Assessment of Librarians' Attitudes and Users' Patronage Behaviour in Information Retrieval Services at Benue State University Library, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

This study examined librarians’ attitudes and users’ patronage behaviour in information retrieval services at Benue State University Library, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to: assess the current attitudes of librarians towards users’ patronage behaviour; examine the impact of librarians’ attitudes on user satisfaction and patronage; and identify factors influencing librarians’ attitudes towards users. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population and sample comprised 125 respondents drawn from librarians and users of Benue State University Library, Makurdi. Purposive sampling was used to select respondents who were considered relevant to the study because of their direct involvement with or experience of the library’s information retrieval services. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on a four-point rating scale and analyzed using frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation with SPSS. The findings revealed that librarians generally demonstrated positive attitudes towards users’ patronage, with mean scores ranging from 3.85 to 3.94. The study further found that librarians’ professional competence, proper library management, provision of appropriate information sources, expertise in electronic resource searching, and ability to answer users’ questions positively influence user satisfaction and patronage, with mean scores ranging from 3.78 to 4.00. Factors influencing librarians’attitudes included regular customer-service training, adequate resources, conducive working conditions, manageable workload, sufficient staffing, personal experiences, supportive institutional policies, and positive organizational culture. The study concluded that positive librarians’ attitudes and supportive organizational conditions enhance service quality, user satisfaction and library patronage. It recommended regular staff training, improved user feedback mechanisms, adequate staffing and workload management, and supportive institutional policies to sustain positive librarian-user interactions and improve library services.