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IFEKITAN'18
COURSE OUTLINE
Lesson 1: Introduction to Libraries.
1. Definition of library
2. Types of library – Private/Public/National/School/Academic
(university, college and polytechnic libraries)/ Digital, electronic,
virtual libraries/Archives
3. Functions/Services of University Library to users
4. Introduction to FUTA Library

Lesson 2: Forms by which is recorded

1. Primary, Secondary and tertiary sources
2. Print forms
3. Non-print forms/ audiovisual resources
4. The Book: definition, Physical and Bibliographic parts

Purpose of the course

• To create awareness about information resources in the library
• To create awareness about the different methods of accessing
information resources in the library
• To expose students to information resources outside the learning
environment
• To develop users‘ study and research skills
• To develop the information literacy skills of the students.

Information literacy is an important objective of the course. The

American Library Association‘s (ALA) states, ―To be information
literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is
needed and has the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the
needed information.‖

Lesson 1: Introduction to Libraries

Definition of library
A library is an institution responsible for the acquisition,
organisation and storage of recorded knowledge in various media for
study, research and consultation. Libraries have come a long way.
From the early days when writing was done on cuneiform, papyrus
and parchment to when scribes and monks used to manage libraries
consisting of handwritten manuscripts to when Johannes Gutenberg
introduced printing leading to the evolution modern libraries.
Libraries have served humanity over the years. Today a library
contains print, non-print and electronic resources.

IFEKITAN KEEPS YOU INFORMED

 Types of library

i. Academic libraries: Attached to post secondary or tertiary

institutions. The sub types are University libraries, College libraries
and Polytechnic libraries. The perform functions directly related to
the mission and goals of their parent institutions.
The university library is unique in a number of ways. A university is
established for research, teaching and community development, and
the university library supports these goals. The users of a university
library include undergraduate and graduate students, lecturers or
academic staff and researchers. Academic libraries operate long
opening hours. Some of the important activities of academic libraries
are inter library corporation, teaching of library skills, lending and
borrowing and collection of locally published (university-wide)
materials /depository.

ii. Public libraries: The use of libraries is unrestricted; it serves the

needs of all categories of users. State libraries and community
information centres are examples of this type of libraries. They are
usually established by government act. The government established
boards or NGOs may manage them. They support the information,
educational and recreation needs of the members of the community.
Public libraries serve as a cultural centre as they are usually venues
for public events. They champion adult literacy programmes and
continuing education activities. They are however grossly
underfunded.

iii. National libraries: Each country owns a national library that

handles national bibliographic issues. It is also called the apex
library. For example, there is the National Library of Nigeria, The
British Library and the Library of Congress of the United States. The
roles of the National library include:
 Protecting copyright interests of authors or publishers
 Issuing ISBN and ISSN
 Accepting legal deposit -which are free copies of published
materials required by law to be sent to the national library by
publishers or authors
 Publication of the national bibliography: a list of all the books
published in the country within a particular year
 Providing CIP service: Cataloguing in publication service
 Advising the government on bibliographic issues among other
services

iv. School libraries: These libraries are attached to pre-primary,

primary and secondary schools to serve the needs of children and
young adults. They support teaching of school children and are
heavily dependent on audiovisual resources like pictures, audio
recordings etc. They are also called media resource centres.
v. Special libraries or research libraries and documentation centres:
They are owned or affiliated to professional associations, government
departments, companies and research institutes. They provide
specialized data and technical information to enable the personnel of
the institutions carry out their duties. National Root Crop Research
Institute Library, IITA Library are examples.

vi. Archives and record management centres: These institutions that

collect and preserve public and historical records for posterity. E.g.
National Archives at Ibadan

vii. Electronic libraries: (i) Virtual libraries: These libraries exist in

space (on the internet) and not physically. (2) Digital libraries are
computer-based but may not be on the internet or online. Information
may exist on CD-ROM databases and other digital databases.

viii. Private Libraries: Private individuals who develop the collection

in line with their interests own these. Dr Azikiwe and Chief Awolowo
owned personal libraries, which they bequeathed to institutions.

1. Functions/Services of University Library to users

Lending services
Inter library loans
Reserved services
Sitting and studying space

IFEKITAN CARES
Reference services
Referral services
Current Awareness Services
Selective Dissemination of Information
Exhibition and displays
Library publication
User education
Literature search
Video recording and photography
Translation services
Rental of facilities and space
Extension services

Introduction to FUTA Library

Established in 1982 and opened in 1983 to assist in research,
learning, teaching and community service missions of the
university.
Moved to the a three-floor complex in the main campus in 2006
3 floors: reading rooms, administrative offices, workrooms
Units / departments: Circulation, Cataloguing and
Classification, E-resources, Reference, Serials, bindery, security,
Multimedia (Audio visual), Acquisition, Special Collections
(BRD).
Membership to the library is free and open to all academic and
senior staff and students of the university.
 Only bona fide students of the university who have registered
in the university library are allowed into the library. They must
possess a student‘s ID card for identification and renew their
membership at the beginning of every session.
Hours of service:
Monday through Friday -8.00am to 9.00pm
Saturday – 9.00am to 6.00pm
Sunday – 4.00pm to 9.00pm
Public Holidays- Closed
During Vacation: Monday through Friday 8.00-4.00 pm , closed
during the weekends

Lesson 2: Forms in which Knowledge is recorded

Whether they are:

* Primary resources: original resources not yet interpreted or
condensed e.g. Research reports, journal articles, newspaper articles,
thesis
*Secondary resources: Condensed , interpreted or analyzed
information like dictionaries, textbooks, handbooks or
* Tertiary resources: used to locate other sources of information e.g.
bibliographies, indexes etc, : Library resources can exist as print,
non-print or electronic forms

IFEKITAN CARES
Print forms: Print forms include
* References sources – resources that are for consultation and not
continuous reading e.g. dictionaries
* Government publications – issued by government agencies e g.
Hansard
* Periodicals/serials – issued periodically at regular intervals e.g.
journals
* Monographs – a publication that addresses a single topic
* Pamphlets – printed material below 50 pages

The Book:
A book is a document of above 49 pages, bound together at one
edge and possessing a distinctive title.
* Physical parts of a book:
Binding or cover,
Spine
Contents
*Bibliographic parts of a book consists of the preliminary pages
and the main text
(a) Preliminary pages
• Fly leaves, which are blank
• Half title page contains the (abbreviated) title
• Title page contains full title and author/s name/s, may contain
other bibliographic Information
• Copyright page: (Verso page) Contains the copyright
 information (copyright owner, ISBN, publishing history, date of
publication, place of publication, publisher)
• Dedication page
• Preface: provides the reason for writing the book
• Table of Contents: an outline of the contents of the book
• Acknowledgment – to acknowledge those who have assisted
with the work
(b) Main text
• Text
• References and bibliography: a list of the sources consulted in
the preparation of the book.
• Appendix: contains supplementary information added to the
book
• Glossary: a list and definitions of difficult terms used in a
book, found at the end of the text
• Index: Alphabetical list of the terms used in a book with their
page number to indicate where they are located

Non-print forms / non-book materials or Audio-Visual resources: Do

not exist as print, and include broadly:
* Cartographic materials – maps
* Graphic materials_ pictures, drawings, real objects, charts,
transparencies
* Manuscripts – handwritten documents
* Audio recordings – audiotapes, records
* Motion pictures and video recordings – filmstrips
* Microforms – microfilms, microfiches, micro cards. Micro-record of
print information miniaturized by photographic processes
Electronic materials which may be found as: Digital materials like-
CDs, DVDs or online/virtual

Non-book materials are valuable sources of information and contain

huge amounts of data while occupying little space. They serve well
for conservation of information. For example, valuable records can be
microfilmed; a strip of microfilm can contain several pages of
information. They aid retention because non –print resources appeal
to learners‘ senses of sight and sound , they create vivid impressions
on their minds that cannot easily be forgotten.
However, most non- print medium require machines or hardware for
their use e.g. a projector or micro-reader and because the hardware
are bulky, they cannot be carried about with ease. They also require
special preservation methods if they are to last (Special temperature
and humidity levels). Power supply is also required to make most of
the hardware work.

Lesson 3: Reference Sources and Services

References sources are library resources intended for consultation

only and not continuous reading. They are not shelved with the
regular collection and supply particular pieces of information.
Reference staff use them to answer directional, ready reference,
search and research queries. They may also exist as digital (CD-
ROM) or online forms.

Other characteristics of reference resources:

 Alphabetical or chronological arrangement of information for easy
retrieval
 They do not circulate (cannot be borrowed)
 May exist as multiple volumes
 May be general or specialized
 They are marked with ―REF‖ to indicate their location. This is
inscribed right under the call number and helps to differentiate it
from other materials.

For convenience, we can classify these resources into the following

groups.

Basic/background information sources: contain basic information on

subjects

1. Encyclopedia: An encyclopedia (also spelled encyclopaedia or

encyclopædia) gives a broad overview on either all branches of
knowledge (a general encyclopedia) or a particular branch of
knowledge i e. (subject encyclopedia. They are regarded as the
backbone of reference service. Encyclopedia entries are arranged
alphabetically by article name. Encyclopedia entries are longer and
more detailed than those in most dictionaries, unless for
encyclopaedic dictionaries. Unlike dictionary entries, which focus on
linguistic information about words, encyclopedia articles focus on
information to cover the subject/s. It is a good starting point for
research. An example of a general encyclopedia is the Encyclopedia
Britannica which consists of 32 volumes including 13 volumes of
Micropeadia or ready reference, 16 volumes for Macropedia , 1
volume of Propedia (Outline of Knowledge) and 2 volumes of index.
An e.g. of a subject encyclopedia is the McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of
Science & Technology. Encarta and Wikipedia are examples of online
encyclopedia. Encyclopedia are revised or updated as supplements or
yearbooks.

2. Dictionaries: A dictionary is an alphabetical listing of words with

their definitions and other features such as usages, etymologies
(history of the word), derivation, syllabification, phonetics,
pronunciations, and other information. Dictionaries are classified as
general-purpose dictionary, subject dictionary and special purpose
dictionary.
 General purpose dictionary: Oxford English dictionary
 Subject dictionary – Dictionary of Engineering, Dictionary of
genetic Engineering
 Special purpose dictionary – Dictionaries of slang, etymology (
history of words), thesaurus, bilingual or dual purpose dictionaries,
Oxford dictionary of quotations, Webster‘s Thesaurus, Dictionary of
slang
Dictionaries may be abridged (pocket dictionaries), encyclopaedic
(having a wide scope) or desk dictionary depending on its scope or
size. Other variations of dictionaries are:
 Lexicon : an alphabetical list of the words giving the vocabulary of a
particular subject area
 Glossary- usually attached to the end of a book, a list of difficult
terms in the book and their definitions in that context.

Fact/ready reference sources

These are required for the commonest queries raised by the user e.g.
―Who is the president of Norway?‖ or ―What is the capital of Finland‖
?

3. Directories: This is an alphabetical list of residents, organizations,

businesses or professionals in a geographical area and their contact
information. They are used to locate or verify (the names) and
addresses of individuals , organizations and institutions. It also
includes their addresses, affiliations, telephone numbers and other
contact information. Some examples of directories are:
 Directory of directories
 Yellow pages: trade directories like a directory of publishers or
automobile engineers
 Business directory
 Educational directory: World of learning, World List of Universities
 Telephone directories

4. Handbooks, Manuals/ How to books and guides: Provides

information on all aspects of a given subject in a concise manner. It is
usually written for practitioners, they serve as a handy guide to a
particular subject. Large amounts of information or knowledge on
subjects are compressed into a smaller volume/ volumes. They are
usually heavily illustrated. Manuals are especially useful in
explaining how to operate machines E.g. The Smartcard Handbook,
Macmillan Guide to Trees etc.

5. Yearbooks and almanacs: A yearbook is an annual record that

highlights, and commemorates the past year of a school or
institution. The term may also refer to a book of statistics or facts
published annually. An almanac is an annual publication and
includes a comprehensive presentation of statistical and descriptive
data covering the entire world or some geographical area, discussions
of topical developments and a summary of recent historical events.
E.g. Whitaker‘s Almanack, TIME Almanac with Information Please,
World Almanac and Book of Facts, Guinness Book of Records,
Statesman‘s Yearbook. Other major topics covered by almanacs are
geography, government, demographics, agriculture, economics and
business, health and medicine, religion, mass media, transportation,
science and technology, sport, and awards/prizes.
Literature search tools are bibliographic retrieval tool used to
identify relevant information sources. They can be used to build up a
collection and verify incomplete or inaccurate data.

6. Indexes: An index is a guide to all documents relevant to a

particular subject irrespective of the format. The bibliographical
information is arranged alphabetically, giving full bibliographic
information. Types of indexes include:
 Book indexes- found at the end of books
 Periodical indexes – for periodicals like magazines
 Newspapers indexes – created for newspapers
 Citation indexes- that appear at the end of journal articles

7. Abstracts: An abstract can be referred as a true surrogate of a

document. An abstract is different from an index in that it offers a
summary alongside bibliographical information. It is often used to
help the reader quickly ascertain the paper‘s purpose and relevance.
Abstracts may be merely descriptive or evaluative. E.g. Dissertation
Abstract International, Chemical Abstracts
8. Bibliographies: A bibliography means ( Information about books-
derived from the Greek words ‖biblio‖ and ―graphien‖. It may mean
cited sources at the end of a book but as separate works, they may be
in bound volumes. They list in systematic order (alphabetically,
chronologically or by format) materials relevant to a particular
subject. They supply bibliographical data –author, title ,date of
publication, etc. of these materials Bibliographic works differ in the
amount of detail provided depending on their purpose, and can be
generally divided into two categories: enumerative bibliography,
which results in an overview of publications in a particular category,
and analytical or critical bibliography. Other types of bibliography
are: national bibliography, trade bibliography or publisher‘s
catalogue, bibliography of bibliographies and subject bibliographies.
Bibliographies may also be current or retrospective depending on the
time span it covers
Geographical sources give information about places and physical
locations like tows, cities, geographical features e.g. ‗Where are
Haiti‘? ‗What is the height of the Kilimanjaro‖
9. Atlases: An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a map of
Earth or a region of Earth, but there are atlases of the other planets
(and their satellites) in the solar system. Atlases have traditionally
been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia
formats. In addition to presenting geographic features and political
boundaries, many atlases often feature geopolitical, social, religious
and economic statistics and current affairs. .Eg. Times Atlas of the
World, Atlas of Nigeria
10. Gazetteers: A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary used in
conjunction with a map or a full atlas. It typically contains
information concerning the geographical makeup of a country, region,
or continent as well as the social statistics and physical features,
such as mountains, waterways, or roads. Examples of information
provided by gazetteers include the location of places, dimensions of
physical features, population, GDP, literacy rate, etc. Arrangement is
alphabetical. Example: Columbia Gazetteer of the World, Merriam-
Webster‘s Geographical Dictionary.

12. Travel guides or Traveller‘s guidebook is a book for tourists or

travellers that provide details about a geographic location, tourist
destination, or itinerary. It is the written equivalent of a tour guide.
Many travel guides now take the form of travel websites rather than
printed books. It will usually include details such as phone numbers,
addresses, prices and reviews of hotels and other lodgings,
restaurants, places of interest and activities. Maps of varying detail
are often included. Sometimes historical and cultural information is
also incuded. E.g. Nigerian Hotel and Travel guide.
Biographical sources give information about people living or dead

13. Who‘s Who or Who is Who are biographical dictionaries or

directories. They contain concise biographical information on a
particular group of people e.g. medical doctors. They respond to
queries such as ―Who is Lord Lugard?‖ ―How many books has Chinua
Achebe written?‖. It may be current or retrospective. A retrospective
version is about dead or deceased people and is called ―Who was
Who‖ .
14. Biographies: A biography is a detailed description or account of
someone‘s life and the times. A biography is includes details like
education, work, relationships, a biography presents a subject‘s story,
highlighting various aspects of his or her life, including intimate
details of experiences, and may include an analysis of the subject‘s
personality. An autobiography is written by the subject himself.

Lesson 4: Serials /Periodicals

Serial material as sources of information are unique because of the following
characteristics:
 Issued periodically at regular intervals it could be daily, weekly, monthly
annually etc.
 They are up-to-date and current
 Supplements to book materials
 Issued as volumes and numbers
 Content are referred to as articles, not chapter
 ISSN (International Standard Serial number) is the standardized reference
number used for serial materials of all types
 Index to periodicals are used to search for information in periodicals
 Catalogue cabinet used for serial material is called kardex.

Some notable search tools for periodicals Ulrich International Periodical

Directory, Nigerian periodicals index, newspaper indexes e.g. Times index and
citation indexes for journals. Newspapers and magazines contain information
for a more general public, while journals are for a more specialized audience
(professionals) are good sources for research.
 lesson 5: Organization of Knowledge
• Classification schemes: The purpose of classification /Different
schemes
i. Library of Congress Classification Scheme
ii. Dewey Decimal Classification scheme
iii. Universal Decimal classification scheme
• Forms of Catalogue
i. Book catalogue
ii. Card catalogue
iii. OPAC
iv. Machine Readable Catalogues (MARC)
• Types of catalogue
i. Dictionary
ii. Divided
iii. Classified catalogue
iv. Union Catalogue
• Typical catalogue card

Organization and retrieval of knowledge in the library – Classification

Schemes
The principle of organisation is to arrange library resources in a
manner that will facilitate easy access and retrieval when users need
these resources. Classification implies that knowledge is organised in
a systematic order of subjects. Classification ensures that library
materials with similar subjects are kept together.
Library Classification Schemes
1. Library of Congress Classification Scheme: Knowledge is broken
into 21 classes under this scheme from A-Z. It is an alphanumeric
scheme – a mixed notation consisting of alphabet(s) and numbers.
Each class is also subdivided to capture all aspects of the subject in
question.
Relevant Classes

A-General works
G – Geography
H – Social science (and Management)
N- Fine Arts
Q- Science
QA- mathematics
QB – Astronomy
QC – Physics
QD – Chemistry
QE – Geology
QH – Natural History and Biology
QK – Botany
QL – Zoology
QM – Human anatomy
QP – Physiology
QR- Microbiology
S- Agriculture
T- Technology
TA – Engineering general/ Civil engineering
TC- Hydraulics engineering, harbours, rivers, canal
TG – Bridge and roof engineering
TH – Building, fire prevention and extinction
TN- mining engineering
TK – Electrical engineering and industries
R- Medicine
Z- Library Science/ Bibliography

Division and sub-division:

T- Engineering
TN- Mining engineering
263 mineral deposits or 270 prospecting
Class mark for a book on mineral deposits will be TN 263

Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme (DDC) use number notations

and the decimal number system. DDC is used in small libraries and
divides knowledge into 10 broad classes ranging from 000-999. DDC
was introduced by American librarian and library educator Melvil
Dewey in 1873 while he was a student at Amherst College in
Massachusetts. DDC is expansive (can accommodate many subject
classes and sub-classes) and also hierarchical in the relationship of
these classes and subclasses The ten primary classes are as follows:
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy and psychology
200 Religion
300 Social sciences
400 Language
500 Natural sciences and mathematics
600 Technology (applied sciences)
700 The arts; fine and decorative arts
800 Literature and rhetoric
900 Geography and history
The Dewey Decimal Classification is based on multiples of ten. Thus,
each of the ten main classes has the potential to be broken down into
smaller multiples of ten. For example, class 500 (natural sciences and
mathematics) has the following subclasses:

500 Natural sciences

510 Mathematics
520 Astronomy and allied sciences
530 Physics
540 Chemistry and allied sciences
…

Each of these classes may then be further divided. For example, the
subclasses of 540 are as follows:
540 Chemistry and applied sciences
541 Physical and theoretical chemistry
542 Techniques, equipment, and materials
543 Analytical chemistry
544 Qualitative analysis
…
548 Crystallography
549 Mineralogy
Each of these classes may be divided ten additional times and those
ten more times, and so forth. At each step of the hierarchy, one
additional number from 1 to 9 is added to the length of the notation.
Thus, class 500 (natural sciences and mathematics) has subclass 540
(chemistry and applied sciences); a subclass of 540 is 541 (physical
and theoretical chemistry), a subclass of 541 is 541.3 (physical
chemistry), and so on.

Universal Decimal Classification

Another major classification system is the Universal Decimal
Classification (UDC) and based on the Dewey Decimal Classification,
the Universal Decimal Classification combines notation to express
multiple concepts. For example, 940(=395) indicates a work on the
history of Vikings in Europe—940 is the top-level notation
designating a work on the history of Europe, and 395 is the bottom-
level notation denoting a study of Vikings.The major purpose of the
Universal Decimal Classification is to identify the content of
documents.
The Catalogue
Library resources or information carriers such as books, files,
periodicals and even audiovisual resources need to be made available
or accessible to users and this is done through retrieval tools like the
catalogue.
The catalogue is a list of the library holdings. The catalogue serves
the following functions:
 It provides a complete bibliographic list of every item in the library
 To identify and locate a particular document or item in a collection
 To bring together all related material in a collection
 To enable the user to evaluate and select relevant titles among
many entries
 It describes the collection
 It provides author, edition and publication (bibliographic detail)
information
 It provides subject information
Types of catalogue
This refers to the ways in which a catalogue may be arranged:

i. Dictionary Catalogue: the catalogue records here are arranged in

one long alphabetical (A-Z) order that includes author, title and
subject.
ii. Divided Catalogue: This type catalogue divides the catalogue
records into two. 1. Author and title and 2. Subject. They are also
arranged alphabetically in each of the cabinets. It is flexible and easy
to manage and use.
iii. Classified catalogue: This catalogue is arranged according to the
class mark. The Shelf list is a classified catalogue
iv. Union Catalogue: This type of catalogue is a shared between more
than one library separated geographically. Each of the co-operating
libraries has access to the catalogue and the contents of their various
libraries.

The cataloguing process involves:

 Descriptive cataloguing: bibliographic data of the material like the
author, publisher, place of publication, number of pages etc are
indicated on the 5‖ by 3‖ card or other form of catalogue
 Subject cataloguing: Subjects that describe the content of the book
are also indicated on the card. These subjects are derived from the
subject heading
 Classification: Class marks from the schedules are used to identify
the material. The class mark corresponds with the subject content.
 Assigning author mark or cutter number using the cutter author
table.

The call number is a combination of the class mark and an

alphanumeric (consisting of both letters and numbers) notation (the
author mark)that usually represents the surname of the author and a
unique number assigned to that name or the initial letter of the first
word of the title.

The cataloguing and classification process is carried out in FUTA

library using these tools: The Library of Congress Subject Heading
(LCSH), Library of Congress Schedule and the Cutter table.

Forms of Catalogue
i. Book catalogue: Old, inflexible and outdated but cheap and
portable. May still be used for a small collection
ii. Card catalogue: Commonest catalogue form. The card is a 3‖ by 5‖
card, which is used to describe library materials in a collection, they
(cards) are then arranged alphabetically to make retrieval easy. They
are housed on trays and fixed in a cabinet systematically. Each book
or library material may have several cards representing it because
the catalogue card takes care of various access points: namely the
author or authors, the title, the subjects, the class mark and the
series if any. This is because the user who is not on the shelves yet
may decide to check up a book from any of the access points. It is easy
to maintain and flexible.

iii. OPAC: Online Public Access Catalogue is a computerized

catalogue system. A number of computer programmes e.g. SLAM,
GLAS, X-LIB, ALICE for Windows, CDIS/ISIS are used to manage
the database. In FUTA Library SLAM, which means Strategic
Library Automation Management is used to manage the OPAC.
OPAC is modern, user friendly and efficient but may be expensive. It
can be accessed remotely because it is a networked system, so it is
highly accessible.

iv. Machine Readable Catalogues (MARC): This catalogue may be

stored on micro format or CD ROM.

Types of catalogue
Typical catalogue card and its elements

main entry catalogue card

A main entry card and added entry cards are made for each book to
cover all the access points – author(s), series, title, subjects and class
mark.

USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) IN THE

LIBRARY (LIBRARY AUTOMATION)

formation and Communication Technology (ICT) has transformed

library services globally. Most current information are recorded in
electronic format, ICT has also contributed immensely to the
performance of librarians in the discharge of their duties such as in
cataloguing, reference services, circulation management, serials
control etc. ICT has contributed to the library in the following specific
ways.

Library management softwares

Libraries utilize softwares designed to manage different library
routines and processes. Most of these softwares are integrated and
have modules for the different activities or tasks carried out in the
library like cataloguing, statistics , acquisition processes, serials
control etc. Some examples of such softwares are CDS/ISIS, GLAS,
ALICE for Windows, X-Lib and SLAM. SLAM is used in the
University Library FUTA and stands for (Strategic Library
Automation Management).
OPAC: This means Online Public Access Catalogue and is the
computerized version of the library catalogue or a database of the
library holdings. The advantage of the OPAC over manual methods is
ease of use and the fact that it saves space. It provides access to the
catalogues of a library on the local intranet, extranet or even the
internet.
Office Operations: Word processing, accounting,, database
management and communication through e-mail are all enabled in
the library through ICT.
Networking: Library users can access information of various types
such as online databases, e-journals, e- books, government
publications digitally through networked systems. Access may be
allowed online remotely through the internet or intranets.
Electronic Document Delivery: Libraries may not rely anymore on
postal services to send documents to users or carry out interlibrary
lending. Libraries send documents through electronic networks that
can deliver documents in various formats e.g PDF straight to users‘
desktops.
Online user education or tutorials: Libraries can use the internet or CD
–ROMS to educate their users or carry out information literacy
programmes. Virtual tours can be offered online making user
education more convenient for all.
E-reference services: Some services such as SDI (Selective
dissemination of information) or Current Awareness Services (CAS)
and virtual reference desks, announcements of new acquisitions and
other reader advisory services can be made easier through the
internet. Users can have online interaction with the reference staff.
Library cooperation and resource sharing: A central union catalogue can
be better managed through ICT, thus libraries can create and share
bibliographic records and other information resources in digital
format.
Institutional Repositories: Institutional repositories are publications
that originate locally from within the university community such as
theses, dissertations, reports, conference papers and seminar papers.
ICT has made it possible not only to provide better access to these
resources but also to ensure the preservation of the resources.
E- libraries: Digital libraries depend on information recorded on
digital formats like CD-ROMS. Virtual libraries are libraries that do
not exist in physical space or structure but can be accessed via
networks. E.g. The Nigerian Virtual Library.
Social Media Networks: Social media networks like twitter, facebbok
and linkedIn, are some interactive internet services that are
presently serving as communication forum for librarians and their
uses. These networks can be deployed for educational uses.
Discussion groups, listserves and communities also assist library
services
E- mails: This is a means of communication between the library and
the users.
Library websites: A medium of communication for libraries to their
users. It is also used to promote the library and publicise it.
Online searching: searching of of online databases like AGORA, ERIC.
Browsing and surfing the internet through search engines,
metasearch engines and subject directories to supplement library
sources
Advantages of Using ICT in the library
• ICT makes library work easier, faster, cheaper and more effective.
• Helps to manage information overload as information retrieval is
made easier in computerized systems.
• Remote access is enabled through networked systems
• Computerization saves space and reduces paper.
Challenges of using ICT in libraries
• Poor funding of ICT infrastructures
• Constant change of software and hardware
• Erratic power supply
• Insufficient bandwidth
• Lack of technical IT knowledge by library staff
• Copyright and intellectual property rights management

INTERNET TUTORIALS:
Your basic guide to the internet understanding the World Wide Web
This tutorial covers the basics of the World Wide Web, focusing on its
technical aspects. After all, the Web is a technological phenomenon.
Therefore it‘s useful to understand some of the fundamentals of how
it works.
The world wide web is a system of Internet servers that supports
hypertext and multimedia to access several Internet protocols on a
single interface. The World Wide Web is often abbreviated as the web
or www.
The World Wide Web was developed in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee of
the European Particle Physics Lab (CERN) in Switzerland. The
initial purpose of the Web was to use networked hypertext to
facilitate communication among its members, who were located in
several countries.
Protocols of the Web
The surface simplicity of the Web comes from the fact that many
individual protocols can be contained within a single Web site.
Internet protocols are sets of rules that allow for intermachine
communication on the Internet. These are a few of the protocols you
can experience on the Web:
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol): transmits hyptertext over
networks.
E-mail (Simple Mail Transport Protocol or SMTP): distributes e-mail
messages and attached files to one or more electronic mailboxes.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol): transfers files between an FTP server
and a computer, for example, to download software.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol): allows delivery of voice
communications over IP networks, for example, phone calls.
Hypertext and links: the motion of the Web
The operation of the Web relies primarily on hypertext as its means
of information retrieval. HyperText is a document containing words
that connect to other documents. These words are called links and
are selectable by the user. A single hypertext document can contain
links to many documents. In the context of the Web, words or
graphics may serve as links to other documents, images, video, and
sound. Links may or may not follow a logical path, as each connection
is created by the author of the source document. Overall, the Web
contains a complex virtual web of connections among a vast number
of documents, images, videos, and sounds.
Producing hypertext for the Web is accomplished by creating
documents with a language called hypertext markup language, or
html. With HTML, tags are placed within the text to accomplish
document formatting, visual features such as font size, italics and
bold, and the creation of hypertext links.
Pages on the Web
The backbone of the World Wide Web are its files, called pages or
Web pages, containing information and links to resources – both text
and multimedia – throughout the Internet.
Access to Web pages can be accomplished in all sorts of ways,
including:
1. Entering a Web address into your browser and retrieving a page
directly
2. Browsing through sites and selecting links to move from one page
to another both within and beyond the site
3. Doing a search on a search engine to retrieve pages on the topic of
your choice (See: The World of Search Engines)
4. Searching through directories containing links to organized
collections of Web pages (See: The World of Subject Directories)
5. Clicking on links within e-mail messages
6. Using apps on social networking sites or your mobile phone to
access Web and other online content
7. Retrieving updates via RSS feeds and clicking on links within
these feeds (See: RSS Basics).
Retrieving files on the Web: the URL and Domain Name System
URL stands for uniform resource locator (or global address sic). The
URL specifies the Internet address of a file stored on a host
computer, or server, connected to the Internet. Web browsers use the
URL to retrieve the file from the server.
Underlying the functionality of a URL is a base numeric address that
points to the computer that hosts the file. This numeric address is
called the IP (internet protocol) address. The host portion of a URL is
translated into its corresponding IP address using the domain name
system (DNS).
For example, the DNS translates http://www.microsoft.com into the IP
address 207.46.19.254.
Every file on the Internet, no matter what its protocol, has a unique
URL. Each URL points to a specific file located in a specific directory
on the host machine. This is the format of a URL:
protocol://host/path/filename = http://www.senate.gov/general/capcam.htm
This URL is typical of addresses hosted in domains in the United
States. The structure of this URL is shown below.
1. Protocol: http
2. Host computer name: www
3. Second-level domain name: senate
4. Top-level domain name: gov
5. Directory name: general
6. File name: capcam.htm
Domains
.com commercial enterprise
.edu educational institution
.gov U.S. government entity
.mil U.S. military entity
.net network access provider
.org usually non-profit organization
.ng country code for Nigeria
.uk country code for United Kingdom
Applications (apps)
Applications, commonly called apps, are small programs that run
within various online environments. These programs allow you to
enjoy functionalities that enhance your experience within that
environment.
Social networking sites often make use of apps. For example,
Facebook is well-known for featuring thousands of apps created by
Facebook or outside developers. These apps allow you to play games,
shop, form issues-based communities, find family or classmates, etc.
Source: http://www.internettutorials.net/www.asp
Other Internet terms
Websites: is a set of related web pages containing content such as
text, images, video, audio, etc. A website is hosted on at least one web
server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private
local area network through an Internet address known as a Uniform
Resource Locator. All publicly accessible websites collectively
constitute the World Wide Web.
Web Browsers: A web browser is an application software or
programme designed to enable users access, retrieve and view
documents and other resources on the internet. E.g. Mozilla Firefox,
Google chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari.
Web Search engines : is designed to search for information on the
World Wide Web. The search results are generally presented in a line
of results often referred to as search engine results pages e.g Google,
Yahoo, Alta Vista, Excite, Ask.com, Maama, Devil finder
Discussion groups: an online forum for individuals to discuss various
topics amongst each other. People add their comments by posting a
block of text to the group. Others can then comment and respond.
Discussion groups include web-based forums, bulletin boards,
listservs, electronic mailing lists, and newsgroups.
Social Media Networks: refers to the means of interactions among
people in which they create, share, exchange and comment contents
among themselves in virtual communities and networks.E.g.
Wikipedia, blogs, Facebooks, twitter, Linked In, Youtube
Blogs: is a discussion or informational site published on the World
Wide Web and consisting of posts typically displayed in reverse
chronological order the most recent post appears first. Class blogs
and wikis: There are a variety of Web 2.0 tools that are currently
being implemented in the classroom. Blogs allow for students to
maintain a running dialogue, such as a journal, thoughts, ideas, and
assignments that also provide for student comment and reflection.
Wikis are more group focused to allow multiple members of the group
to edit a single document and create a truly collaborative and
carefully edited finished product.

SEARCH STRATEGY AND REPORT WRITING

 A search strategy is a systematic plan for conducting a search.
In fact, a little time spent in formulating a search strategy will both
save the researcher/writer time and produce better results.

Steps in a search strategy

1. Define the problem by identifying the important concepts of the
search (task definition). There may be need to consult subject
dictionaries and encyclopedias and discuss the project with the
supervisor to understand the problem better.
2. Choose key words that describe the concepts , they may be
synonyms, related terms or other variations of the keywords
3. Using information retrieval tools (literature search tools) like
abstracts , indexes, the catalogue or search engines, try to locate
suitable materials on the assignment. The search should cover a
variety of information sources – textbooks, websites, journals,
newspapers, reference materials etc.
4. Evaluate your search results for authoritativeness, currency and
accuracy etc
5. Prepare the references.
The above steps also embody the information literacy skills required
to solve information problems.

Report writing
Students may be required to produce written reports as part of their
course.A report is an example of an information problem. A report
aims to inform and has the following characteristics:
• formal style
• introduction, body and conclusion
• analytical thinking
• careful proof-reading and neat presentation
A report has the following sections
• Title page
• Table of contents
• Executive summary/abstract
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion
• Recommendations
• References
Referencing
One of the most important aspects of academic writing is making use
of the ideas of other people thus at the end of a report a writer must
include a reference list. A reference list is an alphabetical list of all
the sources actually quoted or cited in the document. Citations are
used to refer the reader to another work mentioned or quoted inside
the text of the report or dissertation to illustrate a point or confirm
an idea. A bibliography on the other hand is an alphabetical list of
sources or references on a particular topic. Bibliographies indicate
further reading or additional information sources on the topic of the
report and is included at the end of the text after the list of
references.
There are a number of standard styles used to acknowledge research
sources such as MLA, Chicago Manual of Style and American
Psychological Association (APA) style which is the familiar method in
the university.
Within the text, a book or article is cited by the author‘s surname and
year of publication. It is very important when quoting any
idea/writing to use the writers own words, unless you are quoting. It
must be clear when the words or ideas being used are the writers and
when they are taken from another writer.

Use of another person‘s words or ideas as if they were one‘s own is

called plagiarism and is regarded as a very serious offence. In report
writing the writer is expected to put forth his/ her own ideas,
however sometimes it is necessary to cite others researchers or
writers to show one‘s level of familiarity with the subject. it also
guards against plagiarism. Referencing helps the reader follow up
any work mentioned in the text if the reader is interested. The reader
can trace the work using the bibliographic data supplied in the
reference. It guarantees the authoritativeness of the work to some
extent.
This is done by reporting the works of others in one‘s own words in
the following ways:
Paraphrasing : this involves restating in writer‘s words what is
written in the source.

Summarising: this involves condensing the essential or important

ideas in the source in a few short statements.

Direct quotation: some parts of a writing may be quoted directly, but

they must either be enclosed in quotation marks if they are short or
indented if longer.

Don‘t load the paper with quotations, if more than a quarter of your
essay or paper consists of quotations, the assessor might get the
impression that the writer has no ideas of his own.
In all cases you need to acknowledge other people‘s work.

APA Referencing
Books
1. Weedon , C. ( 1999) Feminism, Theory and Politics of
Difference, Oxford, Blackwell.
2. Ajala V. (2001). Public Relations: in Search of
Professional Excellence 2nd edn. Ibadan, Maybest
Publications.
Journals
1. Bassey B.A. (2006). User Satisfaction with Services
in three Academic Libraries in Cross Rivers State:
a Comparative Study. Gateway Library Journal 9
(2):21-29
Websites
1. Kinley, W. (2011). Public Relations Practices in
American Libraries.http://www.ter.org.uk
/fs10/further.htm. Accessed 15 December, 2011
E-journals
Miller,K. (2010). Environmental literacy and green volunteer
opportunities for your community. Public libraries online
32 (3) . http:// http://www.publiclibrariesonline.org. Accessed 13
October , 2010.

USING THE LIBRARY

Rules and regulations: Read the Library Guide

Preservation of Library materials
The reason behind conservation and preservation practices of library
materials is to protect the expensive resources and make them
available to a good number users. Knowledge of conservation and
preservation prolongs the life of materials and guides against
deterioration.
Causes of damage to Library materials
 Mutilation: this refers to deliberate removal of parts of library
materials by delinquent users. Instead of mutilation, it would be
more responsible to photocopy or borrow
 Defacing: marking
 Natural disasters: flooding
 Dust, uncontrolled temperature, high humidity
 Excessive sunlight
 Pests : avoid eating in the library
 Excessive photocopying: weakens the spine
 Poor quality paper: high acidic content
 Folding
Conservation/ preservation practices
 Air conditioning in high temperature areas
 Ventilation
 Dusting
 Avoid eating in the library
 Fumigation to deal with pests
 Proper handling and storage
 Disaster management e.g. Insurance
 Reformation by photocopying, microfilming and digitisation
User education.
IFEKITAN for FUTA AMEBO