The Standing of Fourah Bay School Library Considering that Its Inception to Current Moment

INTRODUCTION

Fourah Bay Faculty library came into existence in 1827 and it was affiliated with Durham in 1876. This affiliation scheme enlarged the higher education restrictions, and as a consequence of this, new phases of progress were introduced and incorporated in the improvement in the situation of the library. Its initial Board of Curators was appointed and a typical supply of standard newspapers and other publications ended up offered. Professor Richards was appointed Librarian-In-Cost with Mr. T. Taylor as Library Assistant.

Improvement OF FOURAH BAY Higher education LIBRARY

Fourah bay Higher education Library management was pretty much recognized, and attracted important donations these kinds of as a specific selection donated in 1881 by Rev. H. Wright who served as Honorary Secretary to the Church Missionary Culture. Afterwards in 1917 Bishop James Johnson bequeathed his established of 24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica to the College Library.

For the duration of the Planet War II period of time, that is 1939-1945, minor was carried out about the enhancement of the Faculty Library. By then the library was found at Mabang, and continued to keep a library which was at first meant to be an Agricultural University. The College or university experienced couple of instructors and a smaller student inhabitants of about 20 students. The situations of the war in the 1940’s induced the library to be managed by university student librarians. The library was usually confronted with deficiency of resources in the war decades. In all those yrs the library negligible collections consisted predominantly of theological and literary will work which was transferred to Mount Aureol. The products was housed in many properties this sort of as the university student eating hall, the higher education Chapel, the College Bookshop, suppliers and Video games and Sports Business.

The library amenities of the university at this phase fashioned portion of the greater education progress programme. The most region of priority at Fourah Bay college or university was the progress of Library. With the establishment of a steady details Centre, Fourah Bay Faculty became an beautiful venue for international resources. In 1954, following a take a look at to the Fulton Fee which improved the standing of the higher education, the library was awarded a grant of $8,000 by the Carnegie Company of New York, to be utilised for the order of important reference and bibliographic components. The British complemented this donation in 1955 with a grant of £15,000 from the Colonial Enhancement Welfare Funds. Two-thirds of these donations (£10,000) ended up invested on publications and periodicals and the relaxation on equipment. These grants and other donations led to an accelerated advancement of the library and fashioned the foundation of a regular improvement for the duration of the 60s. It was at this critecal period of time that the library was assigned its rightful posture as a precedence affiliated college or university of the University of Durham.

In 1961, the next expatriate Mr. R.S. Burkett, relinquished his appointment as College Librarian following a period of time of 4 and the 50 percent decades. The third expatriate librarian, the late Mr. Michael Jollife (soon after whom the library has been named), was appointed in 1961. He was to begin with worried with the enhancement of the bodily amenities of the library. In 1968, the school received whole university position and with this elevation, the library also performed management function in the improvement of other librarians in Sierra Leone. Within the library itself, Mr. Jollife recognized the Reprographic and Micrographic sections. In his 1961/1962 yearly report, Mr. Jollife resolved to the present resources under the British Complex Aid Programme for the order of bindery machines and Mr. W.J Askew, a British Reserve Binder was assigned this duty. He arrived in Sierra Leone in August 15, 1964. By then, there were being ten thousand (10,000) books and periodicals for binding and rebinding. Mr. S.T Browne, a Sierra Leonean craftsman succeeded Mr. Askew right after his a few years tenure in April 1966 as Head Reserve Binder. At this time, the Bindery is headed by Mr. Patrick James. At the conclude of March, 1970, Mr. Michael Jollife resigned his put up to grow to be Librarian at Royal Halloway University, London and was succeeded by A.C. Butler who arrived in 1971. Therefore, Mrs. Gladys Jusu-Sheriff was the to start with Sierra Leonean College or university Librarian just after Mr. Butler remaining in 1972.

Fourah Bay Higher education administration reacted to an acute scarcity of library personnel in that interval, and instituted a program for the Town and Guilds of London Assistant Certification jointly organised by the college library and the Additional-Mural Division. Deficiencies in the library certificate furnished an clear lengthy-phrase want for a library system in Sierra Leone. This programme was a junior assistant’s qualification which was purely western procedure of library management and there was an obvious gap involving the Town of Guilds and the ALA. There was a need to have to institute a programme regionally to supply an intermediate qualification to bridge the gap involving the junior clerical level staff members and comprehensive gurus. This introduced about the response for the development of the Institute of Library, Archive and Facts Reports in 1986 by way of the dynamic management of Mrs. Gladys Jusu-Sheriff who inevitably grew to become the initially director. In November 1999 the Institute was merged with the Mass Conversation unit in just the College of Arts to type the Institute of Library, Details and Communication Scientific tests (INSLICS) giving certification, diploma, diploma and postgraduate skills.

