Department of Library, Archival and Information Studies, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
Fabunmi, S.O., Department of Library, Archival and Information Studies, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
The study investigated the performance of the work skill of reference services staffs of the selected institutions in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. It was conducted ex post facto using the descriptive survey research design. The purposive sampling technique was adopted for the selection of three libraries in the state. These are Kenneth Dike Library, The Polytechnic Library and the NISER library. Thirty-six (36) reference staffs were selected using the stratified random sampling technique. While two hundred and forty-five of the reference section users were selected using the availability sampling technique; the researcher administered copies of the questionnaire personally. It involved seeking for permission and explaining the purpose of the study to respondents. The whole exercise lasted about two weeks. Frequency and percentages were the main statistics used for the analysis of data. The study established that references services constitute an important aspect of librarianship and the library staffs performed their reference services effectively. There are no standards in terms of reference services offered in all the libraries and it is recommended that there should be standards. © 2010 EuroJournals Publishing, Inc.