An Analysis of the Correlation Between Academic Library Use and Student’s Academic Performance: A Case Study of UDS -Wa Campus

Abstract

The University for Development Studies (UDS) was established in May 1992 by the Government of Ghana to “blend the academic world with that of the community in order to provide constructive interaction between the two for the total development of Northern Ghana, in particular, and the country as  a whole” (PNDC Law 279, Section 279). The UDS Library complex provides information and bibliographic support for the four campuses (Nyankpala, Wa, Navrongo, Tamale) and the Graduate School. The collection of the Wa Campus Library has been split into two: one at Kambali, and the other at Bamahu. The Input-Environment-Output (I-E-O) model was adapted to explain relationships between students’ development and students’ input and learning environments. This study discusses the impact library usage has on academic achievement and performance of students. Usage statistics were gathered at the Wa campus library (Bamahu and Kambali). The results showed that students who use the library have a higher CGPA and higher academic performance than non-library users. The findings reveals that students’ use of the library is statistically significant to student grade point average (CGPA), and that access to electronic resources will be the most beneficial resource students should have in order to attain excellent academic performance and development.

Keywords: Library use, Academic achievements, students’ performance, UDS-Wa campus, Ghana.