EVALUATING THE EXTENT OF ASSISTIVE SERVICES TO SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS BY UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES: THE CASE OF FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA

The ambition plan of action of the international Community, the 2030 Agenda of leave no one behind major aim is to create a peaceful and prosperous world, where dignity of an individual person and equality among all is applied. In this regard, people with special needs are supposed to be considered in every facet of human activities especially when it comes to formal education setting. In the university, the library is seen as pivot on which every academic activity rotates therefore, a home for students and faculty regardless of form. The study therefore is an empirical inquiry into the extent assistive services are provided by University Libraries to students with special needs. The study applied descriptive survey research design. The sampled population for the study stood at 200, drawn among certified librarians working in 42 federal university libraries in Nigeria. The major instrument used for data collection was a self-designed questionnaire and data collected were analyzed using frequency, simple percentile and mean and presented in a table and charts. The outcome of the study shows among other things that the only categories of students with special needs the libraries under study provide services for are, physically challenged, and intellectually disabled students, the libraries lack major assistive devices to facilitate assistive services to special needs students, few assistive services are being provided by the libraries to students with special needs and the study also found that with the exception of personalized library assistance, provision of accessible study space and extension of loan periods for students with special needs that are provided to a high extent, others may be said to be in nonexistence. The study also identified that inadequate funding; lack of infrastructural support, cramped library spaces, lack of or outdated assistive tools, absence of inclusive library policies, as well as weak collaboration with relevant stakeholders are major challenges militating against provision of comprehensive assistive services to students with special needs by the libraries. The study based on the findings recommended inter-alia that the libraries should be adequately funded and equipped with contemporary assistive technologies by government while the libraries on their own; should apply user-centered service design principles.