ABSTRACT
This research is on a study of security challenges and crime
prevention in university libraries in Edo State. The researcher adopted Ambrose
Alli University, Ekpoma and Benson Idahosa University, Benin City as a case
stuffy. To guide this study, six research questions were formulated. The total
enumeration techniques was adopted for the study since the population size is
small. Hence the total population of 94 library staff was selected for the
study. Questionnaire were designed and was administered to the respondents so
as to generate data for the study. The data gathered was analyzed using tables
and simple percentage. The findings revealed that insecurity and crime in
academic library have resulted in low patronage by library users and drastic
reduction of library materials to a very high extent. Text books, reference
materials, serials materials, religious materials, graphical materials etc are
vulnerable to security and crime in academic library and this have resulted in
drastic reduction of library resources. It was recommended that the government
alongside the school authorities should furnish libraries with sufficient
volumes of quality, knowledge-enhancing and sought-after materials for students
to access at all time; electronic security system like Close Circuit Television
(CCTV) should be installed in academic libraries and users should be thoroughly
searched before entering and leaving the premises.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
Libraries
are institutions set up to cater for the educational, cultural, research,
recreational and information needs of their users. Libraries have the main
objectives of being entrusted with the selection, acquisition, organisation,
storage and dissemination of information to their patrons. In medicine,
prevention is better than cure, and also in libraries good preventive measures
particularly of storage, security and crime should be on alert so as to prevent
damage and missing of books. The art of prevention is as old as human
civilization. Since the innovation of writing, mankind has been faced with the
problem of prevention. Documents have
been existed in one form or the other and it is natural for man to attempt to
secure, manage and prevent them from deterioration (Edoka, 2000).
Libraries
have been seen as one of the pillars of civilization no nation can function
effectively without the use of library. The word “library” is derived from a
Latin word “liber” which means a book. This is a good reason to believe that
the root concept of library is deeply embedded in our ways of thinking about
the world and coping with its constraints. In its primary role as guardian of
the social memory, there are many parallels with the ways in which the human
memory orders, stores and retrieves the information necessary for survival.
Alokun (2003) affirm that “libraries are essentially established to cater for
the information needs of different categories of users which covers different
aspects of life, such as political, economical, social and cultural aspects”.
Udensi
and Sadiku (2005) defined academic libraries as “library attached to
institution of higher learning or tertiary institution such as universities,
colleges of education, polytechnics and colleges of technologies”. An academic
library, being a complex institution must have large quantities of materials to
meet the demands of the numerous students, lecturers and faculty officers;
therefore there is need to protect the materials in the library form factors such
as theft, mutilation, deterioration. The threat to intellectual property
through theft, mutilation and other form of abuse has been posed tremendous
challenge to the library profession worldwide. According to Aziagba (2008),
incidents of theft, non-return of materials and mutilation of library stock are
on the increase. These unwanted acts need a serious tackle in academic
libraries.
Libraries
in the universities and other tertiary institutions play an important role to
students, lecturers and researchers within the institution. It enables its
users gain access to a wide range of
information resources which help to facilitate learning, teaching and
research. Benson Idahosa University
library and Ambrose Alli University library were also establish to meet the
needs of users within the university. However,
one major challenge of above libraries have been faced with is security
problems, that is, how to secure their valuable resources collected over time
and prevention of resources from mutilation and theft within the library. It
was observe by the researcher that the state of these library resources are
getting worse by the day; as theft and mutilation is on the increase by the
day. Although measures have been put in place to handle these problems, but there
seems to be problems as librarians in Ambrose Alli University and Benson
Idahosa University often don’t carry out proper check on users if they took
materials/books that are not borrowed from the library.
According
to Anunobi and Okoye (2008) who opined that academic libraries are faced with
challenge of security management for prevention of theft of print and non-print
resources in the academic libraries.
There is need for academic libraries to ensure accessibility and
effective use to make an effective program of collection security necessary.
This programme must include assessment of collection security management for
prevention of incessant book thefts are the measures use in curbing security
infringement. Material theft is identified as the most common crime in
libraries, one which has been on the increase for many years. Theft and
conscious damage of books are difficult to combat because the risk of getting
caught is very low, while the likelihood of success is high. Criminal
activities in academic libraries are not limited to library information
materials alone but theft of properties such as handbags, purses, calculators
and notebooks are equally common. The extent, nature and rate at which these crimes
occur vary from one academic library to another.
