Preservation Parameters And Longevity Of Information Resources In Academic Libraries

Abstract

Disaster whether natural or manmade in Libraries and Information Centers has three chronological phases: before, during and after  phases. Today, it has been observed that, beside measures and facilities for Disaster prevention (before phase), there are no essentials  facilities and measures for Disaster response (during phase) and recovery (after phase) available in most of libraries and information  centers in Nigeria. The paper, therefore seeks to examine roles and measures librarians could perform or provide for effective Disaster  prevention, response and recovery practices in libraries and information centers in Nigeria. Relevant literatures on Disaster were  reviewed. Findings from the study revealed that, for libraries and information centers in Nigeria to effectively prevent or mitigate the  effect the disaster could have on library collections, librarians as members of library disaster control team must be tasked with  responsibility of performing certain roles to mitigate each phase. This include taking preventive measures (before phase) such as inspection of the building on daily basis, provision of adequate security, provision of adequate training and modern equipments);  Responsive measure, (during phase) that involves evacuation of library resources and disaster mitigation is highly effective while  segregation and drying of library resources are recommend after the phase. Base on these findings, it was recommended that librarians should be more exposed in understanding each phase; its cause and remedies for better disaster management in libraries. And there  should be clear separation of responsibly among members or staff responsible for implementing disaster plan in the libraries.