ABSTRACT: The study examined the use of the library by students at the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic. A combined quantitative and qualitative approach using the case study design was adopted for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 200 students from each of the five faculties of the Polytechnic, totaling 1,000 students, and 15 library and school staff. A survey questionnaire developed by the researchers was employed to determine the use of the library while a face-to-face interview was conducted to gathered data from library and school staff. The reliability co-efficient of the questionnaire via Cronbach Alpha returns an r = 0.87. Four research questions were developed to guide the study. The findings show that more than half of the library users at the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic visit the library once a day. They use the library to read, to borrow books, and to make photocopies. Students were satisfied with the library collections and services but not with electronic resources. As the library is neither networked nor connected to the Internet, students usually patronize the cyber cafe close to their school as an alternative.

I. Introduction

The establishment of the polytechnic system in Nigeria in late 1970s came with the idea of providing Nigerians with another level of tertiary institutions besides the university system. This followed the promulgation of Decree no. 33 of 1979. The provisions of the decree, among others, state that the main purpose of the polytechnic education is to produce the middle-level manpower for the nation's economy. These institutions are to engage in research suitable for the development of both human and material resources needed by the nation's industry and economy.

The training of competent personnel that would fit into these positions requires adequate and free access to well organized sources of information (Adegboro, 2000). Librarianship is a crucial factor in the training of such professional personnel. This is because librarianship helps to update knowledge and improve the standards of teaching and learning ability.

The position of librarianship in education is becoming more important than ever before, particularly at this period in Nigeria when most parents can no longer purchase textbooks and other reading material for their children due to economic hardship. In addition, science and technology textbooks are not only rare but very expensive. Consequently the library provides an alternative that can make available the information resources for the intellectual growth of the students.

This paper intends to find out how students in the Nigerian polytechnic system make use of resources in their institution's libraries, what types of materials are available to them, and what problems they encounter with in their efforts to access these materials.

II. A Brief History of the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Library

The Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana was established in 1981 as the first federal polytechnic in Southeast Nigeria. It was first located in a temporary site at the Federal Government College, Okposi in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. In 1982, a foundation stone for a permanent site was laid at Unwana in Afikpo-North Local Government Area, Ebonyi State. In the same year the first class of students were admitted to pursue various programs leading to the award of National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in science, engineering, and humanities. The Polytechnic administers five schools or faculties in eighteen departments where the mission and vision of the institution are vigorously pursued.

The Polytechnic's library, which was established at the same time, has been playing supportive roles in the actualization of the mission and vision of the institution. The collections of the library are made up of fifteen thousand books in different fields, and two hundred and fifty serial titles. The Library is not yet computerized. Hence, it is not connected to the Internet. However, the institution has an information and telecommunication centre that is Internet-driven with a staff of six information technology (IT) professionals and four non-professionals. The Library is well positioned to carry out its mandates to the entire staff and students of the Polytechnics.

III. Objectives of the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Library

The Library was established to provide information resources in support of teaching, learning, and research. In doing so, it has the following specific objectives, among others, to carry out:

1. To collect and preserve the most up-to-date materials for teaching and research consultation services of the Polytechnic
2. To collect and preserve information resources in books and non-book formats
3. To give user-oriented services to the Polytechnic community through current awareness services (CAS)
4. To provide materials on history, language, culture, and socio-economic and technological development in Nigeria
5. To provide reading environments in a useful variety of locations
6. To maintain inter-library co-operation with other libraries around the world
7. To facilitate access to information communication technologies. (Readers guide to the library, 2007)

It is no longer news at this digital age that many libraries in tertiary education institutions are connected to the Internet or have plans to get connected soon. This makes things easier for teaching and learning to take place. But the case of the Akanu Ibiam Polytechnic is different. The Polytechnic's library is not yet connected to the Internet but a state-of-the-art technology centre has been established where students have access to the Internet and e-mail. Since the Library is not yet connected, the researchers want to find out how students are making use of this library, how the students are coping with the non-connectivity issue of their library, and what effort is being put in place by the Polytechnic to make sure that the Library is connected.

