USE OF LIBRARY

LECTURE ONE
Meaning and Definition of library
The word library” originated from a latin word ‘Liber’ meaning book. The library actually
precedes the book as collections of clay tablets, papyrus and scrolls were housed in the library
long before the concept of books emerged. In view of this, the library is not just a place where
books are kept. Library has been defined by various authors one of whom is Raganathan the
father of Librarianship who defined the library as a public institution or establishment charged
with the care of books, the duty of making them accessible to those who require the use of them
and the task of converting every person in the neighborhood into habitual library user. A library
can generally be defined as a place where the collection of records of human culture in diverse
formats and languages are kept, preserved, organized interpreted and disseminated to meet the
broad and varying information needs of individuals for knowledge, recreation and aesthetic
enjoyment.
It is also a collection of books and non-book materials systematically organized through the use
of codes (rules) and scheme for the provision of services for the library users or clienteles.
Functions of a library
The main objective/ function of the library is to disseminate information, however, some specific
functions are attributed to the library such as
(1) To promote the development of reading skills.
(2) To enrich the curriculum
(3) To support teaching and learning within the school system
(4) To encourage research and independent study among students and teachers.
(5) To preserve past and current information resources for posterity.

TYPES OF LIBRARY
(1) Academic libraries
This is the library of tertiary institutions of learning, administered to meet the information
and research needs of the academic community (students, faculty and staff). They are
expected to provide information materials that are relevant to the subjects that can suit each
level of the institution’s academic programmes. The academic library has a basic
characteristic of identifying with the parent institution because the measure of its excellence
is determined by the extent to which its resources and services support the academic pursuits
of the institutions.
Functions of academic libraries
(i) It selects and acquires information resources through purchase, gifts, exchange and legal
deposits.
(ii) It processes information materials for the use of it clienteles.
(iii) Provision of assistance to readers in the use of these materials by means of publications,
individual and group instructions.
(iv) Facilitating and promoting reading culture through the provision of a conducive reading
environment.
(v) Managing and providing access to electronic information resources.
(vi) Building collections to respond to changing community needs or demands of the parent
institutions based on curriculum upgrading.
(vii) Providing research information resources in consonance with the needs of faculty and
research students.

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(viii) Digitizing library collections for online access as well as answering incoming reference
questions via telephone, postal, mail, email fax and chat. Etc.
(ix) Providing ICT services, photocopying services and bindery.

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(x) It administers the total library programmes including budget, preparation, organization
and supervision of various library activities ensuring the maintenance of the library and
its facilities.
(xi) Provision of lending and reference services to the clienteles.
(xii) Organization of information materials through cataloguing classification and physical
arrangement on shelf.

(2) Public libraries

These are established owned and funded by the national, state or local government with
public funds to cater for the information needs of its immediate society regardless of the
nationality, age, sex, religion, language, status, political inclination and educational
attainment.
The public library is community-based as such it is supported by taxes, rates and levies.
Examples are libraries established by the national, state and local government.
Functions of public libraries
(i) To provide educational development to the people in the community.
(ii) To give users access to information over a wide range of human activities such as
agriculture, craft, commerce. etc.
(iii) It preserves cultural monuments and artifacts, storing indigenous literature and
audiovisual materials about a community.
(iv) Helps promote culture in the society as well as traditional materials. Arts and craft works
are collected and kept for future use and also organize children to play down oral
tradition which serves as a reminder of cultural heritage.
(v) Serves as recreational centres where cultural games can be found.
(vi) Performs mobile library services to the host community.

(3) School libraries

School library are libraries in primary, secondary and technical schools. They support
teaching and learning for the children and teenagers and encourage reading culture of the
pupils as well as the teaching skills of teachers. In recent times, school libraries are now
being referred to as media center or educational resource centre because of the audiovisual
materials available.
Functions of school library
(i) Provision of background materials to complement and supplement learning and
classroom teaching
(ii) Stimulating and guiding pupils to derive enjoyment and satisfaction in reading to help
cultivate a good reading habit.
(iii) Providing enrichment for teachers note and teaching methodology.
(iv) Acquisition of information materials with pictures and colour to attract pupil’s attention.
(v) Provision of conducive atmosphere for leisure and recreation.
(vi) Assisting the students/pupils to recognize information in books and other library
resources.

