CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

According to Boakye (2008). University libraries like those of the University of

Ghana library system, play very important roles in supporting the university’s

academic work. Without a library, the university’s academic work will not be

successful, because the libraries provide services that help in teaching, research and

learning. Libraries are not simply storehouses of books but provide proactive services to

their users both from within the library’s stock and from a wide range of external

sources. Some of the services according to them are inquiry services, bibliographic

assistance, library instruction, interlibrary loans, photocopying, and computer facilities

which help them cater all the information needed in every place.

It was indicated from Reding (2012) that from a social, cultural and economic

point of view, library plays a fundamental role in our society. They are the collectors

and stewards of our heritage; they are organizers of the knowledge in the hooks they

collect, adding value by cataloguing, classifying and describing them. As public

institutions, they assure equality of access for all citizens. They take the knowledge of

the past and present, and lay it down for the future.

According to Olga M. Ong a College Librarian IV in Taguig City (2015), technical

development in the Philippines is fast approaching and it does not change the

information that the researchers need but it changes the way in which it is being

delivered. A lot of Filipinos are not anymore reading books from the library and they
just search on the internet which brings changes in information technology and have

resulted new format of information sources and have cause a change in the information

seeking behavior of the users. With the existence of electronic resources, remote access,

easy searching and browsing becoming common features of research, it made the

library’s effectiveness to be lowered because there are lesser people who take time to

read and find information’s from the library. It is for the reason that the more Filipinos

seek from sources that are very easy and convenient, timely and provide plenty of

information.

According to the librarian of Samar National School, there is a moderation in

physical library usage by information access had left the library without any hard data

to justify their role in meeting the information needs of the researchers. The evidence-

based data such a computer logs in some library system could only provide overall

usage report without any specific categorization. Therefore, there are no supporting

data that can be used to measure the usage of the library. Some researchers claimed that

they do not need to use library at all, not recognizing that much of the electronic

sources are being purchased from the library. Other people still use libraries more than

they actually do and this shows that there is a great mismatch between what are

rhetoric and what is being practiced.

Statement of the Problem

During the last decades, the library seems to be the number one knowledge

source that is often used by the students in their studies. It is viewed as “The

bookworm” for it comprises a lot of reliable information. As time passes by, there came

factors that gave so much changes regarding the usage of the library and it affected the

library’s effectiveness. This might also influence the student’s learnings and

performance.

This study seeks to address the effectiveness of the library to the Grade 10

students of Samar National School as the main respondents. Specifically, this study

sought to answer the following questions:

1. What are the advantages of using the library in gathering data compare to

any other knowledge sources?

2. What are the factors and how does it affects the effectiveness of the library?

3. How will the library’s effectiveness affect the performance of the students’

capability to read and understand?

Together with the mentioned questions, are the objectives and the main goals of

conducting this study. The objectives are:

1. To find out what type of need influence the selection of one information source

over the other.

 2. To evaluate the reasons why students must choose the library over other

knowledge sources.

3. To determine the factors that encourage or discourage the students from using

the library.

4. To evaluate the hindrances and to know how to improve the effectiveness of the

services in the library.

5. To investigate on how the library improves the academic performances of the

students.

6. To know the advantages that the students are about to get when they choose to

read and get information from the library.

Theoretical Framework

The researchers further support their claim that was first anchored with

communication studies theories and organizational communication system theory. The

Section on Library Theory and Research concerns itself with the continuing

development of library and information science through theoretical and applied

research in all aspects of the discipline. It promotes the importance of investigation and

research activities within IFLA's program, upholds scientific integrity in research and

development activities, supports the design and investigation of research projects and

the reporting and publication of research results within the library and information

science community worldwide.

 According to Hegel (2017), this is a theory that explains the development of the

environment as a dynamic process. Marx and Darwin used this theory in their work.

System theory was used by L. von Bertalanffy, a biologist, as the basis for the field of

study known as ‘general system theory, a multidisciplinary field (1968). Some

influences from the contingency approach can be found in system theory. It abstracts

the organization of a phenomena, independent of their substance, type, or spatial or

temporal scale of existence. It investigates both the principles common to all complex

entities, and the (usually mathematical) models which can be used to describe them. A

system can be said to consist of four things. The first is objects – the parts, elements, or

variables within the system. These may be physical or abstract or both, depending on

the nature of the system.

