How to make most of your school library as a Nigerian student

The motivation you can get from seeing others doing something you want or feel you should do is a different kind of motivation.

It is just like when you see several students reading, it tends to remind you of the need to do the same, which brings in the need for the school library.

Other than a quiet place like a school library, some people cannot read anywhere else, and perhaps a quiet place like a school library is preferable even if you don’t mind reading anywhere.

But if you’re the type to say, I do not like going to the school library because I am always sleeping whenever I go to read,”

How are you supposed to manage all those handbooks that are waiting for you to read them if not for the grace of the school library?

And maybe it’s the constant power supply that’s a perk you can’t avoid missing. Irrespective of whatever account your school library has.

Do you know that you can get a wide range of benefits from your school library only if you’re apprehensive? There are ways in which you can make the most of it. How can you go about this? This article has the answer for you.

What is a School Library?

A school library is a library within a school where students and staff can access various materials for their academic coursework and research in various fields. It is a structure within the school that is also dedicated to reading and personal study through various materials you can access, like books, audio-visual materials, and so on.

The different forms of material or information sources you can pierce in a library cut across a lot of formats and types; we are talking books of colourful fields of knowledge, published papers, journals, magazines, flyers, spate, calligraphies, documents, letters, records, microform, sound recording, audio-visual accoutrements in any format, glamorous or other videotapes, roster cards or roster records, and even electronic data.

Aside from a school library, there are also other types of libraries, including public libraries (federal government or state government-owned libraries) that are open to all. Private libraries, research libraries, children’s libraries, special libraries, and so on

Role of a School Library

When it comes to a school library, it performs a wide range of roles, both for students and all members of staff in an institution. They include:

1. To develop and improve educational programs

School libraries tend to improve educational programs when students are provided with different types of informational resources: physical and digital textbooks, references, and periodicals. This part extends to the librarian’s guidance and training for the student’s forthcoming academic systems (e.g., master’s and doctorate degrees).

2. To make learning more meaningful for students

Not everyone has the ability to grasp all that was taught in class at once. So, reviewing and revising bring about more understanding. This means that no matter how much knowledge a student gains in class, much more understanding comes from personal and individual effort on the subject matter. The process of learning involves connecting new concepts with old knowledge and ideas. The school library provides an avenue for further study.

3. To reduce educational costs

A school library provides free access to materials like textbooks, journals, and audio-visuals that cost a lot of money. A set of students can’t afford these materials, but the school library plays this role for them.

4. Stimulating and enhancing reading habits

Reading culture is dying among students, and it’s breeding ignorance, resulting in a fall in the standard of many things. A conducive environment that has the information needed by the student has a role to play in nullifying the fall in academic standards that is, in turn, affecting development. Constant usage of a school library facilitates making reading a habit and trains the student’s ability to read to be informed.

Read Also: Best And Worst Brain Foods for Better Study and Assimilation

Challenges Encountered by Students When Using the School Library

1. Insufficient user education

One of the biggest challenges I encountered during my high school days using public libraries was a lack of awareness of certain things, like the procedure to borrow books and the different types of information I could have access to other than just picking books to read

2. Lack of computer knowledge, which entails lacking information retrieval skills

A great advantage of computers in a library is that they provide computer-based information. When it comes to academic writing, publications, articles, and research, their number is growing day by day in different fields, which will be difficult for the library to keep records of without making use of computers. This big challenge for library users lacking computer literacy is retrieving information using the computer.

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Ways to Make the Most of the School Library

1. Orientation

Many people find libraries boring because they feel that all that it entails is just taking your books there to read or borrow them. Having an orientation to library usage and functions enables you to maximize your usage and enjoy the library experience. So, how do you get yourself oriented in the school library?

Ways by which you can get yourself oriented with the school library include:

• Do some walking around the library for a few minutes.
• Locate the resources and services within the library.
• Know where to go for backing from the library staff.
• Get acquainted with the resources located within the library.

2. Feel at home

You can assimilate better when your brain is not pressured or stressed. If possible, have some personal space you always use when it’s not occupied. Feel at home without exceeding the proper bounds.

3. Have your library pals

Make friends at the library—like minds that you can always rub together. Someone who won’t make you lax, even when you feel like doing so. Also, when you need a break, you have someone you can chat with without getting carried away from the real purpose.

Read Also: Networking for Students in University: The Ultimate Guide

4. Don’t visit the school library only when you have exams

One of the ways in which you can enjoy your school library services is when you do not have to read due to exam pressure. You can explore the different materials available on a particular topic. Exploring different fields of study in the quest for knowledge and searching for information are ways in which you can make the most of your school library.

5. Have interactions with the librarians

Talk to the librarians, be polite with them, and ask questions when needed. The librarian can be your guide to being able to access some useful materials.

6. The school’s library wifi

Just like you make use of the library when you study so hard, maybe when preparing for an assignment, a project, or an exam, you should also reward yourself after all that. You can use the school library when you have access to it to download videos and the like.

7. Don’t get tired

Even when you visit your school library just to check out the variety of books they have; you have gained some access to information that way. Consistency brings success. With consistency, you get used to your school library to the extent that you always want to be there.

Read Also: Balancing Your Academic and Personal Life As A Nigerian Student

8. Borrow books

You can also make the most of your school library by borrowing books.

9. Develop writing skills

When you are used to your school library, having access to different books by different authors develops writing skills in some individuals. You might just want to write something for the world to read as well.

Conclusion

Using a library, especially for the first time, can be boring and not interesting at all, but I’m telling you, with constant usage and having the spirit of never giving up, you get used to it, you enjoy being there,, and you get to realize that, as a student, the school library is one of your best refuges for lone and quality time in the school environment.

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About Author

Aminat Adejumo

She is a passionate writer and orator who believes in writing to make right. She writes blog posts, articles, and poetry. Her interests are majorly in personal development, education, and health.

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