The Status of Library Anxiety Among Library and Information Science Students: A Case of Universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The purpose of the current study was to measure the level of library anxiety among library and information science students in the universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The total number of populations was 532. The data were collected from a sample of 207 through stratified simple random sampling because of various programs in the LIS discipline. The study used a quantitative, descriptive survey method using the Library Anxiety Scale questionnaire to collect data from the respondents. The AQAK library anxiety instrument was used to measure the respondents’ library anxiety level and significance differences with respect to respondents’ gender and their program of study. The overall status of the study also found that the respondents' library anxiety level with respect to ''Information resources' was higher among LIS students than other factors. This study also reported that no significant difference was found between male and female students with respect to library anxiety. However, the library anxiety mean score for the BS students was higher than that of M. Phil/MS students, but few differences were found between M.Phil/MS and MLIS students. This study suggests that updated information may be provided to the LIS students, and an information literacy program should be arranged for the newly enrolled students in LIS to decrease the level of library anxiety.