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Open access policies, together with statutory requirements, mean that librarian need to take in to account the requirements of libraries with special needs when building library collections. Wilkins (1975:31) noted that secondary education is designed to give selected pupils learning experience in a wide range of literary, scientific, humanistic and creative studies, develop interests that might lead to a choice of career, and provide opportunities for physical activities and social services appropriate to young adults.
In view of this, establishment of library in senior secondary schools in Nigeria is highly essential, because the library has become an important part of the institution of learning, the educational process rely on library as a resource for intellectual development of students and staff. It also provides the resources or materials, which support the classroom instructions and curriculum of institution. In addition, such resources or materials must provide information for a variety of students’ interest and needs.
Today, library resources services as a second teacher to students, they develop skills and give quality learning. These resources include: Books, Newspapers, Bulletin, Maps, Journals, Internet, CDC, DVD, Computers, slides, radio cassettes etc. The library resources therefore, can be defined as all informational documents stored in a library for the use of patrons. These sources record and store human knowledge. The library resources can be acquired through: – Purchase – Gift – Donation/Endowment – Interlibrary Loan gal Deposit Law.
LIBRARY RESOURCES According to Dike (1985), Library resources contains a varied and enjoyable collection of reading resources-Picture books, stories, novels, magazines, topic books, etc. Which can help children learn to associate reading with pleasure. The library resources are intellectual collections of different ideas of different authors stored in the library for the benefit of users e. G. Textbooks, serials, maps, dictionaries, year books. According to Opera (2001:23), there are broadly two categories of library materials or resources, these include: Book materials and non-book materials.
Book materials include textbooks, serials, dictionaries etc while non-book materials include all electronic resources store in the library for the benefit of clientele. While, according to Dike (285:47) library resources or materials can be categorized into the following: 1 . Reference Materials 2. General Non-fiction 3. Periodicals 4. Vertical file materials 5. Audiovisual resources 1. Reference Materials: These are those materials to which one refers for pacific topics or items of information. They are intended for brief and repeated use by many people, not for reading through cover to cover.
They are kept in the library at all times and are not loaned out borrowers. In this way they will be available anytime they are needed. They include: Dictionaries, encyclopedias, Biographical sources, almanacs, year books, geographical sources such as atlases and gazetteers, directories, handbooks and guides, manuals, bibliographic, indexes and abstracts. 2. General Non- fiction: These refer to books commonly referred to as non fiction. I. E. They are kooks whose primary intention is to give information rather than to tell a story.
They may be used for reference purposes, but in many cases they are read cover to cover for general information and pleasure. Unlike reference materials they can usually be borrowed from library . E. Textbooks of either art, science, social science etc. 3. Periodicals or serials: These are materials like Newspapers, Magazines and Journals, which come out at regular intervals, that is periodically. Periodicals/serials can be defined as a publication issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological assignations and intended to be continued indefinitely. E. G.
Newspapers, journals, memoir, directories, year books, monograph, government publication, annual report, who’s who etc. 4. Vertical file materials: These are refereed to as ephemeral resources, odd bits and pieces which do not readily fit in to the other parts of the collection. They may include leaflets, calendars, catalogues, annual reports, pictures, charts, postcards, photographs, maps usually, the problem of handling these materials is solved by storing them in a vertical file. This is most typically a four drawer filing cabinet with trials organized into files and alphabetized by subject.
Example, if the user, requires information on the current ministers or Governors he or she looks up the appropriate heading in the vertical file. 5. Audio-Visual Resources: These are those resources which do not depend solely upon reading to convey meaning. They may present information through the sense of sight, as in visual resources, or through a combination of senses. Audio resources are record tapes and cassettes and radio broadcasts. While visual resources include a wide range of resources: Models, real objects, cartoons, strictures, slides, filmstrips, film etc.
And Audiovisual includes sound films, TV programmed, video-tape etc. Lazing (2001 ) called Audio-visual resources as digital resources or electronic resources such as databases, e- journals, or full-text newspapers, CD Room or flash, many of the journals and newspapers stored on CD Room are also electronic versions of printed serials. Digital resources are also electronic resources, because all the resources or information contain on them required electricity. E. G. Video cassette, CD Room, magnetic tapes etc. Therefore, they will be accessed agitatedly or electronically.