In addition, it is a system consists of attributes – the qualities or properties of the

system and its objects. A system had internal relationships among its objects. And most

of all, systems exist in an environment. A system, then, is a set of things that affect one

another within an environment and form a larger pattern that is different from any of

the parts. The fundamental systems-interactive paradigm of organizational analysis

features the continual stages of input, throughput (processing), and output, which

demonstrate the concept of openness/closeness. A closed system does not interact with

its environment. It does not take in information and therefore is likely to atrophy, that is

to vanish. An open system receives information, which it uses to interact dynamically

with its environment.

 Another theory supporting our claim is the Semiotics, the theory of the

production and interpretation of meaning. Its basic principle is that meaning is made by

the deployment of acts and objects which function as "signs" in relation to other signs.

Systems of signs are constituted by the complex meaning-relations that can exist

between one sign and another, primarily relations of contrast and super

ordination/subordination (e.g. class/member, whole/part). Signs are deployed in space

and time to produce "texts", whose meanings are construed by the mutually

contextualizing relations among their signs.

And lastly, our claim supported by the theory of Existentialism. It is a philosophy

that emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice. It is the view that humans

define their own meaning in life, and try to make rational decisions despite existing in

an irrational universe. It focuses on the question of human existence, and the feeling

that there is no purpose or explanation at the core of existence. It holds that, as there is

no God or any other transcendent force, the only way to counter this nothingness (and

hence to find meaning in life) is by embracing existence.

Existentialism was originated with the 19th Century philosophers Søren

Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, although neither used the term in their work. In

the 1940s and 1950s, French existentialists such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus (1913

- 1960), and Simone de Beauvoir (1908 - 1986) wrote scholarly and fictional works that

popularized existential themes, such as dread, boredom, alienation, the absurd,

freedom, commitment and nothingness. It is defined as a movement is used to describe

those who refuse to belong to any school of thought, repudiating of the adequacy of any
body of beliefs or systems, claiming them to be superficial, academic and remote from

life.

Significance of the study

Conducting a research regarding the effectiveness of the library will be deemed

important in bearing the services found in the library and services in any knowledge

sources, This study will also be an instrument for us, people, to have an insight about

the role of a library in a student’s life. It will also be a helpful indication on how

important proper education about library is as it teaches information skill to the

student’s for effective retrieval. It will also serve as a bridge to reconnect the

relationship between the library, the students and education.

The main beneficiary of this research are the students. With the help of this

study, the students will be able to get answers from the type of source that the students

prefer and feel comfortable using with. And this will also find the various aspects of

users that will motivate them into coming to the library. This will also teach the

students on how proper education should go wherein they will see the importance of

getting source from the library and not just copy pasting from the internet.

This study will also be beneficial for the school specifically to the teachers. It will

serve as a gateway for the school to develop good learners and great students who are

really learning from what they read. It also helps the school to encourage their students

to avoid plagiarism and copy pasting.

 Aside from the study’s importance towards the students, teachers, school and

proper education, it is also beneficial for the researchers because the researchers are also

involved in the same problem encountered by the library and the school. The

researchers will now be able to practice the right and proper way of getting

information’s. It will also help a lot for the reason that the researchers are also students

who are in in a state of living where they are about to learn a lot of things through

information. This will also help researchers to get accurate information’s especially that

the researchers are working on a lot of research papers and they need to gather data

from the most reliable source they could think of.

Lastly, this study will be deemed important to the future researchers in order for

them to be guided on how to get information correctly. And it will also help to provide

a clear and accessible synthesis of the existing researchers to inform proper actions and

behavior. It will also help future researchers to have a better academic standards which

will support their way of gathering data. And most importantly, it will create a better

society and a better community for the students because they will be surrounded with

proper education.
Scope and Delimitation

This research study focuses on the importance of using the library as the main

source of knowledge and information. It will also cover all the extent services of the

library towards catering the needs of the students which is one of the factors that affects

the rate of the library’s effectiveness with regards to its usage. The study will also cover

other relative and interrelated factors that also affects the effectiveness of the library

and its rationale for periodically assessing the library’s functionality and usability. It

will also cover the impact of the usage of the library toward the academic performances

of the students.

