THE ROLE OF LIBRARY COMMITTEE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Library Committees play a critical role in the development of academic libraries. It is, therefore, a standard practice for every academic library to have a Library Committee. These Committees are expected to be functional and vibrant thus performing advisory, regulatory, selection and de-selection, policy-formulating, and other decision-making roles. The Committees should have the powers to take far-reaching decisions regarding the development of the Academic Libraries. In effect, the membership composition of the Committee is usually high-powered comprising representatives of Faculty, the Academic Board of the Institution, Finance Department, Students, the Head Librarian, and other major stakeholders. However, the composition could differ from Institution to institution especially depending on the legislation establishing the particular tertiary institution. To give it the needed authority to function as expected, the Committee is often chaired by the Pro-Vice Chancellor, or Vice-Rector or Provost. Vice-Principal of the Institution with the Librarian as Secretary. All these arrangements are made to ensure that Library Committees play essential and effective roles in the sustainable development of the Academic Libraries as well as the Institute’s academic life

The Library Committee may be referred to differently in academic libraries; it may be called Library Council, Library Board, Library Governing Board/Council, Library Management Committee/Council or simply Library Committee. It is a common phenomenon to find Academic Library Committees.  These Committees may play different roles in their respective universities.

Also, the Universities’ authorities are quick to acknowledge the fact that the Committee plays an integral role in the development of the library. But the reality on the ground is that, most of these Library Committees are moribund and exist merely to satisfy existing statutes. This is particularly the case in almost all the Technical Universities’ libraries where this researcher observed over the past five years that,  the committees are side-lined when it comes to major decision-making affecting the development of the Library (such as budgeting, procurement planning, selection and acquisition of library materials).