Assessment of Information Retrieval System in Public Libraries. A Case Study of Plateau State Library Board Jos
Chapter One
Objective of the study
In order to evaluate information retrieval system in Plateau state Library Board Jos, the following objectives are to be focused.
- To identify the existence of information retrieval system in the library.
- To know how information resources are organized in the library in its retrieval effort.
- To identify the problems encountered by the library in its information retrieval effort.
- Identify the process on how information retrieval system are improved in the library.
- To highlighting the changes of information retrieval system in the library.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEWS
Information is very sine-que-non in the development of any society. This is so because information they say is power.
According to Gregory (2010) defines information as a “difference that makes a difference”. Information also means something to a user if it is communicated in a medium he can easily understand, for example in the rural areas, town criers, village meeting and different agencies from the basis for packaging information.
This chapter therefore reviews existing related literature on:
- TYPES OF INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS
- FUNCTION OF INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS
- TYPES OF INFORMATION NEEDS
- INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS
TYPES OF INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS
There are basically three main types of information systems namely;
- Database management system
- Bibliographic reference retrieval systems
- Question – answering systems
DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
In a database management system, Seltzer (2000) defined database management system as a set of software prgrammes that controls the organization, storage, management and retrieval of data in a database.
The database management system accepts request for data from the application programme and instructing the operating system to transfer the appropriate data. When a database management system is used, information systems can be changed much more easily as the organization’s information requirements change. New categories of data can be added to the database without discruption to the existing system
Finally, database management system uses any of a variety of database modelse such as the network model or relational model. In large systems, a database management system allows users and other software to store and retrieve data in a structured way.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE RETRIEVE SYSTEM
Edoka (2010), defined bibliographic reference retrieval system as a, “system normally deals with text, such as titles and abstracts of book and articles and retrieval citations to items of specific subject are stored in a library file”. For example a user might request for all bibliographic reference dealing with “the design of modern information retrieval system” to identify particular citations, the content of the items on file must be specified.
Thus, content analysis or indexing plays an important role in reference retrieval system.
QUESTION – ANSWERING SYSTEM
In information retrieval, question answering is the task of automatically answering a question posed in natural language to find the answer to a question, a question-answer computer programme may use either a per-structured database or a collection of natural language documents (a text corpus such as the world wide web or some local collection).
Question answering research attempts to deal with a wide range of question types including fact, list, definition, how why hypothetical, semantically constrained and cross-lingual questions.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH DESIGN
In research methodology, there are many research designs used for an investigative study in the social sciences. In this study, the survey research method was used.
This method is very useful in studying a group of people by collecting and analyzing data from sample population and few documents which is also considered to be representative of the entire group.
Surveys are used to provide information to satisfy curiosity. A survey or descriptive study of the library is motivated by the need for improvement and development and this was used by the research been to study the Plateau state Library Board Jos, systematically and as accurately as possible.
AREA OF STUDY
My area of study is Plateau state Library Board Jos, Plateau State.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
The population study comprised some of librarians in the library and library users. The librarians are 15, while the library users are 45, the total is 60.
SAMPLE SIZE
The sample size was made up of librarians of the institution and also the user of the library 60.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
DATA PRESENTATION
The purpose of this chapter is to analyze and present the data collected in a manner that it would be easily understood. That is to find out the adequacy or inadequacy of information retrieval systems adopted in Plateau state Library Board Jos.
Based on this, the primary data collected for the research through questionnaire administered to librarians and the library users of the library are hereby presented to facilitate interpretation and discussion of the results, the questionnaire items were evaluated in percentage based on the group total of responses indicated.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY
This study is concerned with information retrieval system in libraries: A case study of Plateau state Library Board Jos. The study however disclosed to us the different information storage and retrieval systems in the library.
Based on the analysis of the data, the following findings were observed. It was seen from the analysis that the library has not actually gone deeply in utilizing the facilities of a computerized library as is the trend in developed countries as the world.
It was also discovered that the library users or clienteles of the retrieval system adopted by the library, though efforts are on ground to as equipped the Microsoft centre where a lot of computers will be installed.
CONCLUSION
From the above study carried out in the course of this project, it can be concluded that the above named or mentioned library in Plateau state Library Board Jos, has not fully embraced the information retrieval system which is automated though many improvements have been made.
Generally, speaking, most academic libraries in Nigeria are lacking behind when compared with their counterparts in other courtiers.
RECOMMENDATIONS
From the above study carried out by me, it is pertinent to recommend that every effort should be make for the personnel of the library to be adequately trained in the use of automated system and equipped the micro-soft centre with enough computers with on-line services. Government should on the other hand change their attitude towards library development in library.
LIMITATIONS
The researcher being 1, was limited by various factors which include: time, finance, distance and responsibility.
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