PUBLIC LIBRARY MANAGEMENT

BY

Adaora J. Udo-Anyanwu Ph.D and Blessing I. Wegwu

Introduction

Libraries form a vital part of the world’s system of education and

information storage and retrieval. They make books, film recordings and media

knowledge available to people in an organized manner. Since information is a very

important tool to any individual, wherever the information can be got is a power

home. The public library which developed from reading rooms and used to

disseminate war-time information during the war was turned around after the post

war with the help of international organizations such as British Council, Unesco

etc to the peoples’ university.

The UNESCO public library manifesto revised in 1972 sums up what a

public library is:

The public library is a living force, a democratic institution for

education, culture, and information, and is essential agent for the

fostering of peace and understanding between people and between

nations. The library should be established under the clear mandate

 of law, so framed as to ensure nation-wide provision of public

library service organized cooperation between libraries is essential

so that total national resource should be fully used and beat the

service of any reader. It should be maintained wholly from public

funds and no direct charge should be made to any one for its

services. To fulfill its purposes, the public library must be readily

accessible and its doors open for free and equal use by all

members of the community/society regardless of race, colour,

nationality, age, sex, religion, language, status or educational

attainment.

Elaturoti as cited in Ifidon (2012) states that public library is an

organization established, supported and funded by the community either through

local, regional and national government or through some other forms of

community organization which provides access to knowledge, information and

works of the imagination through a range of resources and services and is usually

available to all members of the community regardless of race, nationality, age,

gender etc. Collections and services have to include all types of appreciate media

and modern technologies as well traditional materials. Also the collections and
services should not be subject to any form of ideological, political or religions

censorship, nor commercial pressures. It must be supported by specific legislation.

From the above statements, it can be concluded that public library is

established to serve the information needs of the community and therefore efforts

should be made to provide collections that will satisfy these needs.

Nnadozie (2007) defines public libraries as those government or public

funded libraries established to provide free services and on equal basis to the

generality of the people without discrimination as to race, age, gender, colour,

religion, educational attainment or economic status. The public library exists for

free and unrestricted provision of books and related materials to members of the

public for study purposes and for vocational, cultural and recreational use

(Ejimkonye, Nwogu and Obiagwu, 1991). Edom (2012) states that the public

libraries no doubt are the only library institutions established by government to

enhance independent and continuing education of people particularly, those living

within the environment or locality.

The primary purpose of the public library is the provision of resources and

services in a variety of media as a means of meeting the needs of individuals and

groups for education, information and personal development including recreation

and leisure. The public library is established to provide information materials as a

means of satisfying the needs of its clientele by providing the right information at
the right time and to the right person. This will improve the ability of the

individual, the government and other organizations for the purpose of making

informed decisions (Ogbonyomi, 2007; Eze, 2008).

The importance of public libraries can be measured by the effect for good

they have on society. However, this depends on the efficiency of their organization

and operations in discharging their functions.

Having seen the need for the provision of library services by public libraries,

there is need for our public libraries to look inwards and ensure that they serve all

their universe of users, their community and that they bridge the gap between the

urban rich and poor and the rural rich, educated, illiterate and poor masses. Our

public libraries should be agents in the popularization of information literacy (the

training of every citizen to be able to identify his or her information needs, know

where and how to demand for information, how to use the information collected in

satisfying life’s options, using modern ICTs).

Origin/Evolution of Public Libraries

The modern concept of the public library was developed in the United States

of America in the 19th century in response to popular demand for universal

education. The Peterborough public library was the first public library. It was built

and supported by the public funds, with the purpose of creating a free and
unrestricted public service. This led to the establishment of several other such

libraries in 1933. American continued to make improvements until the 1960s and

1970s where the public libraries in America introduced the innovation of outreach

services which involved taking materials and programmes to people who are not

the regular patrons or who, for certain reasons, cannot come to the library.

(Nnadozie, 2007). The development of public libraries in Africa reflects the

various library systems of the colorizing countries. For instance, the development

in public libraries was highly influenced by the colonial masters and the level of

economic viability of the countries in Africa.

The history of public libraries in Nigeria has been traced to the

establishment of Tom Jones library in 1910 which served as a subscription library.

This followed in 1932 with the setting up of the Lagos library by Sir Alan Buns,

the Chief Secretary of Nigeria. These two libraries were later merged to become

Lagos Public Library administered by the British Council and Lagos Town

Council. These were also followed by the establishment of Public Relations Office

library in Lagos and the numerous reading rooms located in the then Eastern,

Northern and Western regions.

