Introduction

Libraries have a fundamental role in students' learning and academic careers (Jan et al., 2016). The role of libraries is undeniable, whether it is in academic and research activities or in grooming and persuading students. Libraries always assist students in their learning process. As a result, the majority of students benefit from these libraries and, thus, equip themselves for the coming challenges of life. To get the best of it, the students are required to be capable of using the library to find out, to have easy access, and to grab information (Grimes & Charters, 2000). However, most students may not feel free to use library resources. These hurdles and issues lagged behind in fully utilizing library resources, which resulted in students' frustration and anxiety (Mallon, 1986).

Anxiety is a state of human feeling characterized by tense feelings, anxious thoughts, and physical changes. It is believed that the consequences of anxiety are different from person to person, depending upon the nerves of every individual.

On the other hand, students in an educational setting may experience a range of anxiety related to their academic setting, which can be highly stressful. Library anxiety is one of the most common types of academic anxiety. For the first time, in 1986, the said fears and negative feelings about library services among students were noted and identified as library anxiety (Mellon, 1986).

Library anxiety is a bad experience marked by excessive worry, self-defeating, tension, fear, and psychological arousal during the normal library tasks cycle (Jiao & Onwuegbuzie, 2004). It has also been defined as an unpleasant mood or emotional disposition that occurs in a library context and has cognitive, affective, and behavioral consequences (Jiao & Onwuegbuzie, 1999). It is also known as situational anxiety, and it is characterized by worry and emotionality (Jiao et al., 1996).

Given Mellon's work, Kuhlthau (1988) points out students' confusion and hurdles, especially in the early stages of the library search process. It was later identified that the students' library frustration was mostly due to their unfamiliarity with library resources and technologies (Kuhlthau, 1988 ). Several studies on library anxiety have been conducted, such as the LAS (library anxiety scale) developed by Bostick (1992) and AQAK by Anwar et al. (2012), through which Students can improve their academic needs by using effective library and its resources quite easily. For this purpose, they just need to learn the use of library resources and consult library staff to discuss their information need, and thus, feelings of negativities can be overcome ahead. Thus, the study is conducted with the mental stress and hurdles of not knowing the procedure of library use by students in universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa kept in mind.

Generally, literature has identified that library anxiety is always an obstacle for the users of library in different disciplines. A number of research works have been conducted on library anxiety in different parts of the world, including Pakistan. The brief account of those is provided below.

Constance A. Mellon initiated the concept of library anxiety in 1986 when she used the term for the first time after conducting a two-year qualitative study. Later, in 1992, Bostick developed the first Library Anxiety Scale, and since then, extensive work has been done by different researchers on various dimensions, with some researchers basing their scales on the Bostick Library Anxiety Scale as well as other scales. The chapter discusses a review of some key and relevant publications.

Shahbazi et al. (2022) conducted a study on the association between library anxiety and emotional intelligence. Descriptive correctional was used in this study. Graduates of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University and Tabriz University of Iran participated in the study. Data were collected using the Random sampling method. Siberia Schering's Emotional Intelligence and "Library Anxiety Questionnaire were administered as data instruments. The study revealed that the emotional intelligence scores of both universities were high. Furthermore, they found that library anxiety was 17% of changes to emotional intelligence, while 83% of students' library anxiety was reported for other reasons.

Adeeko and Adetimirin (2022) carried out a study to find the library anxiety of undergraduate students in north-central Nigerian universities. Seven hundred ninety-seven students were selected as a sample from a population of 15933. The measuring Scale on library anxiety (MSLA) developed by Bostick was used as a tool for measuring library anxiety. Their finding showed that the majority of undergraduate students (85%) possessed moderate library anxiety. The most predominant factor of library anxiety was insufficient knowledge about the library and its resources.

Ismail et al. (2022) carried out a study to determine the level of library anxiety among management science students at the undergraduate level of the University of Peshawar using the AQAK Library Anxiety Scale. Two hundred sixty-two students were selected for data gathering. The study found that final-year students reported the lowest level of library anxiety compared to first-year students. The study further indicated a higher level of library frustration in females than males on a gender basis. Factor-wise, library anxiety revealed that library staff is a main contributor to students' fear and frustration. Furthermore, they concluded that the students belong to rural areas where the majority of schools have no library system or poor library system, which contributed to a high level of library anxiety.

