Full Length Research ACCESS TO LIBRARY RESOURCES BY SANDWICH DIPLOMA STUDENTS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA Gladys Kwadzo The Balme Library, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 24, Legon. Tel. 0285014529. E-mail: gkwadzo@gmail.com Accepted 29 April 2014 A survey was conducted in July 2011 to determine the library use and needs of sandwich diploma students of the College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon. Three hundred and twelve of the 362 students who enrolled for the programme, completed the questionnaires used in the analysis. The data was analysed using the SPSS version 16. The findings showed that about 74% of the students used campus library facilities when on campus. Majority (70.7%) used the college library more than any other library on campus. The main reason for using the library was to find a quiet place to study. This was followed by the use of the internet. The results also revealed that the students did not receive any library orientation or user education. As a result majority (59%) found it difficult using the library. With regard to improving services they received, they stated provision of more computers, provision of user education, acquisition of more current books, and extension of opening hours in the evening of the libraries during the inter-semester breaks when the sandwich programme is in session. Keywords: Sandwich students, Academic libraries, Information access, Ghana, Library resources. INTRODUCTION Around the globe, many higher education institutions are developing programmes to meet the needs of people who want to further academic studies in addition to the traditional full-time study. Such programmes include evening and weekend classes, distance learning, part- time studies and vacation classes. Students who enrolled in such programmes are referred to as non- traditional students. Heery (1996, p. 3-4) defines non-traditional students as “mature, that is, over 25 years of age; studying part-time; distance learners; on franchised course in further education colleges; from overseas; disabled or with special needs’ entering education via new routes, such as access courses”, as opposed to their counterparts the traditional student who as “young, typically aged between 18 and 22; studying full time; living away from home; having reasonably good A levels; taking a degree in one or two subject disciplines; having good study skills; with good contact with the academic staff and following a traditional pattern of higher education that is built around lectures and tutorials”. Luzius and Webb (2002, p.1) refer to the non-traditional student as “an adult who returns to school full or part time while maintaining responsibilities such as employment, family, and others of adult life. These students also may be referred to as adult students, re-entry students, returning students and adult learners” Ismail (2009), however, simply referred to the non-traditional students as those who take part-time, weekend, night, or online courses. Although the non-traditional student may be defined differently by different researchers the most common definition of the term refers to older students over the age of 25. In this paper, in addition to above characteristic, a International Journal of Academic Library and Information Science Vol. 2(4), pp. 36-45, May 2014 DOI: 10.14662/IJALIS2014.011 Copy © right 2014 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article ISSN: 2360-7858 © 2014 Academic Research Journals http://www.academicresearchjournals.org/IJALIS/Index.htm non-traditional student is the person who has enrolled in a programme different from the regular semester sessions. Therefore, the sandwich student who enrolls in inter-semester programme is a non-traditional student. Sandwich students in the University of Ghana are students who take their courses during the long vacation when the regular students are on vacation. Because the regular students are on vacation, halls of residence are available for housing them. For these diploma students, instead of two years which is the normal for diploma courses, they use three years (three long vacations). The course is an intensive one packed with lectures to enable them finish before the regular students resume. The library facilities and services are available to these students but the opening hours of the libraries are limited during vacations. Moreover, library orientation is not provided for these students to introduce them to the library resources and services. In addition, the literature states that part-time, distance and diploma students together with those taking short course modules lasting less than one year are among the largest group of non- users of libraries (Toner, 2008, p.23-24). Various reasons have been assigned to the surge in non-traditional students the world over. Gemegah (2005, p.6) and Torto, (2001) list some of the reasons as:  To provide avenue for adults who for whatever reasons could not offer full time courses to upgrade themselves;  To satisfy the increasing demand for improved skills and capabilities of workers to fit into the current opportunities;  To cater for the needs of annually increasing qualified applicants who could not enter the regular programmes because of limited space;  To satisfy the demand by people in work to upgrade themselves with higher academic qualifications for better career opportunities and also climb the organisational ladder given the increasing competition in the job market Rowland and Rubbert (2001) simply attribute the trend to economic factors and pull. The University of