Nigeria's library system is one of the largest in Africa. There are about 100 libraries in the country - public and private, university and school, urban and rural, large and small.

The history of librarianship in Nigeria goes back to the colonial period. In the second half of the 40s and 50s of the XX century. about a dozen libraries have appeared in the country1. Their creation was initiated by the British Council, which opened its office in Lagos in 1943. Branches of its libraries began to operate in three cities: in 1951 in Lagos (10 thousand volumes), in 1947 in Ibadan (15 thousand volumes), in 1950 in Kano (11,400 volumes). In 1955, the Library Council of the Eastern Region of Nigeria was organized (in the northern region - in 1953, in the western region - in 1958), whose competence included the creation, management, equipment and maintenance of libraries.

The University College of Ibadan began training librarians in 1948. Initially, two employees worked here, the Englishmen D. Forsyth and J. R. R. Tolkien. Harris, who later published the book " The Library of the University of Ibadan. Some notes on its discovery and activities" [Harris, 1968, 44 p.]. Three Nigerians-K. Okori, G. Nvikina, M. Oku - were sent to England to study the profession of librarian.

In 1963, a seminar in Ibadan, organized with the support of UNESCO, decided to establish a professional library association in West Africa. The West African Library Association (Harris, 2003, p.39) included libraries in Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria. However, as the importance of librarianship grew in each country, the association became difficult to manage, and its performance declined. Therefore, it was transformed into small library associations in Nigeria and Ghana.

Mobile libraries were introduced in Nigeria in the 1940s. Their activities are focused on serving the rural population, especially rural schoolchildren. On average, the trip took 13-14 days; three or four individual and collective readers were able to visit each day, each of whom, after paying a nominal fee, could receive up to 50 books of their choice. However, economic difficulties, lack of transport, lack of roads, and lack of qualified personnel made it difficult for mobile libraries to operate. Many of them have not received new books for several years. "Book hunger" was their main problem, especially with regard to children's literature. At the end of the 20th century, mobile libraries turned into special information centers, into some kind of "mobile information delivery systems".

With the acquisition of political sovereignty in Nigeria (October 1, 1960), libraries and reading rooms began to be established everywhere as part of the fight against illiteracy. However, the development of the library sector was spontaneous, and there was no planned strategy. Libraries were created as independent institutions and as an auxiliary link to universities and other educational institutions (institutes within universities, research institutes, teacher training colleges, polytechnics, and polytechnic institutes).

1 The Lagos Public Library; the Lagos Library, known as the Lagos Pledge Library; the T. Jones and G. Carr personal Libraries; the Secretariat Library, as well as the libraries of the Yaba College, the Central Medical College in Yaba, the Geological Survey in Kaduna; and the Agriculture and Forestry libraries of government agencies in Ibadan.

page 165
The largest library is the National Library of Nigeria. The idea for its creation came at the first UNESCO Regional Seminar on the Development of Public Libraries in Africa, held at the University of Ibadan. The library's activities began in 1962 with the arrival of the Foundation's advisor, Ford C. White. Later, four foreign librarians arrived (to oversee the construction of a proper building and collect a collection of books) [Antwi, 1990, p. 127-130]. The library was officially opened in Lagos in 1964.

Over time, the library began to serve as a research center that meets the interests of the government, industry, embassies, universities, etc. Its book stock is 140 thousand units of storage. Together with the universities, the library has compiled a National integrated Catalog to facilitate the search for the necessary literature. The library began to produce special publications: "Bibliography and Memoirs on Nigeria", "Bibliography of Nigerian Fine Arts", "Bibliography of Nigerian Languages", "Lagos: Past and Present: historical Bibliography", "Specialized Libraries of Nigeria", etc. [Adegoke, 2003, p. 61-62].

Public libraries in Nigeria play a significant role in the educational process. Prior to the introduction of the new system of administrative divisions in 1967 and the formation of twelve states, each of the three administrative regions had its own network of public libraries. In the 1960s and 1970s, libraries appeared in several states of the country with collections of several thousand volumes.

