MANAGEMENT OF ARCHIVAL MATERIALS FOR EFFECTIVE USE BY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN NORTH EAST NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Archives and records play a major role in promoting the strengths and values of teaching, learning and research in academic institutions in Nigeria. The collection, organization and management and use of archival materials are essential aid to teaching, learning, research and public administration. Archival materials, in federal university libraries in Nigeria, are human materials, electronic and book/non-book resources of the institutions which are considered worthy of permanent preservation for reference, information, and research. However, for the purpose of this study, archives are records in both book and electronic formats that are not current but have value for informational and historical purposes, research, reference and legal framework or educational aims. The need for the federal university libraries to consider the plan of organizing, preserving and providing access to these resources is very essential and imperative.

Federal universities are those universities that are established and wholly funded by the federal government to provide services to the nation (Harnett, 2000). They are tertiary institutions at the highest level of education that educate, train and develop high level manpower to the nation. The main objective of federal universities in Nigeria is to provide the manpower (work force) needed for the engineering of social, political, economic and cultural development of Nigeria. Anyanwu (2010) reveals that the aim of the university education in Nigeria was to train the country⁴s labor force; to fill the vacancies created by the departing Europeans and to help champion future economic and social development. This means university education does not only benefit the immediate environment but the whole community and the nation. Similarly, it is believed that federal university is a high level educational institution where students study for various degrees and academic research is done. It is the highest peak of educational institution in Nigeria(Iqra University, 2012). This objective can be achieved through the establishment of university libraries whose primary purpose is to provide the information resources in multifaceted formats that are both in book/non-book and electronic formats to promote teaching, learning and research.

Libraries are established along with every federal university in order to support the mission of the university. They provide the facilities and resources needed by both staff and students to achieve their aim. For any organization including university to perform effectively and efficiently different types of resources are needed and the best place to locate these resources is the library.

University library, also referred to as academic library, is at the centre of every university. Academic libraries are at the forefront of providing information services to their respective communities comprising of students, lecturers, and researchers in order to support their teaching, learning and research needs, emphasis on the crucial role which academic libraries play in research and scholarship in institutions of higher learning including universities (Abubakar, 2011). Furthermore, commenting on the role of library in educational institution, Anunobi and Okoye (2008) stated university library remained the focal point for teaching, learning and research that is expected to provide standard informant resources. They are established in line with the academic goals and objectives of their mother institutions and are, therefore, expected to provide the required support for all units and departments within the university whether academic or non-academic.

Therefore, university libraries are those libraries that are established in the universities as organized information resource where recorded knowledge is arranged by the staff in order to serve their parent institutions. They provide the information needs of researchers, staff and students. A university library is different from other libraries such as the public, school, special, the nation, etc., because they provide information materials in different formats specifically to support teaching, learning and research. University libraries are meant to support the curriculum of their host universities, also to promote research in the communities where they exist. For a university library to perform its several functions, its collections must not only include books but other information materials such as general and specialized reference collections, made up of encyclopedias, journals, newspapers, manuscripts, government publications, historical maps, theses, audio-visual and digital information materials, etc. There are various divisions or sections in a university library which include collection development, technical service, readers’ service, special collections or documentation, etc. The archival materials are often located at the special collection or documentation division of a university library.

Archival materials are collections of historical records and the primary documents of an institution that accumulate in the course of running an organization or institution. They consist of materials that have been selected for permanent preservation because of their value. Archival materials are unique because they can be found in a single repository only, unlike library materials which can be found in other libraries. The availability of information resources in quantity, quality and in great depth could enhance improved teaching, learning and research. Kemoni as cited in Madumere and Ezeani, (2012) pointed that archival information contributes immensely to research, individual enlightenment, and provision of solutions to practical problem, benefits users and advances scholarship. As such, archival materials in federal university libraries are useful for legal, administrative and research purposes. These are materials considered to have enduring value and are worthy of permanent preservation for future use by the creating departments/agencies, the parent organization or other external users. Archival materials are indispensable because they document, sustain and maintain the historical and cultural image of the organization or institution of the creators and the society. Furthermore, the significance of archival materials can be viewed as a tool for the preservation and conservation of the cultural heritage and national identity; a tool for administrative efficiency of organizations, federal universities, and institutions and the nation or society in general. The outcome of these developments could also lead to the development of great solid and natural scientists, researchers and scholars that would promote scholarship and advancement in technological development in Nigeria.

Therefore, the effective management of archival materials in federal university libraries will enhance and stimulate their use; thereby, enabling the universities to achieve their aims which is also the aim of the university libraries. The examples of some of these archival materials according to Madumere and Ezeani (2012) are minutes of meetings of university councils, senates, committees, faculty boards, congregation, clubs and associations. Others are bulletins research reports, conference papers, photographs, lectures (such as inaugural lectures), legal documents (agreements, copyright, deeds, instrument of gift and bequest), bibliographies, convocation order of proceedings, speeches, financial records, video and sound tape recordings, students associations and alumni publications etc. These materials are accommodated within the university library and are managed by a professional librarian.

