| 3. Definition, roles, objectives and purpose of academic libraries
Prytherch (2000:3) defines academic libraries as libraries in educational establishments at any level, i.e. universities, colleges, research associations, etc. The term is less associated with school libraries. Harrison and Beenham (1980:4) provide a slightly different definition by suggesting that academic libraries range from the largest to small university libraries (some of which are virtually national libraries in that they obtain materials free of charge under the Copyright Act). The two authors notes that the library collection usually reflects the courses offered and the research undertaken within the institutions and may sometimes be less universal collection in public libraries in terms of subject coverage. The objectives of these libraries are to:
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Serve the needs of the academic community (staff and students)
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Provide study areas for users
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Provide a lending service appropriate to the different types of users
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Provide an active information service (and this may extent beyond the institution to local industry and commerce)
Peters (1999:27) observes that academic libraries documents and cater for advancement in the educational and research disciplines of the greatest interest to an institution by;
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Providing a freely available, readily accessible, contributions to the advancement of ideas and knowledge
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Facilitating promotion and tenure, research funding, and professional opportunities which are closely linked to an individual’s publication record, and balanced copyright laws for which librarians have lobbied long and hard, in order to encourage protection of publications, while, allowing educational use.
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Being repositories of ideas which provide a durable true base upon which subsequent generation of scholars can build in the form of knowledge or technology which opens new possibilities of discovery or insight.
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Guaranteeing the survival of knowledge beyond one generation by;
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Providing a shared collection which is difficult to destroy this knowledge survival ensures that a culture has roots and spares a society the cost and effort of recreating techniques and reinventing technology.
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Contributing towards the culture of intellectual pursuit by providing a locus for research, new ideas, and sponsorship for lectures, or host of exhibits and exhibitions.
The American Library Association (1980:1) identifies the purpose, goals and objectives of academic libraries as the following:
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They reflect the development of the colleges and universities of which they are part
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They design their collections and services to meet the instructional programs of the particular institutions
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The library plays a role of central and critical importance in the instructional and scholarly life of the college or university
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They design formal and informal arrangements for the sharing of resources
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They offer to those who may be said to constitute the library’s primary clientele - the faculty, students and academic staff of the college or university - a collection of broad scope and depth, and specialized in depth assistance in the use of the library’s resources
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They seek to attain a level of self-sufficiency that is essential for the health and vigor of the university and its academic programs
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They also make available to their clientele, through various co-operative programs, the resources and collections of other libraries
Peter (1999:27) identifies the role of academic librarians as:
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A person responsible for managing and leveraging the institutional resources that are devoted to educational and research support.
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An individual who ensures that information will be available to students and the faculty on an equal basis, regardless of the individual or departments’ wealth, by reducing unnecessary duplication, and facilitating inter-library-loans which enable access to other libraries on a no-or-low cost basis.
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They contribute to the timeliness and quality of scholarship by making it possible to locate and use information, wherever it may be.
According to Veaner (1990:63), an academic librarian makes a unique and vital contribution to higher education by:
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Bearing responsibility for developing college and university library collections, and for instructing students (both formally in the classroom and informally in the library)
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Advising the faculty and scholars on how to use library collections
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Providing a variety of information services to the college or university community, ranging from answers to specific questions, to the compilation of extensive bibliographies
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Providing library and information services to the community at large
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Through his/her own research into the information process, and through bibliographies and other studies, he /she adds to the sum of knowledge in the field of library practice and information science. Through membership and participation in library and scholarly organizations, he/she works to improve the practice of academic librarianship, bibliography and information work
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Performing a teaching and research role by advising and assisting faculties in their scholarly pursuits
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Involving themselves in research functions - many conduct research in their own professional interest and when not on duty
Veaner (1999:64) observes that in 1988, the Canadian Library Association ((CLA)/Canadian Association of College and University Libraries (CACUL)) stated the role of academic librarians as:
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Contributors to the pursuit, dissemination, and structuring of knowledge and understanding.
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Individuals that deal with a wide and varied clientele, whose needs, age range and literacy skills vary considerably.
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Contributors to the instructional and research functions of their institution when exercising their professional knowledge/or their competence in subject disciplines
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They function as facilitators, instructors and communicators in making and combining library services with teaching and/or research programs and priorities.
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Developers and evaluators of resource collections: the provision of subject specialized reference services; the acquisition, bibliographic control, storage and preservation of library collections; the development and implementation of a variety of library systems; and the provision of instruction in the exploitation of in-house resources, etc.
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Play the role of administrators, scholars, teachers, bibliographic experts or a combination of all these.
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Upholding intellectual freedom by pursuing independent education and self-development activities, by undertaking research in library science or other disciplines, and by participating in college, university and professional associations.
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A professional who has selected the life of an informative assistant as a career. He/she is a creative partner to the faculty, researchers and students
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Contributors to a university’s intellectual framework by extending their information and organizational skills to all levels of the academic community.
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They create, build, maintain, manage and improve the information infrastructure that makes it possible to conduct effective teaching, learning and research.
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Contributors to the formation of their own goals and objectives within the constraints of the university or college mission’s goals and objectives, and within the context of the library program determined by campus administration and head librarians.
Veaner (1990:63) concludes by arguing that without academic librarians, the quality of teaching, research and public service in our universities would deteriorate, and this would make it impossible for programs in many disciplines to be performed.
Librarians are required to divert their energies from their daily duties in order to meet research expectations. Many librarians would find it unthinkable to be required to perform day-to-day duties while also doing research and meeting service expectations (n.d. Mitchell and Reichel, Publish or perish: a dilemma for Academic Librarians) Librarian. According to Medford and J. (2006, para.6), publication is necessary:
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To maintain the faculty status of the profession or for an individual to achieve tenure or promotion.
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To add to the body of knowledge that goes into creating our professional literature.
Marjorie (2000, para.5) further points out that publication:
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Is competitive
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Provides a professional advantage - the more you publish the more you are invited to speak and hear, and thereby get more ideas for publications.
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Allows us to keep score. The results go on our resume. The cultural norm of an academic institution is how much you have been published in peer reviewed journals.
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Enables us to leave our ideas behind for others to appreciate.
The Library Connect website (2003) states that reasons for publishing include:
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Contributing towards the profession
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Gaining a better understanding of the research process, thus enabling librarians to assist researchers, and discover new knowledge.
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Writing or research is a challenge and a satisfaction.
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