The government of the Eastern region under Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe passed

and ordinance establishing a library board in the region in 1955. This was a notable

development in the history of public librarianship in Nigeria because both the

legislation and the Board were the first of their kind in Nigeria. These

developments were a result of the decision taken during the Unesco seminar on the

development of public libraries in Africa held in Ibadan in 1953 which required

that Unesco should sponsor a pilot project in an African territory to demonstrate

public library development. Mr. Kalu Okorie carried out the survey of library

situation in the region in 1956. His recommendations were accepted by the

government and they formed the basis of the Acts of the Library Board on library

development. These include;

 A central library at Enugu

 5 divisional libraries at Port Harcourt, Ikot-Ekpene, Umuahia, Owerri and

Onitsha

 Branch libraries under the surveillance of divisional libraries

 A school book mobile service.

It is worthy of note that this Eastern Nigeria Public Library pilot project

became the first of such projects by Unesco in Africa. It was a show piece for the

whole country for several years until the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War in

1967, when it suffered severe damages. The state creation exercise of 1967 split

the Eastern Region into 3 states – East Central, Rivers and South Eastern states.
These states were further split into 6 states by the 1976 state creation and more

states with subsequent state creation. Almost all of these states have library boards

charged with the duty of providing library services to the citizens.

The Northern regional government started its library service in 1952. The

aim was to help the Native authorities in the region develop the Reading Rooms

established during the Second World War into public libraries. The government’s

planned to purchase books and send them to the Reading Rooms. According to the

arrangement, qualified staff would come from the headquarters in Kaduna to

supervise the work that was being done in the provincial libraries. This plan was

far being adequate, and consequently the Northern region government appointed

Mr. F. A Sharr to look into the problems of the library needs of the region. Sharr in

his report recommended that, public library should be established in each of the

thirteen provincial towns of the region. These libraries later formed the nucleus of

library services in the various provinces. The Northern Region was broken into

states in 1967 and subsequently into nineteen states in 1996. Each state inherited

from these facilities.

Public library existed in the Western Region of Nigeria, especially Ibadan

the headquarters. There were also public libraries in some major towns in the
region. With creation of states within the region in 1967, many libraries were

established especially in the state capitals.

On the enactment of the library Acts in Nigeria, according to Aguolu and

Aguolu in Opara (2011) legislation helped to speed up library services in the

region. There is no library in Nigeria today which is not backed up by law. This is

because without legislation, public library services would be provided at the whims

and caprices of whoever is in charge of the establishment.

Some of the historical circumstances that led to the establishment of public

library services in Nigeria include:

 Efforts of some individuals who donated buildings and collections which

later formed the nucleus of public library services.

 Establishment of regional reading rooms by colonial masters which later

transformed to public libraries.

 Increase in number of academic institutions and students’ enrolment.

 Establishment of regional government and subsequent creation of states

 Second World War which necessitated the establishment of libraries to

disseminate war information.

Administration and Governance

Globally, public libraries are the responsibility of the government at various

levels – National, State and Local government levels. Librarians manage or

control, they do not govern, there can hardly be found a case in which the librarian

is in complete control. He may be powerful with immense freedom to carry out the

day to day management of a library, yet he is always acting as a professional

executive who exercises his skill or expertise as the employee of his governing

body.

The Governing Board is in charge of making policy Statements. A Library

Board is in charge of the governance of the public library. The Imo State Library

Board was established as a body corporate with perpetual succession and a

common seal and with power to sue and be sued in its corporate name. The

functions of the Board are:

 To establish, equip and maintain in accordance with this Law the State

Library;

 To establish, equip and maintain in accordance with this Law branches of

the State Library in parts of the State;

  To provide in accordance with Law, such services, as in the opinion of the

Board, are necessary to be provided in connection with the establishment,

equipment and maintenance of the State Library.

Organizational Structure of the Public Library

According to Edoka (2000) Every library, as any other formal establishment,

is designed and run by a special group of people whose job is to combine and

utilize the organizational resources of men, money, information items and other

resources to achieve organizational objectives. The management gets things done

through other people in order to secure the optimum achievement of the objectives.

ORGANOGRAM OF PUBLIC LIBRARY

Commissioner for Education

Board Secretary of the Board

State Librarian Internal Audit

Public Relations

Technical Services
Administration Public Services Finance and Supplies
 These departments and sections are found in the public library with their

specified duties.

