the plan collection craftsman

INTRODUCTION

Fourah Bay College or university library came into existence in 1827 and it was affiliated with Durham in 1876. This affiliation plan enlarged the higher education rules, and as a consequence of this, new phases of development were introduced and bundled in the improvement in the situation of the library. Its very first Board of Curators was appointed and a typical source of conventional newspapers and other publications were offered. Professor Richards was appointed Librarian-In-Demand with Mr. T. Taylor as Library Assistant.

Improvement OF FOURAH BAY College or university LIBRARY

Fourah bay School Library administration was almost recognized, and attracted precious donations these kinds of as a particular assortment donated in 1881 by Rev. H. Wright who served as Honorary Secretary to the Church Missionary Modern society. Afterwards in 1917 Bishop James Johnson bequeathed his set of 24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica to the University Library.

For the duration of the Planet War II time period, that is 1939-1945, tiny was finished about the advancement of the School Library. By then the library was situated at Mabang, and ongoing to maintain a library which was at first supposed to be an Agricultural Higher education. The College had number of instructors and a compact student population of about 20 college students. The problems of the war in the 1940’s prompted the library to be managed by student librarians. The library was frequently confronted with absence of assets in the war decades. In those a long time the library small collections consisted predominantly of theological and literary will work which was transferred to Mount Aureol. The materials was housed in various buildings these types of as the pupil eating corridor, the university Chapel, the University Bookshop, merchants and Game titles and Sports Workplace.

The library facilities of the university at this stage fashioned aspect of the higher education improvement programme. The most space of precedence at Fourah Bay college was the growth of Library. With the institution of a stable facts Centre, Fourah Bay College grew to become an eye-catching location for overseas funds. In 1954, following a stop by to the Fulton Fee which enhanced the standing of the higher education, the library was awarded a grant of $8,000 by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, to be utilised for the purchase of necessary reference and bibliographic components. The British complemented this donation in 1955 with a grant of £15,000 from the Colonial Growth Welfare Money. Two-thirds of individuals donations (£10,000) were being expended on books and periodicals and the relaxation on equipment. These grants and other donations led to an accelerated development of the library and shaped the basis of a constant enhancement through the 60s. It was at this critecal period that the library was assigned its rightful place as a priority affiliated college or university of the University of Durham.

In 1961, the 2nd expatriate Mr. R.S. Burkett, relinquished his appointment as University Librarian right after a period of time of 4 and the 50 {60dc4a529cf75e41b22ffde620560cf5fd805bfd2fdcb855dfe908ab50dd8b87} decades. The 3rd expatriate librarian, the late Mr. Michael Jollife (after whom the library has been named), was appointed in 1961. He was originally concerned with the advancement of the bodily services of the library. In 1968, the higher education received complete university standing and with this elevation, the library also performed management purpose in the enhancement of other librarians in Sierra Leone. Inside of the library itself, Mr. Jollife founded the Reprographic and Micrographic sections. In his 1961/1962 yearly report, Mr. Jollife resolved to the present cash less than the British Complex Aid Programme for the buy of bindery equipment and Mr. W.J Askew, a British E book Binder was assigned this obligation. He arrived in Sierra Leone in August 15, 1964. By then, there were ten thousand (10,000) publications and periodicals for binding and rebinding. Mr. S.T Browne, a Sierra Leonean craftsman succeeded Mr. Askew following his 3 yrs tenure in April 1966 as Head Book Binder. At present, the Bindery is headed by Mr. Patrick James. At the stop of March, 1970, Mr. Michael Jollife resigned his publish to develop into Librarian at Royal Halloway College or university, London and was succeeded by A.C. Butler who arrived in 1971. As a result, Mrs. Gladys Jusu-Sheriff was the initially Sierra Leonean College or university Librarian immediately after Mr. Butler remaining in 1972.

Fourah Bay College or university administration reacted to an acute lack of library personnel in that period, and instituted a training course for the Town and Guilds of London Assistant Certification jointly organised by the college library and the Extra-Mural Department. Deficiencies in the library certificate supplied an apparent very long-phrase want for a library program in Sierra Leone. This programme was a junior assistant’s qualification which was purely western system of library management and there was an apparent gap in between the Town of Guilds and the ALA. There was a want to institute a programme domestically to supply an intermediate qualification to bridge the gap between the junior clerical stage team and comprehensive gurus. This introduced about the response for the formation of the Institute of Library, Archive and Details Scientific studies in 1986 through the dynamic leadership of Mrs. Gladys Jusu-Sheriff who ultimately turned the 1st director. In November 1999 the Institute was merged with the Mass Communication unit within just the College of Arts to variety the Institute of Library, Data and Conversation Scientific studies (INSLICS) presenting certificate, diploma, diploma and postgraduate skills.

