Academic Library

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Learning Contents Summary

The Academic Library learning resource provides a comprehensive overview of academic libraries, their origin, history in Nigeria, objectives, functions, and funding agencies. Learners will gain insights into the role of academic libraries in supporting higher education, research, and learning activities. The resource delves into the evolution of academic libraries in Nigeria and their contributions to the academic community. Learners will understand the specific objectives of academic libraries, which include providing access to scholarly resources, supporting research, and promoting information literacy. The functions of academic libraries, ranging from collection development and management to user support services, will be explored. Additionally, participants will learn about the various funding agencies that support academic libraries, ensuring their sustainable growth and development.

Goals

At the end of this study, learners should be able to:

1. Understand the concept of academic libraries and their significance in supporting higher education and research.
2. Trace the origin and history of academic libraries in Nigeria, recognizing their evolution and contributions to the academic community.
3. Identify the specific objectives of academic libraries, including providing access to scholarly resources, supporting research, and promoting information literacy among users.
4. Explore the diverse functions of academic libraries, and the types of information resources.
5. Familiarize themselves with the funding agencies that support academic libraries, ensuring their continuous growth and development.

Definition of Academic Library

A section of the Mohammadu Buhari Library at the Kwara State University, Nigeria

An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution and serves two complementary purposes: to support the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students.

Origin of Academic Library

Universities did not start with libraries. For centuries, libraries and academic institutions existed outside of each other. At that time, the method of teaching revolved around a professorial lecture and student recitation, though sometimes a lecture would be turned over to the university to be copied and purchased by students. As more lectures were copied and more copies of older lectures were reproduced, a store house of these materials took shape to the extent that by 1338 what is considered to be the first (ancient) academic library, the library at Sorbonne (University of Paris) contained over 1700 volumes of lectures.

In the early 11^th century and 1400, the invention of movable type in China, Korea, and West, led to the proliferation of printed text which resulted in not just having more copies of the same lectures, but new secular writings were made available and included in the curriculum. As more writing became available, universities saw the need in having books that could not be included into their courses of study, especially books for leisure reading. On that note, the University of Oxford for instance by 1605, was noted to have contained more than 5,000 books and manuscripts (Bud, 1988).

It was during this period that Harvard University, which may be acclaimed to be the first university to be established with a library, came on board. In 1638, John Harvard donated £800 and 300 books to start what we now know as the first state-side academic library. In 1667, Harvard first librarian was appointed. Due to the very high respect and value for books at that time, use of library was limited to senior members of the university. The library was only open from 11:00am to 1:00pm (Budd, 1998). Access was limited because there was no catalogue system, until 1723 (Weiner, 2005). The perceived value of academic libraries continued to grow along with the number of volumes, but there was no uniform system for classification until Melville Dewey began classifying books at Amherst College by decimal numbers in the 1870s.

By the 20th Century, there was a definite paradigm shift from collection and preservation to utility . Academic library started granting more access to  faculty and students. The increase in user generated need for more services, extended hours and more staff. As institutions took a more active role in funding library collections and creating comfortable facilities, the library became less of a place to store dusty books, and much more of a place for dynamic learning.

History of Academic Library in Nigeria

Leiden 1610

The second gate of YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, YABA, LAGOS.

History of libraries in Nigeria is a recent event that can be realistically placed in the first half of the   twentieth (20^th) century. Evidences of early libraries similar to the European model are not available in the historical development of Academic libraries in Nigeria. The earliest academic institutions to be established in Nigeria spring up at a time when libraries had already become integral part of academic institutions. The first academic library was the library of the Yaba College of Technology established in 1947 followed by the University college, Ibadan, which was established in 1948. The library inherited the Henry Carr collection which formed the nucleus of the library's collection (Ugocha, 2011). Below is a tabular representation of some of the earliest academic institutions in Nigeria, and their years of establishment.