Departments and Sections in the Public Library

Within the public library, there are departments and sections performing

various activities to enhance effective library services to the clientele. These are:

1. The administration department – handles the administrative duties of the

library like job assignments, staff and users’ welfare and public relations.

2. The accounts department – handles the financial activities of the library like

payment of salaries, registration of users.

3. The technical services division – this division comprises of three sections.

These include acquisition, cataloguing and the bindery section. The division

provides behind the scene services which are by far vey relevant in library

organization of materials for use, and preservation as well as conservation of the

materials fort present and future use. Selection, acquisition, processing, repairs of

information materials are some of the activities performed in these divisions.

4. The public service department – This division could be said to be the heart of

the library service because it directly serves the readers or users of the library. It is

an open access library division where registered members of the library and other
external users are allowed to have access to the library resources Ojeadokun in

Afolabi and Etuk 2014, described it as a division that provides direct services to

readers or users through document-delivery, reference services, serials control, etc.

processed library resources are constantly sent to this division to be displayed,

usually by the use of an open shelves arrangement. The resources in this division

are meant to be used by library patrons or readers either by reading or borrowing

from home use. The sections under this department are lending, reference/Nigerian

and the children section.

With the current trend in Information and Communication Technology

(ICT). Public libraries now provide Internet Facilities: The contribution of

internet and its wide range of current information to today’s research cannot be

overemphasized. Electronic library is an organized collection of digital information

accessed through electronic media devices. It is an electronic media holdings

where information can be accessed, stored and retrieved through computer

information technology. (Afolabi and Etuk, 2014) some of the services provided by

the internet section of the public library are: e-mail services, Online literature

search, Online registration for local and international examinations and retrieval of

results of such examination.

Finally centre for the handicapped. This is a section where those who are

physically challenged are attended to. They are provided with Braille and tape
recorder. The Braille is printed for the blind, in which raised dots are used to

represent printed characters while the tape recorder are recorded for the deaf.

Finance/Funding

In the area of funding, the Unesco manifesto states that the public library

shall in principle be free of charge. The public library is the responsibility of local

and national authorities. It must be supported by specific legislation and financed

by national and local governments. It has to be an essential component of any long-

term strategy for culture, information provision, literacy and education. Hence,

public libraries are funded from the tax payer’s money.

The study of Achebe (2005) establishes that most public libraries in Nigeria

depend heavily on the Education Trust Fund (ETF) for library development.

Some public libraries engage in commercialized printing, reprographic,

bindery and computer services. This is a source of fund for the public library.

Another source of fund for the public library is through registration of users. Users

of the public library pay a certain amount for registration. This amount differs in

different public libraries.

The public library is one library expected to acquire materials in all subject

areas, in relevant languages and for all ages. The implication therefore is that a

public library ought to have unlimited financial resources to be able to acquire all
manner of information materials published daily in the country in an unlimited and

ever evolving subject areas.

The dwindling funding of the public libraries in Nigeria is one of the

numerous challenges facing the information sector. This necessitated the need for

libraries to partner with public in order to make appreciable impact in the life of its

users. Partnership can be with individuals, organizations, foundations, non-

governmental organizations etc.

Collection Development

Oduagwu (2004) defines it as a logical and systematic process of building of

library collections promptly and continuously ensuring maximum exploitation or

utilization of the resources. The collections of public libraries according to a study

carried out by Eze (2012) are book materials with little or no electronic non-book

materials like CD-ROM. Such materials can only come as supplements to some

books – they accompany their book form. Acquisition of books in these libraries is

mainly through gift – vey few books come through purchase.

According to Ugboma (1998), public libraries cover a broad area, including

education, social, political, economic, and cultural matters. Consequently, public

libraries hold books and non-book materials, in various disciplines and various
languages. The branch libraries are starved of relevant and current information

materials because they receive allocation when there are multiple copies of titles.

The Book Aid International through the British Council cannot be over

emphasized. Book Aid has played a major role and has been the life line of the

service for some years now.

Legal deposit is used in acquisition and helps solidify the library to an

attainable standard and height. Legal deposit at the public library level took leaf

from the national level and most of them accepted but with slight differences in the

particular state concerned. For example Section 21 of the Imo State Library Board

Law 1977 established that “where any printed matter (other than matter of such

description as the Director may specify from time to time) is published by or on

behalf and department of the State Government it shall be the duty of the head of

that department to deliver forthwith to the Director for the purpose of the state

library two (2) copies of the publications.

