D L I S 118 LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION
Management is as defined by A L A Glossary of library and information science, is the process of coordinating the total resources of an organization toward the accomplishment of the desired goals of that organization through the carrying out of a group of interrelated functions such as planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. Administration involves planning functions, especially goal setting and major policy formulation. Library administration involves providing rules, regulations, policies, procedures, guide lines, objectives, etc for the library. The library people working in the library have to carry out all that.
TYPES
Libraries may be categorized according to their objectives, content and pattern of services. Every library has objectives and these are gotten from the objectives of the parent organization. The broad objective of every library is to acquire and disseminate information that can facilitate the attainment of the objectives of its parent institution.
The various types of libraries include public library, academic library, private library, and national library.
PUBLIC LIBRARY
It is a library established and maintained from public funds. It has the largest and most heterogeneous users. Public library charges small fees for registration. Examples: the public libraries are those established by the various states and local governments. Materials in public libraries are of various types.
ACADEMIC LIBRARY
This is a library established in a higher institution of learning. Academic libraries are those of universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other institutions of higher learning. They are established to meet the educational objectives of the parent institutions. The clientele or users are majorly the students, staff and members of their immediate communities.
SPECIAL LIBRARIES
Special libraries are established by particular organizations to provide information services to their staff. They became into existence because of peculiar needs to provide information to achieve the organizational goals and objectives of their parent institutions. Their users are mainly the staff of the organization that established them. Examples are libraries in industries, media organizations like N T A, F R C N, etc and research institutions. They also include libraries of professional organizations like law, engineering, journalism, etc.
Collection – their collections are limited mostly to those needed by their staff. The library itself is not always big, a room or department is ok.
STYLE OF LIBRARY MANAGEMENT
At the head of the library is the university librarian or polytechnic librarian in the case of polytechnic or and director or chief librarian in the case of some higher institutions and other organizations.
The two broad divisions are usually headed by a professional of at least senior librarian cadre: - Technical Services Division, Readers Services Division.
The functions of the divisions and their units should be clearly spelt out.
The head of the library and the divisional heads are always the top management staff of a library.
The divisions are sub – divided into units. For example the Readers Services Division consists of circulation, references, reserved book and (in some libraries serials) units. The Technical Services Division consists of the Collection Development or Acquisitions Department and Cataloguing and Classification Department.
CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
This is the department where activities of library staff are glaringly seen. It charges (borrows out) books to users and discharges (collects back) from the users. Registration procedures in the library are done in this department. The department also maintains a statistical records of materials borrowed by users and materials consulted in the library. It ensures that materials which have been processed are properly shelved to ensure retrieval.
Reference Department
This is the department where materials that are read for specific information are kept. Such materials include encyclopedia, dictionary, bibliography, biography, abstract and indexes, maps, directory, yearbooks and manuals. Etc.
These materials are to be consulted in the library and not to be borrowed.
The department provides the following services:
It helps users to get information they need as they as quickly as possible
It provides indexing and abstracting services.
It provides current awareness services such as selective dissemination of information, academic profile and circulation of contacts pages of current materials.
Serials Department
This department is responsible for the management of journals, magazines, and newspapers that are issued at regular or irregular intervals. These materials are sometimes called periodicals. They are very important in the library as they contain latest research output in their fields.
TECHNICAL DIVISION
Collection Development or Acquisition Department
This department is responsible for the selection and acquisition of library materials. It also gives every material bought an accession number. It stamps all materials bought to determine their ownership.
Cataloguing and classification department
The organizes library materials into their subject areas to bring related subjects together on the shelves.
This is done through the following ways:
Cataloguing: this is the art of making records in a way that they will be easily identified, located, and examined.
Classification: It is the arrangement of things according to likeness and unlikeness. It is the arrangement of books in classes according to common characteristics. This brings about what is called class mark or call number with which a reader can locate a book on the shelves.
The department prepares the catalogue cards and updates them. After books are prepared for readers to use in the cataloguing and classification department they are sent to the circulation department where they can be consulted.
Services Provided in the readers services division of a library
The readers services division otherwise referred to as R S D consists of the circulation, reference, reserve book and at times serials departments. Some of the services provided in this division are:
1. Registration of users:- users are registered to use the library. The process involves asking a user to bring his / her two photographs. Filling their card with some particulars and obtaining the borrower’s cards and identity card.
2. Charging and discharging of materials to users:- users who are given borrower’s cards can take books out to use for specific period, usually two weeks. The division permits this after processing the materials.
3. Reserving books for users who demand for them after they have been borrowed out by other users.
4. Providing abstracting and indexing services.
5. Providing photocopying services.
6. Enforcing rules and regulations governing the use of the library.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA LIBRARY
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| University Council |
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| Secretary to the university librarian |
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| Head Circulation |
| Head Reference |
| Head, Collection Development |
| Head, Cataloging & Class. Dept. |
| Head Reserve Book Unit |
| Head Serials Dep |
FUNCTIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN
1. He is the head of the university library: he coordinates the day to day activities of the library;
2. He is responsible to the vice – chancellor as far as the university is concerned;
3. He prepares the library annual budget;
4. The university librarian advices the management in staff recruitment and other staff matters;
5. He represents the library in the university management meetings;
6. He is a principal officer of the university.
PROBLEMS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARY
1. Lack of adequate funds to run the library. Majority of academic libraries in Nigeria are faced with inadequate finance to run them effectively. By law, 5% of the total budget of any higher institution in Nigeria is to be set aside for library development. But this is not always available.
2. Inadequate staffing: - some academic libraries are not well staffed, especially the professionals (trained librarians) are not enough to properly manage the libraries. Academic libraries open up to ten hours a day, wherever the institutions are in session. There is the need to operate staff at two shifts. The staff are not enough to do this.
3. Non cooperation from the heads of institution where such libraries are found. An academic library that has an arrogant vice – chancellor or Registrar has a big problem to grow. If the cooperation is not there, the head of such library will find it difficult to operate effectively and efficiently.
4. Lack of ideal library building: at times it longer periods before an ideal building is provided for academic library. An example is that of university of abuja library which has been operating in temporary site for over twenty years.
5. Deviant behaviors from users: some users of these libraries engage in stealing and mutilating of library materials. Some of these materials are difficult to be replaced due to scarcity and high cost of replacement.
6. Irregular supply of electricity: the non – regular supply of electricity has hindered the development of academic. As a matter of fact, it is becoming difficult for them to change from manual library procedures to automated systems. Where this is done, maintenance of records has become difficult because power supply is not regular.
NATIONAL LIBRARY
A national library is a library established and financed by the Federal Government of a country. It is given the task of collecting and preserving books and non – book materials produced in such country. The collection of a national library is usually large and its physical size.
FUNCTIONS OF A NATIONAL LIBRARY
1. The library is to assemble, maintain and extend a collection of books, periodicals, pamphlets, newspapers, maps, musical films and records, as appropriate for a library of the highest standards.
2. It establishes and maintains a branch in each of the states of the federation.
3. It makes the facilities of its materials available to members of the public and others on proper terms.
4. It advices and gives recommendation on library development in any state or local government of the federation.
5. It is the bibliographic centre of the country.
6. It serves as legal deposit for the country.
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