Evaluation of Accessibility and Utilization of Agricultural Information Resources by Students in Agriculture University Library Abeokuta, Nigeria

The Agriculture Library will continue to access, organize, preserve and disseminate information to students. The value of Library will not merely depend upon size of their collection, but on the strength of the ability to provide digital information, databases and enhance access to the world of information resources to users. The study was conducted to determine the accessibility and utilization of information resources, by students of Federal University Agriculture Abeokuta (FUAA). Approximately 7000 population were found in the FUAA, where around 306 questionnaires were administered to the respondents in the university and have 217 responses was received. A stratified random sampling technique was adopted for the study due to the largeness of the population. In the data analysis, frequency counts, simple percentages, charts were used for the statistical analysis. The findings revealed that the availability of information resources been varied as printed journals, text books, conference proceeding, technical reports and in terms of the E-resources it has E-books, E-Journals, E-Newspapers, Internet resources, CDROMs. But, based on the Library Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN) guidelines radio message and manuscripts is necessary in the AUL is missing in FUAA library. Almost 45 % visits occasionally, which alarms the library authority to wake up and to encourage the students community to draw attention and provide more useful information services and to improve their systems. The study also finds that more than 80 % of user visiting the library for productive purpose, say acquiring and updating knowledge and research, where as less than 20 % were visiting the library for leisure and just for time pass. At an average of more than 85 % of the visitors are spending not less than an hour in the library means that the visitor are having real interest in getting information services from the library. The students preferred more of Journals, Textbooks and Reference Books, Thesis/Dissertations/projects and Atlas, Maps& Posters and also the Government Publications in the form of printed items and on digital formats they prefer the E-Journals, E-Newspapers& E-Zines, E-databases, Internet and the CD-ROMs. The respondents carefully mentioned all the problems in accessing and retrieval of information with the hope that all the problems will be solved and may get an improved library services.