ABSTRACT
This study examined the influence of public relations practice on information service delivery and librarians’ image in federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria. The study was guided by five objectives and five corresponding research questions. Among the objectives of the study were to: determine the information services rendered by federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria; identify how public relations practice promotes the librarian image among the library users in federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria, determine the obstacles to effective application of public relations for enhanced information service delivery and librarians image in federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria to mention but a few. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The total population of the study was one hundred and thirty eight (138) librarians drawn from the university libraries under study. Total enumeration of the subject of study was employed or used because the population was manageable. The questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. Out of the one hundred and thirty eight (138) copies of questionnaire administered, one hundred and twenty-one (121) copies representing 88% were retrieved and used for the analysis. Descriptive statistical tools involving frequency counts, percentages and charts were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that lending services, inter-library loan services, exhibition displays, user education services, library publication, referral service, selective dissemination of information, consultancy services, reference services and others were the services rendered to users in the libraries studied. The study also indicated that public relations practice promotes the librarians’ image among the library users by improving job performance of the librarians, librarians and users interpersonal relationship, creating awareness for the various information services available in the library, increasing library patronage, increasing use of information resources by users, user satisfaction. Furthermore, the study indicated that public relations help identify users’ information needs easily and encourages provision of conducive environment for users. The study revealed further that the obstacles to effective application of public relations on information service delivery and librarians’ image in federal university libraries studied are; use of ambiguous language terms; frustration due to poor working condition; lack of adequate listening skills; lack of funds; lack of passion for public relations activities; lack of good communication skills and lack of interpersonal skills and so on. The study recommended among others that the library management of the universities studied should organise seminars for librarians and training on work etiquettes, good communication skills and interpersonal relations and should also create platforms where users of the library can express their dissatisfaction with the services rendered by the librarians while monitory motivation should be given to librarians so as to get the best out of them.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
University libraries are conceived as libraries found in the universities for the purpose of providing effective information services to support the teaching, learning and research activities of its parent institution as well as community services to its operational community. Aliyu (2009) defined university library as a collection of relevant learning, teaching, research, viewing, reference books housed in a university reasonably and suitably organized by trained staff to supply materials for faculty members and students at relevant level to enrich the resources, teaching, learning, and research activities of the university.
A university library is useful in educational development because it encourages good reading and research culture for personal and national development. Nothing is as important as to the quality of library services provided to library patrons whether academic public, special, or school library as the quality and range of resources selected, acquired, and retained by a library. A university library may be seen by some to be small and inconsequential, but the fact that it is part of the overall university system, it becomes obvious that as much as the collection of other libraries are to their publics, so also is the collection of a university library to the university community (Badawi, 2014); the author stated further that the objectives of university libraries are to acquire, process, and make available to its users, a wide range of books and audio visual materials to supplement and enrich the teaching, learning and research activities of the university. Other objectives of university libraries are: to encourage the development of skills and self reliant man power; promote reading habits to some literacy appreciation; source for subject information centre and support the university curriculum and inculcate intellectual development.
According to Fayose (2013), owing to the expected academic gains in the use of university library resources and the changing nature of the resources themselves, print, non-print, and electronic, the term university libraries has changed over the years. The literature of library and information science today refers to university library as “Institutional Repository Centre”, “Media Resource Centre”, “Information Resource Centre”, “Learning Resource Centre”, and “University Library Media Centre” (ULMC). The narrow concept of libraries as store house, repositories or shrines is no longer tenable in our globalized world of information explosion. To cope with the changing realities and uncertainties of human life, present teaching, learning and research environment in universities, the misconception of university libraries as ordinary store house of old books has proved inadequate.
