By Olalekan Moses Olayemi.
Recession is more
than just a word, it is real and calamitous when it affects a nation that is
mono-economy dependent like ours. Such a nation is prone and vulnerable to
sudden economic crisis that can collapse existing fiscal stable structures.
There is no doubt, that all sectors of the Nigerian economy faced the veracity
of the recent recession, although much attention was given to consumable goods
as worst hit by the recession. It is equally important to pay attention to other
areas that are being affected by this problem; hence libraries as information
centers should not be exempted.
Libraries have a
great role to play in national development because they serve as the gateway to
knowledge; by facilitating and providing relevant and updated information
resources (Print and non-print) among other roles to their clienteles.
Libraries are information centers, which stand as a pivot for transformation of
individual and the society at large. Like other important sectors, libraries
were affected by the economic recession that plunged our economy into disarray,
thus many libraries are still battling with the aftermath of the recession
having been unable to meet the information needs of their clienteles.
The aftermaths of the
recession has caused a serious decline in the votes for library collection
development and staff training. Books and computer gadgets price have
skyrocketed. Foreign exchange is not only scarce but also unstable as the naira
purchasing power has been badly eroded, hence affecting the cost of
subscriptions to information resources and facilities. Numbers of National
dailies subscribed to are reduced; thus all these activities and
rationalization discourage regular and potential library users. Because the
budget of host institution has reduced significantly, there is tremendous cut
in the library budget; hence acquisitions of library resources are reduced,
staffs training are often neglected!
For example, the
economic recession has led some organizations such as financial institutions
and private companies to downsize and retrench some staff in the name of
cutting cost. And guess what? Libraries are most often the target while
swimming in the dilemma of having to manage the little budget made available by
their parent organization. In trying to survive, the libraries are forced to
cut down cost by reducing the number of resources acquired, activities embarked
upon, these actions however, largely mitigate the full realization of the
libraries set objectives.
Overtime, authors and
publishers have been mandated by law to deposit three (3) copies of every book
published at their own expenses to the National Library. This law has not been
fully adhered to as many authors and publishers refused to comply accordingly.
Although the cost seem small, but the cost of transporting these books to the
National library still discourage authors and publishers, not to talk more of
now that the prices of goods and services has skyrocketed in the face of
economic recession; one can only imagine the effects. One major consequence of
failing to adhere to this law is a decrease in the National library collection,
which would have become a reference source and information tools/resources for
potential users.
Authors who devote
their time and energy towards the production of an intellectual output are not
totally free from the effects of economic recession. For authors to succeed in
writing a good intellectual work they will need a conducive environment and a
stable mind. Imagine a car without fuel in it, so also is an author or
potential author who is struggling to earn a living during a period of economic
recession. Most efforts are being diverted towards earning daily income for
survival rather than the commitment to add to the existing knowledge for the
community.
Publishers like other
investors are in business to make profit. The unstable and sudden rise of
exchange rate has seriously affected the cost of importation of materials for
book production, causing a surge in the price of books and reading materials.
The recent school resumption did not really put a smile on the faces of parents
and guardians as the cost of textbooks to be purchased for their wards has
increased beyond their reach. While the booksellers are complaining of low
patronage, parents and guardians are complaining of high price and publishers
are complaining of high cost of production. Who is to blame? Economic
recession!
As the outcome of
economic recession persist, libraries need to be well equipped, the librarians
need to be proactive and be ready to adequately utilize the available resources
in meeting their users’ need. The friends, organizations and sponsors of
library activities must come to her rescue. Government must put in place short
and long term measures to alleviate trends of inflation and economic
instability. Our collective decision today determines how our tomorrow would
be. This is a time for individuals to know that tough times never last!
Olalekan Moses
Olayemi, is a Librarian with Nigerian Institute of Medical Research.
Culled from
Leadership Newspaper: http://leadership.ng/2017/11/11/economic-recession-affect-libraries/
