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Cataloguing and classification of Nigerian government publications: Survey report of the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University Libraries
Government
Printed
Puhlicutions
in the USA.
Reviebt,,
All rights
Vol.
15, pp. 137-145,
1988 Copyright
reserved.
0277-9390188 $3.00 + .00 0 1988 Pergamon Press plc
CATALOGUING AND CLASSIFICATION OF NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS: Survey Report of the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University Libraries JOSEPH Documents
Librarian,
University
0. AINA*
of Ilorin Library,
P.M.B.
1518, Ilorin,
Nigeria
Abstract - This article discusses the processes of cataloguing and classification of Nigerian government publications at the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife) libraries. Comparison and evaluation of their systems are made on the basis of choice of corporate headings, subject headings uniformity in entries, and classification systems. Questionnaire/interview and observation methods were used in collecting the data; recommendations are made based on conclusions drawn.
INTRODUCTION Government publications are among the oldest of written records; in fact, it was largely to preserve them that libraries were established in ancient times. Today, every nation issues publications relating to its governmental activities. There has been an increase in the rate of growth of government publications in Nigeria since May 1967, when the regions were replaced by 12 states. There are now 21 states with the Abuja Federal Capital Territory having the same status as the states. Nigeria became a federation in 1954, on October 1, 1960 it became independent, and on October 1, 1963, it became a republic. This study has been restricted to the University of lbadan and Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife) libraries. There were six universities in Nigeria before 1975. Prior to the creation of states, the country was comprised of four regions and a federal territory. Out of the then six universities in the country, two were located in the Western Region: the University of Ibadan at Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University at Ife. Since both universities were in the same region and had received a similar distribution of government publications under the Nigerian Legal Deposit Law, the author proposed that the processing of document collections in these two university libraries could be reasonably compared. The objective of this study is to compare and evaluate the processing of Nigerian government publications at the two university libraries under study on the basis of the following points: 1. Basis for choice of corporate 2. Subject headings. 3. Classification systems.
headings.
*Joseph 0. Aina was the first professional librarian for the Nigerian Educational Research Council in Lagos and was later employed by the University of Ilorin as a serials librarian. He is now the Documents Librarian. A member of the Kwara State Division of the Nigerian Library Association Study Group on Library Services, his most recent publications are to be found in the Serials Librarian and the Ihrin Journa/ ofEducation. 137
138
J.O.
AINA
This study is primarily limited to the processing of Nigerian government publications - their cataloguing, classification, and arrangement of the materials in the two university libraries. This article reports how these two libraries have been coping with dif~culties of corporate headings and traditional classification in the processing of their government publications. Existing schematic classification has been found to be inadequate for Nigerian government publications. Subject division is too scanty for the materials; the subject headings of the Library of Congress system are too broad. There are the problems of evolving a system of classification that would be more suitable for Nigeria and corporate headings rules and codes for more practical application in Nigerian university libraries. UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY The Librarian at the University of Ibadan has the function of administering the university library. Currently the Ibadan University Library contains approximately 630,000 volumes and receives over 6,000 current periodicals. As of 1978179 the total number of volumes in the government documents collection was estimated at about 5,000 [ 11. The library has open-access bookstacks for undergraduates and closed-access for some of its research collection, which includes government documents, Africanas, theses, journals and both local and foreign newspapers. Material in the government publications collection includes: government gazettes; laws and statutes; reports of commissions of inquiries, investigation panels, etc.: annual reports of government departments, agencies, etc.; statistics (including population census reports, budget estimates, etc.); and parliamentary papers. The library’s collection of government publications was transferred from its previous location in the undergraduate library to its permanent location in the research library during the summer of 1968. The official publications of international and interte~itorial organizations were shelved strictly according to their arrangement in the printed catalogues and indexes of the organizations. During the 1971172 academic year, a proposal submitted by the Documents Librarian, entitled “Organisation and Maintenance of Documents Section,” recommended guidelines. The suggestions were implemented, forming the basis of the staff manual for the section. Classification numbers were assigned to the documents. Documents were arranged by issuing areas in the case of national publications, and issuing agencies in the case of international publications. The expanded schedule Z of the Bliss Classification scheme, used to classify the documents before 1974, later proved inadequate. The staff of the documents section then devised another modified scheme based on the Bliss Classification, but combined the principle of provenance, issuing agency, and individual document number. From the beginning, therefore, the library classified its collections according to the Bibliographic Classification of II.E. Bliss. The library changed to the Library of Congress classification scheme on January IO, 1975. The use of Library of Congress classification for government documents was reviewed; it has since become the basis of the locally devised scheme now in use. OBAFE~I
AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
Obafemi Awolowo University was established and incorporated by University Law No. 6 of 1961. One of the functions of the university is to erect, provide, equip, and maintain libraries. The librarian is one of the principal officers of the university. The main library complex is designed to accommodate 500,000 volumes and to seat 2,000 readers. Cur-
Cataloguing and classification
of Nigerian publications
139
rently, the library contains approximately 380,000 bound volumes and receives over 5,000 serial titles. The library is a depository of all works published within Ogun, Ondo, and Oyo (states formerly within the Western Region of Nigeria) and publications of the United Nations organization, the World Health Organization, the General Agreement on Trade and Tariff, the Economic Commission for Africa, the Organization of African Unity, the World Bank, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the World Fertility Survey. LITERATURE
REVIEW
A search of the literature revealed that a considerable amount has been written on the cataloguing and classifying of Nigerian official publications. Most of the articles on government publications in academic libraries discuss their selection, acquisition, distribution, and bibliography and reference services. CATALOGUING
Amaeshi 121, in his own contribution to Nigerian government publications, discussed government publications as separate collections. Greaves [3] outlined the problems concerning the form of entry of corporate bodies. Regarding subject approach, she stated that most problems related to author, title, and descriptive cataloguing of Nigerians are covered by the general cataloguing principles that have been laid down. A cataloguing and classification section of the Nigerian Library Association 141directs that, regarding corporate bodies, entries may be made under the name or names of the organization(s) concerned. A great divergence of opinion has been created in Nigeria as a result of the fact that some librarians have been trained in Britain and some in the United States. However, the two major English-speaking countries have been cooperating more and more closely, and librarians in Nigeria have now been helped a great deal through the cooperation of British and American cataloguing librarians. The cataloguing problems in Nigeria are gradually being overcome. CLASSIFICATION
The Dewey Decimal classification scheme has been found to be too general for Nigerian government publications, and so does not help much. The Library of Congress classification scheme, which Nigerian acedemic libraries use, is biased. While it has sections especially for American government publications, any other country using the scheme has to establish a special scheme for its own official publications. The National Library of Canada has done this, as has the National Library of Nigeria. Aderibigbe’s [.5] article describes the classification scheme being used for the organization of government publications at Lagos University Library. The special scheme being used by the Obafemi Awolowo University Library for its own official publications came into operation in 1981. This scheme is similar to the classification system being used at the University of Ibadan Library. In addition, several papers have appeared as a result of a seminar on cataloguing and classification held in 1966 at the Institute of Librarianship, Ibadan; for example, Nwozo Amankwe’s [6] report on classification and F.O. Aramide’s report [7] on the use of the Bliss Classification at Ibadan University. METHODOLOGY
In collecting the data for this study, it was decided that the best method would be to
140
J.O.
AINA
provide a questionnaire to the documents librarians at the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University libraries. Factual replies on cataloguing and classification of the government publications were sought. A follow-up in the form of an on-the-spot interview was also carried out to supplement the questionnaire. All of these activities were conducted in August 1986. QUESTIONNAIRE/INTERVIEW Ten questions were asked on the questionnaire (see Appendix A). Question 1 was the name of the library. Question 2 sought to know the organization of the collection, while questions 3 and 4 were to examine the type of catalogue. Question 5 was to determine if the issuing bodies were of any help in the processing of materials in their libraries. Question 6 asked if references are used, while questions 7 through 10 sought the opinions of the documents librarians about the adequacy of their cataloguing and referencing of official publications for the needs of their users. For the interview, a detailed plan was established and the following questions were posed:
Cataloguing
questions:
1. 2. 3. 4.
What amount of information is given on catalogue cards? In what order is the information given? How do you determine your choice in corporate headings? Which tool [Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) Headings] do you use for subject headings? 5. How do you indicate series in your cards?
Classijkation
or Sears List of Subject
questions:
1. 2. 3. 4.
What classification scheme do you use? Do you borrow the ideas of your locally devised scheme from somewhere? What do the elements in your call number indicate? Under what do you classify government publications issued by Ministries, departments etc. ,? 5. If a Ministry issues a publication that strictly belongs to another Ministry, under which Ministry do you classify such a publication? 6. How do you enter policy statement publications which are concerned with a particular ministry? 7. How do you apply the cutter system?
OBSERVATION Observation was carried out to supplement the questionnaire/interview in order to examine certain routines and systems. Such areas as main entry, title, uniformity, and references were examined. For entries, priority was given to looking for titles that would appear in the two libraries for comparison.
