P O LY T E C H N I C U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E P H I L I P P I N E S 1

STUDENTS’ SATISFACTION IN LIBRARY AT POLYTECHNIC

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

A Thesis Proposal

Presented to the Faculty of College of Science

Polytechnic University of the Philippines,
Sta. Mesa, Manila

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree Bachelor in Applied Statistics

Submitted by

Garcia, Gideon Ian Oliver T.

Perez, Karen Kate C.
Rances, Monica H.
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CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

School library are filled with stacks of books and resources where students,

teachers and other staff members have access in it. It includes magazines,

newspapers, films, audios, DVDs, maps, manuscripts, e-books and various other

formats. Libraries are becoming a center where people can engage in learning,

enjoy reading and explore their interest in different subjects. Library is the best

place to spend leisure time wisely that leads to the overall development and well-

being of an individual. The purpose of school library is to ensure equitable access

to books, resources and information technology to all the members of the school.

The benefits of libraries are countless as they play a vital role in helping people by

providing access to information, knowledge and entertainment resources. Libraries

attract people to read and develop habit of reading and learning. It increases their

thirst for reading and expands knowledge. Library is also essential for any kind of

research on different subjects. Libraries are important for research, information,

knowledge and pleasure of reading. Libraries provide perfect environment to enjoy

read peacefully. Any kind of library is an asset to our community. It is the leap in

advancement of knowledge and well-being of a person. Reading is always the

good habit. Visiting the library and reading can be the best way to spend leisure

time and to learn something new. Libraries play important role in progress and

development of the society. Library is a valuable resource for the society.

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Statement of the Problem

This study focuses on the level of satisfaction of the students in library at

Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa, Manila. For the study

continues, this research extracted to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of satisfaction of students in library at Polytechnic University

of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa, Manila?

2. Does the library quality affect the academic performance of the students?
3. What are the factors that may affect the satisfaction of those students who

use library?
4. Is there a significant relationship between the students’ satisfaction and library

quality at Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa, Manila?

Hypothesis
 There is a high level of satisfaction of students in Library at Polytechnic

University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa, Manila.

 There is no significant relationship between the students’ satisfaction and the

library quality at Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa, Manila.

Scope and Limitation

This study is limited to all selected students who are using library at Polytechnic

University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa, Manila. It is to measure the level of

satisfaction in library and to identify if the students has relation into the factors that

may affect their satisfaction in Library at Polytechnic University of the Philippines,

Sta. Mesa, Manila and will not scope the students from other schools for more

specific and reliable results.

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Significance of the Study

The result of this study will be beneficial to the following:

University Library. This study will help the University Library to improve its own

facilities and to encourage more students to use our Library. It will also help them

to understand how effective the usage of library in their academic purposes.

Students. This study will help for the educational and personal development of the

students. It impacts positively on the academic performance and achievements of

the students.

Future Researchers. This study will offer the future researchers’ data, information,

familiarity and relevance to different topics that can be related to their research.

Theoretical Framework

According to Miller (2005a), "Library 2.0" is a term coined by Michael Casey on

his LibrayCrunch blog. Though his writings on Library 2.0 are groundbreaking and

in many ways authoritative, Casey (2006a) defines the term very broadly, arguing it

applies beyond technological innovation and service. In addition to Casey, other

blogging librarians have begun conceptually exploring what Library 2.0 might

mean, and because of this disparate discussion with very wide parameters, there is

some controversy over the definition and relative importance of the term. The

nature of this controversy Lawson (2006), Peek (2005), and Tebbutt (2006) explore

and begin to adequately rectify, and Crawford (2006) provides a very thorough
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account of the ambiguity and confusion surrounding the term, partially suggesting

that there is nothing inherently novel about the idea.

A theory for Library 2.0 could be understood to have these four essential

elements:

 It is user-centered. Users participate in the creation of the content and

services they view within the library's web-presence, OPAC, etc. The

consumption and creation of content is dynamic, and thus the roles of librarian

and user are not always clear.