Librarians’ image is defined as the mental picture or image captured by the users towards librarians. This image perception can be measured through the attitude, commitment, approachability interpersonal skills of the librarians (Langridge et al., 2014). The elements that can be scrutinized are attitudes that influence or impress library users, attitudes that influence promotion of library services, attitudes that influence colleagues, attitudes that make them approachable to library users. Questions that may arise as such are whether librarians can aid users’ advancement in their academic discipline, or librarian can enable library users to be more efficient in their academic pursuits, librarians help library users distinguish between trustworthy and untrustworthy information sources and librarian provide users with the information skills that they need. It is important for librarians to build positive image for themselves and their noble profession. Every profession is keen on building, protecting and portraying a positive image as well as making prospects through guiding principles.
The status of a profession is determined by its perceived value to society, ethical standards, educational qualifications and the level of professional commitments. The librarians’ image must be perceived positively in the mind of users for it to be adjudged to be of high reputation and integrity. Studies by Fagan (2013) have found that students most frequently described librarian duties in academic libraries in relation to reference and circulation duties. Very few students in these studies appeared to recognize that academic librarians also have a teaching or instructional role. However, in research setting in Canada, Nilsen and McKechnie (2012) study found that users of academic libraries were guessing their answers about the work of librarians. The researchers concluded that the misconceptions of the library work could be attributed to its hidden nature. In contrast to the findings aforementioned, Nzivo (2012) found out that library services were perceived positively by many users. The librarians in particular were seen to be efficient, friendly, knowledgeable, honest and supportive.
Library professionals need to get over any misconception people have about them, try to correct those erroneous impressions through advocacy on platforms such as blogs, and on social media. Pagowski and Rigby (2014) argued that librarians cannot ignore the stereotype, and not worry about it, but it should be seen as a privilege to explain themselves to people. Jennings (2016) on the other hand observed that librarians responding to these negativities could create inferiority complex and would further degrade the decent profession and as a result deter young people from pursuing their profession. Research by Husain (2011) outlined factors that contribute to low image of librarians as follows: there is ignorance about the budget and personnel involved in library operations; people are unaware of the social responsibilities of librarians; librarians are not paid properly; library users cannot differentiate librarians from other staff; some libraries do not offer quality services; libraries receive little funds from governments and the public has little awareness about the roles of librarians.
It is therefore necessary for librarians and information professionals to market and rebrand library services to conform to the current dispensation thereby building positive image or impression for themselves. More capacity training and innovative programmes can be introduced in library schools including workshops, seminars and conferences in order to expose, motivate and build understanding and interest of people towards the library profession. Jennings (2016) opined that librarians need to educate themselves to the level or above the levels of knowledge of their users in order to be more valuable to users, gain social recognition, and meet the ever growing information demands of users.
There is a considerable number of people who still consider librarianship as a career choice. Amongst such reasons are: because of the love for books and reading, the desire to serve people, for intellectual development, easy to get a job and to develop work experience of para- professionals (Husain, 2011; Olawanle & Abayomi, 2010). Manpower training in the use of newer technologies is another issue that the librarians should be concerned with, for this would aid them in the discharge of their duties effectively (Ekere et al., 2016). This would help librarians to promote and expand their services and as well make them relevant as that will promote their image.
Collectively, librarians should rebrand themselves to change the image of their profession in the positive way. Husain (2011) stated further that efforts from consortia and library associations should intensify publicity programs to create awareness about library services so as to boost librarians’ image and level of patronage of the users.
The term Information Services could be defined as a direct and personal help that a library gives to library users searching for information to aid their learning, knowledge acquisition, research, and also various library activities that are aimed at making information easily available to patrons. (Ademodi, 2011). Effective information service delivery is an important pursuit for every purposeful library that yearns to satisfy its users (Gronroos and Ravald, 2011). This means effectively that it is through effective information service delivery that the libraries can achieve increased users’ satisfaction.