The late Mrs. Deanna Thomas succeeded Mrs. Gladys Jusu-Sheriff as librarian of Fourah Bay Higher education 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 University of Sierra Leone, the late Prof. L.N. M’Jamtu-Sie the then librarian of Faculty of Medication and Allied Well being Sciences (COMAHS) was appointed to supervise routines in the library. She resigned in January 2005 and returned to COMAHS. Mr. Donald Davies acted till August 2005 and was succeeded in an acting capacity by Rev. Oliver Harding who returned to Sierra Leone from Nigeria right after he received a second grasp degree in Biblical Scientific studies from West Africa Theological Seminary, Lagos (an affiliate of the College of Nigeria, Nsukka). He is nevertheless the present Performing Librarian at Fourah Bay School Library with only 20-9(29) staff. Of the twenty-9 staff, only 8(8) are industry experts. This without a doubt is a big setback to Fourah Bay Higher education Library which requires to be rectified.

Currently the library is made up of a four-storey building composed of the following sections: The decreased floor floor is composed of the Bindery and the Sierra Leone Selection. The Floor Floor consists of the Reception Desk, Librarian’s Office, Concern Desk, Cataloguing Department and Typical Reference assortment, photocopying place, the American Cabinets and the United Nations Selection. The first floor is the Periodicals/Serials Collection, although the 2nd floor represent the lending collection or the textbook selection and the third ground which at first housed lending library matarials is now not performing thanks to licking roof of the setting up.

The subsequent are the different sections in the library and their features:

Librarian’s Business office & Acquisitions Office
Cataloguing Section
Difficulty Desk
Textbook Assortment
Periodicals Division
Sierra Leone Assortment
United Nations Selection
The American Shelves/Corner and
The Bindery

The very first segment is the Librarian’s Workplace which normally controls all other spots in the library. The business office also serves as the Acquisition’s Division. This is in which collection of library components is accomplished. Lecturers are inspired to make collection of components to be obtained for their use. When the range is manufactured and bibliographic knowledge are scrutinised, the stock of the library to stay away from needless duplication of orders is checked. These products are sent to the library, and their facts are checked versus individuals of the purchase slips subsequent these components which are accessioned ahead of passing them above to the Cataloguing Department. There is also availability of audiovisual machines these as projector which the librarian uses throughout orientation programmes and also utilised to perform lectures.

Library materials on receipt from the Librarian’s office environment/Acquisitions Division are categorized and catalogued in the 2nd portion. This 2nd part is not in just sight or it is out of bounds. The organisation of supplies into a set pattern of lessons facilitates the arrangement of these products on the acceptable shelves with materials on distinct topics being housed alongside one another in the same space of the library. The excellence of the Catalogue is the satisfaction of the library due to the fact the moment a product is wrongly categorised and shelved, it does not keep with members of its class and in some cases, it is like a misplaced materials. Fourah Bay University library at this time utilise the 23rd version of the Dewey Decimal Classification Plan and the AACR2 (Anglo American Cataloguing Policies 2).

The third section is also termed the Circulations Office the place elements that go out on personal loan are charged to patrons and discharged on return to the library. Facts about elements not found on the cabinets could be retrieved from the Circulations Part. Shelving preparations are also below the supervision of the Circulations Part staff. This section also approach and difficulty learners library playing cards.

The forth part is presently the most greatly applied segment in Fourah Bay College or university library. It is a shut entry collection. This suggests that resources are not immediately obtainable to audience but issued out on ask for. Materials in this area deal with assorted disciplines based mostly on the curriculum of the school. This assortment also houses previous examination papers of programs taken on campus. Messengers from the library are despatched to examination halls with a formal letter from the Librarian requesting copies of examination papers from invigilators. These are finally sorted out and despatched to the bindery division to be bound into volumes.

The fifth portion is also named the Journal/Serials Part. It properties quarterly, bi-quarterly, annually, semi-every year publications. These are publications of various volumes which occur about at common intervals and supposed to indefinitely go on. Various authors contribute articles or blog posts to them. They also have distinct titles. At the conclude of the yr, back again problems are sent to the bindery to be bound into volumes and stocked in the section for scientists on various disciplines. This section can also classify and catalogue periodical elements to ease do the job accomplished by the Cataloguing Division.

