Assessment of the influence of Library Users’ characteristics on Management of Public Libraries in the Developing Economies

Abstract

The study investigates the library users’ characteristics in developing economies. A
descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Two research questions and two
hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A simple random sampling technique
was used to sample the population, which stood at 5,153 respondents. Data collected
from the researchers’ developed instrument Users’ Utilization Skills Library Questionnaire
(UUSLQ) was tested for reliability using Cronbach Coefficient Alpha formula, which
yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.66. Weighted mean scores were used for answering
research questions, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient independent
t-test and Analysis of variance were used for testing the research hypotheses. The results
indicate a significant influence of socio-economic and occupational background on the
utilization of public library services in the area under study. It was recommended among
others that the government should invest in setting up more libraries in the urban as well
as in the rural areas of the State and also embark on regular public enlightenment
programs on the uses and the applications of library services.

Keywords: Managing, Public Library, Developing Economies