Cataloguing
and classification
of Nigerian
publications
141
FINDINGS
There has traditionally been difficulty in making catalogue entries that will both identify the government publications in terms of convenience for the catalogue user and, at the same time, collect them in the catalogue under the most appropriate headings. Efforts have been made to streamline the choice of corporate headings in the two university libraries, though the complex nature of government publications still gives rise to some problems. The major difficulty arises in recording the publications of the government agencies that are subordinate offices within a larger department. Semi-autonomous subordinate agencies have been found to move, without change of name, from the guardianship of one main department to that of another. This has led to unnecessary complexities in cross-references. The two documents librarians have experienced difficulty in deciding how to enter certain official publications. Entries were found under states and the country, though the documents may only emanate from the state government. The name of the body sought is usually the third step from the entry word. In the two libraries, many federal government publications are entered under NIGERIA. Local authorities, such as the states, are entered as subdivisions of NIGERIA and then followed by a third subheading, usually the name of the Ministry or department. Greaves is of the opinion that, “States in Nigeria should be entered directly under their names . . . ” [8]. Direct entry is, however, made when it is identifiable without the main body, e.g., NIGERIAN TELEVISION AUTHORITY. RESPONSE
TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE
Responses to the question relating to the arrangement of materials show that the official publications collections of the two libraries are wholly separate, with a separate documents catalogue by author and title in the two libraries, but additionally by subject in Ibadan; Ife incorporates subject entry into the main library catalogue. The Nigerian government publications entries are not incorporated into the main catalogues at Ibadan, whereas Ife incorporates only non-Nigerian official publications entries by subject only. With regards to access point, Ibadan has an author/title catalogue and the subject catalogue. Ife has dictionary catalogue for Nigerian government publications, which is made up of author, title, and subject entries inter-tiled in one alphabetical sequence. It was found that, at Ife, the Nigerian government publication catalogue is separate, but all other government documents cards are inter-bled in the main library catalogue. The Nigerian government publications entries have only the subject entry inter-filed in the main catalogue. So, while Ife partly integrated Nigerian government official publications collection into the main library catalogue by subject, Ibadan has both the collections and catalogue separate since its document collections entries are not interfiled with the main library catalogue. Responses to the question on references show that the two libraries make use of “see” and “see also” references. They use “see also” from items entered under former names of bodies to items entered under later names, and “see” references refer users from a heading that is not used to a heading used. RESPONSES
TO THE INTERVIEW
Librarians from the two institutions agreed that they catalogue fully by author, title, and subject. The parts of the description are given as far as possible in a uniform pattern, although level of description varies. The variety in the amount of information given is due
142
J.O.
AINA
to the information given on the document. Form of entry follows a certain pattern. Each publication is usually introduced in the order of country, issuing or editing agency, title, volume and number, place of publication, and publisher with date of publication. There is, however, lack of uniformity. While some state documents are entered under NIGERIA, others are under states. Entry is also made under the names of organizations that may be responsible for the text of a publication. The two libraries use Library ofCongress Subject Heudings (LCSH) with additions and modifications to suit the local needs since in itself the LCSH is inadequate for Nigerian government publications as the subject headings are too broad. Indication of series appears on cards as appropriate to show number, volume, or year of the libraries holdings. The traditional classification schemes for the arrangement on the shelves have been found to be inadequate in the two libraries. They have, instead, special, locally devised modifications of standard classification schemes for classifying their government publications collections. The scheme, which is in use for government publications at Ibadan, is mainly the result of many years of experimentation with Bliss classification. The location symbol in the call number for a Nigerian government publication is 85. Lower-case letters are used to denote national political units; upper-case letters are used for national issuing agencies; and a number with a decimal point is used to indicate a specific type of publication. The call number for an item is constructed with the notations from the schedules, in sequence, as appropriate. The first element indicates government collection and its geographical division, while the issuing agency is next. The third element is either to indicate form or cuttering. Here is an example: 85 - stands for government material vhf - stands for Nigerian federal government E-F7 - stands for Ministries etc. .41 - stands for Annual Reports SO theAtrnlra1 rrport of the Federal Departrmnt bears the call mark:
oJ’Fowstry
Rvsrarc~hfor
the your 1969-10
85 vhf E-F7 .41 1969-70 The Ife scheme makes use of upper-case letters as symbols for Nigerian political divisions, numbers for issuing agencies, and a number with a decimal point for form divisions. The first element indicates policital division, the second indicates issuing body, while the third indicates the type of publication. An example is shown here.
AZ 101 -
stands for the Federal Government stands for staff lists.
of Nigeria
so, AZ:101 1950 - will stand for the Federal
StaJf Lists
19.50.
Cataloguing
and classification
of Nigerian
publications
143
The general method of the two libraries is to classify publications issued by ministries under these ministries. In cases where the same publication has been issued successively by two different ministries or departments, it is classified under the latest issuing body. Sometimes a ministry issues a publication that belongs to another ministry. The practice at the two libraries is to classify such a publication under the ministry with which the subject is related. The policy statement publications by the government of the Federation, which are concerned with particular ministries, are entered under those ministries. The question on the cutter system was to examine how it is applied. The principle as practiced at Ife is to cutter by the most significant word in the title. At Ibadan, cuttering at the headings and at titles are seen. As stated earlier, the two university libraries covered in this survey receive copies of government publications under the Legal Deposit Law. In accordance with this law, all federal government ministries and parastatals, in addition to the former Western Nigerian government, are required to deposit copies of each of their publications with the University of Ibadan library, while Obafemi Awolowo University is a depository to the Western (now broken into four states) Nigerian government ministries and parastatals. Herein lies the contact between the government agencies and these two libraries. It is the duty of the head of a department to deliver copies of any printed matter that is published by or on behalf of any department of these governments to these university libraries. Both geographical proximity and political affinity of the two universities afford them great cooperation for professional interchange. It was also observed that government manuals and other tools used to establish corporate entries include manuals by Bakewell [9], the Nigerian Library Association [lo], Ellen Jackson [ 111, and the second edition of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2) [12].
