The Position of Fourah Bay Higher education Library Since Its Inception to Present Instant

INTRODUCTION

Fourah Bay School library arrived into existence in 1827 and it was affiliated with Durham in 1876. This affiliation scheme enlarged the faculty regulations, and as a end result of this, new phases of enhancement were being introduced and provided in the enhancement in the problem of the library. Its initial Board of Curators was appointed and a standard source of common newspapers and other publications had been furnished. Professor Richards was appointed Librarian-In-Demand with Mr. T. Taylor as Library Assistant.

Improvement OF FOURAH BAY School LIBRARY

Fourah bay Faculty Library administration was virtually established, and captivated precious donations such as a distinctive assortment donated in 1881 by Rev. H. Wright who served as Honorary Secretary to the Church Missionary Society. Afterwards in 1917 Bishop James Johnson bequeathed his set of 24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica to the College or university Library.

For the duration of the Globe War II period, that is 1939-1945, minor was carried out about the progress of the College Library. By then the library was positioned at Mabang, and continued to keep a library which was initially supposed to be an Agricultural University. The Higher education had handful of academics and a compact college student inhabitants of about 20 students. The disorders of the war in the 1940’s brought about the library to be managed by college student librarians. The library was frequently faced with lack of methods in the war years. In those decades the library minimal collections consisted predominantly of theological and literary performs which was transferred to Mount Aureol. The components was housed in various buildings this kind of as the university student dining corridor, the college Chapel, the School Bookshop, merchants and Game titles and Athletics Office.

The library services of the school at this stage formed element of the larger education development programme. The most location of priority at Fourah Bay school was the improvement of Library. With the institution of a secure information and facts Centre, Fourah Bay Faculty became an attractive location for overseas funds. In 1954, next a stop by to the Fulton Commission which improved the status of the higher education, the library was awarded a grant of $8,000 by the Carnegie Company of New York, to be used for the purchase of important reference and bibliographic supplies. The British complemented this donation in 1955 with a grant of £15,000 from the Colonial Enhancement Welfare Funds. Two-thirds of people donations (£10,000) have been used on books and periodicals and the relaxation on equipment. These grants and other donations led to an accelerated expansion of the library and shaped the foundation of a continual development for the duration of the 60s. It was at this critecal interval that the library was assigned its rightful placement as a priority affiliated higher education of the University of Durham.

In 1961, the next expatriate Mr. R.S. Burkett, relinquished his appointment as Higher education Librarian just after a interval of 4 and the half decades. The third expatriate librarian, the late Mr. Michael Jollife (following whom the library has been named), was appointed in 1961. He was originally involved with the improvement of the actual physical amenities of the library. In 1968, the higher education gained full university standing and with this elevation, the library also performed management purpose in the growth of other librarians in Sierra Leone. Within the library alone, Mr. Jollife recognized the Reprographic and Micrographic sections. In his 1961/1962 once-a-year report, Mr. Jollife made a decision to the deliver money underneath the British Technological Help Programme for the invest in of bindery products and Mr. W.J Askew, a British E-book Binder was assigned this accountability. He arrived in Sierra Leone in August 15, 1964. By then, there were being 10 thousand (10,000) publications and periodicals for binding and rebinding. Mr. S.T Browne, a Sierra Leonean craftsman succeeded Mr. Askew soon after his 3 many years tenure in April 1966 as Head Ebook Binder. At the moment, the Bindery is headed by Mr. Patrick James. At the close of March, 1970, Mr. Michael Jollife resigned his post to grow to be Librarian at Royal Halloway School, London and was succeeded by A.C. Butler who arrived in 1971. Therefore, Mrs. Gladys Jusu-Sheriff was the initially Sierra Leonean Higher education Librarian following Mr. Butler still left in 1972.

Fourah Bay Higher education administration reacted to an acute lack of library staff in that interval, and instituted a program for the City and Guilds of London Assistant Certificate jointly organised by the school library and the Added-Mural Department. Deficiencies in the library certificate offered an obvious prolonged-expression require for a library program in Sierra Leone. This programme was a junior assistant’s qualification which was purely western process of library administration and there was an apparent hole amongst the Metropolis of Guilds and the ALA. There was a will need to institute a programme locally to deliver an intermediate qualification to bridge the hole in between the junior clerical degree employees and total industry experts. This brought about the reaction for the formation of the Institute of Library, Archive and Information and facts Research in 1986 by means of the dynamic management of Mrs. Gladys Jusu-Sheriff who ultimately grew to become the to start with director. In November 1999 the Institute was merged with the Mass Interaction device within just the Faculty of Arts to form the Institute of Library, Information and facts and Conversation Reports (INSLICS) offering certification, diploma, degree and postgraduate skills.