Ghana, Legon is experiencing increasing enrollment of non-traditional students comprising of distance students, part-time evening and weekend students, and sandwich students, at various levels – diploma, undergraduate and graduate, - with distance learners and sandwich students predominating. Boadi and Letsolo (2004) give the characteristics of a distance learner as matured, does not study on campus, usually working full-time, has family commitments and does not have easy access to academic library resources. This profile of the distance learner has not changed much though younger people are also enrolling as revealed by Agyemang (2009). In the University of Ghana, a sandwich student takes courses on the campus for a number of weeks, (usually eight to ten) during the Kwadzo 37 inter year semester break of the traditional students. Regardless of the type of student enrolled in any university programme, access to adequate library resources is important to their study and the institution should provide adequate library facitlities and services to all students. It is for this reason that the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) (2008) provided guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services that stated “every student, faculty member, administrator, staff member, or any other member of an institution of higher education is entitled to the library services and resources of that institution, including direct communication with the appropriate library personnel, regardless of where enrolled or where located”. The research questions for this study include: a). Are the library facilities and services being provided for sandwich students really adequate? and b). How do these students access and use the library facilities? The study is to understand how sandwich students in College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences (CACS) in the University of Ghana access and use the library facilities. Objectives of the study Based on the research questions the objective of this study is to assess the facilities and service provided for sandwich students studying for Diploma in Agriculture and how effectively these students access and use available facilities and services to enhance their study and academic performance, The specific objectives of the study are:  To assess the kinds of library resources and services available to sandwich students;  To determine the extent of use of library and information resources by the sandwich students;  To identify additional resources and services sandwich students will wish to be provided; and  To make recommendations needed to improve the situation. Background Information The College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences (CACS) in the University of Ghana started the Diploma in Agriculture Programme in the mid 1960s at the request of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA). This is to enhance the knowledge and skills of frontline extension staff of the Ministry. Over the years, the programme was extended to cover the Ghana Education Service graduates and graduates from the Agricultural Colleges. In 2005 the University of Ghana decided that all diploma programmes should be held at the Accra City Campus, 38 Inter. J. Acad. Lib. Info. Sci. located in the heart of Accra, 13 kilometres from the main campus. The College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, however, because of the laboratory component of its diploma programme, was granted permission by the University Academic Board to run the programme during the long vacation (May – July). The programme is for a period of three 10-week sessions. In each session, there are seven weeks of lectures, one week of revision and two weeks of examinations. Modules including further reading references have been prepared for the students as the main learning materials for the programme. Students take a minimum of three and maximum of four electives in addition to core courses. The electives are taught by faculty in specialised department – Animal Science, Crop Science and Soil Science. Each of these departments teach at least two but not more than three elective courses in the third year. In addition to these courses, students undertake 12 weeks of attachment at farms, institutes or any analogous outfit where they have hands- on practical experiences after the second year examinations. Each student writes a report on the attachment and the report is assessed and grade awarded. Students are assigned supervisors who visit them in the field work. LITERATURE REVIEW Literature on library and information science contain little data on sandwich students’ access and use of library resources as opposed to many studies on other non- traditional students particularly distance students. There is, however, relevant data captured in some broader studies of non-traditional students including part-time students. Part-time students captured in these studies most often are those who undertake courses at week- ends, or in the evenings on week days. Some of these studies reported that little attention had been paid to the library needs and use of non-traditional students (Oladokun and Aina, 2009; Heery, 1996). Rowland and Rubbert (2001) in evaluating the information needs and practices of part-time and distance students in higher education in the United Kingdom (UK) reported that the universities surveyed often did not cater for the specialised needs of part-time and distance students. As a result, more than three-quarters of the part-time students complained about the opening hours of university libraries not tailored to their needs. Among the complaints were the following:  Restricted opening hours during vacation periods not favouring part-time students in full-time employment.  