CONCLUSIONS
The choice of corporate headings has been a problem for documents librarians in Nigerian university libraries. The idea of using LCSH with modifications and additions to suit the local needs by the two documents librarians is producing good results even though the LCSH by itself is inadequate for the Nigerian situation. For uniformity of heading, publications of the Nigerian government are usually entered under NIGERIA. This may be a hindrance rather than a help. One should enter publications under the name of the government that produced it, regardless of whether it is a federal or state government. The in-house classification schemes in use by the two libraries are proving to be functional.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The additions and modifications of the locally devised classification schemes of the two university libraries should be collected and harmonized, not only to help Nigerian classifiers, but to show how much Nigerian documents librarians have improved. For effective cooperation, the two university documents librarians should adopt the same classification and catalogue systems. Subordinate bodies such as states and societies should have direct entry. Publications from states in Nigeria should be entered under their names, for example, KWARA STATE. Only federal government publications should be entered under NIGERIA and the custom of subordinating to the heading NIGERIA should be de-emphasized.
144
J.O.
AINA
NOTES Documents Usage in an Academic Library: The Case Study from 1. G.A. Alabi and L.O. Aina, “Government Ibadan University Library,” &i~,rnrnc,nr Puh/ka/ion ReCcw. 7A (1980): 333-336. 2. B. Amaeshi, “Main Entries in the Cataloguing of Nigerian Government Publications for Separate Documents Collection,” Nigerian Lihrtrrie.7 7 (1971): 43-47. 3. M.A. Greaves, “Cataloguing and Classification: the Nigerian Scene,” in: C‘uttrloguing and C’Iassijicafion of Non- Western Matc~ria1.s C‘otwc,rns, Is.srtc~,sand Prac.ticcJ.s, ed. M.M. Aman (London: Oryx Press, 1980), pp. 12-30. 4. Nigerian Library Association, A C’trtaloguing Mtrnucrl. 2nd ed. (Lagos: Nigerian Library Association, 1980), p. 11. 5. M.R. Aderibigbe, “Classification of Government Publications at the University of Lagos Library in Nigeria,” Got,c,rnrtzc,nt Puhlica/ion.s Rvr~ielc~ 10 (January/February 1983): 109-l 16. Ni,q:c,riarr Libraries 1 (1965): “Revision of Classification Schemes for Nigerian Needs,” 6. Nwozo Amankwe. 165-173. Nigrrian 1~ihrarie.s 3 (1967): 1097. F.O. Aramide, “Bliss Modifications in the Ibadan University Library,” 115. 8. Greaves, “Cataloguing and Classification,” p. 19. 9. K.G.B. Bakewell, A Marlual of C‘atcrlogning Prcrcticc (Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1972). 10. Bakewell, A Manud of Ca/doguitlg. p. 11. 11. Ellen Jackson, A Manual for the Administrcrtion ofthe Federal Documents C‘olkction in Libruries Prcparrtl for thr A.L.A. Conmitter OH Public Doc.rtmrnts (Chicago: American Library Association, 1955). 12. Anglo-Amrricun C‘crruloguing Rulrs. 2nd ed. (London: The Library Association, 1978).
APPENDIX Questionnaire Cataloguing 1. Name
of Library:
2. Is your library’s
on Arrangement and of Official Publications
_ official
publications
collection
separate
or integrated?
wholly separate partly separate C. wholly integrated
;:
3. If separate do you have a separate a. No b. Yes, by (1) Subject
official
publications
catalogue?
cl
(2) title
cl
(3) author/emanating
body
Cl
4. If it is separate catalogue in separate collection, do you also incorporate into your main library catalogue system? Yes/No
All Some 5a.
By subject
By title
0
cl
cl
cl
0
cl
Do you use lists,
catalogues
By author/emanating
and indexes
of issuing
source
bodies?
Yes/No
the entries
Cataloguing
and classification
of Nigerian
145
publications
b. If yes:
(1) as sole means of identifying official catalogue. (2) to identify catalogue.
titles
before
(3) annotated
as finding
and finding
searching
library
aids.