Collection Development Policy

Every public library should have a collection development policy that should

be supported by the requirements of the library legislation. The policy is meant to

define the purpose, scope and content of the collection. The policy should aim at

ensuring that the library collections grow steadily and is accessible. The policy
should also have room for accessing of materials outside of the library walls

through the use of mobile libraries and technology. It should also take into

consideration the needs, history, culture and interests of its user community.

Specifically, the policy should have guiding statements on criteria for resource

collection, duplication of titles, on weeding and stock taking, discarding and

disposal of resources, procedure for procurement guidelines, donations policy,

resource sharing and interlibrary cooperation and digitization policy. The

collection development policy can be expanded and reviewed from 3-5 years.

Library Resources

The range of resources that should be available in a public library amongst

others are: Reference materials for example, dictionaries, encyclopedia, maps,

atlases, biographical sources, gazetteers etc, Fiction, Non-fiction for various age

groups, Newspapers, Periodicals, Community information, Local history, Music

scores, Materials in vernacular and other languages, Games, Toys, Puzzles,

Information on government activities and local authorities, Study materials etc

The public library can present the above listed materials in various formats

such as; books (hard and paperbacks), Audio books, Electronic books,

Pamphlets, Newspapers and periodicals, Posters, DVDs, CDS, CD ROM

databases, large print materials, Braille materials, Laser discs, Software

programmes etc.
Information Technology

The advances in Information and Communication Technologies in recent

years have placed a huge amount of information in electronic resources and in

online connections. Public libraries as bridges to information to the haves and

have-nots need to acquire and make accessible these information resources and

connections to all. Again, more and more businesses and government agencies are

going online; the public libraries therefore need to be access points for their

communities to participate in governance and other spheres of endeavour.

Information Technology equipment should be available in public libraries if

they are to serve the users effectively. These include; Desktop computers and

laptops, Scanners, Printers, Projector and screen, CD/DVD players, CD/DVD

recorders, CD/DVD multiple copiers, RFID (Radio Frequency Identifiers) in books

to detect stolen library materials, V-SAT, Cable services, Internet connectivity,

Televisions, Radio, Camera (digital video), Book trucks/vans, Routers.

The public library needs to have an IT plan that would cover the planning,

implementation and maintenance of IT system infrastructure. The plan should

include the IT staff to be hired that would also be able to teach core staff including

librarians and library officers. Scheduling of maintenance, adapting technologies to

the needs of the physically challenged and ensuring that the equipment in the
libraries supports portable storage devices also need to be part of the library IT

plan.

Staffing of public libraries

Public libraries are libraries that are accessible by the general public and is

generally financed with public funds such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and

library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. Staffing in public library

system is made up of the Director of library services followed by the Assistant

Chief Librarian or Deputy Director. Their subordinates include all categories of

librarians, library officers, library assistants, attendants, technicians and gardeners.

These fall under professionals, para-professionals and non-professionals all of

whom should be qualified in terms of training and certification according to their

levels. These library staff are also civil servants.

Categories of Staff and their Functions/Duties

Chief Executive Officer: The schedule of the Chief Executive Officer includes the

day-to-day running of the library, enforcing discipline among staff, taking care of

appointment and promotion matters, fiscal issues including drawing up a budget

`and its implementation. He is also the chief image maker of the library and

provides leadership in all aspects of library services. The Library Chief Executive

participates in community organisations as well as with other government agencies

and businesses to ensure that the library is a focal point for the community, thus

attracting goodwill to the Library.

Librarian: Some of the duties expected of the Librarians in the public libraries are

as follows:

 Developing acquisition policies and systems for the Library;

 Planning services to the public and participating in their delivery;

 Formulating and implementing policies for service development;

 Analysing the resource and information needs of the community;

 Engaging and participating in planning the design of libraries including the

mobile libraries;

 Managing and administering library and information systems;

 Budgets preparation and implementation;

 Development and the maintenance of databases to meet the needs of

the library and its users;

 Answering reference and information enquiries;

 Cataloguing and classification of library materials;

 Selecting, evaluating, managing and training staff;

 Strategic planning;

 Promoting library services.

 Developing services to meet the needs of special groups e.g. children,

young adults, people with special needs;

 Assisting users in the use of library resources and information

technologies.