Short-loan collections services could not be utilised owing to a 24-hour return policy.  Inter-library loan services of some institutions operated with long delay and not available.  Fierce competition for reading materials because part-time and full-time students receive the same reading lists. Heery (1996) also in surveying library services to non- traditional students in the UK observed that few libraries had developed packages of services to meet the special needs of part-time students. In addition, the short and intensive nature of the courses, filled with lectures and tutorials virtually left no time for the students to use the libraries. He pointed out that the problem was not from the students but rather the academic libraries were not able to adapt their services to this special student population. Toner (2008) in studying the low and non-use of libraries by part-time students at St Martin’s College in the UK discovered factors such as purchase of books, use of the internet, lack of awareness of service available, lack of time, inconvenient opening hours, and difficulty in finding items on the shelves to have inflenced the use of libraries by the students. Ismail (2009) in studying library use and needs of traditional and non- traditional students in a graduate social work program in Marywood University, Pennsylvania indicated that the library had not been part of the satellite students’ orientation and therefore they did not have any formal introduction to the library and its resources and services. He concluded that there are specific needs of non- traditonal students which must be addressed. In view of the above, it was recommended by (Heery,1996; Rowland and Rubbert, 2001; Toner, 2008 and Raraigh- Hopper, 2009)) that:  Library opening hours be extended in the evening to remain opened for some time after lectures.  Non-traditional students should be allowed to borrow at least one book at a time from the library after registration.  Subject-specific information services including electronic resources should be provided to all students.  Closer liaison between faculty and library staff should be established to ensure availability of information resources.  Orientation for freshmen should be organised to familiarise students with the library and the instution as a whole.  A designated staff should take phone and fax messages from students making book requests to be collected in between classes to save time; and  Provide easier access to academic resources via the internet to non-traditional students free of charge. Providing library services to the non-traditional students may differ from place to place or from situation to situation. Moyo and Cahoy’s (2003) study on the needs of remote students of Penn State University, revealed that the library created online tutorials for the students on how to use the catalogue and how to construct effective searches provided support. The students were pleased with the quality and availability of library services. Whilst 76% and 64% used the library’s online catalogue and full- text databases respectively, only 10.7% used electronic references provided for them. This means adequate facilities and measures may be made available to the students but they may also choose to use some more than others. Sewell (2011) described efforts made to provide adequate library and information services to distance students in the state of Colorado, USA, where about 90% of the student population lived off campus. He reported that even though many resources could be accessed electronically, the students also needed to access print materials. To address this need, the academic libraries in the Corolado State formed a consortium where students could borrow print and multimedia materials irrespective of the university in the state they were affiliated. In such situations, the student need not go to his institute’s library before he or she can borrow a book for use. On the African scene, studies conducted in Kenya by Kavulya (2004); and Busayo (2006) in Nigeria to investigate library and information services to distance and part-time students. Kavulya (2004) reported that even though adequate provisions were made for the students to access information inadequate funding affected facilities and equipment in delivering timely library services to the students. Busayo’s (2006) study in the Federal Polytechnic in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria reported that the library use of the part-time students was below expectation. For example, 71% of the respondents complained of the distance between the library and the satellite campus where they attended lectures as a hinderance to accessing the library. For those who, however, accessed and used the library, 58.9% claimed the materials were current and relevant to their courses. Further finding was that 67.8% of the students agreed that the library opening hours were conducive to them. Gemegah (2005) in a study on the challenges of student workers in Ghana noted that second to the problem of inadequate time to do assignments, was inadequate library facilities. Oladokum and Aina (2009) also identified that 55% of continuing education students at the University of Botswana indicated that they lacked well equipped library, which was a barrier to their learning. Adesoye and Amusa (2010) on the information needs of sandwich and part-time students in two public universities in Nigeria, and Nwezeh’s (2010) on libraries and long