Management And Use Of Legal Deposit Materials By Libraries For Effective User Support In The National Library Of Nigeria

Management And Use Of Legal Deposit Materials By Libraries For Effective User Support In The National Library Of Nigeria

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted in the Nigerian National Library on the management and use of legal deposit materials by libraries for effective user support. Three major research objectives were developed to accomplish this. In this study, a survey design was used, as well as simple random sampling techniques. The population consists of librarians from five departments that provide library services at the National Library of Nigeria in Abuja. The researcher conveniently chose 41 respondents to determine the sample size, while 38 were received and 35 were validated. For data collection, a self-created and validated questionnaire was used. The questionnaires that had been collected and validated were analyzed using frequency tables and mean scores. The findings show that the legal deposit practices available in the National Nigerian Libraries Legal deposit of theses and dissertations; legal deposit of government resources; legal deposit of serials; legal deposit of non-print resources such as CDs and audio-visual materials, and so on. The findings also revealed that legal deposit materials are used in the Nigerian National Library to promote effective user support. And the factors affecting effective user support in Nigeria’s national library include poor enlightenment through the NLN campaign, poor assistance from staff, the NLN’s poor legal framework, noncompliance by publishers, and so on. Regarding the findings, the study recommends that the federal government make room for adequate funding of the NLN. This is to allow it to provide

for capital-intensive access methods such as the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC).

Keywords: Library, National Library, and legal deposit materials.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background Of The Study

There are various libraries for various purposes. These objectives include function, user type, and the reason for establishing the library. The major differences in libraries can be attributed to these factors. Okiy asserted in Tinuoye (2010) that the primary reason libraries exist is to provide the appropriate materials to meet their users’ information needs. The type of users who use a library, the services it provides, the type of collection it has, and the overall intention of those who established the library clearly distinguish one type of library from another. National, public, school, academic, private, and special libraries are examples of libraries.

National libraries are considered the most important libraries in a country. According to Uwaifo (2010), national

The national governments of countries establish and maintain libraries. They are the country’s most important information repository. These, in contrast to public libraries, rarely allow citizens to borrow books. They frequently include a large number of works that are rare, valuable, or historically significant.

National libraries are required by law or other arrangements to acquire and preserve copies of all significant publications published in the country, as well as to function as a “deposit” library. They will also usually produce a national bibliography, hold and maintain a large and representative collection of foreign literature, including books about the country, act as a national bibliographical information center, compile union catalogues, and publish the retrospective national bibliography. Libraries that can be classified as “national”

However, those whose functions do not correspond to the above definition should not be classified as “national libraries” (UNESCO 1970). Furthermore, the instrument known as the legal deposit law governs the functions of national libraries.

In particular, Section 4(1) of the National Library of Nigeria (NLN) Decree No. 29 of 1970 states that the publisher of every book published in Nigeria shall deliver, at his own expense, three (3) copies of the book to the National Library for permanent preservation, one of which shall be sent by the Director to the Ibadan University library within one month of publication. This is known as legal deposit law. It is given to the National Library as an instrument authorizing it to collect these indigenous materials.

Deposit of legal documents

Materials are thus those acquired by law by some libraries for permanent preservation, proper processing, and public dissemination. These materials are mostly indigenous, and they are created by local authors and publishers. Some libraries are required by law to accept and store these materials. Edoka(2000). These are known as depository libraries. According to Prytherch (1995), legal deposit is a method by which certain libraries are legally entitled to receive one or more copies of every publication printed or published in the country. The majority of these depository libraries are federal academic institutions, public libraries, and national libraries.