IV. Literature Review

1. Services rendered by the library in academic environment

The Polytechnic's library is an academic library which supports learning, teaching, and research programs in the institution. In addition to providing an atmosphere conducive to reading and consultation of relevant facts and data, the Library also offers a variety of facilities and services to enable readers to make optimal use of library resources. Aboyade (1979) summed up these services as follows:

• answering readers' questions
• instruction in the use of library materials
• readers' advisory services
• inter-library loan services
• photocopying facilities
• library publications
• exhibitions and displays

In addition to these, the Library also organizes an orientation program for new students at the beginning of each session.

The library undoubtedly enhances the intellectual and academic output of students and staff. It is the most central facility to all students and staff. Commenting on the importance of the library as an organ of academic discipline, Oni-orisan (1987) observed that no system of education is complete without well-equipped libraries, with services operationalized either directly through contact with students (readers' services) or indirectly through activities carried out "behind the scene" (technical services) according to Nwalo (2000).

A library attached to a university, college or any educational institution is known as an academic library. Academic libraries differ from a public library or a special library in purpose and services.

The main function of an academic library is to serve as an auxiliary to a parent institution in carrying out its objectives. The library is an important intellectual resource of the academic community, and helps them to fulfill the curriculum requirements and to promote studies and research (Rajendran and Rathinasabapathy, 2005).

In an academic community, librarianship is very important in terms of the role the library is expected to play. Kothari (1966) aptly registered the importance of librarianship by pointing out that academic libraries should provide facilities and services necessary for the success of all formal programs of instruction, open the door to the world of knowledge that lies beyond the boundaries of one field of study, and bring books, students, and scholars together under conditions which encourage reading for pleasure, self-discovery, personal growth, and the sharpening of intellectual curiosity. Therefore, the academic library has to build a strong collection of information resources in physical and digital formats to cater to the knowledge requirements of students, faculty members, research scholars, and scientists of the academic institution.

To remain indispensable, libraries must come to define and fulfill a reconfigured set of roles for serving their institutions. To be sure, some elements of the future have the familiar cast of tradition as libraries continue to support the core research and educational purposes of the academy. To act on these core purposes in today's academic environment, however, requires that libraries move beyond parameters of earlier times to pursue new modes of serving their institutions (Rajendran and Rathinasabapathy, 2005).

Rajendran and Rathinasabapathy maintained that the role of academic libraries should, among others, broaden the catalogue of resources in support of academic inquiry and discovery. A library's fundamental purpose has always been to support the process of research and education by helping users find information and ascertain its value. In any academic institution, it is expected that the library provide opportunities for librarians to serve users in different ways, for example, by providing more in-depth consultation to research questions or hosting new types of tools that enable users to guide themselves in specialized disciplines. The demonstrable value of academic libraries and their staff must increasingly reside in the guidance they provide as well as the technical infrastructures they develop and maintain. Furthermore, the library performs the role of enhancing the creation of new academic communities on campus. One of the most vital advantages of an academic library is space. It is often observed that the library inhabits the most desirable real estate on any college or university campus. Geographically and symbolically, it occupies the centre of a community established to support the advancement and perpetuation of knowledge. The positioning of the library conveys a sense of intellectual common ground, a setting in which knowledge from a range of disciplines comes together in a single place. Known as a place of gathering and collection, the library embodies core academic values reflected in the domains of knowledge that faculty and students pursue. As a physical structure and hub of interaction, the library affirms the value of sustained inquiry in particular fields and at the same time it affirms the need to understand knowledge as a whole.

