The security of computer and other electronic installations in Nigerian university libraries
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005592 |
| Date | 01 September 2001 |
| Pages | 272-277 |
| Published date | 01 September 2001 |
| Author | Joseph O. Omoniyi |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
The security of
computer and other
electronic installations
in Nigerian university
libraries
Joseph O. Omoniyi
Introduction
An extract from a circular issued by the Office
of the Registrar, University of Ilorin reads as
follows:
The vice-chancellor has noted with displeasure
the increasing spate of loss, in recent times, of
University property due to negligence on the part
of members of staff especially messengers, whose
duty it is to ensure that doors and windows of
their respective faculties, departments and units
are securely locked after the close of work each
day. Indeed, it has been discovered that some
members of staff deliberately leave open doors
and or windows of offices/rooms where vital and
sensitive items are kept, under the guise of
forgetting to lock such doors or windows, only to
return later under the cover of darkness to
remove such items and leave marks that would
tend to suggest that such offices were burgled.
The University has in this way lost valuable
property to such undesirable elements. The vice-
chancellor has, after due consideration of the
above, directed that any officer whose negligence
or deliberate act of sabotage causes any loss of
university property shall henceforth be held
responsible for any pilfering, theft and or
burglary in any office under his or her care.
It can be inferred from this circular that:
.theft from the university is a reality, rather
than a fiction;
.not many arrests have been made in
connection with the crimes;
.some individual members of staff play a
key role in incidents of theft from their
respective faculties, departments, units,
and offices;
.there is a need for improved security
strategies to protect university property
against theft or pilfering.
Review of the literature
The subject of techno-theft in academic
libraries is recognised by writers, researchers
and library and information professionals as a
major problem facing library managers, the
library clientele and the institutions in which
they are located, and society in general.
Although researchers in the advanced
countries have identified solutions to the
problem of theft from their libraries, in Third
World countries such as Nigeria, more needs
to be done to curb the increasing wave of the
theft of computers and other media
equipment from university libraries.
According to reports of research carried out
among libraries in the USA in 1996,
The author
Joseph O. Omoniyi is a Senior Librarian at the University
of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
Keywords
University libraries, Nigeria, Theft, Crime, Building security
Abstract
Theft from academic libraries is a growing universal
problem. This paper examines computer theft and that of
audio-visual equipment at the University of Ilorin. It aims
to focus the attention of library and information service
managers to this unhealthy trend that could undermine
the delivery of services. It informs managers and other
policy makers about effective measures for combating
theft from libraries in Nigerian universities.
Electronic access
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272
Library Management
Volume 22 .Number 6/7 .2001 .pp. 272±277
#MCB University Press .ISSN 0143-5124
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