Availability, awareness and the use of disaster control measures by the staff of federal university libraries in north-east Nigeria

Abstract

Disasters in libraries are unforeseen events that result in substantial damage to library collections, services, and facilities, affecting the capacity of libraries to attend to patron needs. This study aimed to investigate the viewpoints of library personnel regarding the availability, awareness and use of disaster control measures in academic libraries. The study adopted the survey research design with a quantitative approach. Data were collected from 428 academic library personnel in federal universities. The total enumeration technique was employed. A structured questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson Product Moment Correlation and regression) were employed for data analysis. Findings revealed that biological agents, extreme weather conditions, theft and wind/dust/storms were the most prominent types of library disaster. Availability and awareness had a significant joint influence on the use of disaster control measures. Regarding the indicators of availability of disaster control measures, provision and adequacy were at moderate levels, however, there was low accessibility in the studied libraries. The study underscores the need to improve accessibility to resources and enhance training initiatives in the north-east region of Nigeria.