Human, conceptual and technical skills as determinants of preservation management in university libraries in Southern Nigeria
| Published date | 05 February 2018 |
| Date | 05 February 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-08-2016-0067 |
| Pages | 34-51 |
| Author | Ejiwoye Oluwole Rasaki,Abiola Abioye |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information in society,Information literacy,Library & information services |
Human, conceptual and technical
skills as determinants of
preservation management
in university libraries
in Southern Nigeria
Ejiwoye Oluwole Rasaki
The Federal University of Technology Akure, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, and
Abiola Abioye
University of Ibadan, Ibadan
Abstract
Purpose –Preservation is an essential component of library management that requires special skills and
competencies. This critical area seems to have been neglected by management of university libraries in
Nigeria. This paper aims to examine threats to library information resources and contributions of skills of
library personnelto preservation management in university libraries.
Design/methodology/approach –Descriptivesurvey design was adopted for the study. This facilitated
the collection of data from large population of respondents. Questionnaire and focus group discussion were
used as data collectioninstruments.
Findings –Preservation managementis one of the core areas of library practice that requires special skills.
The study revealed that university libraries in Nigeria are confronted with threats to their information
resources. The study found that human, conceptual and technical skills of library personnel significantly
determinepreservation management in university librariesin Southern Nigeria.
Practical implications –The paper will allow the management of universitylibraries to appreciate the
importance of personnelskills as the key factor for effective preservationmanagement in libraries and accord
it the necessarypriority.
Originality/value –While literature is replete with different aspects of preservation management in
university libraries in Africa, little has been written on personnel skills and preservation management in
libraries.The paper presents one of the few empirical studiesthat focus on the relationship between personnel
skills and preservationmanagement in university libraries in Nigeriaand Africa.
Keywords Collection management, Information resources management, Library materials,
Personnel skills, Preservation management, University libraries –Nigeria
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
University libraries are establish to acquire, process, store, preserve and disseminate
information materials of any formatto support teaching, learning, research and community
service. The information resources –print and non-print –include reference materials,
textbooks, journals, conference proceedings, theses and dissertations, maps and atlases,
paper based, electronic or digital. However, these materials are susceptible to damage,
destruction and deterioration through improper handling, heavy use, poor storage
conditions, adverse weatherconditions occasion by high temperature and relative humidity,
GKMC
67,1/2
34
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.67 No. 1/2, 2018
pp. 34-51
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-08-2016-0067
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2514-9342.htm
sunlight, pest infestation, disasters, hyper acidity, media fragility, technology obsolescence
and threat to data integrity. Consequently, libraries in the region experience high rate of
information resources deterioration. Although this is not peculiar to libraries, the study,
however, has libraries as its focus.
Preservation encompasses activities initiated to retard, or stop deterioration of
materials, retain the intellectual content of material no longer physically intact or transfer
content to a more appropriate format for use (Johnson, 2014). To enhance continuing
access and forestall deterioration and if damage, restore damaged information resources
in university libraries, adequate measures must be put in place to enhance continuing
access. Such measures include formulating a preservation policy, preservation education,
digitisation, microfilming, deacidification, pest control, environmental monitoring and
control, library security, disaster planning and digital preservation. These will involve
allocation and mobilisation of necessary human and material resources.
However, studies on preservationmanagement in libraries in Africa revealed that despite
the huge financial resources committed by university libraries to the acquisition of
information resources, little measure is put in place to preserve them. Librarians have
promoted the use and accessibility to their collections but have not considered sufficiently
the preservation implications (Alegbeleye, 1993). Preservation of information resources can
only be attained when library personnel understand what constitute threats to their
information resources, how the loss of the resources will affect the library services and its
image and need to preserve them for long-termaccess.
Success in preservation management in university libraries depends on possession of
enabling skills by the personnel.Paramount among these skills includes human, conceptual
and technical skills. Human skills also known as interpersonal skills are the ability to work
with understand and motivateother people either as individuals or groups. As preservation
of library materials requires teamwork and cooperation of all library personnel, the
importance of human skills cannot be underestimated. Conceptual skills encompass the
mental ability to coordinate and integrate all organisational’s interest and activities; it
involves ability to see the organisation as a whole and to understand how a change in any
given part can affect the whole organisation. Library personnel need conceptual skills to
appreciate how loss of library information resources will negatively affect entire library
operation and users’perception.Technical skills include ability to use tools, procedures and
techniques of specialised field. Technical skills are required by library personnel to be able
to apply techniques, methods and use necessary tools to execute preservation challenges.
Possession of these skills will enhancethe ability of library personnel to conceive, establish,
monitor, supervise and executepreservation programme in their libraries. It is believed that
lack of human, conceptual and technical skills of library personnel may affect preservation
management in university libraries in Nigeria.Lack of requisite skills by library personnel
will therefore constitute a major impediment to preservation of information resources in
Africa especially in Nigeria. There seems to be dearth of literature on preservation and
conservation of library resources in Africa (Joint International Federation of Library
Association and Institutions [IFLA]/ICA Committee on Preservation and Conservation in
Africa, 2002, Fatoki, 2007). This study therefore investigated how human, conceptual and
technical skills of library personnel in university libraries in Southern Nigeria determined
their preservationmanagement programmes.
Literature review
Preservation includes all the managerialand financial considerations, including storage and
accommodation provisions, staffing levels, policies, techniques and methods involved in
Determinants
of preservation
management
35
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