Assessment of Records Arrangement and Utilization of Finding Aids for Information Retrieval in Faculty of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

Abstract

This study assessed records arrangement and utilization of Finding Aids for Information Retrieval in Departments in Faculty of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Three (3) objectives guided this study to include types of records generated in departments; records arrangement patterns utilized in records offices in departments and finding aids utilized in retrieving records in departmental records offices. The research method adopted was survey. The population of this study comprised all the administrative staff handling records in departments in Faculty of Education, A.B.U, Zaria. The total numbers of the respondents were twenty nine (29). The data related to the research questions were analyzed using frequency and percentage. The findings revealed that alphabetic patterns were the records arrangement patterns utilized most in records offices in faculty of education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. It also revealed that registers were the finding aids utilized in records offices in faculty of education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria while inventories, ledger and indexes were not utilized. It was concluded that departments in faculty of education mostly use alphabetical pattern in arranging their records which make information retrieval easier. Similarly, the most highly utilized finding aid was registers. Inventories, ledgers, indexes and others were not judiciously utilized. The study recommend that emphasis should be laid on the utilization of the other records arrangement patterns (subjects, chronological, alphanumerical, etc) as they are also standard and recognized patterns of arranging records. Record officers should be encouraged to use indexes, inventories, ledgers as much as they can as they are also recommended finding aids.