The study is only be limited for the Library, School administrators, and the

Grade 10 students of Samar Nation School. This study is also designated to be

conducted in School Year 2019-2020 and is only limited for that allotted time. And this

study will not go pass and explore the roles to school administrators and its climate.

With the purpose of determining the importance of the library, this research is

expected to be the gateway for a better understanding of the problem towards the

effectiveness of the library and how it can be addresses and corrected. With the help of

librarians and other school staff, it is expected to seek for answers to the questions

regarding the library’s effectiveness. This research is also projected to trace the level of

encouragement that the library is giving towards the students and on how effective it is

in perceiving their motivational needs. And lastly, this study is also expected to detect

the problems of certain areas in a student’s development that affects his/her usage of

the knowledge and information from the library.

Definition of Terms

Education. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, it is a systematic and

facilitated process of learning or the acquisition of knowledge, skill, values, beliefs and

habits. In this study, the researcher’s idea is the same to the word definition that have

been stated above.

Existentialism. According to Google, existentialism is a philosophical theory or

approach which emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and

responsible agent determining their own development through acts of will. In this

study, the researchers defined this as an individuality of a specific idea that contributes

the time where it is sometimes describes and manipulates as when the idea is presented

to.

Habits. According to the Wikipedia, it ia defined as a routine or a behavior that is

repeated regularly. In this study, the researcher’s idea is the same to the word definition

that have been stated above.

Hampered. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, it is defined as an

operation or to interfere something. On the other side of our research, it is articulated to

an example of a pause stop situation wherein a specific idea is a contradiction to the

given idea in our study.

Library. From the source on the online Dictionary of library and information

science (ODLIS), it is defined as a connection or group of books and other print or non-
print materials organized and maintained for use (reading, consultation, study,

research, etc.) In this study, the researchers idea is the same to the word definition that

is stated above.

Effectiveness. The degree to which something is successful in producing a desired

result; success. And it is also the degree to which objectives are highly attained.
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES AND STUDIES

This section summarizes the review of related studies and literatures, which

provides understanding and insights for the developing of the logical literature of this

research. It presents ideas taken from books, journals, and periodicals which were

found significantly related to the present study.

Related Literature

According to Ene, N. (2011), a library is organized for use and maintained by a

public body, an institution, a corporation, or a private individual. Public and

institutional collections and services may be intended for the use by people who chose

not to or cannot afford to purchase an extensive collection themselves, who need

material no individual can responsibly by expected to have, or who require professional

assistance with their research.

In addition, libraries are expected with provision to ensure maximum and

availability of collection of all references, thereby showing the satisfactory use of the

library materials through adequate range and quality services. In addition, modern

libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to

information in many formats and from many sources. They are extending services

beyond the physical walls of a building, by providing materials accessible by electronic

means, and by providing the assistance of librarians in navigating and analyzing very

large amounts of information with a variety of digital tools.

 However, according to Davenport, T. (2016), it has shown in the research that

there is a declining trend in library non-users. This global phenomenon has been

observed to include university and college libraries. This could be suggestive of

increased usage of networked electronic resources or availability of alternative sources

of information as majority of students regard the library as a place opposed to being an

information resource. An undergraduate information seeks behaviors that shows a

statistics that mostly students do not use the library effectively.

Students have admitted in the past that they hardly have any reason to borrow

books as they have access to online resources. Large, rich library collection only matter

to the faculty and the graduate students. The undergraduate have little interest. This

situation is compounded by prevailing computer technologies. Undergraduates can get

enough from the web without ever visiting the library. The online revolution has made

lots of information so accessible that students no longer see the benefits of using the

library’s resources and services vit-a-vit those of other information provides. The

central role of the library in the academic environment thereby becomes challenged

compelling the library to learn new skills to effectively compete for the attention of its

intended users. (2009)

On the other side, Empirical studies shows that a lot of libraries have maintained

and established resources to facilitate teachings, learning and knowledge dissemination.