Academic Institution	Year of Establishment
Yaba college of Technology	1947
University of Ibadan	1948
University of Nigeria	1955
Obafemi Awolowo University	1961
University of Lagos	1962
Ahmadu Bello University Zaria	1962
Auchi Polytechnic	1964
University of Benin	1970
Federal Polytechnic Bauchi	1970
University of Maiduguri	1975
University of Ilorin	1975
University of Calabar	1975

Objectives of Academic Library

According to LISBDNETWORK (2013) and STVLibraries (2022), the objectives of Academic libraries include:

1) To provide information materials for all teaching, learning, educational and research programmes of the University that will cater for the information needs of teachers, students, and researchers, associated with the university.

2) To provides facilities to its users for intellectual development which is a power of acquiring ideas through individual efforts.

3) To preserve and conserve institutional knowledge.

4) To designs instructional programs and services that foster learning and collaborations with faculty and other academic units;

5) To provide customer-oriented assistance in selecting, locating and using resources in an open and caring environment showing concern for and response to client’s need;

6) To continuous procure up-dated and relevant information in diverse formats;

7) To establish a close working relationship with other libraries, community agencies/organizations that foster cooperation, making efficient and effective use of the library resources.

Functions of Academic Library

Lens Polytechnic Offa Library, Kwara State

According to Kumar (2014), the main function of an academic library is to support its parent organization in achieving the organizational goals and/or objectives. What this means is that academic libraries should be involved in providing support for research and educational activities in their various institutions. This involves content development, acquisition, technical services, and user services, providing institutional repositories, interlibrary loans, and document delivery services.

1. TEACHING: An academic library is looked upon as aiding teaching in all faculties at a university. This is because teachers rely heavily on library facilities. This dependence became obvious due to high cost of books and other related materials and the multi-disciplinary nature of courses offered at the high level.
2. RESEARCH:  Academic library is very useful for research. The members of staff in higher institution devote much time to research. They use library materials especially in literature search, review,and  background to the study.
3. PUBLICATION: Academic library is supposed to publish regularly its research work or activities for readers of users. They could come in the form of handbills, bulletin, newsflash, readers' guide. In some academic libraries, they help researchers to publish their work.
4. INTERPRETATION OF IDEAS AND EVENTS: An academic library is expected to be involved in activities of interests to the users such as exhibition of works, artistic works, carving, displays on special occasions, organizing symposia on agriculture, health care, education e.t.c. and publishing group research findings for public use.
5. Enhance Information literacy, especially in the student community, by developing effective plans aiming at improving student ability to:
   • access information effectively and efficiently;
   • evaluate information and its sources critically;
   • understand economic, legal and social issues when using information; and
   • access and use information critically and legally.

On another hand, Attama and Ezema (2015) itemize the specific functions of academic libraries as follows:

1. Provision of  information materials to meet the research,  teaching, and learning needs of the  academic community.
2. Provision of  reference materials for all levels of readers within and outside the academic community.
3. Provision of lending services appropriate to different types of users.
4. Making available an enabling reading environment in a useful variety of locations  for recreational reading and reading for self-development.
5. Developing and maintaining  inter-library cooperation with other libraries.
6. Provision of specialized information services such as Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI), Current Awareness Services, Internet services among others to the community.

Types of Academic Library Resources

Primary resources

• Photographs: are another kind of record that helps us understand the past. They are exciting because they help us understand what people, places, and things look like
• Poetry: they bare literary works in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensively by the use of distinctive style and rhythm, poems collectively or as a genre of literature.
• Statistics: statistics are primary information. They can be very useful for looking at patterns and trends.

Secondary resources

• Journal:  Journal articles are primary information resources. Journals are published regularly. Each journal title focuses on a specific area or discipline. They describe research - the generation of new knowledge - and focus on very specific topics.
• Textbooks: Textbooks are secondary information resources. They will provide you with a good general understanding of a topic. Textbooks will provide us with a good overview and will interpret relevant primary material. According to Ifidon (2006), a textbook is a classical publication used in the study of a subject. It may be written by one or more authors it can be a collection of writings by various authors dealing with a specific subject. As pointed out here the textbooks cover a variety of subjects taught in the schools such as geography, mathematics, English language, and economics among others. They are needed in the library as they cover the syllabus and curriculum of the various subjects.