The late Mrs. Deanna Thomas succeeded Mrs. Gladys Jusu-Sheriff as librarian of Fourah Bay College library in 1990 but traveled out of the nation in June 1997 for the duration of the interregnum of Freetown. Mr. Oliver Harding acted as librarian in her absence till June 1998 when a much more senior officer in the University of Sierra Leone, the late Prof. L.N. M’Jamtu-Sie the then librarian of University of Drugs and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) was appointed to supervise functions in the library. She resigned in January 2005 and returned to COMAHS. Mr. Donald Davies acted until finally August 2005 and was succeeded in an performing capability by Rev. Oliver Harding who returned to Sierra Leone from Nigeria soon after he received a next learn degree in Biblical Studies from West Africa Theological Seminary, Lagos (an affiliate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka). He is however the latest Performing Librarian at Fourah Bay Higher education Library with only 20-nine(29) staff members. Of the twenty-9 team, only 8(8) are pros. This without a doubt is a big setback to Fourah Bay College Library which needs to be rectified.

Now the library is composed of a 4-storey creating composed of the pursuing sections: The lower ground ground is made up of the Bindery and the Sierra Leone Selection. The Ground Flooring consists of the Reception Desk, Librarian’s Business, Challenge Desk, Cataloguing Office and Common Reference collection, photocopying space, the American Shelves and the United Nations Assortment. The initially flooring is the Periodicals/Serials Assortment, when the next flooring symbolize the lending selection or the textbook assortment and the 3rd flooring which at first housed lending library matarials is at the moment not functioning because of to licking roof of the creating.

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

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

The to start with part is the Librarian’s Place of work which commonly controls all other locations in the library. The office also serves as the Acquisition’s Office. This is where variety of library products is completed. Lecturers are encouraged to make assortment of products to be acquired for their use. After the collection is designed and bibliographic details are scrutinised, the inventory of the library to keep away from pointless duplication of orders is checked. These supplies are sent to the library, and their facts are checked against those of the buy slips next these elements which are accessioned just before passing them above to the Cataloguing Department. There is also availability of audiovisual tools this sort of as projector which the librarian uses through orientation programmes and also utilised to carry out lectures.

Library elements on receipt from the Librarian’s office/Acquisitions Office are labeled and catalogued in the second portion. This next section is not in just sight or it is out of bounds. The organisation of resources into a set sample of lessons facilitates the arrangement of these products on the proper shelves with resources on distinct subjects being housed jointly in the exact region of the library. The excellence of the Catalogue is the delight of the library because when a content is wrongly labeled and shelved, it does not continue to be with associates of its course and in some conditions, it is like a missing substance. Fourah Bay School library at this time utilise the 23rd version of the Dewey Decimal Classification Plan and the AACR2 (Anglo American Cataloguing Guidelines 2).

The 3rd segment is also termed the Circulations Department in which elements that go out on personal loan are charged to patrons and discharged on return to the library. Info about materials not discovered on the cabinets could be retrieved from the Circulations Area. Shelving preparations are also underneath the supervision of the Circulations Segment workers. This part also procedure and challenge college students library playing cards.

The forth section is at present the most greatly utilized area in Fourah Bay Higher education library. It is a shut access collection. This indicates that resources are not specifically offered to readers but issued out upon request. Supplies in this portion cover various disciplines primarily based on the curriculum of the college. This assortment also residences past evaluation papers of courses taken on campus. Messengers from the library are sent to assessment halls with a formal letter from the Librarian requesting copies of examination papers from invigilators. These are ultimately sorted out and despatched to the bindery section to be certain into volumes.

The fifth portion is also called the Journal/Serials Area. It houses quarterly, bi-quarterly, each year, semi-per year publications. These are publications of several volumes which appear about at typical intervals and meant to indefinitely keep on. Various authors contribute articles or blog posts to them. They also have distinctive titles. At the conclude of the 12 months, again issues are sent to the bindery to be certain into volumes and stocked in the area for researchers on diversified disciplines. This segment can also classify and catalogue periodical components to simplicity work completed by the Cataloguing Division.

As the name indicates, this sixth segment residences content about Sierra Leone. Elements in this assortment are complicated to weed because they variety section of the national bibliography of Sierra Leone. The unit also includes newspapers which are bought daily. This gray literature is unique as the newspaper selection day-again to the 1930s to present working day.

