Course: Doctor of Education
School: University of Baguio, Philippines
Subject Area: Academic Libraries-Region 1
Year of Graduation: May 1986
Introduction
It is often accepted that the best colleges/universities have the best libraries. Consequently, unless a college or university library continues to maintain its library resources in response to the present academic and research needs as well as in anticipation of future needs, such library ceases to be effective in performing its functions in the academic community.
The Problem
This research work aim to describe the libraries of agricultural colleges and universities in Region I in terms of their library resources and usage patterns; to compare the existing resources with those set in the Criteria for Minimum Standards for Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Program by the Technical Panel of Agricultural Education (TPAE) of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports; and finally, to determine the relationships between the usage patterns and certain variables i.e. Age, sex, civil status, residence, course load, educational background and academic performance.
The following hypotheses were formulated and tested: (1) The government-managed agricultural colleges and universities in Region I do not significantly vary in their present conditions of library resources and usage patterns: (2) There are no significant differences in the existing library resources in government-managed agricultural colleges and universities in Region I and the Criteria set by the TPAE Library Standards: (3) There is no significant relationship between the usage patterns and the following variables like age, sex, civil status, course load, educational background and academic performance.
The study was limited to assessing the resource-capabilities of government-managed agricultural colleges and universities in Region I with emphasis on the BSA Program. Likewise, in assessing the usage pattern, there were respondents involved distributed as follows: students enrolled during the first semester of school year 1985-1986 and faculty members of the government-managed agricultural colleges and universities in Region I.
Methodology
The study used the descriptive statistical tools of frequency counts and percentages to describe the data and to answer the specific problems. The extent to which the different items under the library resources were available in each school were determined by actual data gathered. The analysis of such data involved the use of the t-test.
To determine the degree of relationship between the usage patterns and selected variables of faculty and students, the point biserial (rpb) was used. The t-test in relation to the correlation coefficient was used to test the significance of rpb. Where there were only four (4) elements in a contingency table, the phi (Ø) coefficient and its Z-transformation were used to determine the degree and significance of relationship.
For the interpretation of the results of the tests of hypotheses for their acceptance or rejection, the five percent probability level was the point of reference.
Findings
The present conditions of the government-managed agricultural colleges and universities in Region I vary considerably in the different aspects of library operations, i.e. sufficiency of library resources, facilities and equipment, services, and personnel.
After a comprehensive consideration of the results specifically in relation to the TPAE Library Standards, a considerable number of government-managed agricultural libraries in Region I are below standards in the following areas: Books on Fundamental Agriculture and Journal Titles on the Major Fields of Agriculture.
On the relationship between usage pattern and certain variables. i.e. age, sex, residence, civil status, course lead, educational background and academic performance, for faculty respondents, only age and academic performance have significant relationship with the usage patterns, while for the student respondents, the variables an age, cause lead the academic performance have significant relationship with the usage patterns.
Recommendations
The variations on the present conditions of the agricultural libraries in Region I maybe improved with the following suggestions: (1) Careful consideration should be provide for the provision of sufficient, realistic, and workable budget for the library especially the allotments for books and periodicals. (2) The library plays a central role in the institutions' educational background; hence, to allow the library to fulfill this role, the librarians should be free of other added responsibilities in the institutions. Likewise, they should be given academic or faculty status without loads to enhance their role in the instructional process an the academic community; (3) In order to meet the minimum TPAE Requirements, it is recommended that the national government services its governmental rules and auditing procedures on the procurement of books and periodicals. Unless this is done, the problem on inadequacy of books and periodicals are specifically on the major fields of agriculture will never be solved. On the part of the TPAE Technical Staff, it is further recommended that they should provide assistance on how to acquire the needed book titles per major field specially in the BSA program.
Finally, on the relationship of usage patterns, it is recommended that the efforts of administrators, faculty and library staff be directed toward a various effort to lessen the gap between the actual and the potential contribution of the instructional program which they can begin by examining the total program of course offerings and trying to determine roughly what kind of library contribution is appropriate at each level for each subject