Tertiary resources

• Databases: Databases are tertiary sources of information. A collection of information that can be accessed and searched through the internet. Databases allow you to search across a range of journal articles from different journals.
• Fictional Materials: these are books that are read for pleasure. They also form part of the school library resources. They help to improve the reading skills of the students. These materials include novels, science fiction, and story books.
• Encyclopedia: they include brief, factual information about topics or concepts. They often provide images and references to additional works.
• Dictionaries: they are like encyclopedias, instead of providing a contextual background to a subject, a dictionary list terms in alphabetical order and gives each word's meaning.
• Bibliographies: help provide information about various ideas by providing references to books, films, or recordings that deal with the topic. It typically includes citation that references the work, author, publishers, and place of publication.

Funding Agencies of Academic Library in Africa and Nigeria

Ministry of Education in different states of the federation allocate a certain amount to promote library services. this is usually done through budgetary allocation.

Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). TET Fund was established by Act No.7 of 1993 and was repealed and substituted with Act No.16 which refocused to intervene only in Public Tertiary Institutions, with a specific mandate of the fund as provided in Section 7(I) of Act No.16 pertaining only to libraries specifically for the provision or maintenance of Library buildings, Library books, Library journals and E-library services.

Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL): EIFL is a not-for-profit organization that works with libraries to enable access to knowledge in developing and transition economy countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America.

Elsevier Foundation: Elsevier Foundation is a non-profit organization that works in close partnership with “Book Aid International in Africa” and “Books for Asia” to ensure substantial annual book donations to promote literacy and evidence-based health care.

United Nations- Grant Programs for Libraries

The UN library network provides a list of grant programs for libraries. Programs are listed alphabetically by donor name and include a description of the program.

The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation : LLCF awards grants to organizations to purchase children’s fiction or non-fiction books and organize literacy programs. The books are to be available for checkout by young people for pleasure reading or, perhaps, as a source of information for a school assignment.

Bills and Melinda’s Gate Foundation : BMGF It is a non-governmental organisation that works in partnership with governments and other public and private funders to expand technology access in public libraries, foster innovation in libraries, train library leaders, and advocate for policy changes that benefit public libraries.

African Library Project: ALP is a nonprofit organization that sends information resources which include baby board books, children’s picture books, fiction and nonfiction, juvenile literature, children’s encyclopedias, children’s and adult dictionaries, recent atlases, and textbooks in English, science, math, and geography to libraries in Africa. These resources are collected through book drives from U.S. preschools to 8th-grade reading levels schools.

Books Abroad: Books Abroad is a not-for-profit organisation based in the United Kingdom that promotes literacy, education, and understanding to provide a means of sustainable escape from the plight of poverty in developing countries. This is achieved through the collection and redistribution of good quality, second-hand books to educational establishments worldwide, whilst also building sustainable relationships for further liaison and learning for all concerned.

Book Aid International : BAI is the UK’s leading international book donation and library development charity that works in partnership with libraries in Africa by providing books, resources, and training to support an environment in which reading for pleasure, study, and lifelong learning can flourish.

Book Friends International NFP is a non-profit public foundation that seeks to provide educational resources to the secondary school-age children (grades 5 - 12) of Africa by providing them with textbooks, library books, and reference materials that are in desperately short supply in their local villages.

Books for Africa  : BfA is a non-profit organization seeking to share books with the English-speaking countries of Africa. Books for Africa are the largest shipper of donated textbooks to the African continent and have shipped over 30 million school, university, and library books to 49 African countries since 1988.

The Ford Foundation : FF is an independent organization with aboard. Its mission is to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation and advance human achievement in different sectors including libraries.

Books for International Goodwill (B.I.G.)  is a non-profit charitable organization associated with the Parole Rotary Club providing gifts in kind in cooperation with the public and private sectors. They ship books from individuals, bookstores, schools, or libraries to needy countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and other areas of the world.