Currently, every Nigerian state has a public library. Reading rooms attached to libraries were called "Public Reading Rooms" or named after the city or local government under whose patronage they were located. In the early 2000s, there were 76 public libraries (including their branches and branches) in Nigeria, with 14,927 registered readers (UNESCO, 1997, pp. 7-8). Currently, the main function is performed by 13 public libraries located in major states. Most of them were opened in the 1970s. Libraries suffer from cramped premises, a shortage of staff, and a lack of funds allocated for the purchase of scientific literature. Their staff is extremely small (no more than 10-20 people). In addition, only a few of them have special education 2.

The largest of the public libraries is the Kano State Library. Its collection includes 1 million volumes, and the smallest number of printed publications is located in the Ogun State Library (about 21 thousand).

Libraries differ from each other in the number of departments, branches, functions performed, and their role in society. Many provide the services of a reference and information department, a security subscription. Ondo, Borno and Imo State libraries have branches of children's libraries. The Bauchi Library carries out book repair and restoration work. The Edo State Library serves the hospital and prison. In Kano State, readers can use the Internet. Three libraries (in Borno, Ondo, and Bauchi) train librarians; four libraries (Ondo, Edo, Enugu, and Kano) have a mobile library. The Borno State Public Library is actively working to create school libraries, to provide them with literature, methodological and educational materials.

For more than half a century of school libraries, the Federal Government of Nigeria has spent large sums of money to provide them with the necessary literature. Primary school libraries were in worse condition than those of secondary schools and teachers ' colleges. According to the Department of Libraries of the Ministry of Education, only 52-56% of Lagos primary schools had library facilities, 42-50% had a small library in the classroom, and 54% had none at all. Existing secondary schools and teachers ' colleges in the country had about 3-5 thousand books available. All of them charged a usage fee of $ 3 - $ 4 per student per year.

A special place in the library hierarchy of educational institutions in Nigeria belongs to university libraries. Their formation cannot be considered in isolation from the system development.-

2 The first certified librarians appeared in Nigeria in the 1970s, and the number of bibliographers with bachelor's, master's, and doctor's degrees did not exceed 100 by the early 1980s.

page 166
we are university education in general. The opening of libraries occurred at the time of the creation of the universities themselves - the 1960s. The exception is the library of the University of Ibadan - the largest book depository in the country, established in 1948.

In the 1960s and 1970s, libraries were characterized by poor quality of service, poor provision of book products, lack of professional librarians, etc. There were practically no links between them (due to the poorly functioning postal service, lack of telephone and telegraph, as well as common criteria and standards of bibliography). By the end of the twentieth century, the situation had improved, and university libraries began to receive good collections of literary publications, including rare books and manuscripts, as well as books on tropical medicine and agriculture.

Currently, all university libraries have the necessary equipment for quick order processing, copying equipment. The library of the University of Ibadan, for example, has an automated system for storing and delivering literature. The library has created conditions for doing research. It is the largest university library in the country, and its functions are diverse.

Libraries of higher educational institutions, especially "first generation" universities, have rich book collections, replenished from various sources, and sets of periodicals. Some of the books were transferred to the Higher College in Yaba (10 thousand copies). Later, books were received from the private collection of G. Carr 3 in the amount of 18 thousand copies, dating from the first third of the XX century, on English literature, history, sociology and anthropology, law, mathematics, pedagogy and psychology; from the collection of G. Macaulay 4, books Lady Lane 5, Church Missionary Society, granddaughter of L. MacGregor 6, and others. All this made it possible to create a foundation for linguistics, sociology, natural history and the history of Nigeria.

The library consists of departments: reference and bibliography, Nigerian documents, rare books, manuscripts, books printed earlier than the 16th century, Arabic script, technical, administrative, cafeteria, bookbinding workshop, microfilming room for 14 seats, as well as a repository of OAU and UN documents, archive and personal documents of prominent Nigerians. The African section of the library contains books and periodicals on African issues. One copy of each publication published in Nigeria is sent to this section. In the early 2000s, the Ibadan Library had more than 700,000 volumes and 1,500 titles of periodicals.

