ABSTRACT

This research work invest.£ mu lie Inl’.icnce o ' academic libraries on continuous education students in Michael Okpar. 1 i.i - rsity o. Agriculture, Umudike. The study was guided by five objectives which includes to exanine tl i extent of availability and accessibility of the library resources to the continuous e I c pion stui.ems, asieitain the types of library services available to continuous education snide us a vlOUA J. mves igate llu library user habits of the continuous education students, identity be I k tors a feeling the use of libraries by distance learners, and proffer solutions to the iJ.n.iixl factors affecting the use of the academic libraries by continuous education studen s in MOUA I . The area ol he study was Abia State. Nigeria. A total population of 087 res oid<.nts coi sisting of continuous education students in Michael Okpara University of Agriui 1 ire Umui ke out of which 137 respondents were sampled. The instrument for data collectic i wa; quest onnaire The ins.rument produced in accordance with the research questions, w on. lai e \ alldate I by the ixpcrt le uturer from the Department of Library and Information science, who .s the re eircher's supervisor. The researcher distributed 137 copies of the questionnaire to he respon tents peiscnally, out of which 83 were correctly filled and returned, representing 6 ’. (K&> return late. Fiecuency tables, percentages and mean scores were used for data presented) ; i ci analy ;is The results of the findings revealed that the library resources in MOUAU homy are reerence books. magazines, newspaper, CD-ROMS, thesis/dissertations are hignly av lilable ind accessible ti the continuous education students; types of library services aiadible to continuous ecucalion students in MOUAU are; circulation/lending service;, serials sei'ices, nTerence and referral services, reprographic services e.g. photocopying, ar d oibliog; iphic search services; the findings revealed that the factors that inhibit the uc ol libiary by con inuous education students in MOUAU are inadequate funding, poor infrastructure c. elecliunc facilities, lack of borrowing facilities, lack of photocopying facilities, n .men iJuclic ■ environment eg. Noise lack of information search skills poor attitude of libraiy iial'i towaic ; die users high cost of maintaining ICT facilities, and difficulties in accessing ini an ia.i.m Iron the inti met; the solutions to the factors affecting the provision of library resources rid sen ce; in support of continuous education students in MOUAU are; provision oi .deqirate fui .ling, impioved nlraslruclurc. organizing training for librarians especially on 1C .' competence improvement of reading environment-adequate seats. provision of adequate photoc; py i ig facihties. provision o 'generator as an alternative source of power supply, universitr i aiq cnienl to allow the Imrtry to control their own budget. improvement of library ski at i uoc towards th; users, and university libraries liaising with foreign donor agencies .<> jnm-: ■ linear services. The s udy made recommendations such as. the government and guvcri in;>. fit uics ot the univcisities .hould readdress the issue of funding and library budgets since mo' impro 'tr.ients depend on funds available and how they are managed and the librarians am ii nary n ir.r gemmts on their own should seek best practices as obtainable in more advanced plams so as to orovide quality library and information services and resources to the continuous ed icaiion stu< ents.