Assessment of Library Registration between Fresh and Returning Undergraduate Students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria

The paper examines the rate at which students register with the library by comparing the fresh and the returning undergraduate students in the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty (250) copies of questionnaire were randomly distributed among students in late August, 2015 while two hundred and twenty four (224) copies were returned. Also used as databases for the study are the library statistics of registered students and the University's student enrolment list for a period of five years starting from 2009/2010 to 2013/2014 academic sessions. The study revealed that fresh undergraduate students registered more than the returning undergraduate students. Those who registered believed that they did so, so that they could be able to borrow books and read during examination periods. Reasons given for not registering were ownership of personal books, cumbersome registration procedures and registration time clashing with lecture time among others. Out of the nine colleges that were covered by this study, the College of Management Science (COMAS) had the largest percentage of registered students in the library while the College of Plant Science (COPLANT) had the least number of registered students. Recommendations were also made on how to improve library registration so that students can register more with the library in order to use library materials that have been carefully selected for them.