Awareness and accessibility as determinants of utilisation of OPAC by students in polytechnic libraries in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

The evolution in technology that has been embraced by librarians has transformed ways by which libraries make their information resources available and accessed through Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) to the library patrons. There have been several studies regarding the awareness and use of OPAC by undergraduate students in Nigerian Universities leaving Polytechnic undergraduate. This study examined the role of awareness and accessibility as factors influencing the utilisation of the OPAC among students in polytechnic libraries in Kwara State, Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive survey design with the population of13,348 in three (3) Polytechnic Libraries (Federal Polytechnic, Offa; Kwara State Polytechnic Library and Lens Polytechnic Library) with a sample size of 370 based on Research Advisor Table, using proportion allocation of sample and Simple Random Sampling for its selection. Questionnaire was the research instrument adopted for the study and data collected are presented and analysed in simple percentage, frequency table, mean, standard deviation, Pearson Correlation using IBM SPSS. Findings revealed that social media was the most effective channel for promoting OPAC awareness, with computers and personal phones as primary tools for access and OPAC was widely used for accessing diverse resources such as reference materials and research databases. One of the recommendations of this study is that libraries should leverage social media as a primary channel to promote OPAC by showcasing its features, benefits, and updates on platforms popular among students and ensure OPAC systems are optimized for both desktop and mobile devices to offer a seamless user experience, as these are the main tools students use to access OPAC