distance education in Nigerian universities revealed that library services for sandwich and part-time students were inadequate. In addition, the absence of Kwadzo 39 ICT infrastructure, lack of library use skills and information search skills affected the use of electronic resources. The result of Akande’s (2011) study on the usage of computer and internet facilities by sandwich students in the University of Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, revealed that less than half of the respondents indicated they were computer literate. This he said would affect the use of computer in performing any computer operations such as word processing and accessing the internet. For example, he indicated that only 17.5% used the computer to access internet resources. Ossai-Ugbah (2012) in studying library awareness of part-time students in the University of Benin found that even though 92.30% of part-time students were aware of the existence of the university library majority of these students were not aware of library orientation and therefore (71.79%) never took part. He concluded that the library should strategise to create awareness about the library to the part-time students so that they can use it. In the light of these challenges, Fritts and Casey (2010) stated that there is the need to train librarians in distance librarianship so as to effectively provide library and information services as well as information literacy education to students. Given what is revealed from the literature review that few studies have been conducted on sandwich student and library resources and service usage, and the death of such studies in Ghana, the current study is to fill this knowledge gap on Ghana and contribute to available literature on the subject. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study focuses on all the diploma (Dip.I, Dip.II and Dip.III) students registered in the sandwich programme in the CACS, University of Ghana during the 2010/2011 academic year, numbering 362 students. This is made up of 110 students (11 females and 99 males) in year one, 129 students (13 females and 116 males) in year two and 123 students (6 females and 117 males) in year three. The questionnaire was administered to all registered Diploma in agriculture students present on the day of questionnaire administration. The researcher also interviewed the course co-ordinator, and consulted with those in charge of the libraries and computer laboratories in CACS. The questionnaire was designed, pilot tested and administered to the students in July 2011 during their last lectures. The questionnaire made use of a mix of closed (coded) and open ended questions. Close ended questions were geared to elicit specific responses. A few open ended questions were included to give respondents the opportunity to provide alternative answers. The questionnaire was field tested for clarity and accuracy, 40 Inter. J. Acad. Lib. Info. Sci. and modified where appropriate. The questionnaire included questions relating to access and use of library facilities when on campus and off campus. Questions regarding the employment status of students, their gender and age and general information on ICT knowledge and use were also asked. The questionnaire was self-administered by the respondents. SPSS for windows version 16.0 was used to analyse the data. Three hundred and twenty one (321) students (88.7%) completed and returned questionnaires, out of which 312 were complete and included in the analysis. This comprised of 87 (27.90%), 111 (35.60% and 114 (36.50%) students in the first, second, and third years of study respectively. RESULTS Library Facilities and Resources The UGLS consists of the Balme Library (which is the Central Library), and satellite libraries within colleges, institutes, schools, faculties, departments and halls of residence. The UGLS provides an online public access catalogue (OPAC) via the internet. The collections of all these libraries can be searched from any location with internet connectivity. Apart from print materials, the University subscribes to a number of electronic databases in all the subject areas taught in the university, has access to a number of open access databases, and also to AGORA, HINARI, and OARE to enhance the work of students, faculty and reseachers. To access these databases off campus, however, the student has to register with the Balme Library and given a password. Two of the five departmental libraries in the College have wireless connection where students can use their laptops to access the internet. In addition to these, there are three computer laboratories in CACS with an average of 15 to 20 computers each, where students can use pay a fee to use. Opening hours The opening hours of the libraries differ. All the libraries, however, open between 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p. m. from Monday to Friday. During the semester, the Balme Library, opens from 9.00 am to 10.00 pm from Monday to Friday, and from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm on Saturdays. During the inter-semester break when the sandwich students are on campus, from Monday to Friday, it opens from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm and from 8.00 am to 12 noon on Saturdays. The College Library, in addition to Monday to Friday opening hours also opens on Saturdays from 8.00 am to 12.00 noon. It is worth noting that beside the College Library, the students can use any of the libraries on campus including the Balme Library. Gender of the Respondents The results presented in Table 1 shows that, 289 (92.6%) were male and 23 (7.4%) were