Library Officers: They are the “link officers”, serving as the “bridge” between the

Librarians and the Library Assistants. They should coordinate the duties of the

library assistants and undertake responsibilities as assigned by the librarians. The

officers should be adequately trained and posses requisite qualifications (ND in

Library Science) from recognized and accredited higher institutions of learning.

Opportunities for career progression should be created for this category of officers.

The Library Assistants: They are required in the Library to perform such routine

duties as filing, shelving, circulation, shelf-reading etc. They should hold the West

African School Certificate or its equivalent. They should be trained to relate well

with members of the public as they come in contact more frequently with the

library patrons.

Specialist Staff: Specialist staff like the accountants, human resources managers,

IT professionals are required in large public libraries. Such specialist staff should

posses the requisite qualifications in their areas of specialisation.

Maintenance Staff: Such staff as drivers, cleaners, gardeners, security personnel,

porters also have important roles to play in ensuring the smooth operation of the
library service. They should therefore be seen as an integral part of the staff of the

Library. The listed category of staff should possess a minimum qualification of

Primary School Leaving Certificate while the driver cadre should hold in addition

the requisite driving trade test certificate.

Training is a very important device in personnel management. Considering

the fact that information provision to every user is the mission of the public library,

the need for training in this regard cannot be over emphasized. Tella and Popoola

(2007) assert that training is an essential strategy for motivating workers in the

library as a service organization. The public library cannot do without adequate

training of their workers to be dynamic enough to cope with the changing needs of

the public who make up their user population. Yesufu (2000) further opines that

training of personnel enhances productivity, serve as a useful means of upgrading

the human intellect and skills for productive employment.

Training of the public library staff can take many forms or can be of many

types. IFLA (2000) had it that training of library staff may be offered in pre-

professional education, in-service training or as continuing education. More often

it is given in short courses and workshops, or at professional meetings. Ugbokwe

(1998) added on-the-job learning form experienced workers, coaching and through

off-the-job conferences, seminars, workshops and lectures. Watson (2000) note

that staff development and training should include the acquisition of the skills in
the use of Information Technology. Such training should focus on making the

workers acquire basic computers skills and skills in the use of electronic

information sourcing amongst others.

Ajidahun (2007) enumerate the benefits of training to include reduction in

cost, reduced turnover, human resources reserve, fast decision, continuity of effort,

improvement in employee morale, availability for future personnel needs for the

organization, improvement in health and safety, reduced supervision, personal

growth and organizational stability.

Factors the militate against staff training in public libraries are lack of fund,

lack of management’s interest in training, inadequate number of workers, no

written policy and budget (Eze, 2012).

Accommodation

Buildings that accommodate public libraries should be designed with the

kind of services to be offered in mind. They should be utilitarian, close to other

public places as shops, theatres and cultural centres. They should be centrally

located and accessible to all members of the community including the persons with

special ability. Where possible, public library buildings should serve their

communities for meetings, exhibitions and for cultural activities. Specific features
that need to be put into consideration when planning for a public library building

include; what services the library aims to provide, the size

of the library, spaces for the different sections including the e-library and the

multimedia centre, how to place shelves so as not to crowd the spaces, safety

issues, parking space for the clientele and staff and prominent places to mount

signposts for the library. The Library building should be aesthetically appealing.

Organization of Information materials

Cataloguing is a crucial aspect of the library work since without that, there

will be total chaos in the organization or library reading materials making location

and use of such materials almost impossible. In addition, ICT and automation have

given a new dimension to the traditional manual cataloguing.

In spite of the fact that ICT has brought so many changes to cataloguing –

making the work easier, much better and records more accurate, it has been

observed (Eze, 2012) that most of the public libraries in Nigeria today may be

lacking ICT and access to on-line catalogues. If the issue is not addressed, there is

tendency that the old manual method of keeping records like the card catalogue,

may not give the users of these libraries adequate access to the library materials of

the libraries and those of other libraries as well.

 The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) scheme is popularly used for the

classification of books in these libraries while catalogue cards are prepared for the

author/title headings and subjects. All these cards are filed in the same catalogue

cabinets – no demarcation between author/title and subject catalogue.

Public libraries have their headquarters in state capitals. The organization of

the information materials are carried out at the central libraries while processed

books are distributed to the branch libraries. That is why most of their professional

librarians are posted to the central libraries although library officers do partake in

their cataloguing these days.

