Collection Development
The Council acquired
more of up-to-date stock of materials to cater for the technical
information needs of its clientele comprising RMRDC staff,
investors, industrialists, policy makers, researchers and others in
the area of raw materials research, exploitation and development.
The information materials were sourced from book agents, vendors and
publishers in Nigeria and overseas. The materials published
overseas were acquired through the use of UNESCO coupons. This mode
of payment eliminates the rigours of sourcing for foreign exchange.
In order to have a
balanced collection and meet specific needs of the various
stakeholders, management and other technical staff were involved in
the selection of library materials.
A
total of 257 reference materials were acquired; out of which, 211
were locally acquired while 46 were sourced from book agents
abroad. The materials comprised mainly literature on engineering,
agriculture, manufacturing, medicinal plants, economic development,
industrial ecology, soil mechanics, machines and metal works,
investment, production and operation management, and
telecommunications, etc.
Also, 15 CD-ROM databases and 10 industrial films focusing on
science, engineering and technology were acquired. From Standards
Organization of Nigeria (SON) 20 publications on standards,
specifications and testing methods for sugar, cocoa beans, coconut
oil, sesame seed oil, edible cottonseed oil, edible refined palm
oil, cassava starch, cassava tuber, maize, sorghum, bone meal,
gypsum, sandcrete blocks and cement were procured.
In
addition, the Council received 113 free publications of rare
materials under its gift and exchange programme. These materials
comprised proceedings, pamphlets, technical papers, articles, thesis
and dissertations, etc. Free publications of the Council were
distributed to Nigerian Embassies, industries, research institutes,
investors, RMRDC Zonal and Liaison Offices and individuals on the
mailing list. In all, 1392 copies of Annual Report, 2,210 copies of
Raw Materials Update, 4,182 copies of RMRDC Newsletter,
and 955 copies of Journal of Raw Materials Research
were distributed during the year.
The Library collection
as at the end of the year 2004 was:
Books and Monographs 6,427
Volumes
Periodicals
462 Titles
Articles from
Journals 849 Titles
CD-ROM
databases 85 Titles
Industrial
Films 50 Titles
Library Automation/Internet Service
The
Council throughout the year offered services to its clientele
through the operation of a fully automated library. All relevant
information extracted from the acquired materials was inputted using
the two-library software, that is, Micro CDS/ISIS and X-LIB Library
Automation System. The acquired CD-ROM databases were installed
into the Jukebox for consultation in the network.
All
users connected to the Library databases on the network were duly
notified of recently acquired publications through the notice board
provided in the X-LIB Library Automation System. Internet Services
were also provided to its users thereby increasing the access to a
wider range of information.
Books Fairs and Exhibition
The resources of the
Council’s Library were exhibited at conferences and workshops. These
fora provided the opportunity of enlightening the participants,
which of this included policy makers and the public on the
programmes and activities of the Council. Some of the conferences in
which the Council participated were as follows:
