PROVISION, ACCESSIBILITY AND UTILIZATION OF INFORMATION RESOURCES BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY STUDY CENTRE LIBRARIES IN NORTH-EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated the provision, accessibility and Utilization of Information Resources and Services by Undergraduate Students of the National Open University Study Centre Libraries in North East, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design. The population of the study consisted of 3,230 undergraduate students. Taro Yamane's formula was used to determine the sample size of 400 undergraduate students. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. Data was analysed using mean, frequency, and percentage, while Chi-square was used to test the hypothesis. The findings showed a high level of provision of information resources (M=3.04), high extent of access to information resources among undergraduate students (M=3.04), while there was a low extent of utilization of information services (M=2.92). The purpose of using information resources was for research, assignments, self-development, advanced knowledge, classwork, and practical work, and the challenges faced by students include obsolete library resources, difficulty locating resources and services, erratic power supply, slow internet connection, and inadequate library services. There was a statistically significant relationship between accessibility and utilization of information resources, with the P value of .000. The study concludes that undergraduate students of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) access and use information resources. The study recommended that the libraries should sustain and periodically update the provision of information resources to maintain relevance and meet users' evolving needs and provide backup power solutions, such as solar panels, coupled with improved internet bandwidth should be provided.