FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN ESTABLISHING A NEW LIBRARY

Library is a social institution whose objectives and functions are determined by the people they serve. Basically, establishing any library and information center required thorough diligence and proper planning which involve putting some factors into considerations. It could be highly demanding, especially for a young growing librarian. Therefore, in the process of establishing such centers, there is need to take or put the following salient points into perspective irrespective of the type of the library, be it - Academic, public, Special or school.

1. The users:

Libraries exist for the purpose of meeting the information need of its users. Hence the librarian needs to pre-determined their potential users beforehand. These include the number of potential users, age, level of education, daily activities and objective of the library. For example, the users in public libraries differ from that of school library. When the users are known, there information need can easily be ascertained.

2. The nature of the resources or collection:

It entails activities that are performed or geared in other to enrich library holding with materials that are relevant and pertinent to the various need of the potential users. It is supposed to take into consideration the community of users. These can be determined by identifying the objectives of the library as well as the activities of its host community. These resources are expected to be tailored towards the subject interest of its users so as to meet their need. The librarian is expected to develop a collection policy for this purpose. The collection development policy is intended to provide guidance for achieving mission and vision of the library, within the budget and space limitations, for the selection and acquisition of materials for meeting the needs of the users.

3. The pattern of services to be rendered by the library:

Another important issue to consider is the nature of services to be provided. Service provisions in the library serve as a means of bringing its collections to the users. It is an interface between the users and the library collections itself. Service provision in the library can be one of the yardsticks for determining the effectiveness of librarians vis–a-vis the resources provided. The nature of the service provided in public libraries may differ from that of special libraries. The services could include: circulation, serial, ICT, e.t.c. The numbers of potential users, size of the library also remain significant factors for determining the service to be provided.

In a nutshell, it behooves the librarian to conduct community analysis/feasibility study in order to get a clearer picture of the few points mentioned above.