The late Mrs. Deanna Thomas succeeded Mrs. Gladys Jusu-Sheriff as librarian of Fourah Bay College or university library in 1990 but traveled out of the country in June 1997 in the course of the interregnum of Freetown. Mr. Oliver Harding acted as librarian in her absence until finally June 1998 when a a lot more senior officer in the College of Sierra Leone, the late Prof. L.N. M’Jamtu-Sie the then librarian of School of Medication and Allied Overall health Sciences (COMAHS) was appointed to supervise things to do in the library. She resigned in January 2005 and returned to COMAHS. Mr. Donald Davies acted right until August 2005 and was succeeded in an acting capability by Rev. Oliver Harding who returned to Sierra Leone from Nigeria right after he received a 2nd master diploma in Biblical Studies from West Africa Theological Seminary, Lagos (an affiliate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka). He is nonetheless the existing Performing Librarian at Fourah Bay College or university Library with only 20-nine(29) staff members. Of the 20-nine team, only eight(8) are professionals. This certainly is a huge setback to Fourah Bay School Library which desires to be rectified.

Presently the library is made up of a four-storey constructing composed of the adhering to sections: The decrease ground floor is made up of the Bindery and the Sierra Leone Assortment. The Floor Floor consists of the Reception Desk, Librarian’s Workplace, Situation Desk, Cataloguing Office and Common Reference selection, photocopying area, the American Cabinets and the United Nations Selection. The first floor is the Periodicals/Serials Assortment, although the next floor signify the lending selection or the textbook collection and the third floor which at first housed lending library matarials is now not functioning thanks to licking roof of the building.

The following are the various sections in the library and their capabilities:

• Librarian’s Office environment & Acquisitions Division
• Cataloguing Office
• Problem Desk
• Textbook Assortment
• Periodicals Section
• Sierra Leone Assortment
• United Nations Collection
• The American Shelves/Corner and
• The Bindery

The very first part is the Librarian’s Place of work which commonly controls all other spots in the library. The office also serves as the Acquisition’s Office. This is the place assortment of library materials is performed. Lecturers are encouraged to make collection of resources to be acquired for their use. At the time the range is designed and bibliographic knowledge are scrutinised, the stock of the library to stay clear of unwanted duplication of orders is checked. These products are despatched to the library, and their facts are checked against individuals of the buy slips next these products which are accessioned before passing them above to the Cataloguing Office. There is also availability of audiovisual products this kind of as projector which the librarian takes advantage of all through orientation programmes and also made use of to carry out lectures.

Library supplies on receipt from the Librarian’s business/Acquisitions Office are labeled and catalogued in the 2nd part. This second portion is not within just sight or it is out of bounds. The organisation of elements into a established sample of classes facilitates the arrangement of these elements on the appropriate cabinets with supplies on distinct topics becoming housed collectively in the very same spot of the library. The excellence of the Catalogue is the pride of the library because once a content is wrongly categorized and shelved, it does not stay with users of its course and in some circumstances, it is like a lost substance. Fourah Bay Faculty library presently utilise the 23rd edition of the Dewey Decimal Classification Plan and the AACR2 (Anglo American Cataloguing Regulations 2).

The third section is also referred to as the Circulations Department exactly where components that go out on personal loan are charged to patrons and discharged on return to the library. Info about resources not identified on the cabinets could be retrieved from the Circulations Section. Shelving arrangements are also under the supervision of the Circulations Area team. This part also course of action and issue learners library cards.

The forth area is presently the most greatly employed section in Fourah Bay University library. It is a closed access selection. This indicates that resources are not directly obtainable to visitors but issued out on request. Components in this segment cover various disciplines centered on the curriculum of the college or university. This collection also properties past evaluation papers of classes taken on campus. Messengers from the library are despatched to evaluation halls with a official letter from the Librarian requesting copies of examination papers from invigilators. These are inevitably sorted out and sent to the bindery office to be certain into volumes.

The fifth section is also named the Journal/Serials Part. It properties quarterly, bi-quarterly, annually, semi-on a yearly basis publications. These are publications of a number of volumes which occur about at standard intervals and intended to indefinitely proceed. Quite a few authors contribute content to them. They also have unique titles. At the stop of the yr, back difficulties are sent to the bindery to be sure into volumes and stocked in the part for scientists on various disciplines. This segment can also classify and catalogue periodical components to simplicity do the job finished by the Cataloguing Division.