The National Library of Nigeria was established by law to serve as a legal depository. It is known as the library of libraries. It is used as All published work is preserved in the national information bank because it is rare and valuable. According to Adewunmi (2008), the National Library of Nigeria Decree’s objectives include: (a) providing necessary support for intellectual efforts in all activities aimed at progress and development. (b) Ensuring the free flow of knowledge between this nation and others, thereby securing the nation’s place in the community of nations that rely on recorded knowledge and information for survival in a world of rapid advancement and idea competition. (c) Ensuring the availability of a comprehensive and nearly complete collection of resources in existing knowledge in the world, as well as full access to such resources both within and outside the nation’s borders. These legal deposit materials include indigenous materials published within the country as well as those published about the country elsewhere. They are of various kinds. They include printed materials, while publishers grant the National Library password access to digital or electronic copies. They are legally obtained free of charge from intellectual work publishers and authors. Books, magazines, journals, films, newspapers, government publications, oral recordings or documentaries, and so on are examples of materials. According to Arua (1997) and Owen (2007), books, journals, newspapers, and government publications are collected and preserved for posterity through legal deposit. These materials may be literary, collaborative, distinct, or documentary in nature. Because of the importance of these legal deposit materials to the country, type of information they contain. According to Ifidon and Ifidon (2007), they are useful for research. They are also important in the national and international bibliographic control of publications. The National Library of Nigeria achieves this through the publication of the National Bibliography of Nigeria (NBN). According to the decree that established the National Library of Nigeria, it is the nation’s vast memory. As a result, because many of these materials are rare and old, users can conduct retrospective searches using legal deposit materials. In the case of litigation, they are used as reference materials in court subpoenas, as well as authentication and certification in government offices. In this case, government documents, serials, and monographs are useful. Materials for legal deposit are

It is crucial in the development of a collection. This is due to the fact that the depository or national library does not spend money acquiring them. They are freely deposited by the publishers. According to Ifidon and Ifidon (2007), if developed countries take full advantage of it (legal deposit materials), the collection can grow significantly. They also contain current information as well as information on various disciplines.

Lawyers also use it as the Certified True Copy (CTC) for author conflict resolution in the court of law. It is the only copy accepted in court, and a librarian from Nigeria’s National Library is usually present when the material is subpoenaed. This is due to the fact that it is the authentic copy. Students are also find the legal deposit materials beneficial to their educational endeavors. Okafor and Ezema (2009). Civil servants make extensive use of legal deposit materials, particularly government publications. Official gazettes are used in government offices for certification and authentication. They are used as proof of leave of absence, first and second appointments, date of promotion, transfer of service, and so on. These records are extremely useful in government offices. Current affairs and job seekers are other users of the legal deposit materials. These people read newspapers for information on job opportunities and current events. According to Ajidahun in Owairu (2010), despite the importance of newspapers, the prices are out of reach for most individuals. As a result, the majority of Nigerians rely on libraries that provide free services. services to keep abreast of current information. One such library is the National Library of Nigeria, and legal deposit materials are library resources that serve this important purpose. Bibliographic control is useful for providing information about the existence of information-bearing materials, identifying the works contained within them, systematically gathering these information resources, and producing lists and access points to their retrieval. This facilitates material access and utilization. According to Line and Line (1979), legal deposit assists national libraries in meeting the international goal of Universal Bibliographic Control through local bibliographic control. It accomplishes this through legal deposit or through Cataloguing-in-Publication (CIP) Data in the Library of Congress, for example, or through collection development policies. Other countries’ book markets should be targeted. For these legal deposit materials, the National Library of Nigeria also provides Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. The legal deposit also serves as the country’s memory or information bank. Legal deposit materials have a lot of potential as essential library resources. They educate, inform, and provide users with tools. This also serves as a springboard for users to effectively contribute to society. They distinguish Nigeria as a country and give it a voice in the committee of nations. This is consistent with Okwilagwe’s claim in Ola and Osagie (2011) that books record a people’s experience and artifact. The Nigerian Yearbook, for example, published and printed by ‘Times Press (Nigeria)’, Apapa, contains all that one needs to know about Nigeria. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is inspired by the culture of the Igbos of Eastern Nigeria. Through the standard numbers provided by the National Library of Nigeria, the legal deposit materials aid in the international promotion of indigenous Nigerian authors and publishers. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN), International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), and International Standard Music Number (ISBN) are examples of these (ISMN), Aside from preserving books for future generations, other goals of the legal deposit system include the creation of a national bibliography and the accessibility of a collection of the nation’s published materials for research purposes. According to Adrienne (2005), the purpose of the legal deposit is to preserve and provide long-term security.

access to the nation’s intellectual heritage. This is the distinguishing feature of a good library.

As a result, the availability of these materials through effective user support is what draws people to the library. A user who rushes to the library as an information pool or bank is disappointed if the library does not meet his or her information needs, either due to a lack of available material or difficulties in accessing the material.