2. Challenges of Academic Libraries

Mantoya (1999) identified the changing environment and issues facing academic libraries in recent times. The rapid growth of information and communication technologies (ICTs) are said to be changing the way academic libraries operate today. It has been pointed out that academic library collections are no longer collections comprised almost entirely of print materials but collections of materials in multiple formats and media (Budd, 1998). Information technologies such as computers, multimedia, and CD-ROMs are bringing unprecedented abilities to academic libraries in providing services and resources to the academic community (Mantoya, 2004). Over the past few years, the Web has had a tremendous effect on the growth of information and the speed of transmission. The problem with the Web, though, is that there is no real organization of information like that in libraries. New means to deliver information over the Web places a challenge to academic librarians in terms of helping students make sense of information found on websites.

Another challenge facing academic libraries in the networked online environment is to exploit all types of digital and telecommunication technologies and find new ways and means to provide feasible forms of collections, services and access to library materials (Foo, Chaudhry, Majid & Logan, 2002). These technologies, however, increase the responsibilities of academic librarians. The challenge for academic librarians is to manage services, which offer users a carefully selected mix of multiple formats and media. Academic libraries should rethink their role in the whole academic community. They are to support the needs of the users since the teaching and learning patterns in tertiary institutions have been changed.

As information and research resources become more varied, it places a challenge on academic libraries. Hazen (2000) argued that the changes in the nature of information, in research strategies, and in the structure of higher education are affecting academic libraries. These changes define much of the shifting context within which academic libraries must operate. The changes brought by electronic media necessitate transformation in the way librarians think about their jobs (Budd, 1998). Academic librarians must strive to remain competent navigators of each medium in order to assist library users.

3. Users' Ever-Changing Needs

The concern of many academic institutions on how to improve student learning outcomes has a direct impact on academic libraries and their delivery of services. Due to societal and technological developments, traditional teaching has been changed increasingly to create new learning environments. Students participate in flexible learning processes via more "indirect" contacts with teachers and facilities, including scientific information (Van Bentum & Braaksma, 1999). In addition, teaching and learning patterns have been developed towards greater modularization and an emphasis has been laid on self-directed, independent study, and student-centered learning (Farley, Broady-Preston & Hayward, 1998). This has placed greater demands on the library, which is increasingly being used for group work. And librarians face increased pressure on the enquiry service.

Academic libraries have to provide information services for users in the changing academic environment. They need to liaise with library users, faculties, and schools to support effective teaching, learning and research in their parental institutions. As Parker and Jackson (1998) explained, liaison is particularly important in a world of resource-based learning where students are encouraged to carry out more independent work and make wider use of a range of learning resources, including electronic information resources. These challenges require academic libraries to offer user-friendly ICT-oriented facilities, such as remote access to information and services, analyze users' ever-changing needs, and give support to users in new academic environments.

4. Organizational Structures

In an attempt to provide quality service to academic institutions, libraries need to restructure their organization. On this note, Mantoya (1999) raised a very important question by asking whether academic libraries are organizationally capable of addressing the challenges and issues facing them. Hazen (2000) pointed out that the structures that define academic libraries vary between countries, between institutions, and between types of institutions. In other words, the type of organizational structure existing in academic libraries is determined by their readiness to deal with current challenges. There is a need to reshape the structure of academic libraries so that they will be able to improve the services they provide to both today's and tomorrow's users. Wilson (1998) urged university librarians to make their organizations more client-centered, to redesign work processes in light of organizational goals, and to restructure in order to support front-line performance. The emphasis is more on the needs of the library user than the needs of the library. Moran (2001) argued that the hallmark of a learning organization is information sharing, team-based structure, empowered employees, decentralized decision making process, and participative strategy. Like other organizations, academic libraries need to reshape their structures to better serve their users.

Studies have been conducted on the uses of academic libraries around the world. Whitmaire (2002), for example, examined the relation between library resources and services and students' educational outcomes through multiple regression analysis, utilizing the data collected by the CSEQ (College Student Experience Questionnaire) and the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics). Two assumptions underlie her study:

1. undergraduates attending institutions with large amounts of academic library resources and services would participate in more academic library activities, and
2. undergraduates attending institutions with large amounts of academic library resources and services would report greater gains in critical thinking.