As the identify indicates, this sixth portion properties substance about Sierra Leone. Products in this selection are tricky to weed given that they sort portion of the national bibliography of Sierra Leone. The unit also consists of newspapers which are acquired each day. This gray literature is unique as the newspaper collection day-again to the 1930s to current working day.

The seventh part is located in the Floor Flooring of the library and is at present in a area renovated by the United Nations and stocked with computers, printers, photocopiers which are made use of by learners, lecturers and administrative personnel. However, this section is managed by a non-public owner as a substitute of FBC library.

The eighth portion is the American Shelve. This is positioned at the Floor Ground of the library. It was established in July 2007, right after a “Memorandum of Comprehending” signed by the then U.S. Ambassador and the then Deputy Chancellor of Fourah Bay School. The intent was to advertise community diplomacy of the Embassy of the United States of The us in Sierra Leone, hence its name the “American Cabinets.” Supplies housed in this assortment are purely American. Collections incorporate books, CD-ROM, Posters, Periodicals/publications and other programming materials of the Embassy of the United States of The usa in Sierra Leone. The American Corner has a tv set. The e-book collection consists of resources in historical past, literature, education, wellness, economics, administration, enterprise, tradition and regulation of the United States of The united states. Cash are usually designed accessible by the Community Affairs Sections of the United States Embassy in Sierra Leone to the library to undertake joint sensitisation programmes on applicable issues to society such as black heritage day, democracy, human appropriate, the female little one and “Ebola”, in which keynote speakers are either delivered by the Embassy or the library from regional professionals with regards the subject of dialogue. Online video exhibits are also organised.

The ninth portion is situated at the Reduced Ground Ground and is the economic nerve centre of the library. Paperbacks with considerably less than fifty web pages are handled as pamphlets and are processed and stocked in packing containers. Products with fifty web pages and previously mentioned are regarded as books and despatched to the bindery for really hard addresses. Buyers desirous of utilizing this area of the library will have to notice the following treatments:

Secure proforma invoice for binding work
Settle bill at Librarian’s workplace and accumulate receipt for quantity paid out
Accumulate sure operate from bindery on presentation of a valid receipt
Departmental work from FBC should be accompanied by an get from respective heads of departments and compensated for in hard cash or cheque
All cheques need to be designed payable to Fourah Bay School.

Other kinds of employment performed in the bindery include rebinding dissertations/theses, paperbacks, newspapers, engagement Bibles, ledgers and gold lettering. Even so this sections is limited with primary bindery products and facilities to bind and rebind the library materials.

Problems

It is very clear that Fourah Bay University Library has some problems in handling the library. Some of the problems are as as a result: inadequate funding and present-day resources inadequate sitting lodging insufficient experienced and certified staff and insufficient provision of photocopying equipment. Of the diversified problems, the big currently being the inadequate sitting accommodation and the inadequate funding and non-current supplies.

The present condition of Details Administration amidst the new management at Fourah Bay College or university is that there is standard electric power source which is attained from a few (3) resources, that is, the Electrical energy Distribution and Provide Authority (EDSA) a stand-by generator which is shared with the major administrative making and a photo voltaic panel which only materials the decreased and ground floors of the library. This has a good deal of challenges for the library as the other floors are presently out of electrical power supply as the entire setting up is under refurbishment. There is availability of Web connectivity by means of hotspots, though its power is extremely weak only end users with subtle programs can have entry to it. The developments of ICTs have offered Fourah Bay Library current and complicated prospect that demands it to answer positively in all sides of their expert services and functions if they are to remain suitable in the new information and facts age.

Suggestions

I advocate that:

the university administration really should offer more sitting accommodation by constructing far more library buildings.
University should hire far more properly trained and skilled expert librarians or right away advertise the present team that have currently absent via the librarianship education
the university must offer more funds so that the outdated materials be change the currents kinds
Sierra Leone Assortment which hold a significance variety of gray literature must be digitised and generate on line databases that should be accessibility by researchers. The bindery portion ought to also be supplied with contemporary equipment for printing and binding guides on acceptable price as is the revenue generating area of library
the web connectivity should really be more robust that the present one
electricity electrical power offer really should be steady
lecturers-library workers partnership must be solid in deciding on library supplies base on the college curriculum and
disaster management plan should be presented in scenario any fire outbreak or flooding.

Summary

It is obvious that Fourah Bay College or university Library more than the years has been crippling with inadequate experienced and competent library professional owing to growing older librarian crisis. The remaining qualified workers are not promoted right away after retirement of a retiree team because of abnormal bureaucracy/protocol in the administration approach. Hence the trained and knowledgeable team had to wait for yrs or fulfill selected tutorial bench marks in advance of they are promoted.