A Survey of the Services of Public Libraries in Meeting the Information Needs of Post-Secondary School Students in Some Three Selected Public Libraries in Nigeria

Abstract

The role of Public Libraries in meeting the information needs of the Community cannot be neglected. The Library is meant to serve the needs of all and sundry in the society without any bias. The main objective of this study was to examine the services of the Public Libraries in meeting the information needs of Post Secondary School Students in Public Libraries in Nigeria. The study adopted a Descriptive Survey Design and the Simple Random Sampling Techniques was used to select one hundred and fifty respondents (Post-Secondary School Students) in three selected Public Libraries, that is, Oyo, Ogun and Kwara State Library Boards. The questionnaire was the instrument used to collect data for the study, while descriptive statistics with tables of frequencies and percentages was used in analysing the data. The study revealed that the information needs of the Post-Secondary School Students were information on academic work, personal development and sports news and recreation. Different services rendered by Public Libraries were looked into. Inadequate information resources were the major factor militating against the Public Library services to the Post-Secondary School Students. Various reasons why post-secondary school students use the public library were also highlighted. It is recommended that adequate information resources be provided in Public Libraries so that information needs of the user can be met.