6. Do you use “see also” for items entered entered under later names? Yes/No your 7. Do you consider adequate for the needs
library’s cataloguing of users? Yes/No
8. If no, what is inadequate?
9. Do you have current plans to improve a. within the next few years 0 b. not at all 0 10. How do you want to improve?
it?
under
Yes
No
cl
q
0
0
q
0
former
and referencing
names
of bodies
of official
to items
publications
Printed
Puhlicutions
in the USA.
Reviebt,,
All rights
Vol.
15, pp. 137-145,
1988 Copyright
reserved.
0277-9390188 $3.00 + .00 0 1988 Pergamon Press plc
CATALOGUING AND CLASSIFICATION OF NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS: Survey Report of the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University Libraries JOSEPH Documents
Librarian,
University
0. AINA*
of Ilorin Library,
P.M.B.
1518, Ilorin,
Nigeria
Abstract - This article discusses the processes of cataloguing and classification of Nigerian government publications at the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife) libraries. Comparison and evaluation of their systems are made on the basis of choice of corporate headings, subject headings uniformity in entries, and classification systems. Questionnaire/interview and observation methods were used in collecting the data; recommendations are made based on conclusions drawn.
INTRODUCTION Government publications are among the oldest of written records; in fact, it was largely to preserve them that libraries were established in ancient times. Today, every nation issues publications relating to its governmental activities. There has been an increase in the rate of growth of government publications in Nigeria since May 1967, when the regions were replaced by 12 states. There are now 21 states with the Abuja Federal Capital Territory having the same status as the states. Nigeria became a federation in 1954, on October 1, 1960 it became independent, and on October 1, 1963, it became a republic. This study has been restricted to the University of lbadan and Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife) libraries. There were six universities in Nigeria before 1975. Prior to the creation of states, the country was comprised of four regions and a federal territory. Out of the then six universities in the country, two were located in the Western Region: the University of Ibadan at Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University at Ife. Since both universities were in the same region and had received a similar distribution of government publications under the Nigerian Legal Deposit Law, the author proposed that the processing of document collections in these two university libraries could be reasonably compared. The objective of this study is to compare and evaluate the processing of Nigerian government publications at the two university libraries under study on the basis of the following points: 1. Basis for choice of corporate 2. Subject headings. 3. Classification systems.
headings.
*Joseph 0. Aina was the first professional librarian for the Nigerian Educational Research Council in Lagos and was later employed by the University of Ilorin as a serials librarian. He is now the Documents Librarian. A member of the Kwara State Division of the Nigerian Library Association Study Group on Library Services, his most recent publications are to be found in the Serials Librarian and the Ihrin Journa/ ofEducation. 137
138
J.O.
AINA
This study is primarily limited to the processing of Nigerian government publications - their cataloguing, classification, and arrangement of the materials in the two university libraries. This article reports how these two libraries have been coping with dif~culties of corporate headings and traditional classification in the processing of their government publications. Existing schematic classification has been found to be inadequate for Nigerian government publications. Subject division is too scanty for the materials; the subject headings of the Library of Congress system are too broad. There are the problems of evolving a system of classification that would be more suitable for Nigeria and corporate headings rules and codes for more practical application in Nigerian university libraries. UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY The Librarian at the University of Ibadan has the function of administering the university library. Currently the Ibadan University Library contains approximately 630,000 volumes and receives over 6,000 current periodicals. As of 1978179 the total number of volumes in the government documents collection was estimated at about 5,000 [ 11. The library has open-access bookstacks for undergraduates and closed-access for some of its research collection, which includes government documents, Africanas, theses, journals and both local and foreign newspapers. Material in the government publications collection includes: government gazettes; laws and statutes; reports of commissions of inquiries, investigation panels, etc.: annual reports of government departments, agencies, etc.; statistics (including population census reports, budget estimates, etc.); and parliamentary papers. The library’s collection of government publications was transferred from its previous location in the undergraduate library to its permanent location in the research library during the summer of 1968. The official publications of international and interte~itorial organizations were shelved strictly according to their arrangement in the printed catalogues and indexes of the organizations. During the 1971172 academic year, a proposal submitted by the Documents Librarian, entitled “Organisation and Maintenance of Documents Section,” recommended guidelines. The suggestions were implemented, forming the basis of the staff manual for the section. Classification numbers were assigned to the documents. Documents were arranged by issuing areas in the case of national publications, and issuing agencies in the case of international publications. The expanded schedule Z of the Bliss Classification scheme, used to classify the documents before 1974, later proved inadequate. The staff of the documents section then devised another modified scheme based on the Bliss Classification, but combined the principle of provenance, issuing agency, and individual document number. From the beginning, therefore, the library classified its collections according to the Bibliographic Classification of II.E. Bliss. The library changed to the Library of Congress classification scheme on January IO, 1975. The use of Library of Congress classification for government documents was reviewed; it has since become the basis of the locally devised scheme now in use. OBAFE~I
AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
Obafemi Awolowo University was established and incorporated by University Law No. 6 of 1961. One of the functions of the university is to erect, provide, equip, and maintain libraries. The librarian is one of the principal officers of the university. The main library complex is designed to accommodate 500,000 volumes and to seat 2,000 readers. Cur-
Cataloguing and classification
of Nigerian publications
139
rently, the library contains approximately 380,000 bound volumes and receives over 5,000 serial titles. The library is a depository of all works published within Ogun, Ondo, and Oyo (states formerly within the Western Region of Nigeria) and publications of the United Nations organization, the World Health Organization, the General Agreement on Trade and Tariff, the Economic Commission for Africa, the Organization of African Unity, the World Bank, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the World Fertility Survey. LITERATURE
REVIEW
A search of the literature revealed that a considerable amount has been written on the cataloguing and classifying of Nigerian official publications. Most of the articles on government publications in academic libraries discuss their selection, acquisition, distribution, and bibliography and reference services. CATALOGUING
Amaeshi 121, in his own contribution to Nigerian government publications, discussed government publications as separate collections. Greaves [3] outlined the problems concerning the form of entry of corporate bodies. Regarding subject approach, she stated that most problems related to author, title, and descriptive cataloguing of Nigerians are covered by the general cataloguing principles that have been laid down. A cataloguing and classification section of the Nigerian Library Association 141directs that, regarding corporate bodies, entries may be made under the name or names of the organization(s) concerned. A great divergence of opinion has been created in Nigeria as a result of the fact that some librarians have been trained in Britain and some in the United States. However, the two major English-speaking countries have been cooperating more and more closely, and librarians in Nigeria have now been helped a great deal through the cooperation of British and American cataloguing librarians. The cataloguing problems in Nigeria are gradually being overcome. CLASSIFICATION
The Dewey Decimal classification scheme has been found to be too general for Nigerian government publications, and so does not help much. The Library of Congress classification scheme, which Nigerian acedemic libraries use, is biased. While it has sections especially for American government publications, any other country using the scheme has to establish a special scheme for its own official publications. The National Library of Canada has done this, as has the National Library of Nigeria. Aderibigbe’s [.5] article describes the classification scheme being used for the organization of government publications at Lagos University Library. The special scheme being used by the Obafemi Awolowo University Library for its own official publications came into operation in 1981. This scheme is similar to the classification system being used at the University of Ibadan Library. In addition, several papers have appeared as a result of a seminar on cataloguing and classification held in 1966 at the Institute of Librarianship, Ibadan; for example, Nwozo Amankwe’s [6] report on classification and F.O. Aramide’s report [7] on the use of the Bliss Classification at Ibadan University. METHODOLOGY
In collecting the data for this study, it was decided that the best method would be to
140
J.O.
AINA
provide a questionnaire to the documents librarians at the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University libraries. Factual replies on cataloguing and classification of the government publications were sought. A follow-up in the form of an on-the-spot interview was also carried out to supplement the questionnaire. All of these activities were conducted in August 1986. QUESTIONNAIRE/INTERVIEW Ten questions were asked on the questionnaire (see Appendix A). Question 1 was the name of the library. Question 2 sought to know the organization of the collection, while questions 3 and 4 were to examine the type of catalogue. Question 5 was to determine if the issuing bodies were of any help in the processing of materials in their libraries. Question 6 asked if references are used, while questions 7 through 10 sought the opinions of the documents librarians about the adequacy of their cataloguing and referencing of official publications for the needs of their users. For the interview, a detailed plan was established and the following questions were posed:
Cataloguing
questions:
1. 2. 3. 4.
What amount of information is given on catalogue cards? In what order is the information given? How do you determine your choice in corporate headings? Which tool [Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) Headings] do you use for subject headings? 5. How do you indicate series in your cards?
Classijkation
or Sears List of Subject
questions:
1. 2. 3. 4.
What classification scheme do you use? Do you borrow the ideas of your locally devised scheme from somewhere? What do the elements in your call number indicate? Under what do you classify government publications issued by Ministries, departments etc. ,? 5. If a Ministry issues a publication that strictly belongs to another Ministry, under which Ministry do you classify such a publication? 6. How do you enter policy statement publications which are concerned with a particular ministry? 7. How do you apply the cutter system?
OBSERVATION Observation was carried out to supplement the questionnaire/interview in order to examine certain routines and systems. Such areas as main entry, title, uniformity, and references were examined. For entries, priority was given to looking for titles that would appear in the two libraries for comparison.