(4) Special/Research libraries

Special libraries and research libraries exist in professional bodies buildings and research
institutes respectively. They are established for research and provision of detailed and
specialized information needs usually developed to support the mission of their sponsoring
organization and their operations are more targeted and specific to the needs of the
personnel in such establishments. Examples includes; p r o f e s s i o n a l b o d i e s ,
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ministries and

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 parastatals libraries, industrial and research institutes libraries (NCAM, NIFOR, IITA,
NIOMR, ARMTI, FIIR, ICAN, NIIA, YMCL, NLA, NIOMR, NIHORT, NIFWF) etc.
Functions of special libraries
(i) It serves a specialized body of users like employees, organization or firms that they are
attached to.
(ii) It is set up to support the mission of the sponsoring body.
(iii) The collections are specialized in nature.
(iv) Operation is targeted to the specific needs of clienteles.
(v) It offers specialized services such as selective dissemination of information (SDI)
(vi) Acquires and provide more current information materials and current awareness system
(CAS)

(5) National library

National library is the apex library in any country. It is owned by the sovereign nation and
caters for the information needs of its citizens. It is not restricted to a particular subject area;
its collection is general in nature and covers all fields of knowledge. It has legal depository
rights, reserves the rights to acquire subjects and publication about the country made by
authors or organizations in another country. They do not offer loans to individuals but can
carry out inter-library loans to universities and other organizations on a long term basis.
Functions of national library
(i) The national library is a legal depository receiving and preserving for posterity all
published materials in the country.
(ii) Maintenance of inter-library lending system.
(iii) Generating free flow of information between nations.
(iv) Serves as a custodian of all publications emanating from the country
(v) Acquiring all publications made in the country no matter the subject by citizens and
foreigners and all publication made about the country overseas.
(vi) Responsible for bibliographic control of publications and the issuance of (international
standard book number (ISBN) and international standard serial number (ISSN).
(vii) Organizing and storing information materials that are important for the country’s
development.
(viii) Compiling and publishing of comprehensive national bibliographies.
(ix) Helps in keeping records of the number of authors and titles available in the country.
(x) Stimulating library development in the country through its leadership roles
(xi) Serving as main custodian of government publications.
(xii) Maintenance of the national union catalogue which collates a complete record of the
holdings of a nation’s titles.
(xiii) Providing reference services to the citizens.

(6) Private libraries

These are libraries established by individuals, eminent scholars, politicians and other
important persons who turned their information material and collections into libraries
because such individuals have strong interest in reading, learning, research and self-
development. This type of library more restricted in use because its private nature and the
owner reserve all rights as to who is allowed to use such library. Most of these libraries
remain unknown to the general public until the demise of the owners. The resources have no
limit as acquisition of materials is dependent solely on the will, area of interest/specialization
and financial capability of the owner.

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(7) E-libraries
These are computerized libraries i.e. libraries established by converting manual services to
computerized routines. These types of libraries are linked to the internet and have a vast
number of current electronic information materials that can be accessed by any user with
internet facilities. The e-library because of virus may forbid the use of flash drive in copying
information from their computers
LECTURE TWO
RULES AND REGULATIONS IN THE LIBRARY
Library rules and regulations has to do with set of principles or guidelines set aside by Library
management to check and control the attitude and behavior of library users with regards to their
use of the library and its resources. The rules and regulations at all times should be obeyed by
library users for the purpose of making the library conducive for all the users of the library.
The following are the rules and regulations of the library;
1. All users of the library must be duly registered as users
2. Library users should present their library identity cards to the porter[s] at the entrance of the
library before they are allowed into the library
3. Bags, cases, umbrellas etc. should be kept in the cloakroom
4. Shouting, singing, yelling, fighting and noise of any of sort are prohibited in the library
5. Defacing of library materials is not permitted
6. Pilfering (stealing), dog-earing and mutilation (tearing) of library are seriously frowned at
and taking as a serious offence against any culprit. Offenders maybe disallowed from using
the library.
7. Eating of foods and drinks is prohibited
8. Use of mobile phone is prohibited in the library as this will cause distractions among other
users
9. Silenced must be maintained in the library at all times. There should be no group discussion.
10. Any book loss or damaged has to be replaced or paid for by the reader responsible for the
loss or damage.
11. Late return of borrowed book after the due date attract a token of fine
12. Journals and reference materials cannot be borrowed out of the library because these
materials are to be used inside the library only [ they are closed access].
13. Books and other materials consulted should be left on the reading tables or carrels.
14. Orderly conduct must be observed in and around the library.
15. When leaving the library, all books and other documents must be shown to the library staff
at the security checkpoint.

