Adherence to Reference Service Standards for Service Delivery in Selected Federal University Libraries in Northeastern Nigeria
| dc.contributor.author | Bukar, Inuwa | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-08-23T12:28:48Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-08-23T12:28:48Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-11 | |
| dc.description | A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Science in the School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Kenyatta University November 2023 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The criteria for delivering efficient reference services are defined by reference service standards. The extent to which these standards are implemented in reference service delivery can be used to measure a service's effectiveness. Despite the importance of the standards, few documented research on the evaluation of reference service efficacy utilizing the standards as a critical criterion for assessing reference service transactions have been conducted, particularly in Nigerian university libraries. As a result, the adoption and adherence to the International Federation of Library Association (IFLA) and Reference Users Service Association (RUSA) reference standards in the selected university libraries in Northeast Nigeria was thoroughly examined in this study in order to offer ways in which the reference service can reinvigorate the patron's perception of the use of Libraries. The study addresses reference services and methods of delivery used by reference librarians to provide services, evaluation of reference librarians' behavioral performance by postgraduate students to determine whether it aligns with IFLA and RUSA guidelines, establish how reference librarians' behavioral performance meet the information needs of post graduate students', and users’ satisfaction with reference librarians' behavioral performance, challenges to effective service delivery, and best practices for dealing with these challenges. 302 postgraduate students, 86 reference librarians, and 4 heads of library services were proportionately used from four federal institutions in Northeast Nigeria and utilized as the study's sample. Data was gathered using a questionnaire and an interview schedule. The instruments were verified by panel experts to determine the content validity ratio = CVR of 1 by subjecting replies to Lawshe's template, and r-coefficients of 0.89 and 0.85 were obtained as r-coefficients using the Cronbach Alpha technique to verify the instrument's internal consistency (homogeneity). Data was collected using a non proximal approach and analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency count and percentages), while chi-square was used to establish statistical significance of quantitative data obtained from participants across the universities under investigation. The qualitative data gathered through interviews was coded and thematically analyzed to supplement the quantitative data source's conclusions. According to student reports, traditional reference services are provided at universities utilizing both face-to-face and digital reference service techniques, and the behavioral performance of reference librarians in accordance with IFLA and RUSA standards practice was not satisfactory. Students' information needs were constant across institutions, however postgraduate students' satisfaction with reference librarians' behavioral performance was inconsistent among universities, and students were dissatisfied with the reference librarian’s behavioral performance. According to the findings of the study, conventional reference services are the basic services that university libraries provide to their patrons via traditional (face-to-face and digital means), postgraduate students' informational needs, and satisfaction is significantly influenced by reference librarians' behavioral performance as suggested by IFLA, and RUSA standards practice. The study recommended that; reference librarians should take advantage of training that will have a direct impact on their behavioral performance. This would improve contact between librarians and patrons, increasing user satisfaction | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Kenyatta University | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/28691 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | Kenyatta University | |
| dc.title | Adherence to Reference Service Standards for Service Delivery in Selected Federal University Libraries in Northeastern Nigeria | |
| dc.type | Thesis |