Professional assistance to users of information retrieval tools at the national library of Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the need for professional assistance to users of information retrieval tools at the National Library of Nigeria, Enugu branch. A total of 38 (thirty-eight) users of the library were randomly selected and used for the study. It was found that most of the respondents 18(47.3%) consulted the card catalogue provided by the librarians to make location and use of information easy. This was followed by 10(26.3%) of them who made use of online databases. While 9(23.6%) of the respondents always made use of the catalogue, 11(28.9%) others sometimes did so. It was also noted that most of the respondents 27(71%) needed the help of the librarians in making effective use of the card catalogue. 13(34.2%) of the respondents agreed they needed the help of the librarians in making use of the index to journal articles and the online databases. The major problems identified in the study were the out-datedness of some of the resources 24(63.1%), lack of Internet services 24(63.1%) and lack of knowledge of how to use the card catalogue.

Keywords: Assistance, users, information, national libraries, retrieval tools, catalogue