 It provides a multi-media experience. Both the collections and services of

Library 2.0 contain video and audio components. While this is not often cited as

a function of Library 2.0, it is here suggested that it should be.

 It is socially rich. The library's web-presence includes users' presences.

There are both synchronous (e.g. IM) and asynchronous (e.g. wikis) ways for

users to communicate with one another and with librarians.

 It is communally innovative. This is perhaps the single most important aspect

of Library 2.0. It rests on the foundation of libraries as a community service, but

understands that as communities change, libraries must not only change with

them, they must allow users to change the library. It seeks to continually

change its services, to find new ways to allow communities, not just individuals

to seek, find, and utilize information.

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Library 2.0 is a user-centered virtual community. It is a socially rich, often

egalitarian electronic space. While Librarian 2.0 might act as a facilitator and

provide support, he or she is not necessarily primarily responsible for the creation

of the content. Users interact with and create resources with one another and with

librarians. In some ways, it is a virtual reality for libraries, a Web manifestation of

the library as place. A library's presence on the Web in Library 2.0 includes the

presence of that library's constituency and utilizes the same applications and

technologies as its community, a concept Habib (2006) recognizes in a very useful

model for Library 2.0 in regards to academic libraries.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1: The Research Paradigm

The dependent variable of the researchers was Students’ satisfaction and the

independent variable are Library Environment, Library Facilities, Library Staffs,

Library Services, Library Collections. It shown that the library users do concern
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about the library quality. Therefore, it can be concluded that a library can achieve

high impact on the quality if it emphasizes the students’ satisfaction and meet all

the user needs and wants.

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

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The essence of libraries is to satisfy the needs of its users by providing

information resources and services that meet the university programmes

curriculum. According to Igben (1993) a library is most functional if the services

provided correspond closely with the information needs of its users. Edem and

Edem (2002) conducted a study on level of utilization of reference information

resources in the University of Calabar Library. Academic libraries are an integral

part of universities and have a critical role to play in supporting the core mission of

the university that is teaching, learning and research. However, according to Tiefel

(2004) most library users are unaware of the quality and variety of information

available. Tiefel pointed out that students are often satisfied with materials that an

experienced librarian would find inadequate and /or inappropriate. It was identified

that discipline has a major influence on usage patterns and preferences, and that

faculty members in science tend to use the library more intensively than their

counterparts in the humanities or social sciences (Lazinger et al., 1997; Bar-llan et

al., 2003). Danuta A. Nitecki (1996) also claims that the assessment of how well a

library succeeds depends on the user as a judge of quality. As these views gain

greater acceptance among academic librarians, librarians must orient themselves

and their programs to become better customer advocates and address their

problem-solving needs. Libraries are service oriented organizations established for

the provision of relevant information resources and quality services to meet their

users’ information needs. Sowole (1995) noted that users are described as the

raison (reason for existence) of the library. Meeting the information needs of users
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requires the provision of the actual information resources and services that will

satisfy the needs of users. Simmonds (2001) stated several factors that can

influence users’ satisfaction; these factors include responsiveness, competence

and assurances, tangibles and resources. Sowole (1995) implored librarians to

make maximum efforts to ensure that their library users derived the best possible

benefits from the services they render. Materials are to be provided by libraries to

support the learning, teaching and research processes and to provide assistance

to users. Simmonds and Andaleeb (2001) argued that providing quality services in

academic libraries is now a major issue among academic librarians; they see the

library more in terms of the provision of and access to service quality than as just a

physical place. Technology and automation have also changed the way people

perceive libraries. They emphasize the provision of good library service as more

important to the users than the mere physical library building. This perspective as

stated in Simmond’s and Andaleeb’s (2001) article titled: “Usage of Academic

Libraries: The role of service quality, resources, and user characteristics‟ is

evidence in several recent studies on users’ satisfaction with library services with

academic libraries services. The authors stressed that access to information

provided by libraries is seen as more important than the materials physically

available in a library. Quality service is a competitive necessity for businesses and

service organizations. Assessing service quality is therefore the first step in

retaining costumers in today’s competitive environment. Simmonds and Andaleeb

(2001) posited that by providing quality services and satisfaction to users,

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academic and research libraries can distinguish their services through friendly,

helpful and knowledgeable advice and the best technological resources academic

libraries users have varying needs and expectations, it is the responsibility of the

library staff to know these needs and expectations and strive to meet them. Igben

