Specific Achievements of the Library

UNN Library Achievements

Completion of the University Library Building

This University Library is considered to be the largest in Africa. This library was completed and commissioned on 5th June, 2009. The furnishing in the new library building is world class standard. The tables, chairs and seats were specially made to put the University library in a class of its own. The current administration has insisted that the New Library Complex must be in the league of the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard libraries.

 

Completion of MTN Virtual Library Project in the University

The MTN Nigeria started UniversitiesConnect Virtual Library project in UNN under its corporate social responsibility in 2007. This project was completed and commissioned on 5th June, 2009. The Virtual Library has 128 state-of-the art computer systems complete with V-SAT connections, standby generator and cosy furnishing. This library is functional, provides incredible number of online resources to staff and students and serves as an excellent facility for the accreditation of academic programmes of the University. Through this library, wider access to e-journals and e-books is provided to staff and students to support teaching, learning and scholarship.

 

ICT Skills Development of Staff

Library staff are being trained on all aspects of ICT such as digitization of library resources, web blogging, web mastery, website design, wikis, etc. In addition, the present University Library Administration ensured that every professional librarian now has a PC on his/her table or one to work with.

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka library system has endeavoured to develop an information portal. This has links with other databases such as the “Nature magazine”, which is now available online.
Importantly, the University Library now provides access to a number of online databases such as OARE, JSTOR, EBSCOHOST and National Virtual Library being hosted by NUC. OARE alone provides access to over 2,993 peer reviewed articles estimated to cost about N200 million.

 

Digitization of Library Resources

The University Library is at the centre stage of the digitization project of this great University. Almost all the library staff are part of this project that has the cardinal objective of digitizing all the theses and dissertation collections of the library as well as the publications of lecturers. An important outcome of the digitization process is the development of the Institutional Repository (IR) of endogenous knowledge of the University. This IR is located in the university’s website and it has well over twenty thousand works generated in UNN.

 

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of Library Staff

Our Professional librarians are being sponsored to participate and present papers at both the local and international conferences organized by our professional bodies or Associations such as the Nigerian Library Association (NLA), International Federation of Library Association (IFLA), etc.

At the Local scene, our librarians have presented quite a good number of scholarly papers.
For instance:

  • In 2008, 4 papers were presented by our Librarians out of a total of 10 papers presented at NLA Conference in Kaduna.
  • In 2009, 2 papers were presented out of a total of 10 papers at an NLA Conference in Ibadan; and
  • In 2010, 5 papers were presented out of a total of 12 papers at an NLA Conference in Abuja.

At the International scene, our librarians have also presented papers.
For instance:

  • An Assistant Librarian won the African Section of IFLA Award to attend and present a paper at the 8th World Conference on Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning for the Library and Information Profession organized by IFLA in Bologna, Italy for 18 – 20 August, 2009.
  • Another Assistant Librarian presented a paper at an international conference in Botswana in 2009.
  • In 2010, one of our Principal Librarians was sponsored to present two papers in London.