Three sets of independent variables were defined as:

1. background characteristic variables, (gender; race; age),
2. college experience variables (grade-point averages; class year; enrolment status; student-faculty interactions; engagement writing activities; active learning activities; number of term papers written; hours spent studying per week), and
3. academic library variables (resources; services).

The dependent variables were defined as:

1. library use (usage as a place; use of indexes to journal articles; developing a bibliography for term papers; use of card catalogues or computers; asking a librarians for help; reading in the reserve or reference section; checking out books; checked citations in materials; reading a basic reference; finding materials by browsing stacks), and
2. self-reported gains in critical thinking skills (ability to think analytically and logically; ability to put ideas together, see relationships, similarities and differences between ideas; ability to learn on your own, pursue ideas, and find information you need).

The analyses showed, however, that library resources and services had almost no influence over undergraduates' use of library or their self-reported gains in critical thinking skills. Although this was a study that hinted at a way to measure the contribution of academic libraries to undergraduates' educational outcomes, it fell short of proving a positive relationship.

Oluwadare (2006) examined the accessibility and use of the Federal Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria Library resources by the part-time students of the institution. The result reveals that 100 students surveyed (52.6%) claimed that they use the library whenever they want to read while 73 (38%) said they do not and 17 (8.9%) were undecided. Also, 98 (51.5%) agreed that they use the library only when they have an assignment while 80 (42%) disagreed and 12 (6%) were undecided. On the other hand, 100 (52.6%) confessed using the library only when preparing for an examination while 80 (42%) said no and 10 (5%) were undecided. 61 (32%) said they use the library when their lecturers refer them to the resources while 97 (51%) said no and 32 (16.8%) were undecided. 49 (25.7%) said they hardly use the library because the materials do not meet their needs while 105 (55%) denied this claim and 36 (18.9%) were undecided.

The review of literature for this study and the background information on Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic have revealed the present state of the academic library, the role of the academic library, and the challenges facing the academic library. In the light of these, the objectives of the study remain to assess the use of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Library by the students of the school and to find out how they cope with getting online information since their library is not yet connected to the Internet. To achieve these objectives, the following research questions were raised to guide the study:

1. What use do Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic students make of their library?
2. What is the level of students' satisfaction with the services provided by the library?
3. Does the library have Internet connectivity?
4. What effort is being put in place by the school to get the library connected?

V. Research Methodology

This research uses primarily the method of case study, supplemented with interviews and questionnaire to gather information from students and library and school staffs on the use of library.

1. Case Study

The study adopts a case study research design. The term "case study" may mean different things to different people. This is often a source of confusion and misunderstanding (Collis & Hussey, 2003). Benbasat (1984), Bonoma (1985), Kaplan and Ducchon (1988), Stone (1978), and Yin (1984) defined a case study as an examination of phenomenon in its natural setting, employing multiple methods of data collection or gather information from one or a few entities (people, groups or organizations). The boundaries of the phenomenon are not clearly evident at the outset of the research and no experimental control or manipulation is used. The case itself may take many forms, although the focus of inquiry is usually small in scale, as not only are case studies frequently characterized by micro level research but are also typically descriptive and qualitative in nature. As an approach to research, case study has much to offer in terms of both theory and practice. The choice of case study in this research is based both on its own nature as well as the specific attributes of the research. Another important reason for employing case studies in this research is that it provides a basis for the closer integration of theory and practice. Case study research is the most appropriate methodological tradition, given that the purpose of the study emphasizes the context of library use. To gather accounts of different realities constructed by the two groups of individuals in the same environment, both qualitative and quantitative methods are drawn upon: questionnaire was administered to students and face-to-face interviews were conducted with the library and school staffs.

