RESOURCE SHARING AMONG ACADEMIC/RESEARCH LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA

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Date
2015-02-03
Authors
Womboh, Benki S. H.
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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.
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RESOURCE,, SHARING,, AMONG,, ACADEMIC/RESEARCH LIBRARIES,
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