Management is a way of organizing both human and material resources in order to achieve the aims and objectives of an organization. Management is essential not only for business concerns but also for banks, schools, colleges, hospitals, hotels, religious bodies, charitable trusts, etc. as well as federal university libraries. Pal (nd) defined Management as the process and agency which directs and guides the operations of an organization in the realization of the established aims. Furthermore, Pal (nd) observed management as principally a task of planning, coordinating, motivating and controlling the effort of others towards a specific objective. It involves the combining of the traditional factors of production (land, labour, capital) in an optimum manner, paying due attention, of course, to the particular goals of the organization. These definitions point to the fact that management is geared towards a goal i.e. achieving the aims and objectives of an organization. Hence, though other organizations other than business do not talk much of management; they all need management. This is because they need to utilize their limited resources most efficiently and effectively for the achievement of their goals. Dutse (2011) identified seven functions of management under the keyword “POSDCORB’ which stands for Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating. Reporting and Budgeting. These functions are very instrumental to the management of all types of organizations be it business or otherwise. But for the purpose of this study the following five functions: planning, organizing, preserving, staffing and controlling will be considered; because they all enhance effective library management.

Therefore, for the purpose of this work, one can simply define management as the process of getting things done efficiently through people in order to achieve the goals of an organization. This can be realized by setting and achieving goals through executing the five basic management functions: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, that utilize human, financial and material resources. Thus, no organization, including the federal university libraries can operate successfully without effective management; neither its information resources like the archival materials.

Management of archival materials; therefore, involves planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling the materials to achieve its goals and objectives. Ambira (2010) stated that records and archival management is concerned with creation, organization, storage, retrieval, distribution, retirement and final disposal of records irrespective of their form and media. He points out that it involves the planning, controlling, directing, organizing, training, promoting, and other managerial activities involved in records creation, maintenance and use, and disposition in order to achieve adequate and proper documentation of the policies and transactions of the organization or institution. The aim of managing archival materials is to achieve economy and efficiency in the creation, maintenance, use and disposal of records throughout their lifecycle to support business of the organization. The management of archival materials involves organization i.e. arrangement and description for easy identification, location and use.

Use of archival materials refers to the exploitation of information materials that are valuable for historical research, and informational purposes. Access and use of archival materials are one of the important aspects of archival administration (Abioye, 2009). The purpose of selecting, acquiring, organizing and preserving archival materials is to make them available for use. Just like other information materials are collected and preserved in the library for use (dissemination of information), so also is the reason for keeping archival materials. Without use, the aim of keeping and organizing the archival materials is unknown. Though the use may not be frequent like other library collections, archival materials are expected to be consulted at one point or the other by the management, faculty, researchers and students, etc. in order to enhance study, teaching and research.

Furthermore, in view of the importance of archival materials and their use in university libraries, Adikwu in Onah, Sambe and Omeje (2014) noted that it involves employing the right staff, setting up an archival committee, mapping out phases for the collection of materials and establishing a centre. They foresaw that, the university authorities will finalize their plans for archives in federal university libraries. Drawing from this, university libraries acquire, preserve and make available as effectively and economically as possible the archival materials needed in their institutions.

From observation and reviewed literatures in this area of study, it seems that there is no established classification scheme for the organization and identification of archival materials in the federal university libraries. Hence, their arrangement are haphazardly carried out, sometimes kept in files, on tables, notebooks and in an abandoned room called archives. Also there seems to be lack of trained personnel in organizing these collections. Poor organization of archival materials coupled with lack of trained personnel for organizing the collections has negative effect on easy access to archival materials.

This could be the reason for the low number of users of the archival materials in these libraries despite their importance to research and other things. Therefore, this study examines how the archival materials are managed and used by postgraduate students in federal university libraries in North East Nigeria.

Statement of the Problem

Archival materials are information materials in the libraries that contain non-current but valuable information such as conference papers, minutes of meetings of senate, committee, etc. photographs, lectures, financial records, video and sound recordings. These materials are needed and used by historians, administrators, researchers and students especially postgraduate students in universities. The value and relevance of information contained in archival materials in federal university libraries in Nigeria constitutes a major repository of institutional collections. They are very useful for historical, research and other educational functions in the universities where they exist. Despite the relevance of these types of materials, it seems users (postgraduate students in federal university libraries do not patronize the materials as expected.  Most at times, only few users request for such resources. Ignorance on the existence of the materials in the library or perhaps difficulty/delay in locating a particular document could be the reason.

However, it could be noted that, proper collection, management and creation of easy access to archival materials is vital to effective and efficient utilization of archival materials in federal university libraries. On the other hand, lack of proper and effective organization and management of such materials may have negative effect on the use and user satisfaction of information services in the federal university libraries in Nigeria. The main purpose of this study; therefore, is to examine the management and use of archival materials in federal university libraries in North East Nigeria.

Purpose of the Study