Services of the Public Library

To actualize the objectives of the public library, the following services are

provided:

1. School Library Services – The library provides facilities for secondary school

readers. The section is used as pilot library in the state and it gives expertise advice

and services to secondary and primary schools in state wanting to establish school

libraries.

2. Children Library Service – this section was set up to cater for the needs of pre-

primary and primary readers in the state. Holiday programs are being organized for

this group of readers every term.

3. Handicapped Library Services – this is the only public library in Nigeria that

offers these specialized services to these group readers. There are separate

structure and facilities put in place for them. This section distribute Braille books,

talking books, bold print books and other information materials to handicapped

schools in the state.

4. Rural Library and Extension Services – Rural libraries are those (usually

branch) libraries that are established in the rural areas or communities which

provide library services to the inhabitants of the area. It is the cardinal function of

the public library to reach all potential users in the communities. The host

communities provide the structures, facilities and initial stock while the Board

provides the staff and continues to build the collection. The branch libraries are

responsible for the readership in their areas.

5. Resource Provision – The library provides the traditional function of acquiring,

organizing, processing and disseminating book information materials to its readers

through the public services and technical services divisions. Most of these

information materials are foreign in nature and most times do not meet the needs of

the readers.
6. Computer and Reprographic Services – these services help in the production

of documents, internet services and photocopying of documents where they are

available at a minimal fee.

7. Printing and Binding Services – this section takes care of all the printing and

binding of documents both in the library and from institutions and persons outside

the library.

Beneficiaries/Users of the Public Libraries

Public library is the only library that provides as open and non-judgmental

environment in which individuals and their interests are brought together with the

universe of ideas and information (W. Ikins in opera 2011). The uniqueness of this

is in the areas of its users. It has the distinction of having the most heterogeneous

users, which means that the public library is every body’s library. It is a resource

for scholars, center for information and aid for student, a means for self education

and a center of amusement.

The various users of the public library and their benefits are as follows;

1. Children – Children of the school age from 2-12 years. The service of the

library supplements their school work. Materials provided are fictional materials,

reference materials, picture books, story books, literature books and textbooks. The
library also encourages the children to form clubs and organize excursions within

and outside their communities.

2. Youths and Adolescent – These groups of users are usually at the peak of their

secondary education and as such not difficult to serve because they mostly come to

library with their book and come during examination period. The public library at

this time can add to what they have been taught and provide other information

sources such as examination syllabus and recreational facilities.

3. Adult Users – These may be individuals that missed earlier opportunities to

acquire formal education or working class that want to further their education. The

resources of the library are available at their disposal.

4. Handicapped/Disadvantaged People – these are people such as the blind, those

in hospitals and prisons. Services are provided to the blind through Braille books.

For those in the prisons and hospitals who are interested in reading or who want to

sit for examinations, since they are restricted, they are being provided for through

the public library outreach services. In developed countries, prisoners are allowed

to go to school and write examinations within the 4-walls of prisons. For example,

Nelson Mandela who obtained his Masters degree when he was in prison. The

library staff work hand-in-hand with prison authority for effective performance.

5. Government Functionaries – These are found in the legislative, executive and

judiciary arms of government. Public libraries provide services to them to function

effectively and for good governance. Invariably some libraries are designed to take

care of these functionaries, the public library still provide for them and other

people of various interests in these organs of government.

6. Illiterate members of the public – These are those who did not have

opportunity of attending formal schools or acquiring formal education. They

cannot read and write. Majority of them live in rural areas and less developed

countries. Public library outreach services are used to provide for this category of

persons through adult education and literacy programmes.

Community Relationship

For the public library to be fully integrated into the community and for its services

and resources to be effectively patronized, the Chief Executive needs to develop

and maintain a robust relationship with the community, identifying different

interest groups for collaborations. A marketing and advocacy policy therefore

needs to be developed. Strategies to be employed include among others;

- Organising book fairs

- Use of the mass media

- Displays and exhibitions

- Development of interactive library website

- Organising the Friend of the Library groups

- Producing publications about the library

- Promoting the preservation of indigenous knowledge and culture

- Organising reading campaign information literacy classes

-Organising library day/week

-Organising special lectures in commemoration of special events in history

A community that is well informed about the activities of the public library would

always provide support for its services.