This study adopts a quantitative and qualitative approach. The methods were chosen to allow the researchers to reach out to considerable numbers of the students and sample from the entire population of students who are regular library users of the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Library. This sample was chosen from the students who registered with the library. A total of 1,000 students were chosen from the 5,000 regular library users. The researchers arrived at this figure using Israel (2003) model which stipulates for instance, that given a total population of N= 1000, if ∓5% is taken for precision levels where confidence level is 95% and P =.5, the sample should be 286. In this study, the population of regular library users is 5,000 and ∓3 is taken; this gave a total of 909 which is within the range of the sample of 1,000. A purposive sampling technique was embarked upon to select 200 students from each of the five faculties of the polytechnic. Purposive sampling was used to ensure that each faculty was equally represented. In addition, a total of 15 librarians and school staff were interviewed. These include the rector and deputy rector, the registrar and deputy registrar, the deans from the five faculties of the school, the school librarian, and four other senior librarians.

2. Survey Questionnaire

A survey questionnaire tagging uses of the academic library scale developed by the researchers was used. Items in the questionnaire were adapted from Nagoya University Library's library use questionnaire (2000). They were in line with the content of what is being measured, thereby ensuring the content and the validity of the questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined via a test-retest reliability method at two weeks' intervals. The reliability co-efficient via Cronbach Alpha return at r = 0.87. This indicates that the questionnaire is highly reliable and can adequately help to achieve the objectives of the study. The survey questionnaire included items to establish whether or not individual students make use of the school library, what they use the school library for, the alternative available to students since the library is not connected, the effort the school is making to network the library, and how satisfied the students are with services provided by the library.

3. Interview

In addition to the questionnaire administered to the students to collect data on their uses of the library, a face-to-face interview was also conducted for the library and school staffs to gather information on the school's efforts and attempts to network the library. In this regard, the questions asked were based on two themes: 1) networking the library and 2) current efforts.

VI. Procedure of Data Collection

The questionnaire was administered to the respondents in their respective faculty during a core course. This is a course that is compulsory for the entire student population in a particular faculty at a particular level or year, which all must be present at a particular time for lesson. Arrangement was made with each lecturer in charge of this course in each of the five faculties. Respondents were briefed regarding what the exercise is all about and the rationale behind it. The administration of the questionnaire was hitch free, and the return rate was 100%.

The interview was conducted in the respective offices of the interviewed respondents based on the arrangement with the researchers.

VII. Data Analysis

Quantitative data collected in this study were analyzed, using descriptive statistics which include frequency count and percentages. SPSS Statistical Package for Social Science version 15.0 was used for coding the scores from the study. On the other hand, qualitative data collected were analyzed and presented thematically.

VIII. Survey Findings

The findings obtained from the data analysis in this study are as follows:

Research question 1:

To answer this question, students were asked to indicate how often they visit the Polytechnic Library and how they use the library. The findings are presented in Tables 1 and Table 2 respectively.

Table 1: Frequency of library use by students

The findings in Table 1 above reveal that 54.7% of the students do visit the library once a day, 20% once a week, 16.4% once a month, 7.3% once a year, and 1.6% can't determine the frequency of their visit to the library. This suggests that more than half of the students of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic visit the library once day.

Table 2: Students' uses of the library

The findings in Table 2 above show how students use the library. The responses were arranged in order of magnitude. The most common use of the library by students is for reading. This was indicated by (44.5%; Mean = 0.445; SD = 0.7). It is followed by using the library for borrowing books (23.3%; Mean = 0.223; SD = 0.5), making photocopies (13.7%; Mean = 0.137; SD = 0.4) and searching the library catalogue (6.9%; Mean = 0.069; SD = 0.3). Other uses include borrowing journal issues and other materials. The findings indicate that the students of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic mainly use their library to read, borrow books, or make photocopies.

Research question 2: What is the level of students' satisfaction with the services provided by the library?

