IMPACT OF LIBRARY SERVICE PROVISION AND USER SATISFACTION IN SPECIAL LIBRARIES IN AKWA IBOM STATE (CASE STUDY OF LAW LIBRARY, UNIUYO)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

 User satisfaction is defined as an assessment of a product or service in terms of whether or whether the product or service exceeded their requirements and expectations. Adedibu, and Adio, (1997) defines user satisfaction as evaluating a product or service to see if it meets the wants and desires of the user to whom it is supplied. This implies that failure to meet their expectations and standards results in disappointment. According to Botha, Erasmus, Deventer M (2009),, a user may be pleased because the library staff was courteous even if his or her request was not met. As a result, he claims that client satisfaction may or may not be directly related to a library's performance on a particular occasion.

User satisfaction according to Adeniran, (2011) may thus be defined as the satisfaction users derive from accessing the library's variety of information resources and services to meet their daily requirements. This indicates that providing great services to these consumers will have a substantial impact on their happiness with the services they get. As a result, consumers' library usage frequency will grow, as will the number of users (Adedibu, and Adio, 1997).

Any service-providing firm seeks to provide high-quality services that meet the needs of its clients. Libraries are no different, since they are always striving to innovate and provide better library and information services to their consumers. Furthermore,  library services are expected to meet the expectations of their users (students, teachers, faculty workers, librarians, and so on), as well as their learning, teaching, and research needs, because these resources and services would be wasted and redundant if these users did not use them. A library plays a vital role in offering information services and resources to users to help them with their studies and research. It has books, journals, audio-visual, and electronic media containing information. Users are really crucial. Libraries exist as a result of them. As a result, users should be pleased with the service they receive (Adeniran, 2011).

Adedibu, and Adio (1997) said that a special library is one that offers specialized information resources on a certain subject, serves a specialized and limited clientele, and provides specialized services to that clientele. Corporate libraries, government libraries, legal libraries, medical libraries, museum libraries, and news libraries are examples of special libraries. Academic institutions also have special libraries. These libraries are classified as special libraries because they are frequently funded independently of the rest of the institution and serve a specific set of consumers. Special libraries sometimes serve a more specialised users than regular educational or public libraries, and they deal with more specialized types of information. They are created to promote the objective of their sponsoring organization, and their collections and services are more tailored and unique to their clientele's demands. Special libraries are either available to the general public or are not (Adomi, and Iwhiwhu, 2004). Those that are available to the public may provide services comparable to those provided by research, reference, public, academic, or children's libraries, but with limits such as only lending books to hospital patients or restricting public access to portions of a military collection. Many special libraries are not available to the general public, however access for specialized research can be obtained on a case-by-case basis. Special libraries are actually called special because of their collections, users and services. Special libraries have a special role to play in our academic institutions and its service delivery to its users matters a lot (Adedibu, and Adio, 1997).

Adomi, and Iwhiwhu(2004) concluded that in order for users of special libraries to  contented, users must have needs that must be met. If it is met, the user is happy, and the library, as a provider, has accomplished its objective if it is able to do so on a regular basis for the majority of customers. Quality service provision leads to satisfaction which results in consumers returning to the library's services and even promoting it to others. Humans always transmit their experiences, whether good or negative, which means that if they obtain a poor service, they may also inform others about it.

Special library services are expected to meet the expectations of their users (students, professors, faculty employees, librarians, and so on), as well as their learning, teaching, and research needs, because these resources and services would be wasted and redundant if these users did not use them. Furthermore, as stated above, long-term innovations and improvements to special library services can only be assessed through the degree of satisfaction with library services. Because students are the majority consumers of any academic library, it is important to recognise their viewpoints and needs; so, this study analyzes their opinions on the services offered to them and whether or not they are pleased with these services. This discusses why library service provision of the library is important and how it contributes to user pleasure and contentment. The setting should be user-friendly and comfortable for the users. The major objective of special university libraries, according to (Adomi, and Iwhiwhu, 2004), is to assist teaching, learning, and research in ways that are compatible with and supportive of the institution's mission and goals. Furthermore, library materials and services must be adequate in terms of quality, depth, diversity, and currency to support the institution's program. As a result, university libraries are frequently regarded as an academic institution's most essential resource center.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Today's special academic libraries face difficulties on several fronts: megabookstores, online information providers, multimedia goods, document delivery systems, and other competing sources of information appear to be endangering their position and even existence. With expanding technology breakthroughs and the diversity and availability of information being available to information consumers, academic libraries will face increasing competitive pressures. Due to budgetary constraints, some special academic libraries compete with other areas of their universities and libraries for limited financing (Adeniran, 2011), and this affects library service provision. This backs up Adomi, and Iwhiwhu(2004) allegation that, as a result of financial constraints, departments and divisions in higher education institutions are being scrutinized for their influence on the overall performance of their institutions. As a result, many university special libraries have been challenged to evaluate the usefulness of their materials and services in terms of teaching, learning, and research. This backs with a study that libraries in underdeveloped nations struggle to pay for e-resources owing to budgetary restrictions (Asamoah-Hassan, 2014). Furthermore, the introduction of new sources of knowledge as a result of technology advancements has harmed the image of libraries and its services (Adomi, and Iwhiwhu 2004). In light of these developments, special academic libraries are being challenged to demonstrate their worth in order to avoid becoming ancillary to the operations of the institutions they serve.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The primary objective of this study is to examine the Impacts of library service provision and user satisfaction in special libraries in Akwa Ibom State (Case study of Law Library, UniUyo).  Other objectives of this study are:

a)        To examine the relationship between Library service provision and user quality in special libraries.

b)        To examine the effectiveness of Library service provision on user quality in special libraries.

c)        To find out the challenges of special libraries regarding quality library service provision

d)       To proffer solutions to the challenges faced by special libraries and quality library service provision

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions guide this study.

a.         What is the relationship between Library service provision and user quality in special libraries?

b.        How effective is the Library service provision on user quality in special libraries?

c.         What are the challenges special libraries face regarding quality service provision?

d.        What possible solutions can be proffered to challenges faced by special libraries?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

Ho1: there is no significant relationship between Library Service Provision and user satisfaction.

Ha1:  there is significant relationship between Library service provision and user satisfaction

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

 This study will be of great benefit to library management both academic and non academic as it will focus on the quality of service and areas to improved will be noted and areas where they have excelled. It will also be beneficial to students in tertiary institutions using special libraries as they will know what to expect of service quality in their libraries.

This study will serve as an existing material for further research and reference.

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will be assessing the Impacts of library service provision and user satisfaction in special libraries in Akwa Ibom State. It will also be examining the relationship between library service provision and user quality. Further more this study will be looking at possible challenges and proffer solutions to library service provision and user quality.

Additionally, this study will be using students and special libraries in the University of Calabar as enrolled participants of this study.

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study will limited to the University of Calabar, Cross River state. This study is also limited to special libraries and not general libraries.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Library: a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for use or borrowing by the public or the members of an institution.

Service provision: Service provision is a term used to describe a wide range of activities, including the provision of assistive devices, rehabilitation services, therapy and health services.

User satisfaction:  It is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation

Special library:  provides specialized information resources on a particular subject, serves a specialized and limited clientele, and delivers specialized services to that clientele. 

---

---