ABSTRACT
This project examine Reference and Information Services in State Teaching Hospital medical libraries in the South East Nigeria with a view to finding out the extent of services provided to users, problems that hinder effective reference and information services. It also proposes strategies that would help to improve these services in the libraries. To achieve the objectives, six (6) research questions were drawn to guide the study. The design of the study is descriptive survey. A total of one hundred and eighty six (186) respondents were randomly selected for the study. A 96 items questionnaire, oral interview and an observation checklist were the instruments used to collect data which were presented in tables and analyzed using frequencies, percentages and the mean. Findings reveal availability of reference and information services, dissatisfaction with reference collections and services provided in these libraries, also the study further reveal that poor infrastructure, outdated materials, online catalogue and ICT facilities were not available for reference and information services. To redress the situation, the researcher makes recommendations improvement in funding as well as provision and application of ICT facilities in reference services.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page ii
Approval Page iii
Certification Page iv
Dedication v
Acknowledgement vi
Abstract vii
Table of Content viii
List of Tables xii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 11
Purpose of the Study 12
Research Questions 13
Significance of the Study 14
Scope of the Study 15
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A) Conceptual Framework 16
Concept of
Reference and Information Services 18
Reference
Service Standards 27
Theory of
Reference Service 29
Reference
and Information Services provided in libraries 32
Resources
for Enhancing Reference and Information Services 38
Methods of
Reference and Information Services Delivery and
Assessment 45
User’s Perception and
Satisfaction with Reference and Information
Services 54
Reference
and Information Services in Teaching Hospital
Libraries 61
Challenges
Facing Reference and Information Services 68
Strategies
for Enhancing Reference and Information Services 76
B) Review of Related Empirical Studies 84
C) Summary of Literature Review 90
CHAPTER THREE:
RESEARCH METHOD
Design of
the study 93
Area of the
Study 93
Population
of the Study 94
Sample and
Sampling Technique 95
Instrument
of Data Collection 95
Validation
of Instrument 98
Method of
Data Collection 99
Method of
Data Analysis 99
CHAPTER FOUR:
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
Research Question One 100
Research Question Two 102
Research Question Three 103
Research Question Four 105
Research Question Five 107
Research Question Six 109
Summary of Findings 110
CHAPTER FIVE:
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
Discussion
of Findings 112
Implication of Study 121
Recommendations 122
Limitations
of the Study 124
Suggestion for Further Research 124
Conclusion 125
References 127
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Assessment of Reference and Information Services
of
State Teaching Hospital Medical Libraries in South East
Nigeria
Questionnaire for librarian and medical professional. 142
Appendix B: Population of Reference Librarian|/Staff and
Reference Users according to State Teaching Hospital Medical Libraries. 150
Appendix C: Distribution and return of questionnaire
according to
State Teaching Hospital Medical Libraries. 151
Appendix D: Interview Questions for Reference Librarian in
these
State Teaching Hospital Medical Libraries. 152
Appendix E: Observation check lists on Reference and
Information
Resources and services available in these state Teaching Hospital Medical Libraries. 153
LIST OF TABLES
Tables Pages
- Reference and Information Services provided in these
Medical libraries 100
- Method of Reference
and Information Services delivery in
these Medical libraries 102
- Resources that exist for performance of Reference and
Information Services in these
Medical libraries 103
- User perception and satisfaction of Reference and
Information Services in these
Medical libraries 105
- Challenges that hinder effective of Reference and
Information Services in these
Medical libraries 107
- Strategies to solve problems of Reference and
Information Services in these
Medical libraries 109
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Medical libraries can play a critical role in medical
education and provide a balanced perspective on medical issues. In addition, a
variety of services have been developed to improve information delivery.
Information providers are convinced that medical libraries are useful; however,
this is not enough. (Adio, Akewukere and Ibitoye 2007) Medical library also known as health library is designed to assist
physicians, health professionals, students, patients, consumers and medical
researchers in finding health and scientific information to improve, update,
assess or evaluate health care. Medical libraries are typically found in
hospitals, medical schools, private industry and in medical or health
associations. To become accredited, every Nigerian college of medicine,
nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine or public health is required
to have a health or medical library appropriate to the needs of the school, as
specified by an accrediting body, such as Nigerian Medical and Dental Council
of Nigeria’s standards. These accreditation standards include having qualified
library staff on hand to answer reference questions, and provide training in
using electronic resources. Some academic medical libraries are located in the
same building as the general undergraduate library but most are located near or
in the medical college or faculty. (Wikipedia 2010)
Federal and State University Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria
were established to provide the best possible health care delivery to Nigerians
in general and to those in its catchments areas in particular. Ogunbode (2005)
indicates that the philosophy is simple: “to produce health professionals
who are responsive to the needs of the community they serve.” The objectives
of the medical library are inevitably tied to the objectives of its parent
institution. Roach and Addington as quoted by Garfield (1985) make it clear
that, “Medical libraries are established to provide services and
information resources to support and advance the mission to patient care,
research and bio-medical education for health institutions.” The library’s
position within an organization is therefore strategic and pivotal. It is key
to the success and indeed to the very existence of an enterprise. Abels, Gogdil,
and Zach (2002) state that in their research, “it is no over statement to
say that whatever may be the future, the services of information provision will
continue to be an essential instrument of human welfare.” Likewise,
Margetson (2002) recognizes the importance of dynamic access to information. In
the Nigerian health sector, there is an urgent improve library resources and
managerial effectiveness. Medical libraries are established to meet health
information needs. (Adio, Akewukere and
Ibitoye 2007). These cover a broad area of life.
