Purpose: This paper provides a detailed discussion of a large-scale library reference evaluation study conducted at the University of Education, Winneba (UAE) in Ghana. The study seeks to evaluate the reference service from the user perspective, focusing on how users use and perceive the service.Design/methodology/approach: Self-administered survey was used as the data collection instrument. One thousand questionnaires were distributed to library users in a three-week period, and the response rate was 63.7%. Findings:The reference service had a high non-use rate of 42.6%, which was primarily attributed to library users' self-sufficiency and lack of awareness of the service. The top three motivations for library users to use the reference service were class assignments, personal interests, and using library facilities. Although their overall altitude was positive, users felt that reference librarians were more successful at exhibiting customer service qualities than performing tasks related to identifying users' information needs and searching/locating relevant information to fulfill the needs. Practical implications:The knowledge gained from this study will deepen the understanding of how the reference service is utilized and perceived by library users and offer insights on how to enhance the services to optimize the user experience.Originality/value: This study yields an enriched view of reference service provision in the African context. Its findings will help other academic libraries in Africa successfully plan and implement their own reference evaluation efforts and ultimately encourage more evidence-based library practices in the developing world.

This study compares delivery of information literacy in two Ghanaian universities by looking at the characteristics, similarities and differences between them. It is concluded that the contents of the two courses did not conform to any of the information literacy standards. Suggestions are made for further studies.

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