LIST OF TABLES
Sample Size of the population – – – 33
Sample spread – – – – – – 36
Methods of conservation – – – – 37
Extent of conservation – – – – – 38
Resources employed for conservation – – – 39
Benefits of conservation – – – – – 41
Constraints of conservation – – – – 42
Strategies for improving conservation – – 44
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page – – – – – – – – – i
Approval page – – – – – – ii
Certification page – – – – – iii
Dedication – – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgment – – – – – – – – v
List of tables – – – – – – – – – vi
Table of contents – – – – – vii
Abstract – – – – – – – – – xi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study – – – – 1
Statement of the Problem – – – – – 6
Purpose of the Study – – – – – 7
Research Questions – – – – – – 8
Significance of the Study – – – – 8
Scope of the Study – – – – – 10
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Conceptual Framework – – – – 11
- Overview of conservation of library resources – 13
- Methods of conservation of library resources – – 17
- Benefits of conservation in library – – – 21
- Problems of effective conservation in our libraries – 22
Review of Related Empirical Studies – – – – 29
Summary of Literature Review – – – 31
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS
Research Design – – – – – 32
Area of the Study – – – – – – 32
Population of the study – – – – – 33
Sample and Sampling Techniques – – – 33
Instrument of data collection – – – – – 33 Methods of Data Collection – – – – – 34
Validation of the Instrument – – – – 35
The Methods of Data Analysis – – – 35
CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
Sample spread – – – – – 36
Methods of conservation of library resources – – 37
Extend of conservation – – – – 38
Resources employed in conservation of library resources – 39
Benefits of conservation – – – – 41
The constraints of conservation – – – – 42
The strategies to improve conservation methods – – 44
Summary – – – – – – 45
CHAPTER FIVE; DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Discussion of Findings – – – – 47
Implications of the Study – – – – – 51
Recommendations – – – – – – 52
Limitations – – – – – – – 54
Suggestions for Further Research – – – – 55
Conclusion – – – – – – – – 55
References – – – – – – 56
Appendix
ABSTRACT
This research looked at Conservation of Library resources in three selected special libraries in Lagos State. Titled conservation of library resources questionnaire (CLRQ) to guide the study and survey design was used. Six research questions were drawn containing of forty–nine (49) options was constructed and administered to a population of fifty staff of the libraries that are involved in conservation methods of the libraries. Fifty (50) copies of the questionnaire were filled, returned correctly and used for this study. The researcher used frequency – count and percentage to analyze the data. The result of the study showed that the conservation methods of the libraries were mainly cleaning, dusting of library materials, installation of air conditioners in the libraries and that the libraries have binding units, regular fumigation of the library materials, proper shelving of the books and photocopying machines. The result also showed that the conservation method was less extent which means that enough attention is not given to conservation methods. The study revealed that few resources were employed for conservation of the libraries resources among which are photocopying machine, good housekeeping mainly and that they lack trained conservators and equipments for digitalisation generally. Some of the problems identified as limiting their conservation programmes include lack of conservation policies, inadequate funding, low level of awareness of importance of conservation among information professionals and others. However, some strategies for enhancing the conservation of library resources were identified to include training of personnel, regular fumigation, adequate funding, education of library users, enacting conservation policy and others. Based on the findings the study recommended strategies to enhance the conservation of library resources among which are the formulation and implementation of the conservation policy, education of the library users and training of the library staff to enhance their performance.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The library is one of the several
kinds of institution, which has the primary role of acquiring, processing,
organizing, conserving as well as preserving the printed and non-printed
information resources or materials for the use of their clientele. The modern library is increasingly being
redefined as a place to get unrestricted access to information in many formats
and from many sources. In addition to providing resources, it also provides the
services of specialist, librarians, who are experts at finding and organizing
information and interpreting information needs.
Federal Institute of Industrial
Research Oshodi, the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island and Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal
Studies Akoka Yaba, libraries are all special libraries. According to Odumosu
(1979), in Ifidon (1991), special libraries are libraries primarily designed
to serve a limited number of experts,
scientists and research workers. Their holdings in general relate to some
particular subject, e.g agriculture, medicine, law and international relations.
These libraries may be attached to various bodies such as a parliament, or
government department, a scientific or other research institution. As indicated
in this definition, special libraries are meant to supply detailed information
in particular subject fields.
Similarly, Agada and Ehoniyotan
(2006), assert that special libraries are established to meet the highly
specialized requirement of professional or business groups. They agreed with
Odumosu that these libraries cover a specific and definable subject field.
These libraries provide information to special users in response and
anticipation of the user’s needs. They provide active services instead of
waiting passively for their users to come to the library. They are service
oriented. They have most restricted purpose and homogenous clientele than any
other type of library and are designed to support research or business
activities of the organization.
The objectives of these special
libraries are to:
- Provide comprehensive and
balanced information resources relevant to the activities of their parent
organizations. Produce and disseminate current awareness services base on
the profiles of individual users. Special libraries have developed a wide
range of services to keep their clienteles abreast of new and current
development. Such services are offered to the whole organisation or
tailored towards a specific group.
- Provides reference service.
Special libraries offer reference and research services ranging from
answering simple reference questions to undertaking complex research and literature
searches. They also assist users who which to pursue their own research.
- Routing of current periodicals.
Routing of current periodicals is one of the most common functions of the
special libraries. The libraries periodically survey their client as to
circulate them to readers as the issues arrives.
- Acquisition bulletin. Special
libraries offers acquisition bulletin services to their client/users. This
may be simple list of materials or may include annotation or abstracts
bulletins, news summaries, and digests and other current awareness
services offered by them.
These objectives agree
with the objectives of the FIIRO, NIIA and NIALS. For example, these libraries
provide and maintain means of
information that are of interest to their parent institution, provide the study
of the objectives of their parent institutions, get involved in preparation and
publications of books, record reports or otherwise as may be desired by their
parent bodies.
If the resources in these libraries
are lost, the records of human civilization are lost as well. For this reason, the challenges of conserving
library resources are a crucial worldwide issue that must be addressed
internationally, nationally and locally.
In recognition and acknowledgement of the importance of conservation for
libraries, International Federation of Library Association (IFLA) introduced at
the IFLA meeting in Nairobi
(1984) the Core Programme on Conservation and Preservation (PAC) as one of the
new core programmes. The primary goal of this programme was officially launched
in Vienna, Austria in April 1986, to encourage
and promote the development of library conservation practice in the world’s
libraries.
Library resources refer to all those
media for storing information such as textbooks, journals, newspapers and
magazines, patents and standards, handbooks and manuals, directories,
gazetteers, encyclopaedias, atlases and maps calendars, and diaries, vertical
files, theses and dissertations, tapes, video, films, optical discs, cassettes,
magnetic tapes and microforms (Popoola, 2003). Similarly, Dike (1993) see
library resources in three broad categories. The categories are non-fiction
print media, which include reference materials like dictionaries,
encyclopaedias, biographical sources, almanacs and yearbooks, geographical
sources, directories, handbooks and guides, manuals, bibliographies, indexes
and abstracts. Other categories of non-fiction print media according to her is
literature and audiovisual materials that come in the form of three dimensional
aids, display boards, graphic materials, pictures, over head projector, opaque
projector, slide projector, filmstrip projector and films.
Conservation according to Popoola
(2003), may be defined as policies and operations embarked upon by the managers
of libraries and with the aim of increasing the life span of their information
resources by preventing damage or remedying deterioration. It may also be seen as direct physical
intervention arresting or slowing down deterioration of library resources. According to Harrison
(1992), conservation is about good housekeeping, learning how to handle and
store resources to do the least damage, not subjecting it to unnecessarily
heavy use and ensuring that backup or safety copies exist. Conservation is a preventive
but active measure, for doing something to the material; not putting it in the
wrong environment, not handling or touching the surface or running material
through faulty equipment which will scratch and damage it.
The ultimate goal of any library
conservation is to make resources accessible and at the same
time, ensure its long term survival. The
open access to library resources lead to the increased demand for the use of
these library resources which is paper material resources. The search for cheaper paper to meet the
increased demand led to the manufacture of paper from ground wood pulp in later
part of 19th century.
According to Foot (1994), increasing demand for paper and advances in
science and technology transformed paper making from a craft into an industrial
manufacturing process. Different raw
materials and new processes produced paper that is chemically unstable and that
will deteriorate over time. This
deterioration is accelerated by light, heat, and humidity. The increase in atmospheric pollution has
increased chemical deterioration of paper, while the growth in library use has
caused greater mechanical breakdown. Even if kept in a perfect environment and
left untouched, mechanical wood pulp paper will break down eventually.
Most large libraries acquire and
organise hundreds of thousands of books and documents on such paper and we are
therefore faced with very large conservation problems, so large that
traditional conservation techniques and hand treatments can no longer keep it
at bay, left alone solve it. For
decades, libraries have been looking for quicker and cheaper treatments and for
ways to deal with large number of books and documents. Today, a number of conservation practices are
available, some well tested, others still in experimental stage. Some conserve resources content through
reformatting; others conserve the format as well as the content. When these
practices are adopted by any library, the benefits cannot be overemphasized. These according John (1986), provide an
extremely attractive strategy by stabilizing less-used books in an acceptable
environment. Conservation practices are
able to establish priorities based upon use by concentrating their efforts on
the prime use collection. An acceptable
storage environment would include; a low fire/flood risk building with optimum
security system, low temperature and humidity controls (60-65o and
40-50% humidity); staff access only for shelving and retrieval purposes.
Sule and Ademu (2005) observe also that conservation
practices of library resources leads to the security of man’s recorded
knowledge. Through the process of
conservation man has been able to put the record of the past, the present into
safe places. It ensures the continued
and effective exploitation of resources in any given library. Effective
conservation practices of library resources creates awareness and consciousness
that leads to the establishment of written conservation policy and programmes,
formulation of conservation commission and conservation unit within
libraries. Conservation practices leads
to the development of the consciousness of resources handling and the
sustenance of a good library housekeeping programmes.
More so, conservation practices
ensure the continued supply of information for the writing of history of
nations, for research purposes and for posterity. When there is a good conservation practices
of resources, efforts will not be waste on replacement. Resources, which should have been expended on
replacement, are channelled to the acquisition of new resources to enrich the
existing collection. The life span of
collections, books, journals, monographs audio-visuals etc are safeguarded
through instrument of conservation.
THE CONSERVATION OF LIBRARY RESOURCES IN THREE SELECTED SPECIAL LIBRARIES IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA
