; Ololube (2007, 2008) indicated the benefits of internet and library use in education, and also found positive and moderately high achievement at all educational level, from computer use in school subjects, which allows students to focus on strategies and interpretation of answers rather than spend time on tedious computational calculation. It is then generally believed that the use of internet in the educational sector in a developing nation like Nigeria would help bridge the information barrier between developed and developing nations.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Internet resources are the recent development in technology and are among the most tools ever invented in human history which are becoming more and more important for academic community. With the advent of internet and library materials such as CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), databases, OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue) and other printed library materials, information can be stored in one place and be made simultaneously available to all for usage. It is worth of note that internet and library materials are of great importance to the academic and research needs of students Library and Information Science, Benue State University, Makurdi since they are available in various formats in libraries.
However, observation by the researcher has shown that students Library and Information Science, Benue State University, Makurdi seem not to be aware and are not utilizing internet and library materials available to them leading to low academic performance. Could it be that they are not aware of the availability of these resources and if they are aware why is it that usage is hindered? Also, studies have indicated that factors such as unawareness and skills are the determining factors that may hinder users’ decision to the use of internet and library materials. It is against this backdrop that this study seeks to assess the impact of utilization of internet and library on student’s academic performance of Library and Information Science, Benue State University, Makurdi.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
This study seeks to asses the Impact of Utilization of Library and Internet on Academic Performance of Students of Library and Information Science, Benue State University, Makurdi. Specifically, the study sought to:
i. Determine the types of internet and library services used by students of Library and Information Science Department
ii. Ascertain the impact of internet and library usage on academic performance of the students
iii. Find out the level of satisfaction derived from the usage of internet and library services by students
iv. Find out the challenges faced by students in using internet and library services
v. Suggest strategies that could be adopted to overcome the challenges
1.4 Research Questions
vi. What are the types of internet and library services used by students of Library and Information Science Department?
vii. What are the impacts of internet and library usage on academic performance of the students?
viii. What is the level of satisfaction derived from the usage of internet and library services by students?
ix. What are challenges faced by students when using internet and library services?
x. What are the strategies that could be adopted to overcome the challenges?
1.5 Significance of Study
The findings of the study would benefit the Benue State University Management, the Library Management, the Department of Library and Information Science, the Lecturers of the department, the Students and the General University Community.
The Benue State University Management and the lecturer will know the problems associated with low students’ academic performance, that is whether the students are adequately utilizing the library and internet services for academic purposes or not. This will enable them to know whether the library and internet resources available are in good in quality as well as whether the information sources are current and up to date or not. They will also know the problems that constituted students poor performances. They management will also know whether the funds they have been approving for the procurement of library and internet facilities are adequate or not.
The library management will also benefit from this study. They will be in a position to know whether students have easy access to information sources and if not reexamine their classification and cataloguing systems and the internet search engines and software packages.
They will know whether or not students benefit maximally from the library instruction programme. They will know whether or not library staff effectively serves students by enabling them have easy access to information sources. The study will reveal feeling of students regarding the appropriateness of information service delivery to enable the library management in providing what is appropriate. The study will also reveal the problems hindering effective utilization of library and internet services by students in the department and university at large.
The students themselves will benefit from this study. The library and internet resources which they indicated are not available may be acquired. The recommendations of students on how they can effectively use the library and internet may be implemented for their good. The study will serve a guide to other researchers who would want to conduct similar research. In the same vein, it will serve as a guide to other students of library science who may be interested in carrying out similar research on ‘an assessment of the impact of utilization of library and internet on students’ academic performance’’ in other academic institutions.
The researchers will maximally benefits from the research as it is a prerequisite for an award of Bachelor of Science degree in library and information science. The study will also add to the existing literature in the field of librarianship especially in the area of assessing the impact of utilization of library and internet, and be educative to them when writing and studying similar problems in school.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This study is carried out to assess the Impact of Utilization of Library and Internet Services on Academic Performance of Students of Library and Information Science, Benue State University, Makurdi.
1.7 Operational Definition of Concepts
The basic concepts used in the research work are operationally defined as follows
Library: In this context may be defined as the professionally collection of sources of information and similar resources made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing.
Internet: is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the internet protocol suit to link devices worldwide.
Academic Performance: Is the extents a students, teacher or institution has achieved their short or long term educational goal.
Student: As used in the in this research work refer a person who is studying in the university or any higher institutions of learning.
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