The
crimes, which are committed by some users of the academic libraries, have
deprived many others from fully achieving their information needs. Vandalism,
mutilation, defacement, theft, arson, etc. are problem regularly encountered by
the users of these libraries. Libraries adopt various types of charging system,
such as Brown charging system, etc. some libraries have computerised their
charging system to make their operations faster. Whichever system a library
adopts, it is one of the means of detecting stolen books since dues dates are
always in the data due ship of each book borrowed. Although most academic
libraries have library committees which assist in regulating the activities of
the library, only very little is done on security and crime prevention in
libraries.
The
goals of the security system in the libraries is to provide a safe and secure
capability for library employees, library resources and equipment and library
patrons. At the same time, the security system must perform these functions as
seamlessly as possible, without interfering with the library’s objective of
easily and simply providing patron services. This study explores security
management for prevention of book thefts in academic library and measure used
As information professional, we have a responsibility to mankind; to explore the possibilities of
findings method of securing, managing and preventing library and information
materials and to ensure their continued availability for as long as possible,
remembering that prevention is better than cure.
1.2 Statement of the Problems
Over
the years, many factors have been militating against security management in
library settings, these range from environmental factors such as temperature,
relative humidity, dust and light to natural disaster such as flood, fire,
earthquake and tornado. Equal important are the acts of user delinquency such
as theft, mutilation and bad attitudes towards library collections. In Ambrose
Alli University, Ekpoma and Benson Idahosa University Benin City libraries, the
management put in place some security measures to safeguard the security of the
library collections. The researcher observed that the measures seem to be
inadequate, leaving a yearning gap in meeting the security requirements of the
libraries. Literatures have also shown that academic librarians and other
library staffs who are supposed to implement the laid down rules and
regulations as a medium of reducing crime often contribute to the problems of
insecurity in the library.
A critical look at Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma and
Benson Idahosa University library Benin City, most libraries of institutions of
higher learning in Nigeria have similar problems of security challenges. It is
therefore essential to try to understand what libraries have done and are doing
to ensure the safety of their collection by evaluating the current conditions
under which they are housed and used. It is on this
premise that this study investigated the security risk management in selected
academic libraries in Edo State, Nigeria.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main objective is to examine a study of security
challenges and crime prevention in university libraries in Edo State.
Specifically the study is designed to:
1. Ascertain
the extent to which security and crime have affected materials in academic
libraries in Edo state.
2. Identify
information materials that are vulnerable to security and crime in Academic
libraries in Edo State
3. Determine
factors that are responsible for security and crime in Academic libraries in Edo State
4. Identify the effects of security and crime on
library processes in Academic libraries in Edo State
5. Determine
the strategies for combating security and crime in Academic libraries in Edo
State
1.4 Research Questions
This
study sought answers to the following questions.
1. To
what extent has security and crime affected materials in Academic libraries in
Edo State?
2. What
are the information materials that are vulnerable to security and crime in
Academic libraries in Edo State?
3. What are the main factors that are responsible
for security and crime in Academic libraries in Edo State?
4. What
are the effects of security and crime on information materials in Academic
libraries in Edo State?
5. What
are the strategies that could be used to address security and crime in Academic
libraries in Edo State?
1.5 Scope of Study
This
research is based on a study of security challenges and crime prevention in
university libraries in Edo State in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma and Benson
Idahosa library University, Benin City.
1.6 Significance
of Study
The
significance of this study is based on the need to improve the security
management for prevention of book theft of the Academic library, especially as
it relates to the research as well as to re-examine the roles of the university
library so as to achieve the stated objectives. Hence, the study becomes
valuable as its findings if used will help to rendering solutions to the
problems of security and crime management
for prevention of incessant book thefts, University libraries are not
always safe and secure places and they are facing a wide variety of security
concerns which includes the theft and mutilation of library materials. The
results of a number of library studies reported that most libraries in Edo
State are having problem with security management for prevention of library
information resources.
1.7 Conceptual Definition of Terms
Comparative:
Observation of the similarities or
dissimilarities between two or more branches of science or subjects of study.
Security:
protection of a person, building,
organization, or country against threats such as crime or attacks by foreign
countries.
Crime:
A crime is an act committed to omitted,
in violation of a public law, either forbidding or commanding it, a breach or
violation of some public right or duty due to a whole community, considered as
a community.
Prevention:
The act of stopping something from
happening or of stopping someone from doing something.
Challenges:
(The situation of being faced with)
something that needs great metal or physical effort in order to be done
successfully and therefore tests a person’s ability.
Academic
library: An academic library is a library that is
attached to a higher education institution which serves two complementary
purposes to support the school’s curriculum, and to support the research of the
university faculty and students.
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