MEASURING THE ACADEMIC IMPACT OF THE LIBRARY: EXPLORE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIBRARY CIRCULATION PATTERN AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND ALLIED SCIENCES (FMAS), RAJARATA UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA (RUSL)

Abstract

Abstract Library circulation is an essential function of lending library materials to readers to enhance their knowledge and literacy beyond existence. It is strongly related to the purpose of the activity and the academic career goals. Libraries constantly strive to utilize the most suitable tools and techniques to efficiently manage the borrowing and lending of library materials. The study aims to investigate the relationship between students’ library utilization and academic achievement in FMAS and RUSL. The sample consists of students who graduated from 2016 to 2019. The research employed the case study method to collect data through the Koha-integrated library management system. The graduated students’ academic performance was collected from the university's annual convocation handbook. Collected data were analyzed using the regression analysis. The analyzed data unveiled a moderately positive significant relationship between library circulation and the performance of students who obtained First Class and Second Class Lower Division with correlation values of 0.96, and 0.95 respectively. These findings contribute to the understanding of how library resources and services impact students' academic achievement and how they will aid the library management in making decisions to enhance the library's learning resources and collection.