(1993) noted that for a library to be most functional, the services it renders should

correspond closely with the needs of its users. Ensuring that relevant information

resources are provided and made accessible to users goes a long way to

encourage users to visit the library more often. Simmonds and Andaleeb (2001)

stated that the effectiveness of libraries has often been measured by the volume of

library materials available to clients, the amount of use of services and resources,

and the apparent or quantified satisfaction of clients. Song (2009) writes on

designing library services based on user needs. He notes that user needs change

continuously and recognizes also the need to reach out to users with new services.

Sureshchandar et al. (2002) found that service quality and customer satisfaction

were highly related. User's expectations have increased as a result of rapid

development of advanced information technology, increasing generation of new

knowledge and information availability from both printed as well as online media.

User satisfaction and optimization of resources have become important areas for

libraries to maintain awareness of. Many libraries especially the university libraries

are focusing on evaluation of the users' needs and their satisfaction with their

services. User surveys can provide useful perceptions of service quality in libraries.

For example, Texas University libraries conducted focus group studies in 2001 with
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graduate and undergraduate studies in order to gather specific information related

to their satisfaction with and confidence in the assistance provided at library

service points. The sessions revealed that users were generally pleased with the

assistance provided them by professional staff at reference desks and that they

found librarians to be usually patient and helpful although there were some

elements of dissatisfaction identified by the respondents. The findings of such

studies are being used to improve library directional tools and to improve staff

training for public service staff (Crowley and Gilreath, 2002). User feedback is

considered as a more reliable factor in measuring the utility and effectiveness of

any library. This is the reason that library user surveys have become another study

by Unomah, (1988). Surveyed students‟ use of library, he discovered that students

did not use library resources for various reasons, among which are students‟

ignorance resulting in wrong approaches in using the libraries. For instance, he

found that about 69% indicated that they approached the library resources by first

going to the shelves instead of the catalogues. McCarthy (1999) studied students‟

use of library resources at the University of Rhodes Island. The results showed that

60% of the students believed that they are effective seekers and users of library

resources, only 40% were not satisfied with their search for resources in that

library. Berling, and Cudd (1997) assert that the library user is regarded as the

most logical source to determine whether the library is playing its role satisfactorily

or not. The resources of a library can influence its use as depicted by Adeoti,

(1998) which showed that students indicated that they use the library more to read
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their personal books than for any other purposes. Osinulu, (1998) examines

patterns of use in a university library in Nigeria by analyzing user records and data

which show low use of the library due to lack of awareness. The emerging role of

the libraries as an information professional in the new knowledge dispensation is

enhanced by two main challenges. First, the value of information lies in the ability

to access and adapt to suit new applications and improve the efficiency of existing

systems. Universities are called upon not only to generate new knowledge but also

to be able to market the innovations that have been generated out of knowledge

transferred and adapted. Since this requires an atmosphere of research, libraries

are challenged to provide access to relevant information by applying ICTs to

facilitate quick, efficient access, integrate and repackage information for the end-

user that will capacitate higher educational institutions to conduct research.