Table 3: Students' degrees of satisfaction with the library services

Table 3 reveals that students were satisfied with the library collection and library services but not with electronic information services. This is evidenced by the percentage of students' satisfaction greater than their non-satisfaction with all the services except electronic information services, which include library web pages, OPAC systems, online journals and Internet/Email where the reverse is the case.

Research question 3: Does the library have Internet connectivity?

To answer this question, students were asked to indicate whether or not their school library is connected to the Internet. If their answer is no, they are to indicate an available alternative. The findings are presented in Table 4.

Table 4: Connectivity of the school library

The findings in Table 3 above reveal that the overwhelming majority of the students (98.8%) indicate that their library is neither networked nor connected to the Internet. On the other hand, 0.2% of the students indicate their library is connected. Perhaps the 0.2% of students do not understand what network means, or perhaps their own perception of network is different from the network meant in this study. Meanwhile, part of the alternative the students embark upon in place of connectivity in their school library is via cyber cafes close to their school.

Research question 4: What effort is being put in place by the school to get the library connected?

To answer this question, students were asked to indicate the efforts or action that has been taken so far by the school to get the library networked or connected to the Internet.

The findings indicate that about 95% of the students indicate that a state-of-the-art computer centre has been established in the school where computers, printers and other information technologies were provided. It was explained by the students that it is at this centre where those who have computer experience type their assignments, print or make photocopies of reference materials.

IX. Interview Reports

Theme 1: Networking the school library

In order to buttress the information provided by the students on whether or not their school library is networked, the same question was asked of the library and school staff. The findings revealed that 14 (90%) of the respondents interviewed confirmed that the school library was not networked. On the other hand, all the 14 (90%) respondents indicated that efforts were being made to get the library networked.

Theme 2: Effort and attempt to network the library

From the responses to the first question, it is evident that the Polytechnic is making efforts to network the library. As part of the efforts that have been made, a state-of-the-art computer center has been established with computers, printers and photocopiers. The school authorities have gotten quotations from three different contractors to handle the project. It is also evident from the interview that when the project commences, the school does not want any interruption until its completion. This was said to be the reason for the delay in the commencement of the project so that adequate planning can be put in place. This information corroborates the information provided by the students.

X. Further Discussions

This study has assessed the general use of the library by the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic students. The results reveal that the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic students use their school library mostly to read, that students were satisfied with the library collections and services but not with electronic information services, that an overwhelming majority of the students (98.8%) indicate that their school library is neither networked nor connected to the Internet, and that the school has put in place a state-of-the-art computer centre as part of the efforts to get the school library networked or connected to the Internet.

The finding about students visiting the library mostly to read corresponds with the report by Oluwadare (2006) that 52.6% of the students claimed that they use the library whenever they want to read. This shows that students have attached more importance to the library as a place to read than doing other academic related activities. Reading will certainly improve students' academic performance. However, students should not neglect other activities they can do in the library, such as searching the catalogue to find information related to their class assignments. This finding at the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Library is similar to that at the Federal Polytechnic Library, Bida, Niger State, Nigeria (Adegboro, 2000) and that at Federal Polytechnic Library, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria (Oluwadare, 2006). Some studies in the University system had the same finding (e.g., Nwalo, 2000 & Osiki, 2001).

Furthermore, this study reveals that the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Library is neither networked nor connected to the Internet. As an alternative, the students usually patronize the cyber cafe close to their school. One thing that academic institutions need to recognize in this digital era is the need to get their library connected to the Internet, the absence of which may have many adverse effects, such as depriving the faculty and students of access to up-to-date research publications in electronic format, and hindering the collaboration of faculty and students with other academic institutions around the world.

Aboyade, B. O. (1979). A student companion to the library (2nd ed.). Ibadan: Dawn Publication.

Adegboro, I. A. (2000). Library habits of polytechnic students with particular reference to Federal Polytechnic Bida. Polymath Journal, 1(1), 55-58.