female. The female population in the first, second and third years were 6%, 11% and 5% respectively of the total classes and therefore the sample is a good representation of the population. Age of respondents Analysis of the age of the respondents presented in Table 2 indicates that the majority of the respondents (205) representing 65.80% were above 25 years of age, which is the cutoff age for matured students at the University of Ghana. Specifically, 34.2% of the respondents falls below the age for matured students admitted to the regular programmes at this university; followed by 48.06% between the ages of 26-35 years (age 35 years is the upper limit for the youth in Ghana); 17.74% for those 36 years and above. The stricking observation here is the percentage of young people in the programme and also older people making up almost 52 percent of the respondents. Residential status of respondents There are places of residence on the University of Ghana campus for respondent students. These include five traditional halls and ten hostels of various capacities. Since the regular students are on holidays, these facilities are available to serve sandwich students if they so wish. The students were therefore asked to indicate their places of residence. Of the 312 students, 261 (84%) indicated they resided on the university campus during their period in school. Employment status of respondents The number of students who responded to this question was 233 (74.7%). As presented in Table 3, out of 233, 78.5% indicated they were in employment, whilst 21.5% were unemployed. Access to library The question as to whether students used the library was Kwadzo 41 Table 1. Gender Distribution of Respondents Gender Year One Year Two Year Three Total Frequency % Frequency % Frequency % Frequency % Male 82 93 99 89 108 95 289 92.6 Female 5 5 7 12 11 6 23 7.4 Total 87 100 111 100 114 100 312 100 Source: Field data –July 2011. Table 2. Age Distribution of Respondents. Age in years Frequency Percentage 18-25 106 34.20 26-35 149 48.06 36 and above 55 17.74 Total 310 100 Source: Field data – July 2011 Table 3 . Employment status of respondents by gender Employment Status Female Male Total N % N % N % Employed 13 68.42 170 79.44 183 78.54 Unemployed 6 31.58 44 20.56 50 21.46 Total 19 100 214 100 233 100 Source: Field data – July 2011 answered by 297 respondent. Of this number 74.4% indicated they used the library, whilst 25.6 % did not. Further analysis showed that more second and third year students used the library than the first year students, as evidenced by 38.0%, 38.5%, and 23.5% respectively. Of the 74.4% who used the library, 76.5% used the college library, 18.1% departmental library, 2.3% used hall library, 7.7% used the Central Library (Balme Library), 2.7% used school library and 1.8% indicated others. This result shows that some respondents used more than one library and therefore the percentage will not add up to 100. When respondents were asked to give reasons for going to the library, 32.7% stated that they wanted a quiet place to study. This was followed by 31.6% using the library to use the internet; 28.4% indicated to use the libraries’ materials,10.2% reported to access the online catalogue; 5.9% to access course reserves and the least (2%) cited to read newspapers. Library resources used When students were asked to indicate the library resources they used in the library, 39% indicated textbooks, 31% indicated reference materials, 23% indicated to search information on the internet, and 3% and 4% use of journals and newspapers respectively. Frequency of library visits To know the extent to which students use the library, they were asked to indicate the frequency of visits to the library. In response 18% indicated they visited the library everyday, 49% once a week 14% once a month, 5.4% indicated fortnightly, 7.6% stated occassionally. 42 Inter. J. Acad. Lib. Info. Sci. Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) With regard to the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in accessing information, the students were made to indicate their use of the internet, how often, and from where they accessed it. Of the 289 who responded to the question, 77% reported having used the internet whilst 23% indicated they do not use it. Forty four percent indicated accessing the internet from a cybercafe, 26% from home, 14% from a library, 11% from a computer laboratory and 6% from other places. For the frequency of accessing the internet, the majority (51%) stated weekly, 45% daily, 13% monthly and 5% fortnightly. This means about 96% of the respondents use the internet at least once weekly. Means of communication To ascertain the general knowledge of respondents on ICT, they were asked to indicate their favourite means of communication. The results presented in the Table 4 shows that the majority (48.04%) used the telephone, 19.22% used Facebook, 17.08% e-mail, 9.25% texting, and 6.41% chatting. Orientation of fresh students At the beginning of every academic year, regular students are taken through library orientation, introducing them to facilities available to help them in their academic work. The central library (Balme Library) provides the orientation/user education and library tour for all first-year students. The students were therefore asked if they had any kind of library orientation. Of the 312 students, 271 answered the question. Two hundred and sixty three (97%) of those who answered, indicated they had no library orientation whilst 3% indicated they did. The course co-ordinator confirmed the students’ response. The co-ordinator stated that the