Library Security

Public libraries are today faced with new security challenges with the

introduction of new technologies that enable the libraries offer computer based

services (databases and services through the internet). Public libraries should

therefore have security policies to eliminate theft, damage to resources and as well

ensure the safety of the library buildings, staff and users of the services. Following

measures among others should be undertaken:

 Adequate and appropriate training for the library security staff and indeed all the

staff of the library;

 Installation of fire detectors and alarm;

 Provision of gadgets to detect explosive devices;

 Installation of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) to monitor the buildings and the

activities in the Library;

 Fencing of library building and installation of burglary proof;

 Installation of electronic devices that can detect unauthorised removal of library

resources;

 Introduction of user ID and password to ensure that only the authorised users

have access to the resources;

 Awareness and the procurement of new technologies that are effective to support

the library security policies that are in place.

Importance/Relevance of Public Libraries

Education empowers citizens with the tools and resources to reduce

inequalities of all types. No educational system can be considered adequate

without an effective and efficient library and information services. In this vein,

public libraries provide knowledge resources which enable users to be creative

participants in the development drive of their nation. The provision of the right

information when and where needed improves the ability of an individual, a

business, a government agency, or some other kind of organization to make

informed decision. Aguolu in Opara (2011). Thus the greatest empowerment of

any citizen is the empowerment of the intellect. These generate positive ideas and

the world is made a better place by great ideas. Therefore, information –

particularly in its hard form is a critical resource and the library is universally
acknowledged to be the purveyor of authentic information and knowledge which

are essential for national development. Also for a nation to develop, it needs to

provide adequate public library and information infrastructure in order to build the

capacity of its citizenry who will bring about development. It is also true that

public library play crucial role in national development by providing an

indispensable ingredient – information. This is why nations are creating strategies

to ensure that information and knowledge resources are used effectively shared and

made accessible in order to empower people to act as agents of their own

development. When information is retrieve from public library. It enables the

people to fight poverty, deprivation and illiteracy.

The following are the core importance of public library:

1. Public libraries especially those in Lagos municipality as well as Eastern and

northern regions contributed significantly in the struggle for independence. They

served as rallying points for the dissemination of information on struggle for

freedom and independence. This is akin to the roles they played as propaganda

outfits in the hands of the colonial rulers.

2. Public libraries are a source of information to government agencies including

courts of law that depend on them for newspapers which provide unbiased

arbitration and litigation.

3. Preserve and promote cultural heritage and diversity, foster mutual

understanding and respect among cultures and peoples.

4. Harness information and knowledge for economic development through

professional processing, storage and dissemination to stimulate innovation and

human capacity for efficiency and productivity.

5. Ensure social inclusion and cohesion by providing access to information and

knowledge to all women, men, and children.

6. Provides lifelong learning and various forms of literacy by facilities, resources

and services designed to ensure access to relevant information in appropriate

formats, language, content and contexts.|

8. Enlightenment campaigns.

Problems of Public Libraries

 Public library users remain largely students who concentrate on reading for

their promotional and entrance examinations with the help of personal

textbooks and without borrowing books f or the library. This perception of

the public library as a reading room is part of the reason, the

government/people do not work towards equipping public libraries with

materials or release already approved budget for that purpose.

 Inadequate Funding: The bane of all public library system in Nigeria has

been poor funding resulting in scanty, out dates and irrelevant collections

to meet the public needs, inadequate and out–modeled physical structure

and equipment and inadequate staffing among others. Oyegade, et al

in Daniel ed. 2012) corroborated this situation by stating thus. The need for

adequate funding for public libraries in Nigeria is imperative. The present

allocations to libraries, though have improved over the years, there is urgent

need for increased fund if any impact is to be made.

As of now the Nigeria public library system can no longer attract and retain

qualified library personnel. What we witness at present is a migration of

qualified librarian s from public to other types of libraries in search of

greener pastures.

Decline of public library services due to the economic down-turn and

lack of commitment. This Akintola (2008) attributes to inflation in Nigeria

which resulted in drastic reduction of public library allocations form

government culminating in underfunding, obsolete infroamtion resources

and decayed infrastructure. This has affected the library structure,

maintenance of building, the collection and overall provision of services.

The stock of most public libraries in the country would have remained static

but due to the help of Book Aid International, the interventions of the
 defunct petroleum trust fund and effort of the Education Trust Fund (ETF)

and some donations from individuals and organization.

 Poor reading habit. It is only when the relevance of a public library is

appreciated that there will be provision for its growth.