LECTURE THREE
LIBRARY MATERIALS
Library materials: basically there are a number of information materials which constitute a
library stock and they appear in a variety of formats and sources. The whole range of information
resources can simply be divided into;
- Print resources
- Non-print resources/Electronic resources
Print Resources: - These are materials which have gone through the technical process of
printing. They are sub divided into reference and non-reference information resources. Examples
of reference books being found in school libraries are dictionaries, encyclopedia, colorful atlases,
almanac, dictionaries etc. while example of non-reference books are fiction books, periodicals,
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Print format: These are generally information resources that are made up of printed papers.
They are the oldest and most common of all modern information materials found in most
libraries. Examples are; books, ephemerals, serials, government publications/documents, maps,
manuscripts, magazines, dissertation/ thesis, technical reports and conference proceedings. Etc.
Non-print Resources: - They are resources which depend on the senses of sight or/and hearing
to convey meaning. They are also divided into audio visual software and hardware. The audio
resource presents information through the sense of hearing e.g. audio recordings, tapes. The
visual resources present information through the sense of sight as in visual materials like posters,
charts, photographs, etc In case of audio-visual resources, it presents information using a
combination of both senses (senses of sight and hearing)e.g. films, home video, television. All
these are audio-visual software. The audio-visual hardware are the machineries or gadgets for
using the software. They include record player, projectors and video recorders.
Electronic Resources: - These are computer based information resources in the school libraries
.e.g. Microcomputer with a Compact Disk -Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), computer with
internet connectivity. Computer literacy is very important for school children and students in
both primary and secondary schools especially in the 21st century. Library information resources
are very essential because they are librarian’s stock in trade; there is no way a library can offer
any meaningful services without these library resources.

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THE BOOK AND ITS PART
DEFINITION OF BOOK
According to oxford concise English dictionary [2001], defines book as a written or printed work
consisting of pages glued or sewed together along one side and bound in covers.
In a another view a book can be seen as any document that is made up of collection of 49pages
or more that are sewed together with a distinctive title. A book is usually.
Harold’s Librarian glossary describe a book as a blank sheets of papers bound along one edge
and enclose within protective covers to form a volume especially a written or printed literary
composition.
From the above, book is a division of a literary work, which is separately published and has an
independent physical existence, books are made from sheets of papers on which number of pages
have been printed on both side, the sheet of papers are collected and arranged in a uniform order
and bound together.
A book is then said to be a written or printed work consisting of pages glued together along one
side, bound into cover with at least 49 pages, collected and arranged in a uniform order. A book
is a non-periodical printed publication of at least 49 pages exclusive of the cover, A book can
therefore be describe as a collection of sheets in a printed or written form which has been cut,
usually bound between covers into a volume. Book can be divided into FICTION and NON-
FICTION. Fiction has to do with books mostly read for pleasure or relaxation rather than serious
reading while Non-Fiction are various textbooks used for teaching and learning in all various
level of educational institutions.
PARTS OF A BOOK
This can be divided into three broad heading, namely;
a. Preliminaries
b. The text
c. Auxiliaries

a. The Preliminaries: preliminary pages precede the main text of the book, the preliminary
page are either not numbered and if numbered its make use of roman numerals, rather than
Arab numeral which are associated with the text.
The following are the preliminary pages of a book:
i. THE COVER: It is either soft or hard material used to cover a book; it covers both the
front and back side of a book. It acts as a protective guide to the graphic content of the
book, it also protect the book from quick wear and tear caused by handling due to use.
The cover usually contains the title, name of the author[s] in most cases, the authors
profile and the edition of the book.

ii. FLY PAGE: They are blank pages next to the end papers, that is they are the first and
last leaves in the book. Unlike the end paper they are not stuck down to the covers of the
book. This page is sometimes not found in some books but ordinarily books are

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 supposed to have a fly page.

iii. HALF TITLE PAGE; This is the first page of the book that gives an indication of the
title of the book. It only provides the complete or an abbreviated form of the title, it also
gives a series title if the book belongs to a series and it is sometimes referred to as
bastard title.

iv. TITLE PAGE; The title is a distinctive phrase or words which capture the whole
content of a book. It is the most important part of the preliminary pages of a book. It
contains the face title of the book and subtitle if the book has subtitle. It also contains the
statement of responsibilities giving the full title of a book without abbreviations. It also
provides other information such as the author of the book, publisher’s name and address,
edition number and sometimes the date of publication. This page is the most useful page
for cataloguers in cataloguing process.

v. VERSO PAGE/ COPYRIGHT PAGE; This page comes after the title page, it
contains bibliographic information such as the publishers, the year of publication,
edition statement if the book has edition and the year the edition is published. It also
contains the series statement if the book has series. It provides the copyright date,
international standard book number [ISBN], cataloguing in publication [CIP] details.
The copyright page also indicates the number of times the book has been reprinted.

vi. DEDICATION PAGE; this page bears the name[s] of persons, groups or organization
to whom the author has dedicated the book. This page usually by convention precedes
the forward or preface page.

vii. PREFACE; It is usually written by the author to provide reasons for writing a book. It
indicates the audience for which the book is intended. It expresses thanks and
acknowledges indebtedness for service and assistance and explains the arrangements,
symbols and abbreviations used in the book.

