INFLUENCE OF PUBLIC RELATION PRACTICES ON EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY IN STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN BENUE AND NASARAWA STATES, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of public relations practices on effective service delivery in State University Libraries in Benue and Nasarawa States, Nigeria. The study used a descriptive survey research design. Two objectives were formulated to guide the study while one hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The population of the study was made of 93,986 library staff and registered library users of Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University Makurdi and Nasarawa State University Keffi. A sample of 531 Library staff and registered users was determined using Taro Yamane formula. Data were collected using structured questionnaire titled “Influence of public relations practices on effective service delivery questionnaire, (IPRPESDQ). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the data analysis. The finding of the study revealed a consistently high mean scores across the public relations practice listed indicating that the state university libraries recognize the importance of public relations and are making concerted efforts to implement varied public relations practices. The study found that public relations practices significantly influence effectiveness of service delivery Based on the findings, it concluded that the effectiveness of all services in the state university libraries is in response to public relations activities such as user orientation programs, guides, strategic information dissemination and awareness campaigns which enhances the university libraries visibility and increase user patronage. It recommends among others, that University library administrators should adopt regular service evaluation and feedback to ensure continuous improvement of services in tandem with the evolving user needs.