INFLUENCE OF SERIALS MANAGEMENT PRACTICESAND USE IN LIBRARIES ON PUBLICATIONS OUTPUT OF LECTURERS IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

BY

R. O. O. AKINBODE

MATRIC NO: SI 62173

A PHD PRE-FIELD SEMINAR PRESENTED AT THE

DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY, ARCHIVAL

AND INFORMATION STUDIES

UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

2011

SUPERVISOR

DR. K.I.N. NWALO

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1Background to the Study

Serials literature, according to Woodward (1999), constitutes a major part of all academic libraries’ collections, and typically accounts for more than half of their expenditure on library materials. For many lecturers and research staff, the serials to which the library subscribes are the most important and useful elements of its stock. Serials are defined and discussed in various ways within the library profession by different authors. Osborn (1980) described a serial as a printed work appearing regularly, founded with the expectation of unlimited duration, which is not predominantly concerned with events of the day or else it pays attention only to the latest development in a special field. Brown and Smith (1980) stated that a serial is a publication that is numbered, and has every expectation to continuing either regularly or irregularly. A serial, as defined by AACR2 (1978), is a publication, in printed form or not, issued in successive parts usually having numerical or chronological designations and intended to be continued indefinitely.

Agbaje (2002) reported that anything that belongs to, forms part, or consists of a series qualifies to be called a serial. Serials are of various kinds and include journals, magazines, newspapers, news bulletins, and reviews. Nwalo (2003), Onatola (2004) and Aina (2004) stated that kinds of serials include journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, accessions, reports, memoirs, proceedings and transactions of societies and other periodicals like abstracts and indexes. Serials are often thought of as a distinct format. They are in print, non-print or electronic format. A serial is, therefore, regarded as a material that is in a tangible format, that is, recorded on paper, microform, magnetic media or optical disk and retrievable.

The origin of serials, according to Nisonger (1998), has been traced to antiquity. Annals written on the tombs of Egyptian kings during the first dynasty (2750 – 2625B.C), according to Osborn (1980), may possibly be considered the world’s earliest known serials. He also mentioned a decree by Julius Caesar in 60 B.C. requiring the proceedings of the Roman Senate to be published. The invention of movable print in the 15th Century attributed to Johannes Gutenberg (Nisonger, 1998), undoubtedly helped lay the groundwork for the earliest journals. Since the 1820s when machine-driven typesetting began to develop, increasingly sophisticated technology, as remarked by Veaner (1985), has contributed to the production of print serials. He emphasised that microform technology invented in 1839 by John Benjamin Dancer has profound implications for serials. By the mid-20th Century, photographic typesetting was playing a major role, and powerful computerised methods have developed in recent decade. During the 1980s, authors began submitting journal articles in word-processed format, and in the 1990s, via the Internet.

The unflinching capacity of institutions of higher learning to teach, research published scholarly materials, and even to perceive the heartbeat of peers beating space and time is founded in the publication called serial (Anunobi, Nwakwuo and Ezejiofor, 2010).Serials are published at different intervals, that is, daily, weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, bi-annually, and annually by an academic or research institution, a learned society, reputable publishing organisation or professional body. Some serials are published on subject bases while some are on general topic. It is the serialisation that distinguishes serials from books and monographs, and it is the period that dictates format and price.

Serials are of great importance because they carry latest, current and up-to-date information. For the latest and up-to-date opinions and development within the various subject disciplines, one would do well to look in the appropriate journals. As explained by Elaturoti, Fagbeja, Kolade and Oniyide (1990), serials constitute an important part of the library collection because the information contained in them is more current than those in published books. Fayose (1995) affirmed that, “periodicals are useful because they are the most up-to-date resources in the library and that the articles in periodicals are often written by experts in the field, therefore, they are reliable and the articles are precise and not as cumbersome to read as textbooks”. Where recency of information is of prime consideration, the serials have a distinct advantage over the book (Adubika, 2007). According to anunobi et al. (2010), majority of texts/monographs produced for knowledge have their contents derived from serials articles.

Use analysis is central to serials management. Hastreiter, Hardesty and Henderson (1987) reported that 35.9 per cent of colleges and small university libraries surveyed in the United States of America in the late 1980s had collection of serials and serials use support services. Lecturers and researchers in universities, according to Aina (2004), are regarded as the library and information users with advanced degrees in their subjects of specialisation. Serials are used for diverse purposes. They are used for leisure reading, scholarly research, teaching, professional reasons, and hobbies, to name only their most obvious purposes (Nisonger, 1998). Kent (1979), in his study of journal use at six departmental libraries on the University of Pittsburgh Campus (Physics, Life Sciences, Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Mathematics) shows that journals are available and extensively used in the university. Many studies confirm the fundamental concept that a fraction of the periodical collection accounts for the majority of usage. Salaam,(2008) in her study on availability, accessibility, and utilisation of journals by postgraduate students in university of agriculture in Nigeria revealed that serials were available, accessible and used by the postgraduate students. Use of current periodicals collections is both casual and more serious; at one of the spectrum, there are the browsers, those who come in daily to read their favourite local newspapers (Farrington, 1997). Apart from the fact that serials are extensively used, it is also confirmed that serials are available and used in universities.

The elements of serials management are serials collection which involves selection, deselection and subscription; organisation and use which involve processing and display on racks for users; maintenance which involves updating, filling the gap, preservation, binding of back issues and repair of damaged ones; and provision of facilities like finding aids, reading areas equipped with tables, chairs and air-conditioner; as well as provision of services such as current awareness service, photocopy, exhibition, translation of foreign language like German, French and Arabic to the language understood by the users.

Woodward (1999), in his own view, asserted that the major concepts of serials management are check-in/receipt, claiming, routing, binding, ordering and subscription renewal, financial control, management reports, union lists, online user access and circulation of serials. Agbaje (2002) stated that in terms of overall management strategy, some organisations create an independent department or section for their serials and that as a general rule, an effective management system for serials has to take into consideration timeliness, the goal of the organisation as well as the needs of users. Serials acquisition operation in university libraries involves selection of titles, pre-order checking, preparation of final list for order and ordering, verification of receipt, checking-in of materials, claiming and renewal of subscription, and cancellation of order (Anunobi et al., 2010).

A unit to handle the functions of serials processing in the library has existed for more than 50 years (Farrington, 1997). Oni (2004) described the unit responsible for serials operation in the library as serials unit. For any library to run a good serials management practice, adequate accommodation, sufficient and relevant serials, related materials and qualified personnel are required. Nwalo (2003) asserted that to ensure maximum exposure and utilisation of the library’s serials, current awareness services should be provided. Inter-library loans, according to Aina (2004), are important especially where the collections of a library are limited or inadequate.

Universities are involved in teaching, research and publication. All over the world, university education has attracted significant interest as it serves as the only way of ensuring immediate changes and transformation in human and technological advancement (Akintayo and Oghenekohwo, 2008). University education, according to Ayeni (2008), is an avenue created for the development of the mind, the individual person, the provision of quality human capital and the development of society. The main aims and objectives of the university system have been to teach, conduct research and render public service. University education generally leads to the receipt of a degree. Therefore, it has an important role to play through its graduates who should provide leadership roles in education as researchers, teachers, consultants and managers (Ojedokun, 2007).

One of the preoccupations of any university lecturer is research. Sometimes, the purpose of research is the solution of a specific programme and sometimes to add to man’s store of knowledge. Research, according to Oredein (2004) and Sonaike (2004), ordinarily means an investigation undertaken to discover new facts, knowledge or information. Research is the engine that generates new knowledge and provides ideas for national development (Ntiamoah-Badu, 2008). The outcome of research is usually published. Ogbomo (2010) maintained that publication is essential for problem-solving, leading to dynamism in library services as a response to changing times and environment. The worth of a lecturer is usually determined by the quantity and quality of his or her publications. Publication output of every lecturer to a great extent, determines his or her promotion based on the policy of “publish or perish”.

Okwilagwe (2001) asserted that the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) is one of the agencies and professional associations whose activities directly influence the book publishing industry in Nigeria. This means that lecturers are involved in the creation of knowledge such as training, research, writing, development of manuscripts, manufacturing of books and the utilisation of knowledge created and manufactured into books by way of distribution, dissemination of information and teaching. Despite gaining some intrinsic and extrinsic rewards by engaging in teaching and service activities, the greatest rewards (such as tenure, promotion, and professional standing) as put by Watty, Bellamy and Morley (2008) flow to those faculty members who publish scholarly work. Oloruntoba and Ajayi (2006) asserted that evidence of scholarly publication is presented on a three – yearly basis as a criterion for promotion for lecturers in the Nigerian agricultural universities. And to be able to carry out a meaningful research, the researcher must be able to have access to adequate information especially from serials in the university library.

Using the journal literature, the individual researcher has to make a trip to the library to locate bound volume containing the article or articles desired (Farrington, 1997).In the university community, as posited by Anunobi et al. (2010), access to serials is primarily through the university library. Library is regarded as a storehouse of information where serials are stocked for research activities. The university library is established with the mandate to support research, teaching, learning and extension services. The university library sources, acquires, processes and make available library materials including serials to accomplish its role of providing information to the university community, and to achieve this primary role, university libraries ensure that the appropriate serials are selected based on acquisition policy of the institution, acquired and processed (Anunobi et al., 2010). The job of information officer or librarian, according to Loho (1992), is to interact with the usersto find out what they need or want to know, and to provide clients with the relevant information needed. He further emphasised that for effective use of the library and its materials, users can be alerted of the information available in the library by operating a number of current awareness services.

Library services is not that of propaganda, but that of generating, collecting, synthesising and disseminating up-to-date, accurate, unbiased and relevant information available in books, periodicals, bulletins, guide, abstracts, indexes, bibliographies and non-book formats which can be stored and retrieved whenever needed. The major objective of the university library as espoused by Aina (2002) is to provide materials and services that will now and in the future best contribute to the fulfillment of the objectives of the university. It is the duty of the library to identify the information needs of its users.

Library effectiveness measures, as postulated by Nwalo (2001), are concerned with determining how well the library meets the needs of its users, relative to the library’s goals and objectives. Iruoje (1995) stressed that a service can be evaluated at the level of effectiveness, that is, how the service satisfies the demand placed upon it by the users. For effective access to and use of the library materials including serials, proper management is essential.

The success of every library’s programme, therefore, could be easily measured in terms of its efforts in acquiring and managing relevant serials. Only the libraries that can afford to subscribe to relevant, up-to-date and adequate serials in print and electronic forms will be able to satisfy the research needs of their users. Where the serials are available and accessible, they are most likely to be utilised by the lecturers and to meet their research and publication needs.

Serials literature, whether in printed or electronic format, according to Woodward (1999), merits attention in a study of academic library collection management. University lecturers are under pressure to publish and the university needs to provide information support to them. How well serials are managed in the university library can be a pointer to the success of the library in meeting its objectives. This study, therefore, is pertinent.

1.2Statement of the Problem

Lecturers in Nigerian universities require information from serials in order to successfully conduct research. However, they have limited access to serials in the university libraries. It is generally acknowledged that the major problem of serials collection is a drastic cut in the budget of Nigerian universities coupled with high cost of acquiring serials, a problem made worse by the present world’s economic meltdown. Lack of adequate fund, and high subscription rates have affected the serials collections in academic libraries globally.

Lecturers, postgraduate students and others invariably spend more of their time reading publications in serials form from the learned journals and technical reports of specialised organisations and societies than from books and monographs. The problems of availability and access affect the use of serials in the university libraries. Where the serials are either not available or are inaccessible, the lecturers may make little progress in their research work and publications output.

A part of the roles of university libraries is to provide information including serials to support teaching and research as well as to provide facilities to process, preserve, organise and disseminate the information. There appears to be lack of adequate and current serials for research in Nigeria.

The study, therefore, investigates serials management practices in the university libraries, determines the extent to which serials are used and appraises the influence of availability, accessibility and use of serialson publications output of lecturers in Nigerian universities.

1.3Objectives of the Study

The general objective of this study is to find out how the management of serials by libraries and their use influence publications output of lecturers in Nigerian universities.

The specific objectives are to:

i.find out the extent to which Nigerian university libraries are adhering to serials management practices;

ii.identify the types of serials used by lecturers for their research activities;

  1. determine the frequency of use of serials by the lecturers for their research activities;
  2. identify the sources of serials used by the lecturers for their research activities;
  3. find out the constraints to the use of serials by lecturers in Nigerian universities;
  4. determine publications output of lecturers in the universities;
  5. establish the influence of serials management on their use by lecturers in the universities; and
  6. determine whether use of serials has influence on publications output of lecturers in the universities and to what extent.

1.4Research Questions

The study will seek answers to the following research questions:

  1. How are serials managed in the university libraries?
  2. What are the types of serials used by the lecturers for their research activities?
  3. What are the sources of serials used by the lecturers for their research activities?
  4. To what extent do the lecturers depend on their university libraries for serials based information?
  5. How frequently do the lecturers use serials in the university libraries?
  6. What are the major constraints to the use of serials by lecturers in the university libraries?
  7. What is the quantity of publications output of lecturers in the universities?
  8. How does the management of serials (availability, quantity and accessibility) in the university libraries affect their use by lecturers?
  9. How does the use of serials influence publications output of lecturers in the universities?

1.5Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses will be tested in the study:

  1. There is no significant relative influence of availability of serials in the library on publications output of lecturers in Nigerian universities.
  2. There is no significant relative influence of quantity of serials in the library on publications output of lecturers in Nigerian universities.
  3. There is no significant relative influence of accessibility to serials in the library on publications output of lecturers in Nigerian universities.
  4. There is no significant relative influence of serials use in the library on publications output of lecturers in Nigerian universities.

1.6Scope of the study

The study will focus on the collection and organisationof serials in Nigerian university libraries as well as their use by the lecturers. Influence of serials on publications output of lecturers in the universities will also be studied. Though all serials, including journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, memoirs, annual reports, proceedings, transactions of societies, reviews, news bulletins, indexes, abstracts and other periodicals are important to the lecturers, the study will focus on printed and electronic journals, proceedings and reports because they carry first hand reports of scholarly research and theoretical discussions.