viii. FOREWORD; This page is usually written by some other expert or a senior colleague
in the field the book covers. The foreword usually ends with a recommendation of the
book to the target readers.

ix. TABLE OF CONTENT; This is a list of all the preliminaries pages, chapter headings
and their corresponding page numbers as they appear in the book. The list is arranged in
the order which they have appeared, directing the readers to the page where specific
information can be obtained while giving a detailed outline of the structure of the work.

x. BLURB: The blurb serves as an advertisement; it is just the wrapper or the book jacket
where the content is outlined by the publisher. It gives information about the author and
his works.

b. THE TEXT: After the preliminary pages, the text follows. The text is the major and most
important part of any book showing the whole content of the book. The text presents the real
substance of the book where the subject matter is treated and illustrations reflected.[Ahiauzu
2002]

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c. THE AUXILIARIES: The auxiliaries consist of the following;

a. APPENDIX: This comes at the end of the text or book. It contains matters or notes
referred to, but not explained in the text. It contains notes which are too long for footnotes,
such as table of statistics, or other items for which there is no room in the body of the text.

b. THE GLOSSARY: This section contains all alphabetical list of technical or other terms
used but not explained in the book. It also explains acronyms and abbreviations used in the
text.

c. INDEX: This is a list that is systematically arranged giving enough information for each
item to be traced indicating its position in a sequence. It is either author index, subject
index or place/geographical index or combination of the three. The subject index is the
most important of indexes since all readers are interested in the subject of the text.
1.
2. Serials: These are publications issued in successive parts at regular or irregular intervals
intended to be continued indefinitely, they are issued at specific periods: daily, weekly,
monthly, bi annual or annually examples are journals, newspaper, magazines, conference
proceedings etc.
3. Manuscripts: Libraries keeps and provides access to handwritten documents of important
persons which are published.
4. Government publications: these are information sources that emanates from government
and its agencies as well as international organizations. Examples are; the law of the
federation of Nigeria 1980, the world bank economic review.

Non-print formats: these are library information materials which are products of advance
technology that requires special equipment for their use. Examples are; audio-visual materials
(audio cassettes, video cassettes and records), microfilms, microfiche, micro-cards, slides,
overhead transparencies photographs. Etc.
Non-print/E Resources: Non-print materials consist of library resources that are not in printed
format. They are also referred to as Audio-Visual Materials .These materials require special
equipment for their use.
i. Computer files: these are files encoded for manipulation by computers comprising of
data and programmes which may be stored for direct or remote access.
ii. Graphics: These types of resources uses the combination of drawings, words, symbols
and pictures to illustrate information and ideas such as charts, graphs, poster, globe etc.
iii. Audiovisuals: refers to media that stores sounds and pictures which require special
equipment for their use. Due to their nature, they come in large variety of formats each
requires different equipment to enable their users benefit from their content. Examples
are television and video tape recordings, VCD, DVD etc.
iv. Microforms: This includes microfilm, microfiche and micro-cards. It is a generic name
for photographically reproduced documents which are miniature in size to the extent that
they cannot be seen by the naked eyes. They usually contain what already exists in the
print format; they are mostly used as backup for print information and require less storage
space in the library.
v. Film strips and slides: filmstrips are pictures presented in sequence and imprinted on
strips of films of varying length. Slides are singular frames or films on glass which helps

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 to stimulate aesthetic appreciation, arrest and sustain learner’s attention.
vi. Overhead transparencies: these consist of images on a transparent base stock usually in a
film and viewed by transmitted light usually with a dimension of 10cm x 10cm.
vii. Realia, Toys and Games: realia are objects that provides accuracy and authenticity
capable of stimulating interest of topics under discussion while toys and games are play
materials capable of stimulating learning and developing psychomotor skills.
viii. Flannel graphs: are combinations of words and figures on a flash card which can be used
to tell stories
ix. Overhead projectors: are used for presentations of prepared lectures, seminars, video and
audio documentary cassettes of differently stored information materials.
x. Artefacts: these are implements, tools, carvings, archeological and other objects made by
our forefathers. These artefacts valuable for cultural, historical, social and academic
events.

LECTURE FOUR
SECTIONS OF THE LIBRARY
A library has to be organized into various units or sections in a way to facilitate the attainment of
its goals and objectives. It is obvious that a library requires an organization capable of meeting
the stated objectives. Such an arrangement emphasizes on technical and administrative functions
of the library.