students had some induction and talk about facilities, rules and regulations in the college but did not include library orientation. In response to the question “without library orientation how easy or difficult it was for you to access library resources?”, 59% indicated it was difficult for them to use the library whilst 41% indicated it was easy. In view of the handicap faced in the use of library facilities because of lack of orientation, 71% of the respondents asked library staff for assistance, 27% depended on their colleagues whilst 2% used other means. Desired Improvement in Resources and Services Respondents were asked to comment on resources and areas of services that they would have wished to have but were not available. In all, 141 (45.19%) out of the 312 students responded to this question. Thirty three (37.93%) from year one, 61 (54.95%) from year two and 47 (41.22%) from year three. Some respondents indicated more than one of the services as presented in Table 5. The results reveal that provision of more computers or more computer workstations was a major desire of the students. This provision was the number one mentioned by most students in all the three levels of study. For the first years, the second desire most mentioned was provision of drink/water as stated by 66.7%, followed by provision of current and relevant materials and orientation as stated by 36.4% each. Extending opening hours was the second most important desire of second and third year students, stated by 42.6% and 63.8% respectively. Providing current and relevant materials was the third important request for second and third year students, stated by 34.4% and 48.9% respectively. Orientation or user education was the fourth important request for second and third year students. Borrowing of books was mentioned by only third year students (6.4%). Other services students wished to have, though negligible, include provision of calculators and CD/cassette player. Some services though available – photocopying, wireless internet connections, wash rooms - among others were mentioned. Another service mentioned by a student which should be seriously considered was and I quote “teach us how to use the computer”. Some students requested that they should be allowed to use the Facebook, chatting and the e-mail mediums in the library. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS Demographics Findings from the study have revealed that overwhelming majority (92.6%) of students who enrolled for the course were male, corroborating Heery’s (1996) assertion that vocationally oriented part-time students are typically males and in their late 20s or early 30s studying technical or business subjects in the UK. Given that the matured student age in Ghana is 25 years and above, the results are similar to that reported above. The results also revealed that majority (78.5%) were in employment similar to the findings of Boadi and Letsolo (2004) where 90.7% of distance students studied were employed. Library usage On the usage of libraries, (74.4%) indicated that they used the library for various reasons, chief among them was Kwadzo 43 Table 4. Favourite means of communication by respondents. Communication Frequency Percentage Telephone 135 48.04 Facebook 54 19.22 e-mail 48 17.08 Texting 26 9.25 Chatting 18 6.41 Source – Field data, July 2011 N=281 Table 5. Desired Resources and Services by Respondents Services Year One Year Two Year Three More computers 24 (72.8%) 41(67.2%) 33 (70.2%) Extended opening hours 11 (33.3%) 26 (42.6%) 30 (63.8%) Current/relevant materials 12 (36.4%) 21 (34.4%) 23 (48.9%) Orientation/user education 12 (36.4%) 9 (14.8%) 9 (19.1%) Staff assistance 6 (18.2%) 3 (4.9%) 3 (6.4%) Soft drink/water 22 (66.7%) 5 (8.2%) 6 (12.8%) Should be allowed to borrow books 0 0 3 (6.4%) Other electronic equipment 9 (27.2%) 0 1 (2.1%) Source – Field data July, 2011 looking for a quiete place to study whilst 25.6% did not. Further analysis revealed that more second and third year students used the library than the first year students. This revelation is at variance with Nwokedi’s (2006) study of library use of sandwich students in the University of Jos, where no student indicated that they never visited the library. It however, corroborated Toner’s (2008) finding that students in the first year of study were among the largest non-users of libraries. It is, however, quite worrying that a quarter of the respondents’ population indicated they did not use the library. Though worrying, Toner (2008) explained that part-time and distance learners were the largest group of non-users of libraries due to lack of awareness of library resources and services, lack of time, inconvenient opening hours, among others. On frequency of visits to the library, the result revealed that majority (49%) of the respondents used it once a week. This finding is similar to Nwokedi’s of 43.96% once a week. They used the Faculty library more than the other libraries including the Central Library. This could partly due to lack of involvement of the Central Library in the their orientation as it is done for the regular first year intakes and thus most students did not know much about the central library. This corroborated Ugbah (2012) and Ismail’s (2009) findings that the library had not been part students’ orientation and therefore they did not have any formal introduction to the library and its resources and services. For the resources used in the library, it was encouraging that respondents used other resouces apart from their modules and notes. Majority (39%) used textbooks and (23%) used the internet. The usage of textbooks