Impact of Fee-Based Library Services on Service Delivery in Private University Libraries in Ede, Osun State

Abstract

Libraries are under pressure to think out of the box by looking at the possibilities of fee based, cost recovery and
profit potentials for their perpetual survival. Therefore, this study examined the impact of fee-based library services
on services delivery using two private universities in Osun State, as a case study.
Descriptive survey was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of the 42-library staff in the two
private universities in Osun State while questionnaire was used for data collection. The data collected were analysed
using descriptive statistics.
Findings revealed that fee-based library services available in the two private universities library were computer
typesetting, consultancy services, online searching, internet browsing and fines for overdue items. Also, Fee-based
library services have meaningful impact on service delivery. Fee-based services were hindered by absence of quality
services in the library, gross resistance to the concept of fee-based services, inadequate expertise and skills for
marketing library products and services, negative user’s perceptions of fee-based services and user dissatisfaction.
The concluded that, the need for the incorporation of the fee-based library services for service delivery in academic
libraries is long overdue in view of the paucity of funds and low budgetary allocation to the libraries by the government
and the parent institution and therefore recommended incorporation of an effective fee-based library services such as
registration services, translation services, issuing non-book materials, indexing and abstracting, membership fees
among others.