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Functions as Correlates of Students' Satisfaction with Library Services in Public
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal) Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

June 2022

Management Functions as Correlates of Students’ Satisfaction

with Library Services in Public Secondary Schools in Imo State.
Ijeoma Ferdy Mbagwu Ph.D
Imo State University, Owerri, [email protected]

Adaora Joy Udo-Anyanwu Ph.D

Imo State University, Owerri, [email protected]

Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac

Part of the Library and Information Science Commons

Mbagwu, Ijeoma Ferdy Ph.D and Udo-Anyanwu, Adaora Joy Ph.D, "Management Functions as Correlates
of Students’ Satisfaction with Library Services in Public Secondary Schools in Imo State." (2022). Library
Philosophy and Practice (e-journal). 7165.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/7165
 Management Functions as Correlates of Students’ Satisfaction with Library

Services in Public Secondary Schools in Imo State.

By

Ijeoma F. Mbagwu Ph.D1 and Adaora J. Udo-Anyanwu Ph.D2

Department of Library and Information Science,
Imo State University Owerri, Imo State
[email protected]; [email protected],uk1
and [email protected]

Abstract
This study examined management functions and students’ satisfaction with library
services in public secondary schools in Imo State Nigeria. The study was guided by 3
research questions and 3 hypotheses. The design of the study is a linear correlational
design. The population of the study is 94,968. This is made up of 94,693 Senior
Secondary School Students and 275 librarians from 275 public secondary schools in Imo
State. The sample size for this study is 660 made up of 110 librarians and 550 SS2
students from 110 public secondary schools in Imo State. The sampling techniques used
in this study are multi-stage, purposive, simple random and disproportionate sampling
techniques. Two types of research instruments were used to collect data for this study
namely; School Library Management Scale (SLMS) for school librarians and Students’
Satisfaction with Library Services Scale (SSLSS) for Students. The data collected were
analyzed using Pearson (r) for the research questions and t-test of significance of
correlation for hypotheses. The major findings of the study showed that: there is a very
low positive relationship between planning as a management function and students’
satisfaction with library services. It was also established that there is a very low positive
relationship between the organizing function and students’ satisfaction with library
services and there is a significant relationship between controlling and students’
satisfaction with library services. Based on these findings, the study recommended that:
there should be proper and adequate planning with the available library services because
for any school library service to be effective and satisfy the needs of the students, it must
be properly planned; Library services in secondary schools should be well organized in
the aspect of cataloguing, classification, shelving as these will facilitate the use of library
by students and ultimately improve their reading habits; Control measures should be put
in place as activities should be carried out according to plans accomplished by comparing
actual performance with predetermined standards with the view to correct any deviation.
Keywords: School library, Management, Planning, Organizing, Controlling, Satisfaction

1
Introduction
School library acts as agent that helps students to discover and develop their
special gifts and talents. It complement classroom instruction by exposing the students to
a wide selection of books and other resources and providing users of the library with
information on current issues through the use of display materials. That is why Akanwa
and Mbagwu (2016) stated that school library is an important organ of the educational
system, and without it no profitable or rewarding educational programme can go on in the
school environment because all academic activities depend on the school library and its
facilities. On the other hand, school library services are services offered in the school
library by the library staff to students to assist them improve on their academic
performance. These services range from exhibition and display of information reference,
users education and orientation, lending services, reference services reservation services ,
current awareness services etc. Mbagwu (2017) opined that for any library staff to serve
its clientele effectively and efficiently the five management functions of planning,
organizing, staffing, supervising and controlling must be adequately applied to the
management of school library.
Management is defined as the act of planning, controlling and coordinating human
and material resources in other to achieve a desired goal. Sayeda, Rajendran and
Lokachari (2014) defined management as the process of planning, organizing, directing,
and controlling activities of an enterprise to achieve its set objective. A manager in the
school library is expected to plan, organize, supervise, command, coordinate and control
all the library activities in the school library. Therefore if school libraries must function
effectively to satisfy the information needs of their users, the administration of these
libraries must apply management functions. However, for the purpose of this study, only
three management functions namely: planning, organizing and controlling was discussed.
Planning for the provision of library and information services must be done
strategically, Yapa (2012) pointed out that planning is a systematic attempt to organize
future performance as it affects people, money, materials and services in the light of
specified constraints and time frame. For any library and information centre to be
effective, they must be properly planned, and this involves a number of fundamental
considerations such as goal setting, training of personnel, funding, provision of

