Library key to students’ good performance, says don

The founder and pioneer head of the department (HOD) of Forestry, Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt, Benjamin Azubuike Ekeke, an environmentalist and professor of forestry, says a well equipped library is a key to students’ good performance in universities and other institutions of higher learning.

Ekeke, who spoke exclusively to BusinessDay in the university campus said that although the habit or culture of reading is formed at secondary school level and carried forward to the university where the culture would be well developed but, well furnished, equipped general, faculty and departmental libraries play good roles to students getting good grades.

“So I think the habit of reading is not formed in the universities but in the secondary schools, both faculty and departmental libraries are good and relevant to good performance of a student,” said Ekeke.

The general library he said, has books on everything both relevant and irrelevant to the course of study of the student which would help him in making research but departmental library deals specifically on books relevant to him and would also touch on the course and career of the student while the faculty library combines all books meant for the faculty.

He noted that RSUST has a good environment, quality staff both academic and non-academic as well as good libraries that would spur students to reading and studying.

Consequently, he has advised that students in RSUST who wished to make good grades should start from year one and face their studies seriously as everything they needed has been made available by the school management, adding that they should learn to buy text books. He added that “some lecturers, their assignments and exams are based on the contents of the books they have written or the ones prescribed to students.”

Saby Elemba