It was also stated that the effectiveness of the library depends on the facilities being

constructed. Libraries are equipped with advance technological facilities that facilitate

access; and serve the purpose for which they have been established. Libraries still have
an impact to the students up to the present time and internet resources might be an

instrument to bring back the interest of the students towards getting information’s from

the library Dar ct al. (2017)

With accordance to Koovakki and Jalaja (2015), there is an ascertained level of

satisfaction of career seekers in the resources and services of university, college and

public libraries. Their survey revealed that users using university libraries were most

satisfied and using public libraries were least satisfied. A difference was also observed

between the level of satisfaction of male and female users. The “Information Needs in

Higher Education: A Study of College Faculties in Manipur” ascertained that the

information needs of college and university faculties. It is revealed that majority of the

college faculty members needed information for academic work, whereas university

faculty members needed information to update knowledge and for research work. It

was also observed that most of the faculties of colleges and university were unaware of

the use of IT, because of lack of infrastructure in libraries.

Related Studies

According to the study of Henry, V. (2014), quality education is impossible

without the library. The essential housed in it. G.T. Onadiran and K.W. Onadiran (1983)

attempted to study the process involved in collection building of library materials in

eleven university libraries. Ohio Link has been recognized worldwide by librarians and

scholars as the most successful cooperative collection building tool. Traditionally in the

print environment the collection development policies of academic libraries are static

and of little policies of academic libraries are static and of little practical utility.
 With the connection to the idea of Henry, a study from Empirical shows that

libraries are critically important in helping researchers to exploit the full benefits and

opportunities of the networked world, including such developments as open access and

social media. It was also stated that libraries help researchers to win grants and

contrast. Libraries perform a greater role if researchers knew that support was available,

and if their involvement was more formalised. It is still believed that libraries are still

the most reliable and preferable knowledge sources according to varied researchers.

According to the study of Albert, G.(2018), library is more efficient at the present

time because students are losing the behavior of proper education. Libraries today are

playing a larger role in research information management at institutions worldwide and

can offer considerable expertise to support publications harvesting, discoverability,

training and support for researchers. There is also a growing sense that libraries can

help people decide what information’s they can truly trust. And lastly, libraries

contribute a lot to their communities in terms of helping spark creativity among young

people, providing a trusted place for people to learn and providing educational

opportunities for people of all ages.

In addition, according to Fazlur Rahiman and Tamizhchelvan (2017) a study was

conducted to investigate the information needs, use of information channels,

information seeking process and information seeking behavior of students of colleges

affiliated to Anna University, Coimbatore. One of the important findings of the study is

that the library remains the predominant primary source among the students, as it is

continuously being dependent by the young engineering students. The study enables to
know the statistics of the library resources and the infrastructure. The study also

investigates the sufficiency of the library resources and the level of satisfaction on

library services. The study stressed over to develop digital library infrastructure along

with digital resources. Besides, the librarians and the management should focus on

providing more number of online resources, patents and standards.

 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter provides the methods used in the study an on how it will be applied

and discusses each method that have been used in the collection and analysis of data to

answer the primary and secondary questions of the study. It explains the process

starting from research design to the statistical treatment.

Research Design

This study utilized Case study analysis to properly arrive with the ultimate goal

of the study which is to determine the effectiveness of the library. It will fall under

Explanatory and Multiple-case studies because it best fit the objectives and the answers

to the research questions.

It is further explanatory because it is seeking to answer a question that sought to

explain the presumed causal links in real-life interventions that are too complex for the

survey or experimental strategies. And this will also answer and explain the factors

affecting the effectiveness of the library and will further clarify the importance of it. In,

evaluation language, the explanations would link program implementation with

program effects.

It is also Multiple-case studies because it enables the researcher to explore

differences within and between cases. It will identify the performance of the students

who are frequently using the library as the main source of knowledge. The goal is to

replicate findings across cases while comparisons are being drawn. It is imperative that
the case is chosen carefully so that the researcher can predict similar results across

cases, or predict contrasting results based on the theories that supports the claim.

