Effects of Reprography and Use of Electronic Resources on Book Buying by Students of Tertiary Institutions in Niger State

Abstract

This study examined effects of reprography and use of e-resources on book buying by students in selected tertiary institutions in Niger state. The objectives of the study were to determine: the rate of other means of reproducing work on book trade, the benefits of using e-resources, challenges of book trade in Niger state and to find out the rate of using e-resources by the students of tertiary institutions in Niger state. Descriptive survey was used for the study in three selected tertiary institutions in Niger state, these were Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, Federal Polytechnic, Bida and Federal College of Education, Kontagora. The population of the study consisted of students of the institutions which was 23,061. 300 respondents were sampled using Simple random technique, that is, 100 respondents from each institution. Structured questionnaires were used to gather data while data collected was analyzed using frequency count and simple percentages. Findings revealed that the respondents photocopy book materials and also make use of electronic resources when searching for information, but that majority of the respondents do not buy books. The study recommends that students should cultivate the culture of buying books, rather than photocopying so as to uphold both the standard and professional excellence in higher institutions. The study recommended that electronic information resources should be made available and students should effectively utilize the needed.