Original Research Article
Year: 2015 | Month: November | Volume: 2 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 653-655
Utilization of Library Resources by Students at Secondary Schools in Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka
Vanitha Prasannath
Assistant Registrar, Eastern University, Sri Lanka.
ABSTRACT
Library is a vital instrument for academic enlargement. A healthy stocked library is a store house of information, or a documentation of human experience to which users may turn for records or information. Therefore, the proper use of library and its resources are very essential to develop the knowledge of students. Nowadays almost all the schools in Sri Lanka have school libraries in order to improve and entertain the students. With this background the objectives of this study are (1) to identify the purpose of visit to the library; (2) to show the frequency of visits to the library by students; (3) to determine whether the library resources of the schools satisfy the information needs of students; (4) to examine the type of the library resources used by the students; and (5) to identify the problems regarding the use of the library. Hundred and eighty advanced level students were randomly selected from different national schools in all four educational zones in Batticaloa district of Sri Lanka. All students were employed with the pretested structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using simple frequency counts, percentages and descriptive statistics. This research concludes that 40% of the students used the library to study their own notes, 70% of the respondents satisfied with the available information and most of the students used the books and magazines in the library. Finally the most significant problem was lack of exercise books for relevant subject. The study suggests that the utilization of library can be enhanced by adopting the modern formats like audio-visual materials and electronic resources. It also recommends that adequate fund is necessary for the provision of current information resources and also for the employment of qualified trained teacher librarian.
Key words: Information resources, Library, Schools, Sri Lanka.