1. Administrative Department: the office of the librarian is central to the library as it

coordinates the functions of the entire library for easy and effective day to day running of the
library. The Polytechnic Librarian oversees activities of all the Units in the library. Some of
the activities carried out in this department include the following:
(i) Planning the library budget
(ii) Developing library policies
(iii) Coordinating all the library systems
(iv) Supervising and organizing the library
2. Readers’ Services Department :
This section is very central to the library and its patrons. This is the section in the library
organizational structure that library users are conversant with because it offers direct services
to them. It serves as the P.R.O unit of the library Units under this department are;
(i) Circulation Unit: This is the unit responsible for the dissemination of information
materials which is carried out by providing the library clienteles means of utilizing its
resources. The following duties are also performed by this section.
(a) Registration of users.
(b) Shelving of books and shelf reading
(c) Charging ( borrowing) and discharging (returning) of books
(d) Recalling overdue books
(e) Keeping statistics of the library collections.
(f) Interpreting rules and regulations.

Charging system: This is the loan procedures of books and other information materials in which
the library uses in keeping tracks of their materials which are loaned out of the library. There are
various types of charging systems namely
(i) Newark charging system
(ii) Browne charging system

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(iii) Punched card charging system
(iv) Token charging system
(v) Ledger charging system
(vi) Automated/online charging system

Discharging system: this is the process of removing books and materials on loan records either
for returning if the user no longer wants them or for borrowing. When discharging, the books are
recovered, due dates on the book card and date due label strips are cancelled.

(ii) Reference Unit: this unit of the library houses reference materials and renders reference
services as they are expected to provide answer to the questions or information needs of
the user. It is not a regarded as a general reading area and the materials are not to be taken
out of the reference section and they cannot be read page by page but to be consulted for
specific information. Reference materials are easily distinguished from other materials in
the library through the label of alphabet “R” standing for reference only. Reference
materials arranged here include dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesaurus, etc
 Other functions includes:
(a) Inter-library loan of material or referred service.
(b) Organization of reference materials.
(c) Compilation of bibliography
(d) Answering reference queries
(e) Reproduction of documents etc.

(3) Technical Services: the technical service division of the library is the academic heart of
the library where all forms of knowledge are acquired, processed and organized for onwards
dissemination. The division is subdivided into;
(i) Acquisition Unit This section is responsible for the selection and acquisition and
accession of materials into the library. Selections of materials are made from various
sources using tools like publishers’ catalogue, booklists, book reviews and national
bibliographies. Checking the stock of the library to avoid unnecessary duplication is also
ensured. The functions of this section includes the following:
 Selection and procurement of materials into the library.
 Checking the stock of the library to avoid unnecessary duplication of orders.
 Keeping list of books and other library materials in order.
 Receiving, sorting and checking books in ensuring that items are in appropriate
condition.
 Forwarding payment invoices to appropriate office for payment and keeping record
of payment.
 Stamping and accessioning of library materials with ownership stamp.

(ii) Cataloguing/Classification Unit: It is in this section that information resources are

catalogue and classified. Cataloguing is a process of recording materials held in the
library using the bibliographic features (author, title, year of publication) etc. of the
materials. The catalogue is therefore a record of materials held by the library ranging
from books, magazines, journals, to non-book materials. After the materials are
catalogued, they will be classified.

Classification: Classification is a process which brings books of the same subject together for
ease of use. Other functions of cataloguing section include:
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 (a) Production and maintenance of the library catalogue
(b) Arranging and filling of cards
(c) Spanning with call number, it involves putting the classification number on the spine of
the book.
(d) Labeling of materials that cannot be borrowed
(iii) Serial Unit: This section selects, orders, receives, organizes, and shelves serial
publications. Materials kept here are also not loaned out as they can only be consulted
within the library. Recent publications are usually displayed on the serials new arrival
shelves for readers’ awareness. These include journals, magazines, reports, newspapers,
conference proceedings, etc. Serial collections are checked constantly to identify the
missing issues that are due but yet to be received so that claims can be made. Other
functions include the following:
(a) Acquiring journals
(b) Arranging for the binding of complete volume of works. E.g journals.
(c) Searching of journals for library users

(iv) Reprographic/Bindery Unit: The activities carried out in the bindery section includes
binding of library books that are pulled into pieces, amending of books, binding of
project work for students etc.
The reprographic section handles photocopying of materials in the library so that needed
pages of books, journals, maps and manuscripts etc are made available for users at
moderate prices.
(4) E-library
This department provides electronic learning resources like CD ROM, DVD (Digital
versatile Disc) for the use of the library users. The e-library unit of the library takes care
of the library automation where all part of the library activities are computerized.

Audiovisual section of the library offers you an array of information bearing materials that appeal

to your hearing and visual sense. This section contains cassettes (both audio and video) diskettes, slide,

compact discs, and picture e.t.c.

All these sections provide very rich sources of information for research work schoolwork, daily living and

recreational activities.

Research and bibliographic section is made up the following: Document Unit – where document like

government publication, company document are kept for research. This unit is developed by the librarian

who from time to time scout far and wide going from ministries to companies e.t.c to collect them private

collection unit --- where collection that are value donated to the library is kept.

