AN APPRAISAL OF THE EFFECTS OF USER EDUCATION AND TIME ALLOTMENT

ABSTRACT

The study was an investigation of the effect of user education and time allotment on utilization of e-resources at MTN digital library: University of Benin as a case study. Six research question were raised to guide the study. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. The study population consists of One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fourty (1,840) registered library users. A total number of 100 MTN libray register users in University of Benin were randomly sampled for the study. The researcher used structured questionnaire as the instrument for the data collection. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentage and descriptive statistics comprising of mean. Criterions mean score of 2.5 was used as the benchmark for the purpose of decision making. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings from analyzed data showed that user education plays a vital role in enhancing the utilization of e-resources at MTN Digital Library, University of Benin. The presence of user education programs positively influences users' digital literacy, their ability to access relevant information, and their comfort in using library rresources. The study indicated that the allotted time of 2 hours per day for e-resource use was perceived as insufficient by users. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made which include: The library should continue to offer and expand user education programs, focusing on the programs that were well-accepted by users. The library should consider more flexible time allocation policies for e-resource use.