As the identify implies, this sixth area properties content about Sierra Leone. Resources in this selection are tricky to weed given that they form element of the nationwide bibliography of Sierra Leone. The device also includes newspapers which are acquired everyday. This gray literature is exceptional as the newspaper selection day-back again to the 1930s to current day.

The seventh segment is located in the Floor Floor of the library and is presently in a home renovated by the United Nations and stocked with pcs, printers, photocopiers which are used by students, lecturers and administrative workers. Even so, this area is managed by a non-public proprietor rather of FBC library.

The eighth segment is the American Shelve. This is situated at the Floor Ground of the library. It was established in July 2007, just after a “Memorandum of Being familiar with” signed by the then U.S. Ambassador and the then Deputy Chancellor of Fourah Bay Faculty. The goal was to encourage general public diplomacy of the Embassy of the United States of The united states in Sierra Leone, that’s why its title the “American Cabinets.” Resources housed in this assortment are purely American. Collections incorporate books, CD-ROM, Posters, Periodicals/magazines and other programming materials of the Embassy of the United States of The us in Sierra Leone. The American Corner has a tv established. The e-book assortment consists of components in historical past, literature, training, health, economics, management, small business, culture and regulation of the United States of America. Cash are generally created out there by the Public Affairs Sections of the United States Embassy in Sierra Leone to the library to undertake joint sensitisation programmes on suitable concerns to society these types of as black heritage working day, democracy, human suitable, the female youngster and “Ebola”, in which keynote speakers are either supplied by the Embassy or the library from neighborhood specialists with regards the matter of discussion. Video clip displays are also organised.

The ninth segment is situated at the Reduce Floor Flooring and is the economic nerve centre of the library. Paperbacks with considerably less than fifty webpages are dealt with as pamphlets and are processed and stocked in bins. Supplies with fifty pages and above are regarded as publications and despatched to the bindery for tough covers. Clients desirous of applying this section of the library should notice the pursuing procedures:

• Secure proforma invoice for binding get the job done
• Settle invoice at Librarian’s workplace and gather receipt for total paid
• Gather bound perform from bindery on presentation of a valid receipt
• Departmental employment from FBC should be accompanied by an buy from respective heads of departments and paid out for in hard cash or cheque
• All cheques should be produced payable to Fourah Bay Higher education.

Other sorts of careers completed in the bindery include things like rebinding dissertations/theses, paperbacks, newspapers, engagement Bibles, ledgers and gold lettering. Having said that this sections is constrained with standard bindery devices and services to bind and rebind the library elements.

Problems

It is very clear that Fourah Bay School Library has some troubles in taking care of the library. Some of the problems are as consequently: inadequate funding and recent products insufficient sitting accommodation insufficient educated and capable personnel and insufficient provision of photocopying equipment. Of the various troubles, the important staying the inadequate sitting down lodging and the insufficient funding and non-existing supplies.

The recent condition of Facts Administration amidst the new management at Fourah Bay School is that there is frequent electric power offer which is acquired from three (3) sources, that is, the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) a stand-by generator which is shared with the principal administrative making and a photo voltaic panel which only supplies the reduce and ground floors of the library. This has a ton of difficulties for the library as the other floors are presently out of electrical energy source as the overall building is below refurbishment. There is availability of Online connectivity by way of hotspots, however its strength is quite weak only buyers with advanced devices can have access to it. The developments of ICTs have offered Fourah Bay Library current and hard prospect that requires it to reply positively in all sides of their products and services and functions if they are to continue to be appropriate in the new data age.

Suggestions

I advocate that:

• the university administration ought to give additional sitting accommodation by creating extra library structures.
• College need to make use of additional properly trained and skilled specialist librarians or promptly promote the current team that have by now long gone by the librarianship instruction
• the college should really provide additional cash so that the outdated materials be change the currents types
• Sierra Leone Collection which keep a significance number of grey literature need to be digitised and produce on the net databases that should really be access by researchers. The bindery section need to also be delivered with modern-day machines for printing and binding books on fair cost as is the income making area of library
• the web connectivity need to be more robust that the current one particular
• electrical energy electricity provide should be continuous
• lecturers-library staff connection really should be robust in deciding on library resources base on the higher education curriculum and
• catastrophe administration program should be provided in case any fire outbreak or flooding.

Conclusion

It is obvious that Fourah Bay College Library above the a long time has been crippling with inadequate experienced and qualified library qualified due to getting older librarian crisis. The remaining experienced workers are not promoted promptly immediately after retirement of a retiree workers since of excessive forms/protocol in the administration course of action. As a result the educated and skilled team had to wait around for several years or satisfy sure academic bench marks just before they are promoted.