Utilization of school libraries by National school students in Jaffna District

Abstract

School libraries are precious sources of information that contribute to productive educational achievement. Therefore, the proper use of the library and its resources are essential to developing students’ knowledge. Nowadays, almost all Sri Lankan schools have libraries to improve and entertain the students. This study was con ducted to analyze students’ utilization of the school library for learning activities. Hundred and eighty students were randomly selected from different national schools in all educational zones in the Jaffna district of Sri Lanka. All students were em ployed with the pretested structured questionnaires distributed through the librarian to students for data collection. Data were analyzed using simple frequency counts, percentages and descriptive statistics. The response rate was 89%. According to the study, 62% were female, and the highest percentage was in the age group of 14 – 17 years compared to other age groups. The number of students visiting the school libraries frequently (10%) is lower than the occasional visit (43%). Studying non-re lated information is the main reason for using the library, which is 41%, followed by respondents who visited the library for preparing term examinations and completing continuous assessments. Meanwhile, the obstacles students faced were the lack of availability of updated textbooks and past papers, computer and internet facilities, inadequate photocopy services, lack of library hours on school timetable, and less library organization and arrangements. Therefore, the government authority needs to allocate more funds to improve the library collection, acquire new technology, and appoint a teacher librarian in each school library to handle library functions.