 Traditional library practice – some public libraries are still operating

traditional library practice. The advent of Information Communication

Technology (ICT) brought a change in the information seeking behaviour of

users and they go to areas where their needs will be met.

 Lack of recognition – Generally speaking, the voices of librarians are

hardly audible as they are rarely heard in politics, business, sports, industry,

education, culture, hence public libraries are not accorded high priority in

planning and allocation of resources by our institutions. The poor perception

is what is responsible for the low priority rate of our public libraries. It has

also contributed to the poor image of the public library and librarian.

 It is sad to see that mobile libraries have disappeared in Nigerian public

library service, when they are needed most for information literacy drives

and information society.

 Inadequate and Dilapidated Accommodation: The library building

should be comfortable and conducive place in order to attract the user to

come. According to IFLA standards for public libraries in Opara (2011),

 public library buildings. Library buildings play an important part in public

library services provision. They should be designed to reflect the function of

the library service and be sufficiently flexible to accommodate new and

changing services.

Library buildings are not constructed to conform to the services

rendered. Some are constructed in such ways that there is no room for

expansion. Librarians are not consulted before drawing the building plan.

 The provision for legal deposit of publications in most library boards are

lacking in substance and therefore do no hold water. Where the provisions

are available, there are no enabling laws on defaulters and even where they

are provided, they seem to be neglected.

 There are not enough branch libraries to serve the rural populace.

 Services to special clientele such as the blind, deaf and dumb, aged,

prisoners, illiterates are minimal if non-existent.

 Public Library Laws in Nigeria: The public library law is so old as the

public library and is found to be defective in contents and structure. This has

generated agitation by Nigerian Library Association for their review.

The Way Forward

 Daniel et al ed. (2012) opine that public library is considered globally as the

people’s university and nearest information service to the public. As a gate way to

knowledge, it provides a basic condition for life-long learning for this to be

achieved, the following should be considered:

 Alternative funding sources to make up for the allocation to the public

library by the state government. Strategies aimed at earning the attention of

the private sector especially multinational corporations should be evolved.

Many public libraries in developed countries are surviving courtesy of the

contributions from multinational corporations, foundations and donor

agencies, friends of the libraries etc. Chair rentals, room rentals,

consultancies, cyber cafes should be established to cater for the needs of

users in urban and rural areas.

 Advocacy – This is more than just lobbying for extra funding. It involves

advocating for excellent library services, appropriate staffing and facilities in

the context of advocacy the educational opportunities of a community. This

is done through promotion, public relations and marketing.

 The present information age in the society thrives on the changing role of

public libraries in a traditional environment to properly and progressively

substitute and situate their roles under the impact of Information

 Communication Technology. Hence there is the need of constitutional

upgrading of libraries and the internet.

 An ideal library building with plenty of space for present and future needs.

Librarians should be part of the building committee.

 It will be encouraging and interesting if the government should amend the

edicts and provisions to suit the present time an make sure that these laws

are properly enforced and defaulters punished especially legal deposit

defaulters.

 Branch libraries in all the local government areas and local government

participation in financing their services.

 Non-professionals should not be appointed to run the affairs of public

libraries. Vacancies in the headship of public libraries should be advertised

and made competitive in order to attract the best brains available.

 The public library should be careful and meticulous in choosing materials

from international organization to avoid being a dumping ground.

 Provision of efficient and effective services to all the categories of users

whether young or old, poor or rich, literate or illiterate, able or disabled etc.

 Regular training and development of library staff to be conversant with the

current trends in librarianship. There should be adequate budget to support

 training and retraining of staff to acquire higher qualifications, update their

knowledge, and equip them with appropriate skills needed for the new

technology in library operations.

 To facilitate increased usage of the public libraries and in effect a reading

culture of the Nigerian public, libraries should regularly organize user

education programme on general usage of the library, or specific technology.

Conclusion

The repositioning of our public libraries in Nigeria is desirable to make them

perform their expected role effectively in the society. The chance of achieving the

developmental goals will be enhanced with the provision and use of the relevant

information provided by the public libraries in all our communities. While poor

funding is the bane of Nigerian public libraries, state and local governments as

well as the federal government should wake up to their responsibilities. Well

stocked and well managed public library no doubt help to boost our poor

educational system, instill confidence in students, help check educational

malpractices, assist distance learning efforts. Public libraries should also

continuously explore ways of generating funds for self sustenance.

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