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Abstract
This study surveyed the provision and utilization of school library information resources by students of Ndume Otuka Secondary School, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. The constant decline in the use of school libraries, as observed in some secondary schools in Abia State, necessitated this study. The study was guided by six (6) research objectives. Descriptive survey method was the design adopted for the study. The study population is 1,438 consisting students from Junior Secondary (JS) 1 to Senior Secondary (SS) 3 of the school studied. However, a sample of 288 was drawn from the population, which represents 20% of the entire population. The 288 respondents were selected using the stratified random sampling technique. An observation checklist and a questionnaire were
used for data collection. A total of 288 copies of the questionnaire were distributed while 273 copies were returned and found suitable for data analysis, giving a response rate of 94.8% and a reliability co-efficient of 0.85. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean scores and standard deviation and presented in frequency tables. A criterion mean of 2.50 was used to decide the level of agreement or disagreement to item statements. Findings of the study revealed the provision of different information resources such as textbooks, and magazines. Few of these resources were found to be utilized by
the students. The extent of utilization of the school library information resources was found to be low, while the frequent use of majority of the information resources were for different reasons such as to prepare for examinations, for leisure, and to do assignment, among other reasons. It was also reported that utilization of the library information resources was faced with some challenges. Based on the findings, the study recommended an increased availability of school library information resources and the creation of proper awareness to encourage use by the students, among others.