CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Information and its effective and proper dissemination is a powerful force to reckon with in any nation. There will be no meaningful development in any nation if proper attention is not paid to libraries. Since researches birth new discoveries and inventions, it is a common place to have libraries as the incubating home of researchers, therefore, it logically follows that the invaluable roles that libraries play in the development of any nation cannot be overemphasized (Fabunmi and Folorunso 2009).
Generally, public libraries are seen as public goods. They are universities of the people since it gives access to every intending member of the public. Library’s Glossary Dictionary (1977) defined a public library as a library established by local, state or central government for the use of the general public. There are however, some individuals or organizations that establish library that offers services to the public free of charge and such libraries also provide educational, social and political information to people in a particular community. Olanlokun and Salisu (1993) viewed that public libraries are libraries set up to provide free but traditional service to everyone. A public library is a service oriented institution with set goals to be achieved within the resources made available by the parent institution, which is usually the government. In other words, a public library is primarily established to provide viable and revealed services to the entire members of the public. Public libraries in Nigeria have the same universal function of serving the general public by providing educational opportunities for self-development.
In order to realize the objective, the functions of public libraries therefore involve the acquisition, collection, organization, and dissemination of information available in the form of printed and non-printed materials for effective use. Users of public libraries are very many as they cut across all walks of life and also embrace illiterates, pensioners, children, adolescent, adults, farmers, physically challenged people etc. The public library is therefore the main arena through which the overall information resources in various areas of knowledge are made freely available to all members of the society irrespective of the age, sex, religion, cultural background and educational standard as well as political and social inclination.
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