Gogoi et al. (2021) conducted a study on the three different universities in Assam province of India. One hundred fifty students were selected from these three universities for data collection as a sample. The technique adopted for this study was stratified random sampling. The AQAK Library Anxiety Scale was used to find the level of library anxiety. One hundred nineteen questionnaires were returned from the students and fit for data analysis. The findings of the study showed that factors such as gender and language of instruction. Cast and culture do not affect library anxiety. Furthermore, they found that the type of university affects the anxiety of students. No significant difference was found on the basis of gender and language of instructions casts and communities. They stress improving information literacy skills and staff availability of library resources.

(Ahmad et al., 2021) studied the library anxiety of Khyber Medical College (KMC) undergraduate medical students. They used the AQAK Library Anxiety Scale as an instrument to measure K.M.C Students' library anxiety. They found that, overall, students have mild levels of anxiety. The result showed that K.M.C Students have slightly high anxiety for library staff and user education factors. Furthermore, no substantial difference was found on gender basis in the level of library anxiety of responders. It showed that first-year students were found to be more anxious than final-year students.

Asghar et al. (2021) carried out a study to determine the library anxiety level of graduate students of LIS Discipline in universities working in the public sector. The total number of respondents selected for data collection was 511 students of MLIS studying in various library schools in Pakistan. The data was collected through the census method. The instrument used for the data collection was the multidimensional Library Anxiety Scale (Van Kampen, 2003). The result showed that LIS students possessed an overall mild level of anxiety on six factors of MLAS, having a range of 3.35. No difference was found in LIS students on gender basis and frequency of library use.

Popoola and Olajide, 2021 carried out a comparative study on the impact of library anxiety computer skills on the use of library services and resources in southwest Nigeria. The population of the study was 335 undergraduate students of Business administration in private universities. The researcher adopted a correlational survey design. The Multidimensional Library Anxiety Scale and Library Information Resources scale were used as instruments for the collection of data. A substantial association was recorded between computer skills, library anxiety, and library resources used by the participants. Undergraduates with a better understanding of computer literacy skills tend to use library information resources in a better way than those with weak or no computer skills.

Abdoh (2021) carried out a comparative study to find the level of library anxiety between Omani students and Saudi students at the University of South Carolina, USA. A mixed method was used for the collection of data. The AQAK scale was used to measure the level of library anxiety. The result showed that the students reported less library anxiety when they participated in the library orientation program as compared to those who did not attend the library training program. Further, he added that affective barriers and library knowledge barriers were recorded as the highest levels of library anxiety. No statistical differences were found between males and females on the basis of six variables.

Bushra et al. (2021) carried out a study to explore the library anxiety level of graduate students of the LIS Discipline admitted to nine public sector universities in Pakistan. The Multidimensional Library Anxiety Scale was used to collect data from the respondents. The total number of students was 511 from different LIS departments using cense methods. The study revealed that library and information science students possessed a mild level of library anxiety due to all six factors. Further, they investigated that students possessed the highest level of frustration with the information search process and general library anxiety. No statistical differences were found in library anxiety levels of different semesters. No difference was reported on a gender basis. Furthermore, the presence of higher anxiety in the students of Bahauddin Zakariya University, in contrast to Khushal Khan Khattak University Karak, was recorded.

Shehata and Elgllab (2019) conducted a comparative study of Egyptian and Saudi Arabian undergraduate students to measure library anxiety. A mixed-method strategy was used in this study. Several students in Saudi Arabia and Egypt participated in semistructured interviews to determine the key elements that contribute to library anxiety. According to the findings, Egyptian students were more anxious to use libraries than Saudi Arabian students. The finding also revealed that in order to reduce anxiety, bibliographical instruction must provide the students with training on how to use libraries.

Ansari (2017) conducted a quantitative study using a modified version of Bostick's (1992) library anxiety scale (LAS) on 367 undergraduate students of the International University of Malaysia. The study employed a stratified random sample technique. His study findings revealed that Malaysian students have a higher level of library anxiety than non-Malaysian students in terms of library limitations, as well as the same amount of anxiety in terms of library employees, library environment, and handling library technology. Furthermore, male students have higher levels of anxiety than females. There was no difference in anxiety levels between students who were guided about bibliographic instructions and those who were not guided about bibliographical instructions.

(Jan et al., 2017). observed the connection between emotional intelligence and library anxiety. The study revealed that students could overcome their negative feelings about the library if the students, regardless of gender, were capable of recognizing, classifying, understanding, and recognizing (Perceiving), handling, and using their own emotions regardless of academic discipline or cultural background.