Here the user is faced with a research topic that requires comprehensive reference sources in order to

provide literature review. In addition, the library may refer the user to experts in the field.

Vertical files

This is to enable the library to know the nature of user’s queries and get adequately prepared to answer them in future.

Current Awareness Services

The purpose of current awareness service is to keep users abreast with up to date information in their specialized field of interest. The reference librarians achieve this, by collating all latest documents and by using user’s profile, sends them through telephone calls, e-mail, scan etc to users. Materials such as preprints of papers, photocopy of table of contents, periodicals routings, library bulletins, can be sent to users. Current awareness service is not a personalized service, thus information provided to users is in broad subject categories without necessary targeting a user.

Information can be provided on journals, books, conference proceedings, theses and dissertations, newspapers, and magazines. Inter Library Loan Service Resource sharing and collaboration is one of the new trends in librarianship. A library may not be able to meet the information needs of all its users due to limited resources. Any user in need of any material that is not available in his library, informs the reference librarian who in turn loans such a material from any collaborating library for the user.

Libraries go into partnership and collaboration to enable them share resources. Such resources must be returned by the reference librarian on or before the date due.

Lending Services 12

The librarian at the circulation section of the library is responsible for charging and discharging of library resources. He will provide information in this regard to the users. For example, only registered library  users can borrow books and other library resources. Also, potential library users are required to register before being permitted to use the library.

Registration of clientele may be manual, or computer based. There is a slip that all books available for loan carry in the library. This slip is pasted at the loose leave at the back of every book in the library. A Date-Due-Slip usually contains the author’s name title of the book, date due, accessioning number, and call mark.

24th August, 2017

Date-Due-Slip The length of time a book can be borrowed depends on the library’s policy. The number of books and the duration of time a book can be borrowed differ with students and staff. He can search by subject, title or author etc. the class mark indicates the location of the book on the shelf. Once the book is retrieved from the shelf, the user can now go straight to the circulation desk with it for charging.

If the user keeps the book after expiration date, at return, he must pay the fine of N100 per day. The first daily task of the circulation department is the shelving of all books consulted by library users the previous day. The library users usually advised to leave consulted books on the reading tables and in the carrels. The circulation staff is expected to gather these books first thing in the morning, while statistics is taken of the books consulted by users.

These shelves are usually labeled at the outer sides’ front and by the sides according to subjects.

Reservation Service

Personal books from lecturers can be kept for their students in the reserve collection room.