RESOURCE SHARING AMONG ACADEMIC/RESEARCH LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA
RESOURCE SHARING AMONG ACADEMIC/RESEARCH LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2015-02-03
Authors
Womboh, Benki S. H.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The paper considers resource sharing as a general
socio-economic concept necessary for the cooperative survival
of the whole world. There should however, be a basis for
resource sharing especially among academic/research
libraries. In terms of inter-library loans, in particular,
the resources have to be in sufficient quantity and quality
before sharing could be contemplated. The writer found out
after a survey of 24 academic/research libraries that their
resources, both in quantity and quality, were too far below
the required minimum for meaningful sharing. Most of the
stocks of the academic/research libraries in Nigeria are
30-40 years obsolete. With a total stock of only 25 million
volumes, no national union catalogue, coupled with the
increasing difficulty to purchase new books and renew journal
orders abroad, due to the implementation of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) conditionalities, the writer concluded
that the climate for sharing resources is not conducive.
The writer has suggested that the NLA should review the
whole concept of resource sharing, especially the idea
earlier mooted to set up a National Bibliographic and Lending
Centre. Academic/research libraries should be grouped into
four geographical zones for the purposes of resource sharing.
A selective national union catalogue of current resources
should be compiled by each zone and new modalities for
reactivating resource sharing worked out for each zone. The
paper ends with a call on all librarians in Nigeria to strive
to make the most of the library resources.
Description
Keywords
RESOURCE,, SHARING,, AMONG,, ACADEMIC/RESEARCH LIBRARIES,