Awareness, Competencies and Preferences of the Zamboanga City Library Users: Input for Effective and Efficient Library Services

Abstract

The study determined the level of awareness, competencies and preferences of the library users at the Zamboanga City Library. Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions: What is the level of awareness of the Zamboanga City Library users in terms of: availability of resources, accessibility to resources; and provision of services? What is the level of competencies of the Zamboanga City Library users in terms of: bibliographic skills, research skills; and information literacy skills? What is the level of preferences of Zamboanga City Library users in terms of: tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy? Is there a significant difference on the level of awareness, competencies & preferences of the Zamboanga City Library users when grouped according to their profile? On basis of the findings, what library program can be designed? The study surveyed a total of two hundred seventy-two (272) respondents who answered the survey questionnaires. mostly of the library users were junior and senior high school students whose age range from 13 to 19 years old with 146 respondents or 53.7 percent. There were 105 respondents or 38.6 percent whose age range from 20 to 29 years old. 11 respondents or 4.0 percent were ages 30 – 39 years old; 1 respondent or 0.4 percent ages 40- 49 years old; 1 respondent or 0.4 percent ages 50 – 59 years and 5 respondents or 1.8 percent whose age range from 60 years and above. The results on the level of awareness of the Zamboanga City Library users in terms of availability of resources, accessibility of resources and provision of services. In terms of availability of resources in all the five indicators, the respondents are much aware that the Zamboanga City library provides general information such encyclopedias, dictionaries etc. (4.38), the library provides periodicals sources such as newspapers, journals, magazines, etc. (4.27), provides materials for recreational reading (4.25), provides updated and accurate information sources (4.20), and they provide Wi-Fi/internet access (4.19). Overall, the result reveals that the level of awareness of the Zamboanga City Library users in terms of availability of resources is high, as manifested on the overall weighted mean of 4.26. The finding implies that respondents are much aware of the librarians or personnel of the Zamboanga City Library effort to ensure that the library clients are provided with library resources in all formats from print to non-print, and ensure that these materials and facilities are available in the library when users want to utilize them for their information and research needs. The levels of competencies of the Zamboanga City Library users in terms of bibliographic skills, research skills, and information literacy skills. In terms of bibliographic skills, the respondents believed that they possessed advance bibliographic skills in locating and accessing the needed information (4.18); ability to search information on e-resources (4.13); ability to search an accurate and reliable sources (4.11); competence to use the bibliographic tools to locate the resources (4.10); and searching scholarly-made articles and resources (4.08). Overall, the findings revealed that the level of competencies of the Zamboanga City Library users in terms of bibliographic skills is advance. To sum it up, the results on the level of preferences of the Zamboanga City Library users in terms of tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy are much preferred by the respondents. The result implies that library users’ expectations are growing. They do not merely come to the library to find the materials they need but they expect that the library staff are there to serve them the best way they can. Furthermore, the respondents also preferred the library should create an atmosphere conducive for learning and study with functional library facilities and equipment. Also, the respondents preferred much that librarians who attend to them must possess a good human relation and the knowledge to answer to their queries and to locate the materials for them. On the other hand, there is significant difference on the level of awareness, competencies, and preferences of the Zamboanga City library users when the respondents were grouped according to their age. Whereas, there is no significant difference in the level of awareness, competencies, and preferences of the Zamboanga City library users in terms of the community sector and sex. The study recommended that should be adequately funded to financially support the library plans, program and projects; and include the library in the City Development Plan.