Assessment of state government support to public library in Enugu State from 2010 – 2016

Abstract

Provision of access to information resources is the responsibility of the libraries, be it academic, private, school or public libraries. This paper assessed Enugu State Government support to public library from 2010 – 2016. The casual comparative research design was adopted to determine the extent of influence of the  Government support on the services rendered by the public  library. Questionnaire and interview were the instruments used with librarians as the respondents. The data collected were  analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The interview  responses were analyzed qualitatively. The findings of the study include: poor funding, poor staffing, and poor remuneration by the state government that led to inadequate staff strength, lack of current collections, poor facilities and un-automated library services. Recommendations were proffered including,  establishment of a grand design or model for sustainable funding, motivation of staff by enhanced salary, promotion and training, provision of virtual library and massive and aggressive advocacy campaigns.

Key Words: Government support, Enugu state public library, services rendered.