Benbasat, I. (1984). An analysis of research methodologies. In F. Warren McFarlan (Ed.), Information systems research challenge (pp. 48-85). Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business school Press.

Bonoma, T. V. (1985). Case research in marketing: Opportunities, problems, and a process. Journal of Marketing Research, 22(2), 199-208.

Budd, J. M. (1998). The academic library: Its context, its purpose and its operation. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited.

Collis, J., & Hussey, R. (2003). Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students (2nd ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Farley, T., Broady-Preston, J., & Hayward, T. (1998). Academic libraries, people and change: A case study of the 1990s. Library Management, 19(4), 238 -351.

Foo, S., Chaudhry, A. S., Majid, S. M., & Logan, E. (2002). Academic libraries in transition: Challengers ahead. In Proceedings of the World Library Summit, Keynote address: Academic Library Seminar. Singapore: National Library Board.

Hazen, D. (2000). Twilight of the gods? Bibliographers in the electronic age. Library Trends, 48, 821-841. Retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://www.ideals.uiuc.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/8320/librarytrendsv48i4l_opt.pdf?sequence=1

Israel, G. D. (2003). Determining sample size. Retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PD006

Kothari, D. S. (1966). Education Commission report. New Delhi, India: New Delhi University Grants Commission.

Kaplan, B., & Duchon, D. (1988). Combining qualitative and quantitative methods information system research: A case study. Management Information System Quarterly, 12(4), 571-586.

Montoya, L. M. (1999). Vital technical services in academic libraries. Libraries Philosophy and Practice, 2(1), 1-15.

Moran, B. B. (2001). Practitioners vs. LIS educators: Time to reconnect. Library Journal, 126(18), 52-55.

Nwalo, K. I. N. (2000). LSE 101: Society, Development and Libraries, University of Ibadan (p.29).

Oluwadare, I. B. (2006). Accessibility and use of library resources by part-time students: A case study of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Library Review, 55(2), 148-156.

Oni-orisan, B. A. (1987). The library as an organ of academic discipline. Nigerbiblios, 12(3), 18.

Osiki, J. O. (2001). The mastery of library cataloguing system as a basic principle to bibliography: A resurgence of interest in psychological investigation. In C.O. Ola (Eds.), Practical approaches to cataloguing and classification of information resources in libraries (pp 105-115). Ibadan, Nigeria: End-Time Publishing House.

Parker, S., & Jackson, M. (1998). The importance of the subject librarian in resource based learning: Some findings of the IMPEL2 project. Education Libraries Journal, 41, 21-26.

Rathinasabapathy, G. (2005). Application of Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) in Libraries. In Dr. MGR-JCFW (Ed.), Proceedings of the VII Tamilnadu Library Conference. Chennai: TLA.

Readers' guide to the library. (2007). Abakaliki: Ugub's Publications.

Stone, E. (1978). Research methods in organizational behaviour. Glenview, Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company.

Toda, A., Nagata, H., & Kytomaki, P. (2007). Students' library use and their learning outcomes: A study on outcomes assessment in college and university library. Journal of the Japan Society of Library and Information Science, 53(1), 17-34.

Van Bentum, M., & Braaksma, J. (1999). The Future of academic libraries and changing user needs: General concepts and concrete developments. Paper presented at the International Association of Technological University Libraries Conference (Chania, Greece, May 17-21, 1999).

Yin, R. K. (1984). Case study research: Design and methods. Beverly Hills, California: Sage Publications.

Whitmaire, E. (2002). Academic library performance measures and undergraduates' library use and educational outcomes. Library and Information Science Research, 24, 107-128.

Wilson, H. (1998). Video conferencing in distance education: Scenarios, strategies, and strategic management. Paper presented at the Conference "Media for the new millennium" of the Educational Media Institute of Southern African Association for Research and Development in Higher Education (University of Pretoria, 2-4 September 1998).