The seventh section is positioned in the Floor Flooring of the library and is at this time in a home renovated by the United Nations and stocked with pcs, printers, photocopiers which are used by college students, lecturers and administrative personnel. However, this portion is managed by a private proprietor in its place of FBC library.

The eighth part is the American Shelve. This is positioned at the Ground Floor of the library. It was set up in July 2007, right after a “Memorandum of Knowing” signed by the then U.S. Ambassador and the then Deputy Chancellor of Fourah Bay College. The function was to boost general public diplomacy of the Embassy of the United States of The united states in Sierra Leone, for this reason its identify the “American Cabinets.” Components housed in this assortment are purely American. Collections involve publications, CD-ROM, Posters, Periodicals/magazines and other programming components of the Embassy of the United States of The usa in Sierra Leone. The American Corner has a tv established. The guide selection consists of materials in heritage, literature, education and learning, health and fitness, economics, administration, small business, lifestyle and legislation of the United States of The united states. Money are typically designed obtainable by the Community Affairs Sections of the United States Embassy in Sierra Leone to the library to undertake joint sensitisation programmes on related troubles to modern society these types of as black historical past day, democracy, human correct, the lady little one and “Ebola”, in which keynote speakers are possibly delivered by the Embassy or the library from community pros with regards the matter of discussion. Movie reveals are also organised.

The ninth section is situated at the Reduce Ground Ground and is the economic nerve centre of the library. Paperbacks with much less than fifty webpages are taken care of as pamphlets and are processed and stocked in packing containers. Elements with fifty internet pages and higher than are regarded as books and despatched to the bindery for tough handles. Consumers desirous of using this segment of the library should observe the subsequent techniques:

• Secure proforma invoice for binding function
• Settle invoice at Librarian’s place of work and obtain receipt for amount of money paid
• Gather bound get the job done from bindery on presentation of a valid receipt
• Departmental work opportunities from FBC should really be accompanied by an buy from respective heads of departments and compensated for in cash or cheque
• All cheques must be made payable to Fourah Bay College.

Other forms of employment finished in the bindery incorporate rebinding dissertations/theses, paperbacks, newspapers, engagement Bibles, ledgers and gold lettering. Nevertheless this sections is minimal with essential bindery gear and amenities to bind and rebind the library products.

Troubles

It is very clear that Fourah Bay University Library has some challenges in running the library. Some of the challenges are as consequently: inadequate funding and current resources insufficient sitting accommodation insufficient properly trained and qualified workers and insufficient provision of photocopying machines. Of the assorted issues, the big remaining the insufficient sitting down accommodation and the inadequate funding and non-recent components.

The recent condition of Data Management amidst the new administration at Fourah Bay Higher education is that there is normal ability source which is attained from three (3) resources, that is, the Energy Distribution and Provide Authority (EDSA) a stand-by generator which is shared with the key administrative constructing and a photo voltaic panel which only materials the decreased and ground floors of the library. This has a lot of difficulties for the library as the other floors are presently out of electrical energy provide as the entire setting up is beneath refurbishment. There is availability of Internet connectivity via hotspots, however its toughness is extremely weak only end users with sophisticated methods can have obtain to it. The developments of ICTs have provided Fourah Bay Library present and hard opportunity that needs it to reply positively in all aspects of their expert services and features if they are to stay relevant in the new data age.

Tips

I suggest that:

• the university administration ought to deliver a lot more sitting down lodging by making much more library constructions.
• University ought to use a lot more skilled and competent qualified librarians or quickly promote the present team that have already long gone by the librarianship schooling
• the college need to provide extra resources so that the outdated content be swap the currents kinds
• Sierra Leone Collection which keep a significance range of grey literature ought to be digitised and generate online database that really should be obtain by researchers. The bindery section really should also be delivered with fashionable machines for printing and binding books on affordable price as is the profits building section of library
• the world wide web connectivity must be more robust that the existing one
• electrical power ability source need to be constant
• lecturers-library team romance should really be solid in choosing library supplies base on the school curriculum and
• catastrophe administration system should really be offered in scenario any fireplace outbreak or flooding.

Summary

It is apparent that Fourah Bay University Library over the yrs has been crippling with insufficient properly trained and certified library expert thanks to aging librarian crisis. The remaining expert team are not promoted right away soon after retirement of a retiree staff mainly because of excessive forms/protocol in the administration system. Consequently the experienced and knowledgeable staff members had to wait around for several years or fulfill particular tutorial bench marks ahead of they are promoted.