The library of the University of Ibadan includes 27 branches with about half a million items of storage [Guide to University..., 2000, p. 80]. These are libraries of faculties and departments, teaching rooms, and reading rooms. The largest of them - the K. Dyke library 7-contains 400 thousand books and receives more than 6 thousand magazines and other types of periodicals. The library has a subscription department and 8 specialized collections, an online electronic catalog, a computer center, a university archive, a bookstore, a publishing house, a bookbinding workshop, a review department, booths for individual work, a department for viewing microfilms and photocopies, a copy center, and a translation department from foreign languages. The most comprehensive collection of CD-ROM databases on agriculture, natural and social sciences, sociology, veterinary medicine, and public health is presented.

3 G. Karra (1863-1945) was a Nigerian educator, lawyer, and clergyman.

4 G. Macaulay (1864 - 1946) was a Nigerian politician, nationalist, engineer, journalist, and musician.

5 Lady Lane-wife of A. Lane and daughter of Ch. Orra is a former governor of Northern Nigeria.

6 L. MacGregor (1808-1861) - Scottish merchant, founder of a shipbuilding company, including in Nigeria, established trade links with West Africa.

7 K. Dyke (1917-1983)-Nigerian historian, First Vice-Chancellor of Ibadan University College.

8 Materials on West Africa, Nigeria, collections of Arabic books and manuscripts, documents of the Federal Government, state governments, intergovernmental organizations, collection of private documents and manuscripts, maps, rare books, publications of employees, dissertations department, calendars and prospectuses of local and foreign universities, examination papers, general collection of books, periodicals department, reference books- information department.

page 167
The A. Bello University Library has five branches [9], the Nsukka University of Nigeria Library, named after N. Azikiwe, consists of an active library complex of the Faculty of Agriculture, Engineering and the Institute of Pedagogy, and the Enugu Medical Library. The library, as well as the university, was opened with the support of the University of Michigan and American colleagues, so the bulk of the collection of books and magazines was donated to 10. The classification and storage system is borrowed from the Library of Congress.

The Ife University Library (now named Awolowo 11) was originally opened in Ibadan in 1962 on the basis of a collection of 47,000 items from the former Nigerian College of Art, Science and Technology. In 1966, the library moved to Ile-Ife and was named after X. Oluwasanmi 12. The library's collections include 640,567 books and 6,905 periodicals, including Nigerian and Arabic documents, materials on tropical agriculture, videos and government documents. Systematization of information is carried out on the basis of the Library of the American Congress.

The University of Lagos Library - the youngest (opened in 1962) - was created by the efforts of university staff. It took them a long time to structure and organize new book receipts. In 2006, the library had 375 thousand employees. books, 4,500 titles of periodicals. Like the University of Ibadan Library, the University of Lagos Library has branches: the Teachers ' College Library and the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital.

Among the first libraries in Nigeria there were specialized ones - medical and legal libraries, libraries of large corporations, etc. They serve specialists of organizations and are designed for researchers in various fields of knowledge. Many scientific institutes, government agencies, commercial firms, and businesses have their own specialized libraries with a fairly rich collection of books.13 Specialized libraries publish catalogues, guidebooks, and reference books. 14 Their research fields are diverse. For example, in Voma, readers interested in veterinary medicine predominate, in Benin - palm oil production, in Jos and Lagos - archaeological and historical documents, finds, monuments, in Ibadan-forest science, in Lagos-tropical medicine, in Kaduna - geology.

The largest of the specialized libraries is the Central Medical Library, established in 1946 in Lagos under the Ministry of Health. In 2007, it contained more than 30 thousand volumes of books and more than 600 titles of various periodicals.

