Conservative practices of information resources by libraries for enhanced collection usefulness in University libraries in Enugu state

Conservative practices of information resources by libraries for enhanced collection usefulness in University libraries in Enugu state

Abstract

Examining conservative information resource management techniques by libraries for improved collection usability in university libraries in Enugu State is the study’s main goal. With the help of the convenience sampling method and the survey descriptive research design, the researcher purposefully chose 150 participants for the study. The responder was given a self-structure questionnaire, of which one hundred forty-one (141) were extracted and validated for the study. Simple percentages were used to examine the data, which was displayed in tables and frequencies. According to the responses gathered and analyzed, the central library at Rivers State University uses a variety of techniques and methods for preserving and conserving information materials, including photocopying, digitization, lamination, bindery, fumigation, cleaning and dusting of library materials, reformatting, microfilming of newspapers, brittle or fragile paper-based materials, and copying audiotapes and video materials. In light of this, the study suggested that a sound policy about short- to long-term preservation and conservation be developed. Additionally, it is important to attract conservators with formal training and to support staff members in continuing their education. Additionally, a portion of the annual budget should be set up for conservation and preservation. Additionally, a well outfitted bindery section with skilled personnel needs to be constructed. Regular orientation on the preservation and conservation of library materials should also be provided.

Chapiter 1

Introduction

History of the Study

The preservation of knowledge is the academic library’s first and most important duty. Akpata (1979) and Edoka (1992) defined an academic library as one that serves the needs of students enrolled in academic programs at higher educational institutions such universities, colleges of education, technological institutes, and polytechnics. It has to do with a library that caters to those working on academic and research projects in higher education institutions. This group consists of the academic and support employees employed by those institutions. Such a library becomes a focal point because it serves a large number of users.

Academic libraries collect many kinds of records of human communication, organize them, and keep them for later use. Therefore, it employed librarians to protect those data by locking them and limiting access. Whether individuals requested and made use of them or not, they couldn’t care less. Even the limited materials used were exclusively used at the library and under the librarians’ closest supervision. The idea of offering their users free access to or loans of their materials was never considered by librarians. They had only one goal in mind: gathering, preserving, and keeping materials for future generations. In essence, the safety of the library’s holdings was of utmost importance to their first librarians. As a result, Wilson (1982) describes the duties of the first librarians as follows: to devote his time and leisure to expanding the library under his charge; if he neglects expanding the collection, let him at least take care not to reduce it by losing the books entrusted to his care or allowing them to perish in any way. He needs to question and watch out for those who oppose literature. He must restore worn-out bindings, urge readers to handle books with respect, and ensure that they are stored in a permanent and secure location. The development of printing and the widespread push for education that occurred after the Renaissance caused librarians’ professional attitudes on their holdings to evolve. Nzotta (1 982) asserts that the emphasis moved from preservation to diffusion as the pendulum swung to the opposite extreme.

Libraries started giving patrons free access to their book collections and promoting its use. Then came user education. Traditional library contents were in danger as a result of the development of researchers in universities and project work in schools, which considerably boosted library use. All print materials, including books, manuscripts, maps, drawings, pictures, journals, newspapers, and magazines, are referred to as “traditional library materials” in this context. This definition keeps the emphasis on paper-based materials while excluding computers and all audiovisual media. Paper resources from academic libraries with the greatest collection. Therefore, Akussah (1991) notes that due to the decay of paper records, the information world faces an impending risk of losing a significant portion of its priceless writer: heritage. Overuse becomes a serious threat to books since the more frequently they are used, the more fragile the volumes become. The harm posed by thieves and other troubled readers rose as accessibility expanded. The demand for these traditional library items, which are paper materials, has surged as a result of open access to university libraries’ collections. In the latter part of the 19th century, paper made from ground wood pulp was produced in an effort to supply the growing demand for paper at ever-lower prices. The bleaching sizing agents leave sommcids in the paper. According to Shahani and Wilson (1987), these acid papers start to accelerate their disintegration and embitterment when they are exposed to light and heat. One of the biggest issues with all conventional materials in an academic library is the inherently low quality of current paper. Any academic library’s paper-based records will eventually deteriorate and be destroyed due to inadequate environmental and storage conditions. Many individuals are concerned about the viability of these traditional library items for usage in the future in the face of all these concerns.