University libraries will achieve their objectives if the services rendered meet the needs, aspiration and expectations of their users; the services rendered by university libraries according to Cullen (2011) include: reference services, public relations services, lending services, user education services, indexing and abstracting services, current awareness services (SDI) and compilation of bibliographies, computer/reprographic services. All the services mentioned above can be classified broadly under reference services and public relation services. In order to provide high quality information services, the library needs to plan the delivery of their services to ensure the successful implementation of their actual plan thereby satisfying the information needs of their users. Therefore, good planning and effective implementation of the developed delivery plans of information services are key factors for the effective service delivery. Resources, services and facilities are necessary requirements in effective and efficient academic library service delivery. Resources and facilities are the combination of requirements such as the traditional resources, e-resources, and other physical facilities that contribute toward the successful provision and use of information services in academic libraries.
Librarians in academic libraries are passionate about information service delivery and have developed different means of taking advantage of the fast-growing technologies to provide quality information services to their users. They have employed wider platforms such as social media to connect to users, share information, provide answers to queries, and learn more from users to determine their level of information expectations and how to satisfy them through effective information service delivery. The roles of librarians have become more relevant especially in the information age where the credibility of some information sources is questionable. This notwithstanding, librarians seem to be gaining less recognition in their job of information service delivery. This could be attributed to the fact that so many people have little awareness of the various services and products that librarians offer as well as their new roles following application of emerging technologies towards information service delivery. It again may stem from the fact that the abundance of information at the disposal of users leads to little regard for librarians as information experts. Cullen (2011) revealed that libraries need to pay more attention on meeting user expectations as this could be the major means to survive in this era of technology. Much is expected from information professionals, beside their popular roles of information provision, dissemination and serving the information needs of society. (Yoo-Seong, 2010).
Some people have predicted doom for library operations. In this reaction, librarians are key players to secure the future of libraries. Radical decisions are therefore required for libraries to embrace innovations and improve their current status, while sustaining their core values. For instance, libraries have rebranded and fused their core activities such as cataloguing, classification and circulation into innovative systems like KOHA, Sierra and other software, and continue to exploit newest technologies to carry out essential services to provide efficient information services to the users.
The rise in university education with large students numbers, along multi-disciplinary programmes and changes in teaching and learning patterns as well as new information seeking lifestyles of students have challenged librarians to diversify their services. Covert-Vail and Collard (2012) opined that libraries need to align and design their services for the full utilisation and appreciation of users. Librarians play unique roles to ensure provision of quality information services which according to the researcher include but not limited to: lending services, inter- library loan services, reservation service, user education service, referral service, selective dissemination of information, translation service to mention but a few. Elonye and Uzuegbu, (2013) have observed that librarians are now seen as information brokers in collection development and acquisition of information resources based on clientele requirements.
Academic librarians in a bid to provide quality information services liaise with faculty members to acquire standard, timely, relevant, adequate and current information resources. Besides their usual services, university librarians provide teaching and training services to equip users with requisite skills to use information effectively in print and electronic form for academic purposes (Agyekum, Ntiamoah-Sarpong, & Arthur, 2017; Brown & Mokgele, 2017; Tachie-Donkor & Dadzie, 2017). Librarians have adopted several platforms on the Internet to widen and enhance their service delivery to local and remote users. Online chats and e-mail messaging have been largely adopted by librarians to extend their services to different category of users to create and develop learning and networking opportunities for users to work and learn collaboratively as well as providing life-long learning opportunity for them.
Public relations practice is an indispensable tool for the survival and continuous relevance of any institution or organisation be it commercial and non-commercial including library institutions as well in service delivery in today’s world of competitiveness. Public relations is multi- disciplinary, this means that it penetrates into every human activity of life. This is because individuals, associations, institutions and cultures always aim at building impressive and positive image as well as strong good will and relationships with members of the society within which they operate. Nnadozie (2016) posited that public relations are the promotion of good rapport and beneficial collaboration between the library or information center and the public that populate its operational community. This can be achieved through deliberate policies and services, distribution of interpretative and promotional materials, development of neighborly interaction and the assessment of public opinion and their reaction. It is the art by which organisations such as libraries achieve social harmony and mutual understanding between the management and its publics.
