The management of library development funds in the Nigerian University System

Abstract

The aims and activities of the Nigerian Library Development Fund (LDF), established to ensure adequate funding for Nigerian university libraries, are described in the context of the organization of higher education in Nigeria as a whole. The study explores the position of university libraries within institutions and discusses the implications of the LDF for Nigerian university libraries. Particular attention is paid to the problems experienced by the LDF due to: non-conformity with specified criteria on the utilization of the fund such as very large balances of unused funds with only a fraction of the fund accounted for as expenditure returns; over-subscription for books and periodicals resulting in large deficits caused by spending over and above the available funds; the spreading of funds over several quarters with a larger proportion of the funds used in paying salaries of library staff thereby ignoring the purchase of books, periodicals and other office consumables; and problems associated with the exchange rate between the local currency and stronger international currencies in the purchase of foreign books, periodicals and library equipment. It is concluded that the National Universities Commission (NUC) should stipulate checks and sanctions for universities that fail repeatedly to utilize LDF resources rationally and according to set guidelines. These sanctions should include withholding subsequent allocations as punishment for the poor utilization of the earlier released funds.