Poor Implementation Of Collection Development Policy In Academic Library, A Case Study Of Federal University Of Technology Owerri

ABSTRACT

This study focused on the poor implementation of collection development policy in academia library: a case study of the Federal University of Technology Owerri’s academic library. The researcher explored four purpose of the study and four research questions for the study, Survey research design was used and rating scale served as the instrument for data collection. The population of the study was made up of 42 academic librarian of federal university of technology Owerri (FUTO). The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using mean frequency. The findings revealed that effective strategies encompass compliance enforcement, awareness creation, policy distribution, and regular reviews. The extent of implementation is notably high, consistent with previous research emphasizing policy’s role in fulfilling the library’s dynamic function. The impact of policy implementation includes standardization, consistency, friction avoidance, and continuity despite staff changes, aligning with earlier studies on policy’s influence. Causes of poor implementation encompass a lack of awareness, non-compliance emphasis, laissez-faire management attitudes, and shifting user needs. Based on the foregoing, the study recommends that academic library management should be informed and enlightened on the awareness and training, conducting regular policy reviews for relevance, allocating sufficient funding, empowering proactive library management, and aligning the policy with changing academic trends and user needs.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

This chapter is presented under the following sub-headings: background to the study, statement of the problem, scope of the study, purpose of the study, significance of the study and research questions.

Background to the study                                                      

A library is a store house of knowledge, where diverse information materials are stored, preserved and used; this includes prints and non-prints information materials. They serve as a hub for education, research, and leisure, allowing people to expand their horizons, explore new ideas, and connect with others who share their interests. The core of library is the collection. Its pivotal place is enshrined in the basic mandate of the library to stock information materials to meet the needs of users. Thus the collection that composed of the information resources, constitutes the basic instrument of service delivery in the library (Nwosu and Udo-Anyanwu 2015). In order to achieve this, adequate collection required by users should be made available to them at the right time. These library materials provided in a good learning environment promote study, teaching, learning and research.

Collection development includes everything that goes into acquiring library materials, which includes selection, ordering and payment. It involves series of activities that includes planning, administration and control. It is an established truth that people are in serious need of library and information resources as well as its services. This makes it important for the library to ensure the provision of such materials. Thus, the library is faced with the concern of whether the library collection are enough to meet the information needs of the users. Hence, the library needs to be better equipped with the latest information resources on every field of study. Collection development serves a function upon which other library services are built.There are different types of libraries but for the purpose of this study, the focus of the research is on academic library.

Bezek, and Barker, (2021) stated that collection development is a fundamental process in the field of library that involves the systematic and strategic acquisition of resources to meet the information needs of a specific user community or target audience. In their work, Bezek and Barker emphasize the significance of collection development as a dynamic and ongoing process. They underscore the need for librarians and information professionals to adapt to changing user preferences, technological advancements, and evolving information sources.

The reputation of libraries depends highly on the library facilities it offers its clientele in terms of information resources. As information and research resources become more varied, it places a challenge on academic libraries. Barringer and Pryor (2022), argued that the changes in the nature of information, research strategies, and structure of higher education are affecting academic libraries. These changes define much of the shifting context within which academic libraries must operate. It is absolutely essential for a library to possess the resources that will enable it meet its goals.

Beautiful buildings, well trained staff and modern information storage and retrieval system can only be appreciated if excellent services are given to users. These services cannot be given without a collection of information materials. The objective of any academic library is to support the teaching, learning and research activities of the parent institution. It is an objective which is achieved through a systematic acquisition and organization of all forms of recorded and undocumented information in all fields pertinent to the goals of the institution. This can be realized by making such information available to the members of the academic community and other scholars engaged in research and study (Nicolaidis, 2019).

The information materials found in the academic libraries including print and non print are acquired through a system called collection development. Collection development is the process of building-up a library information materials or collection on continual basis to enhance it exploitation and utilization in a bid to meet the information needs of clients. It is one of the fundamental functions of the library and information profession. McKenzie (2019) described it to include all planning for the systematic and rational building of a collection. In one sense, collection development includes assessing user needs, evaluating the present collection, determining selection policy, coordinating selection of items, re-evaluating and storing parts of the collection and planning for resources sharing. However, in a broader sense, collection development is not a single activity, or a group of activities; it is a planning and decision-making process. In order to play these vital roles effectively, academic libraries are supposed to be adequately funded by their parent institutions to procure adequate information resources.

