Assessing The Impact Of Public Library Services On The Literacy Level Of Nigerians

Assessing The Impact Of Public Library Services On The Literacy Level Of Nigerians

Introduction

When regarded in the context of its users, who represent all social classes in society, libraries in general and public libraries in particular, play a significant role in all facets of societal development. Different definitions of a public library exist. Many think of it as a location created to house a collection of books and other printed resources, as well as the staff needed to provide and interpret those resources in order to meet the diverse users’ informational, research, educational, recreational, cultural, and aesthetic needs. Typically, this location is financed by tax dollars. According to Gates (1976), a public library is “that which is authorized by law, supported from general public funds or special taxes voted for the purpose of administration, for the benefit of the citizens of the country, town, city or region which maintains it on the basis of equal access to all.” The Native Authority (N.A.) Reading Rooms served as the inspiration for the creation of a public library system in Northern Nigeria in the late 1940s. However, prior to this time, there were numerous clerics and collections of Islamic scriptures and manuscripts dispersed throughout the region, particularly in Sokoto, Borno, and Kano, which are regarded as centers of Islamic civilization and commerce as a result of their contact with the Arab world through the Trans-Saharan Trade Routes. (1984, Aguolu). These “libraries” lacked all the elements that define a public library, including its regulations, structure, staff, and services.

The Northern Region government, led largely by the late Premier Sir Ahmadu Bello, commissioned a study on library services in the area in 1963, which was the first serious focus on public libraries. F. A. Sharr carried out the research as part of the Special Commonwealth African Assistance Plan, and the paper was widely used in the

Nigerian library literature such as “The Sharr Report” complimented the government’s “foresight in seeking, at this early state to rationalize the development of all”

“… prevent the waste and inefficiency that results from an uncoordinated effort” (Sharr 1963). In response to his suggestion, a survey of the current buildings took place, and the public library system developed. The Kaduna Lending Library, which also served as the regional reference library, was the first operational public library. The Library system was departmentalized in accordance with the numerous responsibilities performed by the Library and was managed by a Director. While a public library system is gradually taking shape, the Northern Region had a significant political upheaval in 1967. Six (6) states made up the formerly renowned “giant North”. The Regional Library System was subsequently decentralized as a result of this development, and the previous Regional Library Headquarters in Kaduna was forced to divide its assets and resources equally among the new States. The hiring of Rober to conduct yet another research marked another significant turning point in the history of library development in Northern Nigeria.