Cataloguing
and classification
of Nigerian
publications
141
FINDINGS
There has traditionally been difficulty in making catalogue entries that will both identify the government publications in terms of convenience for the catalogue user and, at the same time, collect them in the catalogue under the most appropriate headings. Efforts have been made to streamline the choice of corporate headings in the two university libraries, though the complex nature of government publications still gives rise to some problems. The major difficulty arises in recording the publications of the government agencies that are subordinate offices within a larger department. Semi-autonomous subordinate agencies have been found to move, without change of name, from the guardianship of one main department to that of another. This has led to unnecessary complexities in cross-references. The two documents librarians have experienced difficulty in deciding how to enter certain official publications. Entries were found under states and the country, though the documents may only emanate from the state government. The name of the body sought is usually the third step from the entry word. In the two libraries, many federal government publications are entered under NIGERIA. Local authorities, such as the states, are entered as subdivisions of NIGERIA and then followed by a third subheading, usually the name of the Ministry or department. Greaves is of the opinion that, “States in Nigeria should be entered directly under their names . . . ” [8]. Direct entry is, however, made when it is identifiable without the main body, e.g., NIGERIAN TELEVISION AUTHORITY. RESPONSE
TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE
Responses to the question relating to the arrangement of materials show that the official publications collections of the two libraries are wholly separate, with a separate documents catalogue by author and title in the two libraries, but additionally by subject in Ibadan; Ife incorporates subject entry into the main library catalogue. The Nigerian government publications entries are not incorporated into the main catalogues at Ibadan, whereas Ife incorporates only non-Nigerian official publications entries by subject only. With regards to access point, Ibadan has an author/title catalogue and the subject catalogue. Ife has dictionary catalogue for Nigerian government publications, which is made up of author, title, and subject entries inter-tiled in one alphabetical sequence. It was found that, at Ife, the Nigerian government publication catalogue is separate, but all other government documents cards are inter-bled in the main library catalogue. The Nigerian government publications entries have only the subject entry inter-filed in the main catalogue. So, while Ife partly integrated Nigerian government official publications collection into the main library catalogue by subject, Ibadan has both the collections and catalogue separate since its document collections entries are not interfiled with the main library catalogue. Responses to the question on references show that the two libraries make use of “see” and “see also” references. They use “see also” from items entered under former names of bodies to items entered under later names, and “see” references refer users from a heading that is not used to a heading used. RESPONSES
TO THE INTERVIEW
Librarians from the two institutions agreed that they catalogue fully by author, title, and subject. The parts of the description are given as far as possible in a uniform pattern, although level of description varies. The variety in the amount of information given is due
142
J.O.
AINA
to the information given on the document. Form of entry follows a certain pattern. Each publication is usually introduced in the order of country, issuing or editing agency, title, volume and number, place of publication, and publisher with date of publication. There is, however, lack of uniformity. While some state documents are entered under NIGERIA, others are under states. Entry is also made under the names of organizations that may be responsible for the text of a publication. The two libraries use Library ofCongress Subject Heudings (LCSH) with additions and modifications to suit the local needs since in itself the LCSH is inadequate for Nigerian government publications as the subject headings are too broad. Indication of series appears on cards as appropriate to show number, volume, or year of the libraries holdings. The traditional classification schemes for the arrangement on the shelves have been found to be inadequate in the two libraries. They have, instead, special, locally devised modifications of standard classification schemes for classifying their government publications collections. The scheme, which is in use for government publications at Ibadan, is mainly the result of many years of experimentation with Bliss classification. The location symbol in the call number for a Nigerian government publication is 85. Lower-case letters are used to denote national political units; upper-case letters are used for national issuing agencies; and a number with a decimal point is used to indicate a specific type of publication. The call number for an item is constructed with the notations from the schedules, in sequence, as appropriate. The first element indicates government collection and its geographical division, while the issuing agency is next. The third element is either to indicate form or cuttering. Here is an example: 85 - stands for government material vhf - stands for Nigerian federal government E-F7 - stands for Ministries etc. .41 - stands for Annual Reports SO theAtrnlra1 rrport of the Federal Departrmnt bears the call mark:
oJ’Fowstry
Rvsrarc~hfor
the your 1969-10
85 vhf E-F7 .41 1969-70 The Ife scheme makes use of upper-case letters as symbols for Nigerian political divisions, numbers for issuing agencies, and a number with a decimal point for form divisions. The first element indicates policital division, the second indicates issuing body, while the third indicates the type of publication. An example is shown here.
AZ 101 -
stands for the Federal Government stands for staff lists.
of Nigeria
so, AZ:101 1950 - will stand for the Federal
StaJf Lists
19.50.