Libraries differ from each other in the functions performed, which depend on which part of the readership they are aimed at. So, the National Library of Ni-

9 The K. Ibrahim Library at the University of Zaria, the Samaru Institute of Agricultural Research Library, the A. Bayero College Library in Kano, the J. F. Kennedy Library at the Zaria Institute of Public Administration, and the Samaru Public Library.

10 Currently, the University of Nigeria Library has 717,000 books in Nsukka and Enugu and 42,000 items in the Enugu Medical Library. The collection of materials on Africa is 30 thousand books.

11 O. Awolowo (b. 1909, Yoruba) is a Nigerian politician.

12 X. Oluwasanmi is a professor and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ife.

11 Among them: The Institute of International Relations in Lagos, the Nigerian Geological Society in Kaduna, Legal and Non-residential Reference Libraries in Lagos, Ibadan and Enugu, the Institute of Agricultural Research in Samaroo, the Central Medical Library in Yaba, the Teachers ' Library, the Technical Information Library, the Federal Ministry of Commerce, the Central Bank. The Institute of Administration of the University of Ife, branches in Ibadan, the West African Trypanosome Research Institute in Kaduna, and the Palm Oil Research Institute in Benin.

14 The Library of the Forest Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, with about 400 periodicals in storage, publishes a "New Arrivals Catalog" 4 times a year, a "Current Periodical Content" and a "Current Agricultural Research Bulletin" monthly. The Federal Institute for Industrial Research in Ikeja, established in 1956, publishes a quarterly "Abstract Journal", "Technological Index".

page 168
gerii provides for the needs of scientists, students, politicians and public figures. It is engaged in educational activities, it accumulates all the significant printed products of Nigeria. Events held by the library include a series of radio and television programs, such as "Culture and the World", "Journey through the National Library", "Friends of the National Library", etc.

Public libraries and libraries of higher educational institutions are aimed at a different audience. They serve a wide range of readers, both adults and children, offering numerous services - from conducting "fairy tale hours" for children to advising citizens on legal issues, as well as providing students of secondary schools and universities with the necessary information. Public libraries are usually funded from local budgets and provide free services to readers. They meet the needs of citizens for information and provide free access to cultural property.

The president of the" first republic "(1963-1966) N. Azikiwe called public libraries"universities for the people". In the conditions of mass illiteracy, they have become institutions that increase the level of literacy and education of the population with the support of special commissions and agencies. To attract readers, movie screenings were organized, training events were held, and lectures were given.

Scientific libraries are located in universities and serve teachers and students, provide training and research work in universities and colleges. They don't have the same collections, from modest bookshelves in small colleges to colossal libraries in major educational and research centers like Ibadan. School libraries are funded mainly by local education authorities and provide students and teachers with the necessary materials for the educational program.

Libraries in Nigeria could not exist without the financial support of the State (for example, to provide the National Library with a collection of literature in certain disciplines), universities, private charitable foundations, and relevant local state bodies. Specialized libraries are funded by their founding organizations. However, the financial base of libraries in Nigeria is very limited and very problematic. Libraries are equipped with outdated literature that has been left over from colonial times. The lack of a strategy for the formation and development of library collections by the Federal Government, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Science and Technology leads to uneven book intake and heterogeneous replenishment of thematic catalogues. At present, most of the literature is received spontaneously: it is either sent by foundations as humanitarian support, or brought by official delegations, leaving it as a gift to the library.

The library staff is not only engaged in customer service, but also performs certain scientific work, primarily in the field of bibliography, cataloging, museum and archival affairs. Employees of specialized libraries are usually specialists in a specific field of knowledge who have mastered the skills of library workers. In Nigeria, a librarian holds a degree in library science. For example, the Deputy Director of the Library of the University of Nigeria, N. Amankwe, had a Master's degree in Humanities, and the director of the library of the University of Lagos, S. A. Orimoloye, had a Bachelor's degree in Humanities and a major historical scholar. The staff of the National Library of Nigeria librarians consists of 75 professors [Directory of Special..., 2002, p. 1461-1462]. Many librarians give lectures at universities (or work as a visiting professor). For example, a number of employees of the National Library teach in this capacity at the Library Institute of the University of Ibadan, take qualification exams.