A library’s collection development efforts cannot be effective unless its policy efforts are efficient. This practice is responsible for selecting and acquiring information specialist to perform their numerous function to the users effectively (Nagy, 2020). Academic librarians must strive to remain competent navigators of acquisition and collection building in order to assist library users. In addition, acquisition practices includes a policy on the conservation and preservation of information materials as well as the weeding of information materials. The policy is to provide guidance to staff when selecting and deselecting resources for the academic libraries. The importance of applying sound and functional policy as regards to collection development in academic library cannot be over looked because the well being of the library depend solely on the nature and quality of relevant materials available. Also absence of a functional collection development policy will place academic library in a risky situation, and such situation if not properly handled, will bring its services to stop. Björkdahl (2020), perceives that this policy (collection development policy) is sine qua non for any library that wants to build a functional collection whether by traditional methods or in an information age. That is to say that, it is the blue print that guides the library in its collection development policy as well as specifies the kind of materials to be selected, acquired and procedure for evaluation of library material and weeding.

Collection development policy is also seen as a document which serves as a guide in the implementation of collection development in a library. This policy could either be written or unwritten, but the written one is quite better of, because its rigid and states plainly what the library must follow in acquiring material as well as preempts pressure from the influential personalities in the society. With the above mentioned importance of collection development policy in academic libraries/libraries, its  crystal clear that, the implementation of this policy  has been a problem as most academic libraries select, preserve, acquire and weed their information resources based on personal instinct of the academic libraries heads without a proper guide from a standard document. It is in the light of this, that this study tries to bring to focus the effects of poor implementation of collection development policy in academic libraries using Federal University of Technology Owerri as a case study.

 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Collection development policy still stands out as one of the prime factor that enhance the development of a library and its collection, but it is disheartening to say that little or no attention is given to collection development policy which ought to serve as a guide to the acquisition of information materials in the academic libraries thereby culminating to acquiring materials that are of no interest to users need. Collection development policy cannot be discarded because of its essence in academic libraries. That is why Olaniyan &  Ojo(2008),acknowledge that academic libraries should acquire library materials based on policy. It was observed that most academic libraries that claim to have collection development policy do not implement it, while in some academic library collection development policy is not in existence. This research is undertaken to identify the effects of poor implementation of collection development policy in academic libraries.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study investigated poorimplementation of collection development policy in academic libraries, A case study of Federal University Owerri (FUTO) library. The study examines the strategies for implementation of collection development policy, extent of implementation of collection development policy, impact of collection development policy in academic libraries and causes of poor implementation of collection development policy in academic libraries. The study is delimited to library staff of FUTO

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The general aim of this study is to examine poor implementation of collection development policy in academic libraries. Specifically, the study sought:

1. to find out strategies for the implementation of collection development policy in Federal University of Technology Owerri.
2. to determine the extent of implementation of collection development policy
3. to determine the impact of poor implementation of collection development policy in academic libraries.
4. to ascertain the causes of poor implementation of collection development policy Federal University of Technology Owerri .

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study will be beneficial to academic library management, academic library personal, government, researcher and library advocates.

To academic library management: This study will be of immense benefits to the academic library management as it will give them guideline on how to implement collection development policy in the various libraries, and also help them to train their staff based on the guideline for better academic library services. The academic library manager will understand that when there is guideline for implementation of collection development policy, it will help them to build the library collection better in order to satisfy the needs of the users, which in turn will reduce outdated materials and superseded edition of information materials.

To the academic personnel: This study will help them to know the benefits of implementing collection development policy  in the library. It will create awareness and remind them of the need to do weeding from time to time  in the library in order to be current with information resources.

To the government: This study will be significant to them to understand the relevance of library collection development and its policy implementation in the academic libraries. Because library brings knowledge, learning, research and information to the society.

To the academic advocates: This study will enable them to contribute more on the need for implementation of collection development policy.

To researchers: To them who are interested in the implementation of collection development policy, will find this study  as a guide  in their future research and it will also add to existing  literature in librarianship

 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Based on the objectives of the study, the following research questions were presented for the study.

1. What are the strategies for the Implementation of collection development policy in Federal University of Technology Owerri?
2. To what extent is the implementation of collection development policy?
3. What is the impact of implementing collection development policy in academic libraries?
4. What are the causes of poor implementation of collection development policy in Federal University of Technology?
   

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   Pages:  68

   Category: Project

   Format:  Word & PDF               

   Chapters: 1-5                                          

   Source: Imsuinfo

   Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.

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