2
accommodation, among others. Planning for the provision of library and information
services must be done strategically. Again for effective satisfaction in the management
of school libraries in secondary schools, there must be complete implementation of all
plans.
There must be organization as a structure of a coordinated system, relationship and
responsibilities. This function can be well described as departmentalizing jobs and
delegating authority. There must be an organization as a structure of a coordinated
system, relationships and task responsibilities. This will clearly state who does what and
who reports to whom in school libraries. This function can therefore be described in
terms of dividing tasks into jobs, departmentalizing jobs and delegating authority.
Controlling is the aspect of management function that emphasizes that library
activities are performed according to plan, by matching actual performance with pre-
determined standards or objectives and taking actions to correct any deviation from
original plan (Mbagwu, 2017). All these rely on the fact that student’s satisfaction with
library services centers on these management functions planning, organizing, supervising,
controlling, staff and the implementation of all the necessary standards by the managers
of secondary school libraries.
The satisfaction of students through the availability of library services by
management of the school library should emphasize among others, creative problem
solving skills, good communication, conflict management ability, good negotiation and
self-awareness and improvement. If school libraries must function effectively to satisfy
their clientele, the administration of these libraries must apply managerial functions. This
is the crux of this study.

Statement of the Problem

Secondary school library as a centre of every educational programme needs to be
well managed to achieve its objectives. Physical observations of these school libraries
revealed that they are faced with problems of inadequate information resources, lack of
professional librarians, poor library infrastructures, absence of staff development
programmes and absence of standards for school library services. All these problems
constitute ineffective library services to the users. The reason for this situation is seems to
be attributed to management of these libraries in terms of planning, organization and

3
controlling among others. The researchers are of the view that these management
functions may have not been properly applied for effective library services geared
towards users’ satisfaction. Hence the question is, what is the relationship between these
management functions and students’ satisfaction with available library services in public
secondary schools in Imo State? The answer to this question is the focus of this research.

Objectives of the Study

This research examined management functions and students’ satisfaction with library
services in public secondary schools in Imo State Nigeria. Specifically, the study aimed
to determine the following:
1. The relationship between planning and students’ satisfaction with library services.
2. The relationship between organizing and students’ satisfaction with library
services.
3. The relationship between controlling and students’ satisfaction with library
services.
Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses stated in the null form were formulated and tested at 0.05
level of significance.
1. There is no significant relationship between planning of school library services
and students satisfaction.
2. There is no significant relationship between organizing of school library services
and students satisfaction.
3. There is no significant relationship controlling of school library services and
students satisfaction.

Literature Review
School library is a school’s physical and digital learning space where reading,
inquiry, research thinking, imagination, and creativity are central to student’s
information-to-knowledge journey and to their personal, social and cultural growth.
Adetoun, Kolawale and Ajibola (2011) stated that school libraries are established to
support the educational curriculum of schools which could only be achieved through
various means such as the provision of relevant library resources, which are relevant to
the school curricula and provision of various information services ranging from technical
4
to readers’ services. Kachel and Lance (2013) opined that this physical and digital place
is know by many terms like school media center, center for documentation and
information, library resources centers, etc. The school library is media resource center
where the provision of book, non-book and electronic resources are essential to the
services provided.
Writing on library services, Akanwa and Mbagwu (2016) pointed out that they are
all the services provided for users in the library for maximum operational performance.
These include book service, audio-visual service, reference service, lending service,
referral service, information and communication service, and extension (activities)
services. Buttressing this, Vandi and Anijih (2016) stated that the school library media
center should provide services that support the educational programme of the school and
also develop in the pupils/students the habit of reading both for pleasure and for gathering
of useful information for their overall development. He believed that schools can achieve
these by having a well–stocked/adequate balanced and well-organized collection of books
and non book media that are easily accessible for teachers and students use. Effective
school library services for the successful implementation of students’ satisfaction hinges
on facilities that support library services, materials, personnel and space.
The satisfaction of the library users is dependent on the effective management of
the library. Sayeda, Rajandran and Lokachari (2014) defined management as the process
of planning, organizing, directing and controlling the activities of an enterprise to achieve
the set objectives. Umar (2013) opined that management activities are essential in every
existing organization or institution. In school libraries, management is a necessity to
enhance success and promote better academic performance at school level. Hence,
management of the library is a process by which the elements of a group are integrated,
coordinated and utilized so as to effectively and efficiently achieve the organizational
goals.
Planning is very crucial in the management of organization because other
components of management depend on it. Planning is required in school libraries to
ensure that the overall objectives of the school are given attention. Both the services and
collection development of school libraries need to be properly planned through adequate
decision on library materials. Kasimu (2011) planning is a process of mapping out in

5
advance pattern of action which, when implemented could lead to the attainment of the
goals of an organization. Nwankwo, Akanwa and Okorie (2022) carried out a study on
management of school libraries and utilization of library resources by secondary school
students in Rivers State and discovered that planning correlates significantly with
students’ use of library resources.
Organization of information is a way of arranging information resources to
maintain easy access to them. It ensures that information resources and services are
available and provided for the comfort of the users. According to Akanwa (2010) the
organizing function is a very important management function and has a broad spectrum
of activities which include, departmentalizing the organization, delegation of authority ,
assignment of task to individuals , opening channel of communications, to determine who
report to who, selection of services and organization of library information resources
which entails, accessioning, cataloguing, classification, shelving and weeding.
Controlling is the process of measuring progress towards planned performance and
applying corrective measures to ensure that performance is in line with the manager’s
objectives. Natarajan in Akanwa (2017) stated that controlling is the process of ensuring
that organizational activities are carried out according to plan accomplished by
comparing actual performance with predetermined standards and then taking action to
correct any deviation. The author opined that the control process has four major steps
namely: setting performance standards, measuring performance, comparing performance
with the standards and taking corrective action. It detects and corrects significant
variations or discrepancies in the results obtained for planned activities. Although some
managers do not want to admit it but mistakes will always occur and cause unwanted
deviations from intended goals. Libraries use control system to minimize such problems.
Akanwa’s (2010) research report revealed that controlling significantly influenced the
provision of library services to children in public libraries. It can therefore be inferred
that the library staff usually control library services, even though in some cases
inadvertently.
Meeting the information needs of users require the provision of the actual
information resources and services that will satisfy their needs. Of great importance to

6
any user of the library is the satisfaction of his information needs. Satisfaction is the state
that results after a library user has favourably or positively experienced a service product.
In recent times, evaluating users’ satisfaction with the information resources, facilities
and services has become a major concern and an integral part of library and information
science practitioners. According to Joy and Idowu (2014), the satisfaction derived by
users greatly influences the utilization of the services and resources provided by the
library. They state further that user satisfaction is a concept that includes how good users
feel after visiting and using the library, their likeness to return back to that library any
time an information need arises. Thus, the availability of resources can have a significant
influence on user satisfaction. Mbagwu (2017) in her study discovered that respondents
are satisfied with library collection and services. It is important to note however, that the
quality of resources may be judged from an overall perception as to whether the library
can provide access to materials when and where needed. It is this overall perception of a
library’s resources that contributes to user satisfaction.

Research Methodology
The correlational research design was used for this study. The population of the
study is 94,968. The sample size for the study is 660, which comprised 110 librarians and
550 SS2 students from 110 public secondary schools in Imo State. The researchers
constructed two different types of rating scales for data collection for this study; one was
on users’ satisfaction while the other was on management functions. The four-point scale
was rated as Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD)
weighted as 4, 3, 2, and 1 points respectively for items on Management Functions Scale
while Very Satisfied (VS), Satisfied (S), Fairly Satisfied (FS) and Not Satisfied (NS)
weighted as 4, 3, 2, and 1 points respectively were used for the Students’ Satisfaction
Scale. Data collected through the rating scales were analyzed using descriptive statistic
i.e. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC). The hypotheses were
tested using t-test of significance of correlation.

7
Data Analyses and Presentation
Research Question One: What is the relationship between planning and students’
satisfaction with library services?
H01: There is no significant relationship between planning and students’ satisfaction with
library services in secondary schools in Imo State.
Table 1: Correlation Coefficient between Planning and Students’ Satisfaction with
Library Services
Variables N ∑ R r2 df tcal ttab Decision
SS 110 2598 0.18 0.03 108 1.93 1.96 Very Low
(3%) Relationship
P 110 2167 Retain H0

SS = Students’ Satisfaction , P = Planning

Table 1 shows the correlation coefficient of the relationship between planning and
students’ satisfaction with library services. The result of the analysis indicates that
whereas the correlation coefficient is 0.18, the coefficient of determination is 0.03. The
index of 0.18 shows that there is a very low positive relationship between planning and
students’ satisfaction with library services. Also the coefficient of determination of 0.03
implies that 3% of the total variation in students’ satisfaction with library services could
be attributed to planning. Nevertheless, the fact that the correlation was positive also
means that, as planning increases, students’ satisfaction with library services increases as
well by 3%. The conclusion is that there is a very low positive relationship between
planning and students’ satisfaction with library services.
The table further shows the summary of t-test significance of correlation between
planning and students’ satisfaction with library services in secondary schools in Imo
State. The table indicated that the hypothesis is retained. This is because, with the degree
of freedom of 108, Pearson r of 0.18, the t-cal of 1.93 is less than the t-tab of 1.96 at 0.05
level of significance. This implies that there is no significant relationship between
planning and students’ satisfaction with library services in secondary schools in Imo
State.

8
Research Question Two: What is the relationship between organizing and students’
satisfaction with library services?
H02: There is no significant relationship between organizing and students’ satisfaction
with library services in secondary schools in Imo State.
Table 2: Correlation Coefficient between Organizing and Students’ Satisfaction
with Library Services
Variables N ∑ R r2 df tcal ttab Decision
SS 110 2598 0.07 0.005 108 1.68 1.96 Very Low
(0.5%) Relationship
O 110 1946 Retain H0

SS = Students’ Satisfaction , O = Organizing

Table 2 shows the correlation coefficient between organizing and students’
satisfaction with library services. The result of the analysis indicates that whereas the
correlation coefficient is 0.07, the coefficient of determination is 0.005. The index of 0.07
shows that there is a very low positive relationship between organizing and students’
satisfaction with library services. Also the coefficient of determination of 0.005 implies
that 0.5% of the total variation in students’ satisfaction with library services could be
attributed to organizing. Nevertheless, for the fact that the correlation was positive it
means that, as organizing increases students’ satisfaction with library services increases
as well by 0.5%. The conclusion is that there is a very low positive relationship between
organizing and students’ satisfaction with library services.
The table further shows the summary of t-test significance of correlation between
organizing and students’ satisfaction with library services in secondary schools in Imo
State. The table indicated that the hypothesis is retained. This is because, with the degree
of freedom of 108, Pearson r of 0.07, the t-cal of 1. is less than the t-tab of 1.68 at 0.05
level of significance. This implies that there is no significant relationship between
organizing and students’ satisfaction with library services in secondary schools in Imo
State.

9
Research Question Three: What is the relationship between controlling and students’
satisfaction with library services?
H03: There is no significant relationship between controlling and students’ satisfaction
with library services in secondary schools in Imo State.
Table 3: Correlation Coefficient between Controlling and Students’ Satisfaction
with Library Services
Variables N ∑ R r2 df tcal ttab Decision
SS 110 2598 0.21 0.04 108 2.23 1.96 Very Low
(5%) Relationship
C 110 2058 Do not Retain H0

