ABSTRACT

This study evaluated reference services in federal University of Technology Library, Owerri. It was guided by five (5) research objectives as well asfive (5) research questions answered. The study adopted a descriptive survey method with a study population of 3689 undergraduate registered library users ofFUTO Libraiy as at 2018/2019 academic session. However, 5% ofthe population was sampled given a sample of 185. These 185 respondents-were randomly selected from the Library examined. A researcher-made questionnaire and observation checklist were usedfor data collection. The researcher personally observedphe reference services provided and recorded the observation in the checklist. Furthermore, a total of185 copies ofthe questionnaire were distributed but 167 copies were returned and usedfor data analysis. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean scores and presented using frequency tables. A mean score of2.50 was used as the criterion mean. Findings revealed the provision ofnumerous reference services in the library studied. They include: Assistance from library staff, issuing of reference Letters, literature search services, bibliographic search, directional guides, library exhibition and display, selective dissemination of information, current awareness services, compilation ofreading list, referral services, and library publicity and awareness. The study found out a high extent ofprovision of all the services provided in the Library examined. These services were also reported to be frequently used by majority ofthe respondents. Consequently, unawareness of reference services provided in the library, insufficient provision ofreference services, provision ofirrelevant reference services, attitude of librarians, selective provision of reference services, stringent nature oflibrary reference services policy, lack ofeffective library co-operation, low level ofcomputerization ofreference services, information hoarding tendency by some librarians, language barriers, and incompetent reference librarians were among the challenges found out to be affecting reference services. The study also found out numerous solutions to the challenges discovered to be affecting preference services in FUTO Library and made different recommendations such as academic libraries and other libraries making effort to adopt suitable means ofproviding reference services by having proper understanding oftheir user community and the best means ofreaching their reference needs, among other things