Maps and manuscripts unit – this is the unit where monumental maps & manuscripts are kept for research.

LIBRARY
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Readers Technical
Services Services

Circulation Reference Serials Audio Visual Research &

Bibliographic. Bindery Cat & clas
Acquisition
Maps
& manuscripts

LECTURE FIVE
REFERENCE SOURCES
They are also referred to as reference materials and can be defined as information materials
meant to be consulted for some definite information rather than for consecutive reading. They
contain information and facts usually brought together by experts and specialist from vast and
varied resources and are arranged for easy use. These materials are only to be consulted in the
reference section of the library but few pages can be photocopied within the library. The
different types of reference materials are
(a) Dictionaries: they are used in checking out the meaning of words, its pronunciation, the
part of speech it belongs, its usage, synonyms and antonyms. Examples include; general
dictionaries, subject dictionaries, language dictionaries, etymological dictionary, slang/dialect
dictionaries and children dictionaries.
Uses
 Dictionaries trace the history of a word, gives spelling, meanings and pronunciation as
well as usage.
 The give the definition and abbreviation of words
 They have usage notes which gives guidance on correct styles and grammar that provides
answers to contentious issues
 They are alphabetically arranged to facilitate usage by researcher
 They consist hundreds of synonymous essays which helps to distinguish words of similar
meanings.

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(b) Encyclopedia: It is an overview, a background and general information/ knowledge about a
particular term, topic more than the definition. It doesn’t give an in-depth knowledge about a
concept as it only provides fundamental information on such matters. Examples are; general
encyclopedia, subject encyclopedia, children encyclopedia.
Uses
 It provides information on basic fields of knowledge
 It is an authoritative write up with contributions from specialists in their specific fields of
study
 It gives an insight on subjects/concepts by providing a broad view on finding more
information.
(c) Indexes: is a pointer to the concept in a publication indicating where some particular
information can be obtained. Examples are; general periodical index, children magazine
guide, newspaper indexes subject periodicals and index for dissertation.
Uses
 It helps to locate concepts, names etc used in the book by author
 Helps in acquisition by serving as a guide on available materials in a given subject and
country for purchase
 It is arranged alphabetically facilitating easy retrieval thus saving the time of the user
 It serves as a bridge to the sources of information.
(d) Abstracts: this is a summary/abridge version of the content of a work, document or
materials. Examples are; descriptive/ informative abstract, evaluative abstract and critical
abstract
Uses
 It helps in verification of reviews
 It helps to indicate results of an investigation, performing evaluative functions to facilitate
decision making on a particular document.
 It gives researcher information about a subject and saves the time of the researcher.
 It brings together information materials on same subject areas, scattered in journals and other
research documents.
 It assists in solving the problems of current awareness service for specialized researcher.

(e) Directories: are reference sources which give the list of names of persons, organizations, and
addresses which are systematically arranged usually in alphabetical order. Examples are;
educational directories, publisher directories, government directories, grant and scholarship
directories.
Uses
 It helps to verify the name of people and organizations
 It is a valuable location tool for travelers in getting their information of a place, organization,
institution or people
 It helps to verify the membership of an organizations as well as phone numbers
(f) Yearbooks: this is an annual compilations of information dates and statistics of a given
country, school, organization. It tries to recall the year’s activities by country, subjects or
specialized areas.

Uses

15
 They are used to update the encyclopedia.
 It tries to bring current information limited in a given year
 It is handy and easy to carry for use by individuals interested in tropical issues about their
countries, subjects and the international communities.
(g) Almanacs/calendar: this shows at a glance the history, data, events and pictures of
prominent individuals in a given organization. It could be local, state, national and
international levels. The calendar as well gives data on the months, weeks days and dates of
the year enabling people to keep tracks of events throughout a year and can also contain
pictures of people, places and activities of an organization.
Uses
 It gives brief information about prominent people and their tremendous contribution to the
growth and development of the society
 Gives useful historical information about people, events and places
 It gives meteorological and astronomical information to researchers
 They are useful for keeping dates of events and happenings around the globe.

LECTURE SIX
THE LIBRARY
CATALOGUE/CATALOGUING/
CLASSIFICATION
The library catalogue is a comprehensive list of books and non-books materials in a library
collection, usually arranged in alphabetical order. A library catalogue is an essential tool in any
library. The catalogue is the key that opens the library stock and so it is the first to be consulted,
the first port of call before proceeding to retrieve any material in the library
Cataloguing: It involves describing each items of the collection such that a user can identify
them without necessarily requiring the assistance of a library staff. In detail, cataloguing is the
description of a book or any other medium of information such that the important bibliographic
features are highlighted in 3”x5” cards or in book or computer. The bibliographic features
include:
(i) Author’s Name (ii) Title (iii) edition (iv) place of publication (v) publisher (vi) Date of
publication (vii) Imprint : page no. ill; length ISBN

TYPES OF CATALOGUING
(i) Descriptive Cataloguing: This deals with describing the physical appearance of the
materials being catalogue. It identifies important bibliographic and physical volume,
publisher and place of publication etc.

