DEVELOPMENT OF A SCHEME FOR THE CLASSIFICATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARY RESOURCES IN NSUKKA EDUCATION ZONE ENUGU STATE

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the development of a scheme for the classification of school library resources in school libraries in Nsukka Enugu state. The research was guided by six research questions which includes; existing schemes used in the classification of school library resources, nature of resources available in the school libraries, resources required for the classification of the school libraries, development of a scheme for the classification of the school library resources, problems associated with the classification of school library resources and strategies for the implementation of the scheme in school libraries. A research and development (R and D) design was used to conduct the study. The population of the study comprises 118 primary schools and 60 secondary schools in Nsukka education zone. A purposive sampling technique was used to select five schools (which has school libraries) each from primary and secondary category. The questionnaire, observation checklist, interview and document analysis schedule was used to collect data from the research. Observation was done on research question 2 which is on the nature of resources available in the school libraries. Interview was conducted on the existing scheme used in the school libraries, resources required for the classification of the resources, problems associated with the classification of the resources and strategies for the implementation of the scheme. Data was analyzed using frequency mean and percentages for quantitative data while essay/narratives were used to analyze data from interview and document analysis schedule. Findings from the study revealed that there is no existing scheme for the classification of school library resources in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State, there are fairly adequate resources available in the school libraries, there are not enough resources (human, material and ICT) for the classification of school library resources in the area, there is need for the development of a scheme for the classification of school library resources, there are unqualified, unskilled and inadequate teacher/school librarians in virtually all the schools studied, library resources are provided to the schools by the government as well as other appropriate agencies and authorities but there has been poor handling/management/organization of those resources. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made; appropriate authorities should ensure full implementation of the developed scheme for the classification of school library resources, adequate provision of resources (both books and non-book resources) should be made available, appropriate standard accommodation should be made available to house the library’s collections as well as create reading/study space for the pupils and students, suitably qualified school librarians should be employed to handle the professional task of classification of school library resources, fund should be made readily available for the overall development of school libraries in Nsukka education zone of Enugu state, government policies should take school library development as a major priority and therefore should make policies favorable for the development of school libraries, there should be regular training, re-training and supervision of the school libraries to ensure that the scheme is judiciously and correctly implemented.