Library security, materials theft and mutilation in technological university libraries in Nigeria
| Date | 01 September 1998 |
| Pages | 379-383 |
| Published date | 01 September 1998 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435129810221001 |
| Author | M.A. Bello |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Introduction
The threat to intellectual property through
theft and mutilation has posed a tremendous
challenge to the library profession worldwide.
As a consequence there is a vast literature on a
range of problems concerning library security,
with emphasis being placed on theft and
mutilation. Because this insecurity to the
human intellectual heritage is an intractable
problem, researchers are always seeking for
lasting solutions, but with limited success.
Academic libraries have introduced tradition-
al crime prevention measures aimed at cur-
tailing the theft and mutilation of books.
This study centres on how the libraries in
the Nigerian universities of technology are
coping with the problems of a lack of security
for intellectual materials. The study aims to
examine the general trend in problems con-
cerning library security, with special reference
to theft and mutilation and measures that
have been adopted to curb them. The need
for the study will be appreciated better if the
book situation in Nigeria is described.
The study of the textbook situation in 150
primary schools in a sample of ten states
revealed that the majority had textbook avail-
ability ratios of less than 10 per cent in the
following key subjects: English language, local
language, mathematics, science and religion,
which constituted the core textbook provi-
sion. At the secondary school level, the
gloomy picture of book shortages is painted
by Read in the following words:
The decreasing availability of secondary school
textbooks in the classroom has created an
increasing tendency for students to use notes, to
swap books or to share books … Many O-Level
titles, are often very old and are passed on to
friends or family (Read, 1990).
Textbook availability at the tertiary level of
education in Nigeria is precarious, the more
so since about 80 per cent of the textbooks
required have to be imported. The prices of
the foreign imprints are astronomical in com-
parison to the disposable income of the stu-
dents, and the availability is poor. This situa-
tion is attributed to the dearth of foreign
exchange, decreasing sales and turnover of
stock, which contribute to the uncertainties of
the student textbook market which is a result
of Nigeria’s economic problems.
The study by Read, which was carried out
under the auspices of the British Council and
the Book Development Council, indicated
379
Library Management
Volume 19 · Number 6 · 1998 · pp. 379–383
© MCB University Press · ISSN 0143-5124
Library security,
materials theft and
mutilation in
technological
university libraries in
Nigeria
M.A. Bello
The author
M.A. Bello is a Librarian at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
University, Bauchi, Nigeria.
Abstract
Librarians across the world are increasingly concerned
with the safety and physical integrity of valuable intellec-
tual properties. The scenario in developing countries is
exacerbated by economic difficulties. A survey of the
problem in the Nigerian Universities of Technology
revealed that in common with their traditional counter-
parts, they are not immune from theft and mutilation.
Reference and periodical materials are the most likely
materials that will be mutilated. Librarians could neither
curb nor stem the problem. All of the libraries still rely
solely on manual checks carried out by unskilled personnel
at the library entrance and exit. The high cost of photo-
copying and frequent breakdown of copiers were the
causes of Library material theft and mutilation. Only 14 per
cent of the respondents indicated greediness. There is a
compelling need for the Committee of the University
Librarians of Nigerian Universities (CULNU) to address the
problem and put in place measures that would effectively
monitor this crime, or else the Nigerian university libraries
will soon be empty.
To continue reading
Request your trial