Books for Barrios Inc. BBI operates in the Philippines. Elementary textbooks, children ‘s fiction, and picture books, toys and games, athletic equipment, and consumable school supplies are available.

The Brother's Brother Foundation : BBF is a non-profit charitable organization providing gifts in kind in cooperation with the public and private sectors and working with volunteers in host countries, they have sent over 8,000,000 books to schools, universities, and civic organizations since 1986. Brother's Brother Foundation typically deals in very large quantities (a ton may be considered a small quantity). They provide medical supplies, textbooks, food, and seeds to countries all over the world.

Darien Book Aid Plan : DBAP has books on different subjects that are less than 10 years old. They send small boxes of books directly to libraries, schools, and hospitals all over the world.  Darien Book Aid Plan does not work with partner organizations. Apart from libraries, they also support local prisons with paperback books and give books to organizations that hold fundraising book sales.

Global Book Exchange (GBX) is a nonprofit organization that offers books locally to families, teachers, schools, and nonprofits, such as community literacy projects, daycare facilities, community centers, homeless shelters, hospitals, drug treatment facilities, prisons, and more.

International Book Project, Inc. Book Project sends books to libraries, schools, hospitals, and universities in the Global South and parts of the U.S.A. for more than 36 years. Books can be new from publishers or used by individuals, schools, and libraries.

Open Society Institute and Soros Foundation Network (Soros) are autonomous institutions established in particular countries or regions to initiate and support open society activities by shaping government policy and supporting education, media, public health, human and women’s rights, as well as social, legal, and economic reform. The Open Society Foundations award grants, scholarships, and fellowships throughout the year to organizations and individuals.

The World Bank Family Network (WBFN) / Book Project : WBFN receives packs and distributes donated books to educational institutions in rural and disadvantaged areas of developing countries. Books are donated to all school levels, libraries, and community groups concerned with education.

African Children’s Libraries predominantly serve Nigeria and Liberia. It gathers, sorts, boxes, and sends books to its teams in West Africa. Books are sent in 20-foot containers of approximately 15,000 books. African Children’s Libraries works with other international organizations.

International Book Bank (IBB) procures and ships donated books to qualified, nonprofit recipient organizations and agencies. Books received through the International Book Bank must be distributed free of charge to children, the ill, and the needy in developing countries outside the U.S. The books and materials must be stamped with a “Donated Book” stamp that is provided by the International Book Bank.

Operation Bookshelf : Operation Bookshelf is a Non-Governmental Organisation that accepts gently used children’s, adult books, and some magazines from donors which are redistributed by them to non-profit institutions in the United States and abroad.

Skipping Stones for more than a decade, Skipping Stones has donated books and back issues of Skipping Stones magazines all over the world. All kinds of books are donated: fiction and nonfiction, picture books, chapter books, juvenile novels, reference books, nature, multicultural works, and folk tales.

UNESCO: UNESCO develops educational tools to help people live as global citizens free of hate and intolerance. UNESCO works to ensure that every child and every citizen has access to quality education. By promoting cultural heritage and the equal dignity of all cultures, UNESCO strengthens the bonds between nations. UNESCO fosters scientific programs and policies as platforms for development and cooperation. UNESCO stands up for freedom of expression, as a fundamental right and a key condition for democracy and development. As a laboratory of ideas, UNESCO helps countries to adopt international standards and manages programs that foster the free flow of ideas and the exchange of knowledge.

UNDP: UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty while protecting the planet. We help countries develop strong policies, skills, partnerships, and institutions so they can sustain their progress.

Question of Practices

1. Define what an academic library is and explain its role in supporting higher education and research.
2. Describe the historical development of academic libraries in Nigeria and highlight some key milestones in their evolution.
3. What are the primary objectives of academic libraries, and how do they contribute to the academic community?
4. List and briefly explain the essential functions of academic libraries, emphasizing their role in supporting teaching, learning, and research activities.
5. Identify some funding agencies that support academic libraries in Nigeria and discuss their significance in ensuring the sustainability and growth of these institutions.