SS = Students’ Satisfaction , C = Controlling

Table 3 shows the correlation coefficient between controlling and students’
satisfaction with library services. The result of the analysis indicated that n is 110 while
the correlation coefficient is 0.21, the coefficient of determination is 0.04. The index of
0.21 shows that there is a low positive relationship between controlling and students’
satisfaction with library services. Also the coefficient of determination of 0.04 implies
that 4% of the total variation in students’ satisfaction with library services could be
attributed to controlling. Nevertheless, the fact that the correlation was positive it also
means that, as controlling increases students’ satisfaction with library services increases
as well by 4%. The conclusion is that there is a low positive relationship between
controlling and students’ satisfaction with library services.
The table also shows the summary of t-test significance of correlation between
controlling and students’ satisfaction with library services in secondary schools in Imo
State. The table indicates that the hypothesis is not retained. This is because, with the
degree of freedom of 108, Pearson r of 0.21, the t-cal of 2.23 is greater than the t-tab of
1.96 at 0.05 level of significance. This implies that there is a significant relationship
between controlling and students’ satisfaction with library services in secondary schools
in Imo State.

10
Discussion of Findings
Relationship between Planning and Students’ Satisfaction with Library Services
It was found in this study that there is a very low positive relationship between
planning and students’ satisfaction with library services. Hypothesis testing proved that
there is no significant relationship between planning and students’ satisfaction with
library services provided. This result implies that the planning function is not effective in
the management of school libraries in Imo State thereby affecting the library services
rendered. This fact does not corroborates with that of Nwankwo, Akanwa and Okorie
(2022) who in their study discovered that planning correlates significantly with students’
use of library resources. Under-planning, inadequate funding, absence of written
statement of objectives, inadequate accommodation and insufficient library services are
recorded as the problems facing these libraries. These school libraries do not have
adequate library resources due to poor funding and because of these problems, students
ignore them. This finding is in consonance with Adeyemi’s (2010) research report that
the level of development of school libraries in Ekiti State was low, while the condition of
the school libraries was very poor.

Relationship between Organizing and Students’ Satisfaction with Library Services

It was also revealed in this study that there is a very low positive relationship
between organizing and students’ satisfaction with library services. Hypothesis testing
also proved that there is no significant relationship between organizing and students’
satisfaction with library services. This result is in agreement with Akanwa’s (2010) study
which revealed that the organizing function is a very important management function and
has a broad spectrum of activities which include, departmentalizing of the organization,
delegation of authority, assignment of task to individuals, opening channels of
communication to determine who reports to who, selection of services, and organization
of library information resources, which entails accessioning, cataloguing, classifications,
shelving and weeding. Furthermore, her research work supported this assertion by
stipulating that a good organizational structure provides for efficient work and
communication between departments, and individuals within the library and the users of
the library. From the ongoing, it could be deduced that well organized school library
services lead to students satisfaction with services provided.
11
Relationship between Controlling and Students’ Satisfaction with Library Services
It was also revealed in this study that there is a low positive relationship between
controlling and students’ satisfaction with library services. The hypothesis testing showed
that there is a significant relationship between controlling and students’ satisfaction with
library service. The result shows that of all the five management functions, only
controlling has a remarkable influence on students’ satisfaction with library services. This
means that the staff of the school library practice controlling. This finding is in
consonance with Akanwa’s (2010) research report who stated in her study that
controlling significantly influenced the provision of library services to children in public
libraries. It can therefore be inferred that the library staff usually control library services,
even though in some cases inadvertently. In this regard, Natarajan in Akanwa (2017)
states that, controlling is the process of ensuring that organizational activities are carried
out according to plan accomplished by comparing actual performance with predetermined
standards and thus taking action to correct any deviation.
Conclusion
The school library has been discovered to be one of the libraries that is
underdeveloped in Nigeria. This could be attributed to the fact that management
functions such as planning, organizing and controlling have not been adequately applied
in school library services. There is therefore need to put all these management functions
into play if school libraries should have the rightful places in the education of students.
Recommendations
In line with the results of this study, the researchers recommend as follows:
1. There should be proper and adequate planning of the available library services
because for any school library service to be effective and satisfy the needs of the
students, it must be properly planned.
2. Library services in secondary schools should be well organized in the aspect of
cataloguing, classification, shelving as these will facilitate the use of library by
students and ultimately improve their reading habit.

3. Control measures should be put in place as activities should be carried out

according to plans accomplished by comparing actual performance with
predetermined standards with the view to correct any deviation.
12
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