School Library Development and Use by Staff and Students of Secondary Schools in Federal Capital Territory FCT Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated school library development and use by staff and students of secondary schools in the Federal capital territory, Abuja. The overall objective of the study is to examine the state of secondary school library development and its usage, find out if these libraries have achieved the expected level of development in terms of infrastructures, qualified library personnel, cultivating reading habbit, integration of ICT facilities etc. Descriptive survey research was adopted for this study, while the major instrument used was a questionnaire, supported by oral interviews for the library staff and direct observation. The total sample size included 252 respondents comprising of 90 head teachers/teachers, 12 library staff and 150 students. The key findings indicated thatlibrariesare not adequately utilized in schools and problems such as poor funding, outdated collections lack of qualified personnel, space etc are still being faced by school libraries. Based on the findings of the study, some recommendations were made among which are: need to put in place minimum standard for secondary school libraries, evaluation and accreditation of schools and their libraries, organisation of workshops/seminers etc.

Keywords: School library development, Use of school library