Irrespective of the methods, practice, or strategies used by the public relations officer, it is always aimed at building a positive image and strong relationship with the organisation’s publics. This fact corresponds with the preposition of Nnadozie and Okeke (2015) that despite noticeable variations in the methods, strategies and tools, the aim of public relations has always been anchored on the need to maintain good social standing, communicate activities effectively and facilitate mutual understanding among members of a community. Every organisation no matter how large or small ultimately depends on its reputation for survival and success. In today’s competitive market, reputation can be a company’s biggest asset. Public relations activities and practices always aim at protecting the reputation of an organisation. Public relations are therefore, defined as a planned, deliberate and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics. (Aghadinuno, 2013). This definition was amplified by Nnadozie (2016) who highlighted some of the salient issues on which public relations is based. The first of these points is that public relations is not a haphazard undertaking as it is an organised and implemented programme which is done on a continuous base with the intention of projecting a positive public image. Secondly, public relations is aimed at maintaining mutual understanding between the organisation and the various publics from which it draws support, goodwill and patronage. The third issue is that public relations are a veritable change agent through which poor perception and other negative attitudes can be converted into mutual understanding and cooperation. University libraries can take advantage of public relations proactively to correct the misconception of users who may stereotypically view librarians as mere custodians of old books, this misconception about them is capable of making the users to either jettison or seldom use the library services.
Through proper planning and implementation of public relations strategies, students and other users can be re-oriented so that they can realise that academic library is a conducive environment where they can obtain more effective learning strategies and resources as a means of acquiring relevant knowledge, skills, and habits for survival in the modern world and by so doing librarian’s image is positively built and service delivery is enhanced. The university library provides information and ideas that are fundamental to functioning successfully in today’s information and knowledge –based society. Public relations in no small measure publicizes the information services to the users therefore enabling the university library to equip students, lecturers and researchers with life-long learning skills and develops their imagination, which will help them to live as responsible citizens. This is achievable through the provision of functional university libraries and availability of professional librarians. The university librarian is a professionally qualified trained staff member responsible for planning and managing the university library, supported by an adequate staffing as possible working together with all members of the university community. As a collaborator, change agent and leader, the university librarian develops, promotes, and implements programmes which definitely become a lifelong skill. However, university libraries over the years have projected a negative image due to the inadequate services and poor resources provided to its users. This is as a result of the problems discussed by Ajegbomogun and Salaam (2011) facing most university libraries in Nigeria include declining financial support, inadequate infrastructure and equipment, employment of unqualified personnel, poor public relation strategies, emptiness of book shelves and low level of information technology and also the misconception of the place of the library in the society.
According to Egbunike (2018), public relations is capable of solving the major problems that university libraries encounter in rendering effective information services as it help to correct the misconceptions that some users have about the library, project a positive image for the library and facilitate understanding and support of both users and parent institutions. Public relations is not exactly new in the practice of the librarianship. This claim is on the understanding that that library practitioners and administrators have always designed policies and implemented services to satisfy the users and project a good image of the library and information centers’. Public relations is also a means by which the library gains support from government. Even if a library has a beautiful building, trained staff, modern facilities, information delivery will not be effective if the users don’t patronize the library. This explains why librarians should ensure that users are wooed to the library through effective public relation activities. Effective public relations can help manage the librarian’s image by communicating and building good relationship with all the users as well as the organization’s stakeholders and this will consequently lead to better information service delivery. Public relations in the library or library public relations try to shape the way the average citizen perceives the library and librarians. As such, it corrects the attitude of the general public towards the library (as a profession).
The primary objective of library public relations is to create, maintain and protect the reputation of librarianship, enhance its prestige and present a favourable image for the library profession and the librarians. Public relations practice is usually done by the reference librarian who deals directly with the users. Ademodi (2011) states that reference and information service involves working with individual information users who have difficulty articulating or even understanding their own information needs. University libraries engage in reference and information services for the purpose of providing a wide range of services and facilities, which will enhance exploitative use of the library resources and services through the medium of public relation practices and self-direction, instructional guide; referral; ready reference; directional; interlibrary loan, quick reference guide; literature search; Current Awareness Services; Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI); information brokering and document delivery.