THE ROLES OF LIBRARY RESOURCES: Tot (2001:22) noted that ‘ ‘The Basic purpose of library resources in school library is to develop skills and encourage learning. They support teachers and pupils in the teaching programmer and further the general intellectual development of students and teachers. They play an active part in the educational process, persuading staff and students to read and use library resources guiding them in their reading and encouraging reading of higher quality and the formation of the habit of reading for pleasure and self education”.
Through the resources of the library, teachers can guide students to find out things on their own. They can encourage independent study. They can help students develop reading and research skills which will continue to benefit them long after they have left school. The following are the specific roles of library resources based on the types of resources available in the library. ; Textbooks serve as guide to the various school subjects, in accordance with the approved curriculum. The copies of the students textbook and other materials should be in the library for reference purpose. Periodicals/Serials provide current information to students and teachers, because they come out at regular intervals; information are more recent and up to date which may not be available In book form. They provide recent trends and development in literature, music, art, science, technology, politics and economy, and they provide access to new research findings in a number of fields. ; Reference materials like dictionaries, encyclopedia or who’s who etc, they provides or gives students a starting point, directing them to the most useful information sources for a reticular assignment. . G. Students may want to check the history of Muhammad Sardinia of Sotto, they can look who’s who in Nigeria. ; Vertical file resources like pictures, charts, maps etc increase the skills of students, develop interest and make learning permanent to them. E. G. Map of Nigeria showing 36 states and Baja or chart of Human respiratory system etc. Digital resources they provides a vast amount of information e. G. CD Room has the capacity of storing IAMB of information. These resources, they stimulate interest and making learning permanent to students e. . Student loud memorize and recall information that displayed on screen rather than verbal instruction. Library resources when provided and stocked in senior secondary school libraries, students could have enough resources to improve their skills, attitudes, norms and values etc because, a library in senior secondary school system will bring about the following educational aims of students library. (COOLING, 1997:57). A. To stimulate and enhance reading habit in students. B. To develop students the ability to read for information in books. C. O help students to increase and improve their knowledge of reading, speaking ND writing English. D. To train students on how to care for books and make good intelligent use of the library. E. To enhance students’ read inning and communication skills. F. To give the students information both current and retrospective. G. To provide for recreation. In the absence of the resources or materials in senior secondary schools, students could not attain the above aims because in the absence of library resources students might have finished their secondary school without the knowledge of how to write a letter in English or how to speak English.
Amok and Ode (2007:138) enumerated the roles of Audio-visual resources, which include the following:- ; Improvement Of learning ; Stimulation of interest in learning ; They base learning in sense experience ; Solve educational problems ; Provide sources for information ; Expanding experience ; Individualized learning. Audio-visual resources or digital resources improves learning, since the students is interacting with two instructors, his teacher and the digital resources, this Will arose the interest of students during instructions and bring about rapid understanding of what is taught.
In addition to that, they afford the learner the opportunity to learn in concrete and practical terms; and help the learner to share experiences of other cultures through films and finally, the learner can play back a lesson on the screen or in a radio cassette, updates his knowledge, and make necessary corrections on his own. CONCLUSION In Nigerian Senior Secondary Schools there is low level supply of library resources and most of the senior secondary schools do not have the library that is why the students in Nigeria find it difficult to use the library for their benefit.
In some of our secondary schools you may find competent and dedicated teachers and library resources are even absent or not adequate; this will lead to poor background of our students since from the secondary schools. There are many factors responsible for this which are as follows: The school curriculum does not emphasize it, most of the schools do not have libraries, high cost of books, none financial support form the government and poor language development of our pupils.
Despite the changes in educational system, the central importance of library resources has not diminished. These resources facilitate the acquisition of physical and intellectual skills necessary in assisting the individual to develop literacy for lifelong education. Therefore, there is a need to recognize library resources as invaluable resources. RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations are made as a way forward. ; Government should establish libraries in all the senior secondary schools in Nigeria.
Because, libraries are essential part of the academic institution and in fact entire civilized society. Because educational process mostly rely on library as a resources for the intellectual development of students and Taft. ; Government should also provide library resources that support the classroom instructions and incorporate it with senior secondary schools’ curriculum in Nigeria. ; Library resources should be provided based on the needs of the institution its teachers and its students.
Because, some times government provides irrelevant materials in secondary schools. This is a waste of money and resources. ; Library resources in secondary schools should be accessible to the students. ; Curriculum should be adequately practicalities; because, curriculum is more than the textbooks, it is a situation wrought which teachers and school administrators effect behavioral changes in all those who pass through the school, it concerned with the promotion of self realization which enable students to become what they are meant to be.