Five Decades of Nigerian University Libraries: A Review

This paper reviews the growth of Nigerian university libraries from 1948 when the first university institution was established in the country up to 1998. Issues relating to their governance, funding, physical facilities, staffing, services and application of IT are reviewed through the literature. The paper concludes that there has been considerable quantitative growth in the number of university libraries over this period. The qualitative aspects relating to funding, stock, physical facilities and application of IT, however, leave much to be desired owing to the economic downturn the country has experienced in the last two decades. The paper recommends that the university sector, and by implication their libraries, should be better funded. Access to foreign exchange for timely acquisition of books and journals is considered very important as over 80% of the tertiary level book needs of the country are met by imported literature.