Children's Centre University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
| Children's Centre University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. |
CHILDREN’S CENTRE LIBRARY(CCL)
The
Children’s Centre Library (CCL) was founded in 1978 as the first component
of the Children’s Centre Project of the University Women’s Association
at the University of Nigeria. For the first eight years the CCL operated from
a small room loaned by the Department of Health and Physical Education. In 1987
the library moved into its present permanent site in the Madam Hulder Iwuanyanwu
Building. The development of the CCL and its continued growth are due, in the
main, to the efforts of the university women and generous support from the university
administration and community, alumni and outside donors. Presently the library
has a collection of over 10,000 books, magazines, maps, audiovisual materials, clipping files and computers. It also houses a research collection of African children’s
literature and reference materials for the Psycho-Educational Testing Service
and other scholarly use.
Objectives
On its inception the CCL set itself four goals:
· To encourage reading and the enjoyment of books,
·
Help users develop information and learning skills,
·
Offer literature and learning materials reflecting Nigerian culture and environment,
·
Provide resources for meeting the varied needs of children and youth.
Users
The Children’s Centre Library is primarily intended to
serve children and youth between the ages of 3 and 18. Its facilities are open
to both the children of university staff and of the wider Nsukka town community,
upon payment of a small registration fee. University students, researchers and
the general public are also free to use the library for reference purposes.
Since 1988 it has served as a teaching laboratory for the Department of Library
and Information Science, University of Nigeria. In recent years the CCL has
established links with several schools in Nsukka and its environs with a view
to encouraging reading, information literacy, and library awareness in schools.
In addition, it has established a library service to the Nsukka prison.
Personnel
The Children’s Centre Committee
of the University Women’s Association oversees the day-to-day running
of the library. Six of the current members are librarians, while the rest are
educators and professionals with a strong commitment to library service. Members
of the committee and community youth volunteers help to maintain the library
and its services.
Technical
assistance is provided by the Department of Library and Information Science
of the University of Nigeria, for which the library has served as a teaching
laboratory since 1988. Library science students use the CCL for their practical
work, which involves shelving, processing and cataloguing of the collection,
maintenance of books and other materials, and handling of the circulation desk.
Students also assist with story hour and outreach services.
The
University of Nigeria has provided the library with some support in the area
of personnel, in recognition of the library’s contributions as the teaching
laboratory for an academic department and a public service to the community.
In 1988 the university administration deployed two support staff, a typist and
a cleaner, to the Children’s Centre. That year also saw the start of an
annual deployment of one or two youth corpers as part of the National Youth
Service Corps programme. The position of librarian was established under the
Department of Library and Information Science in 1997 and in October 2005 employed a new librarian to oversee its teaching lab at the Children's Centre. The university also deploys National Youth Service Corps members to assist the library.
Facilities
The
CCL is housed in one wing of the Madam Hulder Iwuanyanwu building. The library
occupies a fairly spacious long, rectangular room, which is arranged in two
basic sections. One section holds the circulation desk, the main circulation
shelves of fiction and nonfiction titles, a large seating area with tables and
chairs, and the card catalogue. The other section holds the reference area,
which houses reference books, magazines and periodicals, the clipping files,
the picture and map collection, other audiovisual materials, and the African
Children’s Literature Research Collection. A workroom is attached to the
main library room. It provides storage space for books that are yet to be processed
for circulation or are in need of repair and workspace for technical processes. Recent donations have been used to acquire new furniture and equipment, including computers, video equipment, a keyboard, shelves, cabinets and display furniture. In 2005 the children of Edith Ihekweazu furnished an alcove for the African Children's Literature Research Collection in her memory.
Circulation
Yearly
circulation statistics indicate a high level of activity in the library. Annual 
records show that library usage has historically been higher during the morning hours
of operation than in the evening hours. This is due to the fact that, until
a few years ago, the middle and upper primary grades of the staff school attended
school in the afternoon. This is the very age group that makes the most use
of the library. With the staff school and most schools moving to one shift,
Saturday hours have become more important. Greater overall activity is recorded
during the months of July-September, when most children are on their long vacation
from school. Analysis of borrowing patterns throughout the year reveals that
users prefer fiction titles and use the library primarily for recreational reading.
In addition, the CCL’s reference collection provides an important resource
for secondary school students researching for school project assignments, university
students, researchers, and parents.