Acquisition and management of government documents in the National Library of Nigeria

Abstract

Government documents are essential publications found in academic, public and national libraries. Acquisition and proper management of government documents is important for effective use by patrons. This paper discusses acquisition and management of government documents at the National Library of Nigeria, Abuja. A case study approach was adopted for the study. The target population were staff of the Government Document Unit of the National Library of Nigeria who were six in number as at the time of survey, August 2012. A questionnaire structured by the researcher was used to collect data which were analysed using frequency count and simple percentages. The findings amongst others revealed that the most acquired government documents were circulars, debates, directories, gazettes, newsletters, reports and accounts as well as rules and regulations acquired mainly through Legal Deposit and preserved by air conditioning, binding, fumigation and effective security devices. The study recommends amongst others an improved funding for the National Library of Nigeria and digitisation of government documents.

Keywords: Acquisition management, government documents, National Library of Nigeria.