ROSS, Sheldon M.
Introductory statistics/Sheldon M. Ross.-3rded.-
Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2010.
xxi,818p. :ill. ; 24cm.
ISBN: 978-0-12-374388-
6

(ii) Subject Cataloguing: This is the process of assigning subject heading to the material
16
being catalogued. It deals with the information content of the materials. It point out the
main subject or discipline covered by the material being catalogued.

17
 QA 276 ROSS, Shelson M.
.R825 Introductory Statistics/ Sheldon M. Ross.- 3rd ed.- Amsterdam :Elsevier,2010.
xxi,818p. :ill.;24cm ISBN: 978-0-12-374388-6

1.mathematical statisticsi.Title

FUNCTIONS OF THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE

1. The library catalogue gives a comprehensive record of materials owned by the library.
2. It enables library materials to be located easily.
3. It shows what books a library possesses by a certain author or a given subject, and on a
certain title.
4. It enables the library user to locate any material even though only the author, or title, or
subject is known

APPROACHES TO LIBRARY CATALOGUE

There are three (3) main entry points to library catalogue, namely: Author, Title and Subject.
(1) Author Catalogue: The cards are arranged in alphabetical order in the catalogue using the
author’s surname or corporate name, if the material is produced by a corporate body. The
library user who knows only the name of the author of a book can get more information
about the book through the author card. The author’s card is often referred to as the main
entry card.
Main entry card
QA
ROSS, Sheldon M.
276
Introductory statistics/Sheldon M. Ross.-3rded.
.R825 Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2010
xxi,818p. :ill. ; 24cm.
ISBN: 978-0-12-374388-6

1.Mathematical Statistics i. Title

(2) Title Catalogue: The entries are filed in the catalogue according to the titles. It enables the
library user to find library materials when the title is known.
ADDED ENTRY
QA
276INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS
.R825ROSS, Sheldon M.
Introductory statistics/Sheldon M. Ross.-3rded.
Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2010 xxi,818p. :ill. ; 24cm.
ISBN: 978-0-12-374388-6
Mathematical Statisticsi. Title

14
 (3) Subject Catalogue: The entries filed according to the subject. This enables the library
patrons to find library materials when the subject is known.
ADDED ENTRY CARD

QA 276 R825 MATHEMATICAL STATISTICS

ROSS, Sheldon M.
. Introductory statistics/Sheldon M. Ross.-3rded.
. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2010 xxi,818p. :ill. ; 24cm.
ISBN: 978-0-12-374388-6

1.Mathematical Statisticsi. Title

FORMS OF LIBRARY CATALOGUE

(i) CARD CATALOGUE: It is the most popular in Nigerian libraries. A 3 by 5 catalogue
card contains entries describing the contents of any information materials and is filed in
drawers of the catalogue cabinet.
(ii) BOOK OR PRINTED CATALOGUE: Unlike card catalogue which has bibliographic
information of a book on a separate card, several books can have their information on just
one page of a book catalogue. It is the oldest type of catalogue.
(iii) AUTOMATED/ONLINE CATALOGUE: This is the most recent form of catalogue. It
is possible with the use of computer and its peripheral devices which allows the
bibliographic records of a library to be stored in the memory of a computer. The online
Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) is the automated catalogue which allows several users
to have access to the same information at the same time through computer terminals.
Of great significance and value is the call number of the materials in the catalogue. The call

number directs you to where the material could be found on the shelves. The shelves may also have

shelf guides. Call Numbers -Each book has a call number like HV 6432.C36. It is important to

write the call number legibly in order to retrieve the book from the shelves

Books in libraries have call numbers on their spines to help you find books on the shelves.

Call numbers, also classify each book by its subjects.