Through its managerial efficiency, the National Library of Nigeria also provides access points to legal deposit materials. According to Owen (2007), these include consultation with staff, indexes, the library catalogue, and abstracts, all with the sole purpose of satisfying users. However, access to legal deposit materials is not guaranteed. on the factors that influence legal deposit libraries (Nsibirwa, Hoskins and Stilwell 2011). According to these authors, these factors include the implementation of the Legal Deposit Act, other legislation affecting access to legal deposit collection and preservation of materials, and methods of managing the materials. These elements reveal managerial inefficiency in the library. As a result, negatively influencing user experience. In light of the foregoing, this study focuses on the management and use of legal deposit materials by libraries in order to provide effective user support at the National Library of Nigeria.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

Legal deposit materials make up a sizable portion of the National Library of Nigeria’s collection. They are extremely useful for bibliographic control, research, study, learning, entertainment, and knowledge transfer from one generation to the next. They are also veritable authorities during litigation, subpoenas, and CTP authentication (CTC). They highlight the country’s cultural heritage. They attract a large number of visitors to the library. Lawyers, students, researchers, civil servants, legal practitioners, tourists, and others are among them. However, the researcher has previously observed through on-the-job experience that legal deposit materials are not user friendly because their accessibility and effective utilization by users is inadequate and limited.

Furthermore, effective legal deposit management and practices protect citizens and researchers across the country. Access to a collection of the nation’s published resources from anywhere in the world. This is feasible and can be implemented successfully with the positive and committed management of the legal depository library, as well as publishers and authors as stakeholders. However, it has been noted that legal deposit law is not being effectively implemented, and publishers and authors are failing to meet their legal deposit obligations. As a result, these pitfalls have a significant impact on user support and experience when using legal deposit materials at the National Library of Nigeria. Thus, the goal of this research is to critically examine the management and use of legal deposit materials by libraries in order to provide effective user support in Nigeria’s national library.

1.3 Objective Of The Study

The overarching goal of this study is to investigate the management and use of legal deposit materials by libraries for effective user support in Nigeria’s national library. The study’s specific objectives are listed below;

Determine the legal deposit practices available at the Nigerian National Library.

Determine the uses of legal deposit materials in the Nigerian national library that promote effective user support.

Determine the factors influencing effective user support in Nigeria’s national library.

1.4 Research Question

The following questions will guide the research:

What are the legal deposit practices available at the Nigerian National Library?

What are the applications of legal deposit materials in the Nigerian National Library to promote effective user support?

What factors influence effective user support in Nigeria’s national library?

1.5 Significance Of The Study

The study’s findings are expected to benefit the National Library of Nigeria’s management and staff, as well as researchers, students, policymakers, authors, lawyers, civil servants, publishers, lecturers, and students of library and information science.

Legal deposit materials are valuable library resources that have earned a place in the library and information science literature. This research on the management and use of these materials in the National Library of Nigeria to improve user support is expected to contribute to the department of Library and Information Science’s existing body of knowledge. Furthermore, if adopted, the findings of this work may be of great benefit to the National Library of Nigeria by revealing its strengths and weaknesses. the management of legal deposit materials for adequate accessibility and effective utilization. It will also highlight areas where appropriate changes can be made as the depository library to improve the accessibility and utilization of legal deposit materials.

1.6 Scope Of The Study

The study focuses on the management and use of legal deposit materials by libraries in order to provide effective user support in Nigeria’s national library. However, the study is limited to determining the legal deposit practices available in the National Library of Nigeria, determining the uses of legal deposit materials that promote effective user support in the national library of Nigeria, and determining the factors affecting effective user support in the national library of Nigeria. Respondents for this study will be drawn from five departments within the National Library of Nigeria in Abuja.

1.7 Limitation Of The Study

The researcher encountered minor constraints while conducting the study, as with any human endeavor. Inadequate funds tend to impede the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information and in the data collection process, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited sample size. Furthermore, the researcher conducted this study while also working on other academic projects. As a result, the time spent researching will be reduced.

1.8 Definition Of Terms

Management is a forecasting, planning, organizing, controlling, commanding, and coordinating act or process. Management is also a process by which organizations ensure that their objectives are met by properly planning, organizing, and controlling their resources – both human and material.

Library: A library is a social institution that collects, organizes, and preserves information resources in order to disseminate them to people for whom the library is located in a location conducive to the use of the information resources.

National Libraries: These are the libraries that, regardless of their title, are responsible for acquiring and preserving copies of all significant publications published in the country, as well as serving as a deposit library either by law or by arrangement.