The track record of each library employee begins with the position of assistant librarian, then cataloger, library specialist, etc. In addition to technical and reading staff, each library has employees who perform managerial or administrative functions. They address issues related to library operations, planning, budgeting, and working with staff. The general management of the library is carried out by its director or chief librarian.

Training of specialists in the field of librarianship is carried out on the basis of many Nigerian universities [Lawal, 2003, p.213]. The University of Bayero has a bib department-

page 169
Library Science and Information Theory, at the University of Maiduguri-Library Science, at Ibadan-Library Science, Archival Science and Information Theory. In 1960, the Library Institute of the University of Ibadan was established. It accepted university graduates. The duration of training is one year. The Institute's program is designed to train specialists for all types of libraries. Training of librarians in the framework of six-week courses is carried out at the National Library. Training courses are provided for librarians of government agencies, industrial and commercial enterprises.

Modern library information systems in Nigeria have computer programs that provide access to the collections and information resources of many libraries. The Internet, an international data transmission system that provides access to multimedia information, has had a huge impact on the work of Nigerian libraries. Currently, Nigeria has access to digital libraries. Electronic versions of many leading American and international newspapers have appeared, as well as digital databases, graphic information materials, and industry information (for example, on the composition and distribution of chemical products). The progress of informatization in the humanities is also impressive.

Nigeria is actively integrating into the global scientific and technological development process. Thus, the library of the Abeokuta Agricultural University introduced a 24-hour reader service. There are no special service personnel here; readers search for the necessary publications on their own [Journal of the Nigerian..., 2001, p. 1-5]. In the library named after X. Oluvasanmi University named after O. Awolovo (Ile-Ife) introduced catalog automation in 2000, which significantly accelerated and simplified the search procedure for book publications.

The process of computerization of other libraries in Nigeria is somewhat slower than in Europe and America, but in the first five years of the XXI century, more than 50% of Nigerian libraries introduced a computerized system for recording new book receipts, as well as systematization of the main book storage funds in electronic catalogs [Journal of the Nigerian... 2006, p. 15].

Despite significant achievements in the development of librarianship in Nigeria, there are still many unresolved problems in this area: the lack of modern book literature, finances, and personnel. As a result, there is a lack of knowledge in many areas. The course of liberalization and democratization initiated in 1999 by the Government of Obasanjo and continued by the current President, U. Yar'Adua, allows us to hope for a positive change in the humanities, education and library science.

notes

Adegoke A. The Evolution of Libraries in Nigeria // Classical Readings in African Library Development / Ed. by B. Amaeshi. Lanham, Maryland, and Oxford: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2003. 459 p.

Antwi I. K. The National Library of Nigeria: A Case Study of the Bauchi State Branch // Aslib Proceedings. 1990. April. Vol. 42. N 4. P. 127 - 130.

Directory of Special Libraries and Information Centers. 27 ed. / Ed. M. Miskelly. Vol. I. Part. 2,1 - R. Detroit-New York-San Diego-San Francisco-Boston-London-Munich: Gale Group, 2002.

Guide to University of Ibadan Libraries. 50 Years of Excellence. 1948 - 98. Ibadan, Nigeria: Ibadan University Press, 2000.

Harris. J. Ibadan University Library. Ibadan: University Press, 1968. 44 p.

Harris J. Twenty Years of Library Development: Libraries and Librarianship in Nigeria at Mid-Century // Classical Readings in African Library Development / Ed. by B. Amaeshi. Lanham, Maryland, and Oxford: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2003. 459 p.

Journal of the Nigerian Library Association. 2001. Vol. 35. N 2.

Journal of the Nigerian Library Association. 2006. Vol. 42. N 3.

Lawal O. O. Professional Education for Librarianship. International Perspectives. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Ltd, 2003. 213 р.

UNESCO. Statistical Yearbook. P., 1997.

Permanent link to this publication: