Users Patronage in the Institute of Management and Technology

USERS PATRONAGE IN THE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY, ENUGU LIBRARY

Academic library plays a vital role in the development and upliftment of students. Academic library makes available adequate materials that give information to the students, staff and researchers of all level. A well stocked Academic library is a store house of information or a record of human experience to which students, lectures and researchers may turn for data and information. It stands in the same relationship to the society as the memory of an individual by making available and accessible to its users information source needed for teaching and students Independent society.  Obiora [2002:20] says that academic library is to provide students and staff with information materials for teaching and research purpose. Their major concern is to satisfy the information needs of the community.

There are so many problems especially in Nigeria that affect libraries as can be seen by some writes, there are  also some suggestions given by them which if the government and the school that is concerned can give necessary attention to, will help student and other users to achieve their desired goal.

According to Encyclopedia American, Academic Library Serves students and faculty in community, colleges, undergraduate collages, or universities. The collection and service of these library are design to match the needs of their users, need that rang from basic support of the curriculum of the advanced research requirement of doctorial students. Most academic libraries are no longer simply independent collection, rather they are linked to other libraries on cooperative arrangements that allow them to share scare and little used materials.                                             Umunna [2001:6] says that an Academic library constitute an indispensable instrument of intellectual development. A school of taught believes that rather than the quality of faculty, the quality and quantity of the stock of an academic library determines the character and efficiency of its parents institution. In other wards, their quality and standing as instrument for the advancement of learning should be in great extent.

Funk and Wagnall New Encyclopedia, says that the colleges and university library provide a variety of faculties and services to the academic community they serve. These faculties usually include a collection of reference and source material which covers a wide variety of subject comprehensively, and numerous special collections.

Uchedili [2006:13] says that academic library is established as an integral part of the institution aimed as an agent for the transmission of the scholarship of society. Academic library in other to meet the information needs of the users might engage in some sort of library consortium. They also engage in resource sharing.

As part of this global village, Academic libraries in Nigeria are joining their counterparts in the developed countries to embrace the new information Technology [IT] Ezemba [2004:51]

Oduagwu [2002:32] says that Academic libraries differ from each other in many respects, they have the same basic function which is to aid the parent institution in carrying out its objectives which are conservation of knowledge and ideas, teachings, research and publication, extension services and interpretation of result of research. He points some aims and objectives of academic libraries.

The basic aims are:

  1. Establishment needs
  2. Provision of services to meet needs.
  3. Finding out whether the services are satisfactory to the needs.

The specific objectives are:

  1. To support the college or university teaching and research programmes.
  2. The library should be in the fore front of Academic programmes planning.
  3. Research: The library should make room and create an ambience for research purpose to sustain that quality of information needed by the users.
  4. The information role a library plays is to provide up to date information on the topic of general interest and affairs on both National and International.

 

  • SOURCES OF FUNDING OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES
  • Government Grants: This is the major source of income for academic library. Academic library is fund by parent institution.
  • Gifts and Private Individual Contribution: This is another source of income which may be inform of cash, gifts of books, journals and other items.
  • Miscellaneous sources of funds for the library. Their are fines (chargeable).
  • Cost of replacing missing books or borrows cards.
  • Proceeds from reprographic services (Photocopying, binding) etc.
  • Proceeds from sale of duplicates, duplications, cataloguing cards etc.
  • Fees paid by subscription libraries.
  • Library fees from students and research scholars.
  • Charges for rental services such as use of library hall for cultural other educational functions.

 

  • THE CALIBER OF LIBRARY STAFF

Library staffs are of three levels which are the professional staff, Para-professional staff, non-professional staff.

These levels of staff play a vital role in the objectives and goal of an academic library. According to the library association, the professional library staff should be a chattered librarian, competent to teach students on how to use the library more effectively. There was also a need for trained professionals to handle the huge number of new academic. The encyclopedia, Americana, Vol. 17: 321.

The professional staff comprises the pure professional subject specialist. The pure professionals are those staff with HND, BCS or BLIS in library and information science. They are bias in library and information science in all their degree.

Subject specialists are those staff with masters in library science with first degree not in library and information science. Their degrees are not in library science. The levels of staff are very relevant because they took the positive of cataloguing and classification of the library material especially in their field of specialty.

 

PARA PROFESSIONAL STAFF       

       These level of staff do not process HND or a degree in library and information science. These categories of staffs are very useful in carrying out sub-professional duties. These people can oppose the following certificate, OND (Ordinary National Diploma), NCE with library science from College of Education.

 

  • NEED FOR USER EDUCATION IN ACADEMIC LIBRARY

It is necessary to emphasize on the development of attitude and skills that will enable the student to be increasingly informed through self-education. Academic library provides user education to the client so that they will be able to exploit the resources of the library Ezemba (2004: 40)

Augonus (2007: 69) Comments that many information user of all categories find it relatively hard to find information especially if it is contained in libraries and information centers. The library user has to be instructed in the use of library through what is popularly known as “User Education”. User Education is a process of making library patrons to learn how to make effective and efficient use of library material through the acquisition of skills.

Since libraries are the store house of information and knowledge, it is vital that, user must be well educated to find their way easily on the increasing number of materials found in the libraries.

New objectives should be found that are consistent with our technical society and we must create measuring instrument which on demonstrate the value of libraries as useful institutions.

