THE IMPORTANCE OF UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA: AN ASSESSMENT OF UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN LIBRARY KWARA STATE

THE IMPORTANCE OF UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA: AN ASSESSMENT OF UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN LIBRARY KWARA STATE

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Library is simply described as a special designated building stocked with prints and non – print materials which are readily made available to the library users’ such as teachers, students, researchers, and the public at large through convenient booking, cataloguing and delivery system.

Academic library (are) those attached to higher learning like Universities, Polytechnics, the importance of funding in improving quality library services cannot be overemphasized. It is the glue the holds the building, collection and staff together and allows the library to attain its goals. Such money can be considered to save the library. Adequate funds improve the effectiveness of any library

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The study no doubt, will go a long way in revealing the major problems of digitization of University libraries, From this light, students, lecturers and researchers in the research environment who intend to carry out further research on this topic or related ones will find the result of this work very useful because, it will serve as a model or pre-condition upon which they may build their study. The Nigerian University commission, will immensely benefit from this work, regarding their bid to digitize Nigerian academic libraries, this is because the study reveal the problems, benefits of digitization and suggest workable solutions to these problems. In this way, they will benefit, because with this work, they will be sensitized on the likely problems that need to be put into consideration before embarking on any digitization project. Again, this study will re-introduce the Nigerian Universities commission to the major essence of digitization which will serve as a driving force to achieve their aim of digitizing Nigerian academic libraries, Anate, J. and Gomina, E.A. (2007),.

The study will also expose them to the way forward to ensure successful implementation of digitization in Nation’s academic libraries, hence, Information contained in this study will sensitize librarians especially those who are not computer literate on the benefits of digitization so that they shall make themselves available for training and retraining in order to cope with digital environment rather than discouraging computerization. Also this work will benefit all those in the field of library and Information Science because, it adds to the study of knowledge already existing in the field of library automation since it is said that every research work must contribute to the development or building of new knowledge or a given discipline. Academic library funding had been major concern to library management. For any academic library to fulfill the purpose of its establishment, finance is essential. By the budgetary allocation are not released as at when due. This is turn delays implementation of the expected sum, most universities especially state owned universities Agbo Ola, A.T. (2001).

Academic libraries managers have complained that the number of journals and newspapers that are being supplied to them on daily and weekly basis fall short of their expectation.

The researcher and students like who are in need of these materials are not always satisfied with materials on ground. The reasons for short supply of those materials are attributed to shortage of fund. Added to the above is the shortage of relevant textbooks, currently being experienced academic Library. Inadequate provision of funds has prepared the provision the current materials needed by the provision of students in an academic reduction in the quality of education provided.

 1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objectives of this study are:

1.     To find out whether the staff and students goes to the library.

2.     To examine the reason(s) why they use the library.

3.     To highlight some of the problems of library funding.

4.     To suggest solution for better operation of the library.

  1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.     a) Do the staff and student use the library?

2.     b) For what reason(s) did you use the library?

3.     c)   What are problems militating the smooth work of the library?

4.     d)   What are your recommendations to overcome the problems?

 1.5     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The result of this study will not only be of great value to members of the academic libraries but the general public libraries. The study will awaken and develop the interest of the students in reading so that he / she could become familiar with books and sources of information

The study will make information available to members of academic libraries and those from outside within the limit of the resources available. It will also be on materials use as a reference tools for further study. This study will serve as a guide to government its agencies and prostates in checking the mix use of funding of academic library in Nigeria.

 1.6     SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope and Limitation of the Importance of University Libraries in Kwara State.

In the process of this write – up, the researcher encountered a lot of constraints in the process of gathering information relating or relevant to the topic. These include unavailability of current information sources, uncooperative attitudes of correspondence and data consumption as a result of sourcing for information materials. This study is restructuring to the unavailability of current information resources in academic library Ilorin. Major emphasized was laid on identifying the funding problem associated with the academic library and librarians under review. The research limited it works to these of the time involve in extending to University of Ilorin library.

1.7     DEFINITION OF TERMS

National Libraries: is a library specifically established by the government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant works.

Bibliography: Bowers (1949) refers to enumerative bibliography as a procedure that identifies books in “specific collections or libraries,”in a specific discipline, by an author, printer, or period of production (3). He refers to descriptive bibliography as the systematic description of a book as a material or physical artifact.

Compilation: The action or process of producing something, especially a list or book, by assembling information collected from other sources. Also, it is seen as things, especially books, record, or broadcast programme, that is put together by assembling previously separate items.

Importance: – Significance and importance refer to the quality of something that gives it special meaning or value. An event of real significance, works of great social import weight suggests seriousness and authority.

Academic Libraries: – Are generally defined as the libraries in institution of higher learning. The University libraries are as varied and distinctive as the institutions which they serve. These are the libraries in the institutes of education, colleges of Education, School of Theology: Religious, Legal and other professional Colleges and the Universities.