The OPAC ( online public access catalogue) is the automated catalogue used to find books in the
library
CLASSIFICATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
Library classification therefore is the grouping of books and non-books materials together
according to their degrees of relationship to facilitate easy retrieval.
Books are thus arranged on the shelves with aid of the classification marks. This ensures that all
books with related subject content are arranged together on the shelves.
OBJECTIVES OF CLASSIFICATION
1. Shelf arrangement of document in a helpful order.
15
2. Arrangement of documents by subjects
3. To bring a user in contact with specific book or information materials needed.
4. Subject analysis of books and other information materials in the library (break down of
subject) example, sports can be broken down to indoor games and outdoor games etc. so that
users can be guided to the specific need.
CLASSIFICATION SCHEMES
Classification schemes are special communication tools used by libraries and other information
centres in the classification of the information resources.
TYPES OF CLASSIFICATION SCHEME
1. Library of Congress Classification Scheme (LC)
2. Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme (DDC)
3. Universal Decimal Classification Scheme

16
4. Colon Classification Scheme (CC)
5. Bliss Bibliographic Classification Scheme (BBC)

LECTURE SEVEN
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
This can be defined as the systematic building up of library resources through careful selection
and acquisition of information materials, with the aim of ensuring balanced collection with
respect to various disciplines and material types.
Collection Development Divisions carries out certain activities which include:
1. Collection Development Policy Formulation
2. Selection
3. Acquisition of Information Materials
4. Weeding

SELECTION OF MATERIALS
Selection Criteria:
Selection of library materials is a very important aspect of general library operation and as a
result the criteria for selection of information resources should be cautiously observed and
religiously embraced so that the collection can adequately meet the library’s objectives. The
selection criteria are:
(i) Currency/Recency
(ii) Relevancy
(iii) Accuracy
(iv) Scope and coverage
 CURRENCY: This has to do with the time of publication. In selecting a library material
(print material) recency of the published material that a library desires is very much
important. A book or any other print material becomes useless if the information content is
old and obsolete except in history where the older publications are more trusted about the
information in specific subject areas.
 RELEVANCE: Any material to be bought must be of good standard and be relevant to the
needs of the users, the mission of the parent institution that controls or establishes the library
and the objective of the library itself.
 ACCURACY: Any book to be acquired must be accurate in its information content. This
means that such a book must be known to the selector. The facts and other data must be
correct and selector must seed advice from an expert if a book to be acquired is beyond his
experience and knowledge.

SCOPE AND COVERAGE

The scope of any book is usually stated in the preface and advertisement blurbs. The treatment of
the subject which the book covers must be checked and carefully studied because mere looking
at the preface maybe deceptive and the claim of any author that he has done justice to the subject
of any book is usually not reliable. In addition to scope and coverage, other attributes are (i) style
of writing (ii) special features (iii) format (iv) audience etc.

ACQUISITION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS

This is the process of selecting ,ordering, and receiving materials for the library either by
purchase, exchange, or gift, which may include budgeting and negotiation with outside agencies
such as publishers, professional bodies, dealers and vendors to obtain resources to meet the need

17
of the institution’s clientele in the most economical and expeditious manner.

METHODS OF ACQUISITION
There are four main methods by which library materials can be acquired. They are:
(a) Purchase
(b) Legal Deposit
(c) Exchange
(d) Gift and Bequests
 PURCHASE: A library material may be acquired through purchase from appropriate agents.
Lists of recommended materials compiled by the acquisition librarian serves as a guide on
what to buy for the library.
 LEGAL DEPOSIT: Only National library of a country has the legal right to accept or
collect copies of books published anywhere within the country which is referred to as legal
deposit.
 EXCHANGE: Another means of acquiring library materials is through exchange, libraries
that will delve into exchange programme, must be those that have steady supply of
collections and equivalent publication that can be used for exchange. Government
publications are best acquired on exchange basis because of the problem of foreign exchange.
 GIFTS AND BEQUESTS: This is a form of donation given to a library by philanthropists.
This could be in form of cash or material. Bequest is a situation whereby a donor bequeaths
his collections to a library after his demise. For instance, Late ObafemiAwolowo bequeathed
Sopolu Library to Ogun State University, Ago Iwoye (now OlabisiOnabanjo University).

WEEDING OF LIBRARY MATERIALS

Weeding is the practice of discarding or transferring to storage excess copies, rarely used books
and materials no longer in use (obsolete). The important reasons for weeding in the library are to
save space, improve access and save cost.

8. BASIC LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Library Automation is the process of using machineries for collection, processing, storage and
retrieval of information and other works of the library. It is the use of computer and other devices
for selection, acquisition, organization, storage and dissemination of information resources in the
library. Also it involves the use of computer and computer accessories in the execution of
various library functions.

ADVANTAGES OF AUTOMATION OF LIBRARY

1. It accommodates bulky materials and saves space.
2. Errors can be easily detected.
3. It is more accurate, no duplication of efforts
4. Large volumes of information can be stored and accessed in a single system.
5. Records can be easily updated without much trouble
6. Retrieval rate of information is faster.
7. Selective dissemination of information (SDI) can be easily done.
8. Circulation services are faster and more efficient.

PROBLEMS/DISADVANTAGES OF LIBRARY AUTOMATION

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1. It creates unemployment
2. Inadequacy of manpower
3. Lack of adequate infrastructures
4. It is too expensive
5. Lack of computer spare parts
6. Epileptic energy/power supply

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