EVALUATION OF COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES IN SELECTED LIBRARIES IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

BY

ADEDEJI, A.F.

FEBRUARY, 2016

ABSTRACT

Libraries, as institutions saddled with the responsibility of catering for the information needs of their clients, must achieve their goals in this information age and this is only possible through balanced collections, which are responsive to such needs. Therefore, libraries must endeavor to develop collection of information resources, which will be rich in quality and quantity. This paper evaluates the collection development practices of selected libraries in Kwara State, Nigeria. The study population comprised 23 librarians who were purposively selected from academic, special and public libraries in Kwara State and data were collected using the questionnaire and interview. The analysis of data collected was based on descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages. Challenges such as inadequate funding, absence of written collection development policies and diverse information needs of users affect collection development practices of these libraries. Recommendations based on the findings of this study were highlighted in this paper.

Keywords: Libraries, Collection development practices, Kwara State, Nigeria.