In order to gather the data, the sole instrument that will be used is interview

which will be developed together with interview questions.

Population of Samples

The set of samples or the target population of this study are the Grade 10

students of Samar National School. The total number of population is (NUMBER OF

ALL THE STUDENTS IN GRADE 10) excluding the dropouts, and there will be 10

respondents in total. The respondents was gotten from the attendance of the students

who always go to the library. It is an advantage to use the Grade 10 students as the

population sample because they don’t have allotted time to use library so with this case,

we are able to reveal those students who still choose to go to the library despite their

loaded schedules.

This study used Purposive sampling for participation selection. This is for the

reason that this sampling method catered and obtained the specific way of getting

participants/population samples with accordance to its purpose which is to determine

the library’s effectiveness. This sampling method is also ideal because this study seeks

to highlight a group of people who will fulfil the goal of getting answers. And lastly,

the method used was capable of selecting respondents who best fit the study for it

selected students who passed the criteria.

Research Instrument

The research instrument used was interview. The researchers used interview

because the study seeks to find answers based on the perspective of the students.

Interview doesn’t just find answers from the respondents but it also created a live

interaction within the respondents and the researchers. With this, the respondents

became more expressive in their answers and it became more helpful towards the

researchers for the reason that the emotions of the respondents were felt by the

researchers and it made their interpretation of data to have a smooth flow.

The interview seeks to answer the following questions:

1. How often do you use the library?

2. What are the effects of the library to you as a student?

3. How does the library help you in getting information?

4. Do you feel assured that the library could give you concrete information?

5. How do you perceive the library on providing current and relevant information?

6. How does your library usage affects your academic performance?

7. Does the learnings you get from the library give you more confidence in

answering questions regarding your topic?

8. Is the library effective on enhancing your skills in reading and writing?

9. What do you frequently use as a source of information?

10. How do you perceive the library as a reliable source of information compare to

the information from the internet?

11. What do you think are the factors that influences your decision towards choosing

the library?

12. Do you find the library comfortable?

13. Are the books well-organized and does help you to find books easily?

14. Does the librarians give you enough attention towards your library needs?

15. Are the librarians approachable?

The first question aims to determine if the library is still effective to the students

by determining on how frequent they go to the library. This question is followed by

another question which aims to determine the effects of the library usage towards the

students’ performances. While the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eight question

aims to evaluate the advantages of using the library and on what specific ways does the

library helps to increase the academic performances of the students. It also seeks to

describe how the students view the library as a part of their learning and part of their

way of exploring things.

The next two questions aims to determine other knowledge sources. Question

number 9 aims to highlight the source of information that the students are using. It also

aims to drag knowledge sources other than the library. The tenth question aims to

compare the reliability of the library compare to any other knowledge sources, and to
appraise the advantages of the information in the library that other knowledge sources

don’t have.

And lastly, question number 10 and the remaining questions aims to evaluate the

factors that affects the students’ decision of choosing the library in order to determine

what field of the library needs to be improved.

Data Processing Procedures

In order to gather data for the study, the researcher wrote first a letter to the

school principal of Samar National School, to inform that the researchers will conduct

an interview involving students inside the school, after seeking the approval of the

authority, same letter will be handed to the Grade 10 coordinator and to the subject

teachers of the respondents.

The researcher will provide interview questions to the students who were

enrolled in Grade 10 because of their involvement in this study. The interview will be

done personally by the researchers and facilitated by the retrieval of responses.

Data Gathering Procedure

In gathering the data, the researchers are able to conduct audio recording and

written only processes of taking down notes at the same time consecutively while

interviewing the respondents. The researchers will record the answers of the

respondents.

After all the data are gathered, the result and the answers of the respondents will

be recorded by the researchers and the data will be analyzed and interpreted. In order
to distinguish the factors that affect the library’s effectiveness, responses to the

interview questions by Grade 10 students will be analyzed with the data requirements

of the study. The data that will be gathered will also be graphically presented in

Chapter 4.