To meet the users information needs, today’s librarians especially the reference librarians need to not only understand but also embrace effective public relation strategies, the current and emerging technologies affecting reference functions and the information needs of library users. In any capacity librarians provide reference services, they should take cognizance of the major changes in libraries – changes that stem from countless cultural, economic, legal and social developments that have impacted, and continue to impact on library work (Mitchell, 2011).
Information needs and expectations are continuously changing in the rapidly changing information scenario; therefore, libraries need to use effective public relation practice to services, to keep pace with the recent advancements. This means that the reference librarian must have good interpersonal communication skills so as to relate well with the library users. Interpersonal communication is an interactive process through which man exchanges information with his fellow man in the society in a manner that engenders mutuality, rapport and understanding. Interpersonal communication in reference services is the process through which information, knowledge, idea, message are interpreted and conveyed from reference librarian to library user or from library user to reference librarian with perfect understanding of each other in a consistent manner.
Yildiz (2012) posits that the social function of interpersonal communication is stressed in the public relations perspective of organization by capturing the hearts and minds of organizational members (librarians and users) for effective coordination of organizational action in the pursuit of collective organizational goals. Similarly, Owoeye & Dhunsi (2014) states that interpersonal communication is an indispensable force towards achieving individuals and organizational goal, an objective that facilitates the sharing of information, experience and knowledge, transmission of ideas, decision making, coordination and interpretation of activities.
The university library undertakes the responsibility of locating, procuring and supplying the right type of information to students, researcher and lecturers at the right time and made information constantly available to users. Nevertheless, for these resources in university to be effectively utilized by the users, the resources must not just be readily available but must be brought to the knowledge of the library users and capturing their minds using effective public relation strategies such as corporate communication; media communication; community relation; event management and crises management.
In order to do well in modern public relations practice, the librarians must embrace and adopt marketing strategies in executing public relations programmes. Marketing as opined by Busari, Ayankola and Ladipo (2015) helps show a library staff’s expertise, further an organization’s mission, promote productivity by quickly and efficiently finding the right information at the right time, and add value to an organization’s product and reputation. The purpose of marketing is to increase the consumer satisfaction and identify the better way to achieve organizational goals. Considering the marketing goal of promoting products and services for enhanced patronage.
It is not out of place to incorporate marketing strategies into public relations practices which also has the sole aim of promoting the library services for better patronage and user’s satisfaction. Kumar (2017) opined that marketing offers both a theory and process by which academic libraries can reach students, it has the advantage of creating room to reach a wider community and provides an avenue of catching the students’ young and getting them familiarized with the library and its resources on time. Experience has shown that most students, especially, the first year students may be fully engrossed with their registration process in order to meet up with the deadline usually given to them. In most cases, they are not regularly available to be part of the orientation programmes. The implication is that, most students miss out of this rare opportunity of being acquainted with library services provided. For them to meet up with their academic expectations there is need for effective public relations/marketing strategies that would bring them back to the library thereby portraying library as a good place to satisfy their information needs, getting them acquainted to the real worth of librarians and enhancing information service delivery.
1.2 Statement of the Research Problem
Librarians play unique roles in gathering, organizing and coordinating access to the best available information sources for the users, institutions and organizations as a whole (Abels et al., 2013). The efforts put in place by the librarians in providing information to enhance education, research, individual lives, and aid national development. These crucial roles of the librarians deserve full appreciation and utilisation by users, library managements, government and the general public.