 

DEFINITION OF USER EDUCATION

User Education is an instruction given to the users to help them make the best use of the library not solely to stimulate library use, but as a continuous process of education in varied facts of communication.

 

USER EDUCATION CAN BE ORGANIZED IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS

  • Orientation
  • Tour
  • Bibliographic instruction.
  • Use awareness

Orientation can be teaching the users the layout rules and procedures and services provided in the library.

TOUR: Library tour involves taking users around the library facility, during which they will be shown the various section of the library, who does what and where.

Bibliographic Instruction: It helps the user to make maximum advantage of library material to meet the needs. It also enable students/user to do literature search.

USE AWARENESS: This emphasis is to make the users to be aware (informed) of what the library has. It is necessary because academic library users can now be able to use library themselves.

 

  • USERS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARY AND THEIR MATERIAL NEEDED

The eligible users of academic library are:

  • The students
  • The academic staff
  • Alumi or Alumnai, Alumnal and the community
  • Non academic staff

 

THE STUDENTS: Academic library is meant for students and without student their will be no academic library. Academic library stock right library materials in order to attack academic needs of students.

THE ACADEMIC STAFF: These are another group of users of academic library. Staffs visit library for research work in preparation of their lectures and for research purpose.

ALUMI OR ALUMNAI, ALUMNAL, AND THE COMMUNITY: The librarian of academic library should include the following people into account. The services people into account. The services such groups of users needs are:

  • Reference inquire
  • Their request should be meet and materials needed should be supply to them.

NON ACADEMIC STAFF: These people are the clerks, administrators, messengers, attendance etc who work in campus. They make use of the library on registration for research, preparation of examination and for relaxation. Their interests are included in the book selection.

MATERIALS NEEDED: Academic library are to provide materials for the students to be able to carry out their course work, assignment provision of standard and current material for students is necessary.

Material should be provided to enable the academic staff and research students to carry out research to advance the frontiers of knowledge.

Material should be provided to assist readers in their own personal self – development such materials are Newspaper, magazines, periodical and light reading materials. So academic library should provide adequate supply of print and non-print materials to serve the need of the teaching staff, undergraduate and post-graduate students.

 

  • PROBLEMS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARY

This research is designed to investigate into the problems of user patronage in the library of institute of management and technology.

Inspite all the progress, libraries like all institutions in today’s complex world, face many challenges and problems. This problems includes how to keep pace with the information boom, financials, security, photocopying.

THE INFORMATION BOOM: Every year more and ore information becomes available in every subject that interest one in higher institute of learning especially in text-books. The volume of materials published on almost every general topic doubles every year.

This increase of material available poses challenges for librarian, showing that librarians must keep informed about more materials than ever before and be more selective in their purposes. As the library increases its purchases, the librarians job of arranging and sorting of materials become harder. The increase of information also makes more difficult in the job of locating materials for users.

FINANCES: Libraries especially academic libraries face financial problems, because apart from students library dues and parents institution supporting them, they don’t have any ways of funding because people believe that government normally support them or that the library have a lot of money in purchasing books or materials needed.

SECURITY: Every year, libraries lose a large amount of valuable materials through theft and mutilation. Library want people to feel at ease when using the library and strict security measures work against this goal. People can walk out of the library without checked and that gives a privilege that enable everyone to steal materials so easily.

Libraries have adopted security systems, under every people leaving a library and required to pass through a turnstile at which a guard is stationed. They will detect anyone who is leaving the library with any material that has not been checked out.

PHOTOCOPYING: This is a process of making copies of parts of book Magazines, Newspapers and Pamphlets for users. This practice help librarian in their work and to the users. It equally help librarian to distribute widely used materials to those who want them and to eases the work of the users.

Photocopying causes a lot of problems to the libraries because some authors and publishers question its legality. They said it violates copyright laws, which restrict the production of published materials.

  • MOTIVATING USERS TO MAKE USE OF THE LIBRARY

Users of academic library must be attracted to the library, as the librarian endeavour to carry out library orientation to student especially, new students of an institution, use of the library periods, current awareness services and display of current titles. On this issue Gyebt (1980: 22) says that:

  1. New books should be well displayed and advertised among staff and students.
  2. A bulletin board can be used in displaying books and book jackets inside the library and outside at a convenient sport or on the corridor.

 

PROVIDING MATERIAL: This is another form of motivating users of academic library, librarians should acquire materials that will be so beneficiary to the students and as well as the staff. Since library materials serves as essential resources in the education, work and recreation of people to students right material provide in the library help them carryout school assignment. It is also a place where they pursue knowledge beyond their classroom exercise, beyond their textbooks and beyond their teachers. Professional staff gets information that will help them in preparation of their lectures.

ASSISTING PATRONS: This service provided by librarians goes far beyond getting and arranging library materials. Librarians help anyone who wants assistance in finding information. This services includes, helping them find materials a patron needs, he or she may secure it for the patron through the library inter- library loan system and try to direct the patron to a source where the material can be found.

Academic library also provide translation services. This service is usually performed by the reference section of the library. They can obtain for the readers translation of articles, papers, report and books in foreign languages either by loan or purchase. When a translation can not be obtained by loan or purchase, the library uses its own staff to translate the materials.

SDI (Selective Dissemination of Information) this is another services provided by academic library to the researchers and lecturers who must have deposited their research or academic profiles with the library.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *