Preservation practices in university libraries in South-West Nigeria

Abstract

In the dynamic landscape of academic libraries, preserving knowledge and cultural heritage for the future generations is paramount. This study examined preservation practices in South-West Nigeria's public university libraries. A survey was conducted among 536 library personnel drawn from 14 public University libraries in South-West Nigeria. The sample size was determined using Krejcie and Morgan formula/table. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 224 respondents. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire with a return rate of 185 (82.6%). Simple percentages mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study revealed that middling preservation practices such as proper shelving (x̅= 3.47), regular cleaning (x̅ = 3.43) etc. and minimal preservation practices which include implementation of disaster control management (x̅= 3.52), regular building maintenance (x̅= 3.40) etc. were adopted by the libraries more than optimal preservation practices. Furthermore, the result also revealed that mass de-acidification (x̅=1.91) grouped under optimal preservation practices was not adopted in most public University libraries in South-West Nigeria. The result also revealed that inadequate skilled preservation administrators (x̅=3.45), absence of effective preservation practices (x̅= 3.39) etc. were the obstacles to effective preservation practices while lack of partnership with other institution (x̅= 2.09) is not part of the obstacles. The study recommended that library management should provide the necessary support to improve preservation practices, aligning with their mission of advancing knowledge through teaching and research in these libraries.