William (1 982), for instance, notes that everything in the library’s collections is decaying right now, has been deteriorating for a while, and will continue to do so in the future. The world has been made aware of this issue by library enthusiasts who have also recognized the value of preservation. Additionally, many procedures necessary to stop the deteriorating process and guarantee preservation have been discovered. To find further solutions, additional national and international initiatives are being done. According to Akussah (1991), it was suggested that member associations should encourage national policy-making bodies to establish guiding principles for the formulation and implementation of national programs for the preservation of library materials at the International Conference on the preservation of Library Materials held in Vimna, Austria in April, 1986. The aforementioned shows that deliberate measures are being made to stop degradation. The International Federation of Library Association (IFLA), a research organization, has established its own preservation and conservation (PAC) programs for libraries. University libraries in Africa have a solid understanding of conservation. The publications, training resources, and seminars offered by several research institutes, councils, and associations, including IFLR, facilitate this. However, there has been no equivalent advancement in the field of actual preservation and conservation. Lgbinoba (1993) reaffirms this and adds that, to his knowledge, no African university library has hired a conservation librarian. Academic libraries in Africa, notably those in Nigeria, place more emphasis on resource acquisition than on preservation. Due to this, embrittled, variegated, and mold-infested books, periodicals, journals, newspapers, and other print materials can now be found in our academic libraries (Oliobi, 1987). Wilson (1981) noted that, with very few exceptions, not nearly enough is being done to treat the patients in today’s libraries, which act as hospitals for ill books.Books don’t endure as long as they should. Academic communities and the general public can use the information contents that academic libraries acquire, process into easily retrievable form, and make available for their teaching and research activities.

Academic libraries in Nigeria are under pressure to perform the aforementioned duties despite being overused and subject to other user abuse. Given the enormous sums spent on our academic libraries, it is only reasonable to anticipate that proper planning will be made to protect the documents there from deterioration and destruction. Budgetary restrictions, the effects of worldwide inflationary trends, and the slowing growth of valuable and current collections in our academic libraries demand for urgent preservation measures.

Description of the Issue

Due to the depletion of their conventional resources brought on by deterioration brought on by different environmental conditions and low-quality materials, academic libraries face an uncertain future. None of the many issues that university libraries in Nigeria are currently dealing with are as virulent, enduring, or agonizing as the preservation and repair of library materials, according to Ogunilade (1996). Therefore, academic libraries may no longer be able to fulfill their traditional functions of supporting teaching, learning, and research in their institutions unless a favorable attitude toward preservation is displayed. This is supported by Oliobi (1987), who notes that the majority of information resources in academic libraries in Nigeria are in paper format and that they should have been listed as endangered due to their poor condition. According to Akinfolarin (1992) and Aleabeleye (1996), the severely cut financing for academic institutions tends to make things worse because their libraries struggle to pay for new learning resources or simply to replace those that have been harmed by degradation. The only remaining alternative is to attempt to preserve the ones that already exist so that the libraries can continue to serve their functions in the academic environment. The goal of this study is to improve the collection usefulness of university libraries in Enugu State by examining conservative information resource management techniques.

Goals of the Study

Examining conservative information resource management techniques by libraries for improved collection usability in university libraries in Enugu State is the study’s main goal. The research specifically intends to:

to determine whether the preservation and conservation of information materials are necessary.

to ascertain the strategies and procedures for protecting and conserving information resources.

to determine whether proper library resource preservation improves the university community’s ability to utilise those materials in collections.

to assess the necessity for staff in terms of maintaining and preserving information materials.

Research Issue

Are information materials in need of preservation and conservation?

What procedures and approaches are used to safeguard and conserve information resources?

Does proper library resource preservation increase the university community’s ability to utilise the items in the collection?

What kind of staff are needed to safeguard informational materials?

Objectivity of the Study

The study’s findings would be vital to academic libraries in Enugu State since they provide essential support services for the achievement of their institutions’ scholarly missions. In order to keep these libraries functional for academic purposes, it will also be in everyone’s best interest to make sure that the conventional resources of these libraries are preserved for as long as feasible. The study will also educate library management in the institutions on the best practices for conservation and preservation to adopt in order to enhance them and ensure that their libraries are protected from destruction while still providing services to their users. The study should, theoretically, contribute to the body of knowledge and act as a resource for academics and students who aspire to pursue additional research in a connected topic.

1.6 Study’s purview

The objective of this study is to increase the collection usefulness in university libraries in Enugu State through conservative practices of information resources by libraries. The report also goes into detail about the personnel requirements for maintaining and conserving library materials. As a result, only librarians, library patrons, and library and information students at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, Enugu State, are included in the study.

1.7 Study Limitations

There are only a few things that limited the study. They are Time and Financial constraints.

Financial restraint: A researcher’s ability to collect data (through the internet, a questionnaire, and interviews) and locate relevant materials, literature, or information is often hindered by a lack of funding.

Time restraint: The researcher will do this investigation together with other academic activities at the same time. As a result, less time will be spent on the research project.