Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between school librarians' qualifications and teachers' utilization of school libraries in federal government colleges in South-East Nigeria. The purpose was to determine the extent to which librarians' qualifications influence the frequency and effectiveness of library use by teachers. A correlational research design was employed, involving a population of 934 teachers across 10 federal government colleges, from which a sample of 280 respondents was drawn using Taro Yamane's formula. The instrument for data collection was a researcher's developed questionnaires titled "school librarians' qualifications and teachers' utilization of school libraries Questionnaire (SLQTULQ)." The instrument was face and content validated by three research specialists. The internal consistency indices of the instrument was established using the Cronbach alpha statistic yielding reliability indices of 0.78. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and regression analysis. Findings revealed a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship (r = 0.78, p < 0.05) between librarians' qualifications and teachers' library usage, with 61% of the variance in teachers' utilization explained by the librarians' qualification. Based on these results, the null hypothesis was rejected. The study concludes that higher qualifications of school librarians significantly enhance teachers' utilization of library resources and recommends policy-driven improvements in librarian recruitment and professional development.
Keywords: School Library, Librarian Qualification, Utilization, Teachers, Librarians
Publication Date: 2025-08-03