Reference Services used by Undergraduates at a Private University Library, Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Satisfaction with university library information resources makes undergraduate users loyal to the library. Negative experiences in the university library leads to dissatisfaction and low usage of information resources. Few studies have been conducted on the influence of reference services on the satisfaction of undergraduates using information resources. There is also a lack of current literature on the satisfaction of undergraduates with using information resources at a private university library in Ogun State, Nigeria. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of reference service use on the satisfaction of undergraduates in using information resources at a private university library in Ogun State, Nigeria. This study employed a survey research design. The sample size for this study was 387 undergraduates from a private university in Ogun State, Nigeria. Findings revealed that reference service use had a significant influence on undergraduates’ satisfaction with information resource use (R² = 0.310, t (311) = 11.807, b = 0.557, p < 0.05. The study recommends that private university libraries strengthen the capacity of reference librarians to enhance interaction and assistance between the undergraduates and reference librarians.