Mechanism for Renewing and Maintaining the Library as the Core Access Point of the University Research and Learning Enterprise

Abstract

The roles of university libraries have evolved from the traditional resource ownership to global access enterprise. University libraries in Nigeria are expected to transform its operations and services to maintain it present role as access point for university research and learning. Success along this line revolves around the University librarian who is the Dean of the library and a principal officer of the university. It was observed that some university libraries are not performing as expected in this enterprise of global access – indigenous resources (repository) and subscribed databases access. Hence a research was conducted to ascertain the challenges that hinder the global access and perceived or already mechanism taken to maintain this core mandate. Data was collected from 20 university librarians along interview session with the President of Nigerian Library Association (NLA) and Chairman of the Association of University Librarians of Nigerian University (AULNU). It was found that the challenges of the university librarians are relative and more in the south east than other zones in Nigeria, university librarians have positive perception, and some are already engaged in innovative activities, stepping beyond the bounds of library through formal and informal activities to ensure that the transformational role of global access does not elude Nigerian university libraries. It is recommended that university librarians as leaders of the libraries should brainstorm and analysis the approach to the mechanisms which will yield visible result in the global access enterprise.