INFLUENCE OF READING HABIT ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF LIBRARY USERS IN SOME POLYTECHNIC LIBRARIES IN DELTA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of reading habit and academic achievement of library users in some selected polytechnic libraries in Delta State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design using questionnaire for data collection. The population of the study consists of 156 regular library users of the polytechnic libraries who were randomly picked. A total of 156 questionnaires were distributed, only 132 were retrieved with 84.6% return rate. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics mean and percentage mean score of 2.5 and above and percentage score of 50% were considered. The study revealed that the information resources read in the polytechnic libraries under study are books, journals, reference materials, and newspapers respectively. The study also shows the effects of reading habit among regular library users of library as academic advancement, recognition and awards, increase in GPA, best performing students, and academic scholarship. The challenges confronting reading habits in the polytechnic libraries under review were obsolete books in the library, poor infrastructures, social life, lack of interest and lack of faith in education. The study recommends that the federal government should make good budgetary provision for polytechnic libraries in order to acquire recent books and other reading materials to encourage reading habits and the institutions should organize orientation on the importance of reading habit as it spurs them to academic achievement.