Second, the new knowledge economy emphasizes that knowledge from wherever

it is produced can be transferred to where it is needed. Library use study as an

aspect of users’ studies is a vital aid for effective planning and management in

academic libraries. Most evaluative studies on library use have always

concentrated on students’ use of academic libraries though, students are an

important part of the set-up of academic institutions and perhaps the major users of

academic library facilities, nevertheless, the staff of academic institutions,

particularly the academic staff also use the library. The need for good libraries in

higher institutions of learning cannot be over-emphasized, as the quality of any

education depends on the library, not the library as a magnificent building but the
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use of it. It is important that libraries serving academic communities have the

broadest possible collection of books and other essential materials. The academic

library is an inexhaustible store house of knowledge, where one can go at will,

unrestricted to help himself to the whole field of knowledge and practical life of the

past, present and prognostications for the future. If a library is well stocked and the

students know they can find more information than what they are taught, they will

use the library maximally Ikolo (2015) examined user’s satisfaction with library

services: a case study of Delta State University Library. It was discovered that

library users were not satisfied with reference services, inter-library loan services,

electronic database services, photocopying services, bindery services, weekend

library services, book lending services, CD-ROM services and indexing and

abstracting services. It was also seen that library users were not satisfied with the

existing textbooks available on shelves, internet services, newspapers/ magazines,

journals and the inability to borrow books from the library. But they were satisfied

with working hours of the library, thesis/dissertation services. Despite the

availability of studies on users’ satisfaction with library resources and services in

university libraries. However, no study was found to have been conducted on

user’s satisfaction with library resources and services in the College of Health

Sciences Library, Niger Delta University. It is in the light of the above that this study

tends to fill this gap in knowledge.

Synthesis of the Study

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It is important to investigate users’ satisfaction with library information

resources and services in Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in order

to assure that users' information needs are continually being met. The availability

of quality information resources and services in libraries do have a significant

influence on users' satisfaction. When users are satisfied with library information

resources, they not only come back but speak well of the library to other users.

Library plays a very important role in promoting the progress of knowledge. Library

resources. This study will fill in as a manual for improve the collection and services

of the library. The results of the survey will inform gap in the way of improvement of

the library management team.

CHAPTER 3
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The researchers originally investigated secondary sources to evaluate the kind

of research led on library services quality and related issues. The following stage

included assembling data straightforwardly from the students that use the library.

This was practiced in two stages. Participants responded to the questionnaires.

The researchers included in designing and pretesting a questionnaire that was

controlled to the respondents, chosen conveniently, from a cross area of students

familiar with their academic libraries. The survey was an instrumental in evaluating

the qualities and shortcomings of the questionnaire and in guaranteeing that every

single appropriate variable was incorporated.

Population, Sample Size, Sampling Technique

The overall population are the students from Polytechnic University of the

Philippines who are using library. Therefore, the selected students were the main

respondents of this study.

To determine the number of respondents, the researchers used probability

type of sampling, specifically, stratified random sampling. It will be used to get the

population size in library. This method allows the researcher to get a small group of

respondents which is also called sample size. The target sample size will be

considered by getting the 25% of the population. The said 25% will make the

sample size feasible and proportional to the overall population.

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Description of the Respondents

The selected students who are using library at Polytechnic University of the

Philippines.

Data Gathering Procedures

The gathering of data was made possible through the effort done by the

researchers with the following steps:

First, the researchers approached the Director of the Library and requested to

conduct a research study.

Second, the researchers provide the questionnaires given to the selected

students who are using library as respondents in this study.

Finally, the researchers collected the questionnaires after acquiring all the data

needed for tallying purpose. The score was treated and interpreted through the

corresponding statistical tool.

Research Instrument

The questionnaire will be the major instrument used in this study. The

questionnaire used in this study was designed as Likert scale to acquire

information to measure the level of satisfaction of students in library at Polytechnic

University of the Philippines.

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The questionnaires will prepare by the researchers, it was developed by

reading reference materials and related about the library satisfaction.

The following arbitrary levels will be used to describe the said library

satisfaction of the students.

5 - Fully satisfied

4 - Very Much satisfied

3 - Satisfied

2 - Less satisfied

1 - Not Satisfied

Statistical Treatment of Data

The data collected by the researchers followed some statistical tools and

measures for the data analysis: Multiple regression analysis: used for predicting

the unknown value of a variable from the known value of two or more variables. By

multiple regression, we mean models with just one dependent and two or more

independent variables.

Multiple Regression Model: Y = b0 + b1 X1 + b2 X2 + … + bk Xk