De Gennaro (1984) predicted correctly that, “there is
the need to evaluate medical libraries, because in no distant time, the
excellence and usefulness of a library will be measured not only by the state
and quality of its collections, but also by the range of resources that its
staff are able to deliver to users by conventional and electronic means from a
growing variety of services. Users will no longer ask what the library has, but
what it can provide.”
Medical library roles are enumerated by Walzer, Stott, and
Sutton cited in Adio, Akewukere and Ibitoye (2007) as follows:
1) Provision of current information to users in
a quick and cost effective manner
2) Provision of balanced perspective on medical
issues
3) Provision of alternatives to formal learning
in form of material support for
continuing medical education
4) Provision of value services, which improves
information delivery
5) Dissemination of health information and
promotion of healthy lifestyles
6) Satisfying the health information needs of
the community
7) Locating and assisting in the development of
relevant information or materials
8) Pairing information outreach with other
activities in which the populations already
engaged e.g. workshops, conferences,
community events etc and
9) Integrating health information into ongoing
programmes of the target population in
the community, thereby empowering members
of the health community
Reference and information service exist
in libraries because the many means of access to information in library
collections are complex and are not intuitively self evident to users. To
mediate between all library users, information needs and the information
resources of the library, libraries
offer reference and information services.
The dual concept of reference and information service is a relatively
new one. Although information
service-meaning the provision of specific facts and information to library
users, has always been implicit in reference service, libraries initially
offered reference service for didactic reasons as a fact of their broad
educational role. The purpose of
reference service is to help a library clientele to use its collections and
external resources effectively to meet their information needs. The
distinguishing features of reference service include a staff designated to
provide the service, a collection of reference works accessible to the public
in an area the set aside for the provision of the service, adequate guides to
the library’s resources such as a classification scheme, a catalogue, and
indexes and a high degree of interaction between the staff and clientele (Retting,
1993).
According to Clark cited in Ruteyan
and Akporhonor (2007) direct reference service is personal assistance to
individual seekers of information.
Indirect reference service consist of behind – the scene activities
including selection, acquisition, processing and administration of reference
section. Also Ugwuanyi cited in Ruteyan and Akporhonor (2007) defines reference
services as “the personal assistance given to the user in finding specific
information” whether direct or indirect. Bunge and Bopp (2001) categorized
reference service into three broad groups which are as follows:
- Information
service that involve either finding the required information on behalf of the
users or assisting users in finding information.
- Instruction
in the use of library resources and services.
- User
guidance in which users are guided in selecting the most appropriate
information sources and services.
Reference services are accorded great
importance in libraries. They entail assisting library users to find the
required library resources. Reference service is referred to as one of the most
professional aspects of the librarian’s responsibilities, which every
prospective librarian must properly grasp (Chowdbury, 2001).
In this study reference service is
defined as the ability of reference librarian to strive within and outside
available resources to provide answers to reference questions or queries.
Reference and information services offered in the libraries include selective
dissemination of information (SDI), users’ instruction services, photocopying
services, Indexing and Abstracting services. The resources of these reference
and information services include Encyclopedia, Bibliographies, online services,
Biographic, Almanacs, Maps, Dictionaries and Manual. However the method of
rendering these services in medical libraries are answering ready made
questions, Email, Telephone, Internet, Inter library loan, verification,
selective dissemination of information (SDI), Database services and library
instruction programme.
Information has been a strategic
resource that is very critical to all levels, sectors and endeavors of the
society including every type of development. It has played a leading role in
the development and modernization of human society. Information is defined as
embodying interrelated or structured data which are required to enable one to
act knowledgably as well as take appropriate decision in any given setting.
(Aguolu 1989). Akonobi (1990) defined
information as man’s related knowledge in all resources which will help users
to make rational decisions. It is a data of value in planning and execution of
programs.
Information service according to
working paper on community information of library association (1980) defines it
as services which are designed to assist individuals and groups with their
daily problems, through the provision of information or by putting them in
touch with a helping agency. These
services concentrate on the needs of the lower social groups because they lack
access to other sources of assistance. Also Adeyemi (1991) defines information
service as products of information systems.
He further stresses that those information systems is a set of
resources-men, materials and procedures designed to attain information goals
within a particular social economic environment which produce and utilize the
systems as a tool for development.
Debowski (2003) opined that
information services are aimed at achieving six key outcomes.
- Ensuring
that information provided is high quality accurate and appropriate.
- Assisting
the user in interpreting the materials if necessary.
- Delivering
those information sources to the user in a timely and appropriate fashion.
- Promoting
user awareness of new services and information sources as they develop.
- Ensuring
the needs of users and the accessible information sources are suitably matched
at all times.
- Providing
users with individualized guidance and support as they build their information
search and application skills.
Assessment has always been a critical
component of managing reference and information services, According to Kizlik
(2011) Assessment is a process by which information is obtained relative to
some known objective or goal. Assessment is a broad term that includes testing.
Assessment of service in any organization is done in order to find out whether
or not they are meeting the desired goals and