However, despite the crucial roles of the librarians, there is still under-utilisation of library services; so many users seldom use the library services due to stereotypical and derogatory misperception that they have about librarians’ personality. Another problem is lack of recognition of the librarians; unlike other professionals, librarians are not still given the recognision and respect that they deserve from users and even society at large. It is on this note that the researcher seeks to investigate into the influence of public relations practices on information services delivery and enhanced librarians’ image in federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this research is to investigate how public relations practice affect effective information service delivery and enhanced librarians’ image in federal university libraries in north central Nigeria while the specific objectives are to:
1. determine the information services rendered by federal university libraries in north- central, Nigeria;
2. identify how public relations practice promotes the librarian image among the library users in federal university libraries in north-central, Nigeria;
3. identify the public relations strategies employed for enhanced information service delivery and librarians image in federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria;
4. identify how public relations promotes information service delivery in federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria and
5. determine the obstacles to effective application of public relations for enhanced information service delivery and librarians image in federal university libraries in North- central, Nigeria.
1.4 Research Questions
The following questions are formulated to guide this study:
1. What information services are rendered by Federal university libraries in north central Nigeria?
2. How does public relations practice promotes the librarian image among the library users in Federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria?
3. Which public relations strategies are employed for enhanced information service delivery and librarians’ image in Federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria?
4. How do public relations promote information service delivery in Federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria?
5. What are the obstacles to effective application of public relations for enhanced information service delivery and librarians image in Federal university libraries in North- central, Nigeria?
1.5 Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses are formulated to guide this study and will be tested at 0.05 level of significance:
1. There is no significant relationship between public relations and information service delivery in Federal university libraries, North-central, Nigeria.
2. There is no significant relationship between public relations and librarians’ image in Federal university libraries, North-central, Nigeria.
3. There is no significant relationship between the application of public relations strategies and public relations promoting information service delivery in Federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The study when completed will be of benefit to library users, library personnel, future researchers as well as library administrators/management.
Library users will benefit from efficient and effective library service delivery from the library resources. The users will be able to access the information materials without any form of problem because of the mutual understanding and friendly interaction between both the librarians and the users.
Library personnel would benefit from this research as it will enable them create awareness for library services using public relations strategies to communicate and advertise the information materials to users. It will expose them to the competences and strategies they need to carry out information marketing and promotional activities. It will also enable them prove their worth as professionals and promote their reputation thereby building positive image for themselves and their profession.
Students/future researchers will find this research helpful as it will add to the number of empirical studies that are related to this research and it will help them in terms of citation and referencing in their research studies.
Library administrators /management will also benefit from the findings as it will assist them identify the skills needed to improve information service delivery. It will enable them to recognise public relations strategies as indispensable tools for enhanced information service delivery and means of promoting the corporate image of the library.
The library management especially federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria would find it helpful as it will enable them recommend the necessary training and retraining of library personnel on public relations strategies needed for enhanced information service delivery.
1.7 Scope of the Study
The study basically covered seven (7) federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria namely: Federal University of Technology, Minna Library; University of Agriculture Makurdi Library; Federal University Lafia Library; Federal University Lokoja University Library; University of Ilorin Library; University of Jos Library and University of Abuja Library. However, the professional staff of these libraries are the subject of the study and the content scope will be limited to influence of public relations practices on effective information service delivery and enhanced librarians’ image in North-central, Nigeria. This is due to some constraints, which include the spread and distance of the university libraries, shortage of fund required to tour the study areas, time within which to complete the study and the delay that may be caused by respondents.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined operationally to ease their understanding and usage in the study: Image is the reputation and worth of the librarians in Federal universities in North-central Nigeria.
Information service is any service intended to provide information for timely, effective and efficient use in Federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria.
Libraries are buildings or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for users to read, borrow, or refer to in Federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria.
Public relation (PR) is the act of creating a sustained good relationship between the library and its users in Federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria.
Strategies are careful plans or methods for achieving a particular goal in Federal university libraries in North-central, Nigeria.
This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research
INFLUENCE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTICE ON INFORMATION SERVICE DELIVERY AND LIBRARIANS’ IMAGE IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NORTH-CENTRAL, NIGERIA>
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