supported Sewell’s (2011) assertion that inspite of electronic resources textbooks are still relevant and has to be provided. Means of communication The analysis of the result concerning favourite means of communication by the respondents revealed that the respondents are quite familiar with ICTs. Concerning the internet in general 42.71% use it whilst 57.29% uses telephone (telephone and texting). These responses are significant because they would inform the library authorities how they should apply web 2.0 to reach out to students. Library Orientation On library orientation of the respondents, 97% indicated 44 Inter. J. Acad. Lib. Info. Sci. they had no library orientation. This was not surprising because consultation with the course co-ordinator during the study revealed that even though some kind of induction is done for the students, it was more on talk on facilities, rules and regulations in the college but did not include library orientation. It was therefore a surprise when 3% of the respondents indicated they had library orientation. It could be that those students had some form of informal interaction with some library staff or learnt about the library from some other source. This situation was totally different from Nwokedi’s, (2006) findings. Nwokedi reported that, formal library instruction and library tours were organised for sandwich students in the University of Jos and all the students found the exercise useful. In Ossai-Ugbah’s (2012) case there was some uncertainty among the respondents. Whilst 38.46% indicated having gone through the officially prescribed library orientation for fresh students others (51.28%) claimed it it was not done. Whatever the case, library orientation is an important service which should be a must. Because that is one sure way of introducing students to the library’s resources and services which will motivate them to use it. The result also corroborated Nwezeh’s (2010) observation that librarians were not involved in the distance learning programmes of universities he surveyed in Nigeria. In a related development, because the respondents did not go through any library orientation, 59% of the respondents indicated it was difficult for them using the library and had to depend on library staff and their colleagues to find information in the library. Opening hours As indicated earlier in the paper, during the inter- semester break the libraries open for limited hours. Coupled with this, the time table for lectures for the sandwich students had little consideration for library work during weekdays. It is therefore a genuine need that the opening hours be extended for these students. The limited period opening could have affected where the students accessed the internet from. It is therefore not surprising that cybercafes seem to be the most popular place where students access the internet. When the central library closes at 5.00pm on week days during the semester break as opposed to 10.00pm for regular students and because of the tight lecture hours which would not allow them to use even the departmental computer laboratories, the cyber cafe is the available place for them. Desired Resources and Services The resources and services respondents wished most to be improved include more computer workstations, extended opening hours, provision of current materials and library orientation. It is surprising that orientation was not mentioned by many. Well, when you do not know about something, until you are exposed to it you will not know its importance. Some services mentioned by the respondents, though by negligible numbers, for example, and I quote “teach us how to use the computer should be seriously considered. This should be a wake up call to the libraries that not every student knows how to use the computer because they are from different backgrounds. It also brings to the fore the reality of the digital divide. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS This study has shown that sandwich students of the University of Ghana, Legon, use libraries as a place to study and also use the library resources and facilities. However, generally, they do not receive the neccessary orientation to facilitate efficient use of the library facilities and resources. In addition, for lack of orientation, they did not have information on other libraries on campus and therefore depended mainly on the college library. Though most students have adequate knowledge of ICTs which is a great asset, there were others requiring further exposure to enhance their use of available facilities. The following recommendations are there made to enable them maximise access to information. 1. The co-ordinator(s) of the sandwich programme should liaise with the libraries to strategise on how to reach out to the students to enable them enjoy all the servcies that the traditional students enjoy. 2. College authorities should consider providing some little fund to motivate the library to extend the opening hours when the programme is in session. 3. The library system should sensitise the course co-ordinator and chief administrators of all sandwich programmes about the importance of library user education and thus to factor this into their orientation programme for all first year students. Further, the library should be proactive and publicise its services to all students who come to the University of Ghana for any type of programme. 4. The library should also provide online services such as subject related gateway service that would benefit the sandwich students and other non-traditional students. 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