Cataloguing
and classification
of Nigerian
publications
143
The general method of the two libraries is to classify publications issued by ministries under these ministries. In cases where the same publication has been issued successively by two different ministries or departments, it is classified under the latest issuing body. Sometimes a ministry issues a publication that belongs to another ministry. The practice at the two libraries is to classify such a publication under the ministry with which the subject is related. The policy statement publications by the government of the Federation, which are concerned with particular ministries, are entered under those ministries. The question on the cutter system was to examine how it is applied. The principle as practiced at Ife is to cutter by the most significant word in the title. At Ibadan, cuttering at the headings and at titles are seen. As stated earlier, the two university libraries covered in this survey receive copies of government publications under the Legal Deposit Law. In accordance with this law, all federal government ministries and parastatals, in addition to the former Western Nigerian government, are required to deposit copies of each of their publications with the University of Ibadan library, while Obafemi Awolowo University is a depository to the Western (now broken into four states) Nigerian government ministries and parastatals. Herein lies the contact between the government agencies and these two libraries. It is the duty of the head of a department to deliver copies of any printed matter that is published by or on behalf of any department of these governments to these university libraries. Both geographical proximity and political affinity of the two universities afford them great cooperation for professional interchange. It was also observed that government manuals and other tools used to establish corporate entries include manuals by Bakewell [9], the Nigerian Library Association [lo], Ellen Jackson [ 111, and the second edition of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR2) [12].
CONCLUSIONS
The choice of corporate headings has been a problem for documents librarians in Nigerian university libraries. The idea of using LCSH with modifications and additions to suit the local needs by the two documents librarians is producing good results even though the LCSH by itself is inadequate for the Nigerian situation. For uniformity of heading, publications of the Nigerian government are usually entered under NIGERIA. This may be a hindrance rather than a help. One should enter publications under the name of the government that produced it, regardless of whether it is a federal or state government. The in-house classification schemes in use by the two libraries are proving to be functional.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The additions and modifications of the locally devised classification schemes of the two university libraries should be collected and harmonized, not only to help Nigerian classifiers, but to show how much Nigerian documents librarians have improved. For effective cooperation, the two university documents librarians should adopt the same classification and catalogue systems. Subordinate bodies such as states and societies should have direct entry. Publications from states in Nigeria should be entered under their names, for example, KWARA STATE. Only federal government publications should be entered under NIGERIA and the custom of subordinating to the heading NIGERIA should be de-emphasized.
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NOTES Documents Usage in an Academic Library: The Case Study from 1. G.A. Alabi and L.O. Aina, “Government Ibadan University Library,” &i~,rnrnc,nr Puh/ka/ion ReCcw. 7A (1980): 333-336. 2. B. Amaeshi, “Main Entries in the Cataloguing of Nigerian Government Publications for Separate Documents Collection,” Nigerian Lihrtrrie.7 7 (1971): 43-47. 3. M.A. Greaves, “Cataloguing and Classification: the Nigerian Scene,” in: C‘uttrloguing and C’Iassijicafion of Non- Western Matc~ria1.s C‘otwc,rns, Is.srtc~,sand Prac.ticcJ.s, ed. M.M. Aman (London: Oryx Press, 1980), pp. 12-30. 4. Nigerian Library Association, A C’trtaloguing Mtrnucrl. 2nd ed. (Lagos: Nigerian Library Association, 1980), p. 11. 5. M.R. Aderibigbe, “Classification of Government Publications at the University of Lagos Library in Nigeria,” Got,c,rnrtzc,nt Puhlica/ion.s Rvr~ielc~ 10 (January/February 1983): 109-l 16. Ni,q:c,riarr Libraries 1 (1965): “Revision of Classification Schemes for Nigerian Needs,” 6. Nwozo Amankwe. 165-173. Nigrrian 1~ihrarie.s 3 (1967): 1097. F.O. Aramide, “Bliss Modifications in the Ibadan University Library,” 115. 8. Greaves, “Cataloguing and Classification,” p. 19. 9. K.G.B. Bakewell, A Marlual of C‘atcrlogning Prcrcticc (Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1972). 10. Bakewell, A Manud of Ca/doguitlg. p. 11. 11. Ellen Jackson, A Manual for the Administrcrtion ofthe Federal Documents C‘olkction in Libruries Prcparrtl for thr A.L.A. Conmitter OH Public Doc.rtmrnts (Chicago: American Library Association, 1955). 12. Anglo-Amrricun C‘crruloguing Rulrs. 2nd ed. (London: The Library Association, 1978).
APPENDIX Questionnaire Cataloguing 1. Name
of Library:
2. Is your library’s
on Arrangement and of Official Publications
_ official
publications
collection
separate
or integrated?
wholly separate partly separate C. wholly integrated
;:
3. If separate do you have a separate a. No b. Yes, by (1) Subject
official
publications
catalogue?
cl
(2) title
cl
(3) author/emanating
body
Cl
4. If it is separate catalogue in separate collection, do you also incorporate into your main library catalogue system? Yes/No
All Some 5a.
By subject
By title
0
cl
cl
cl
0
cl
Do you use lists,
catalogues
By author/emanating
and indexes
of issuing
source
bodies?
Yes/No
the entries
Cataloguing
and classification
of Nigerian
145
publications
b. If yes:
(1) as sole means of identifying official catalogue. (2) to identify catalogue.
titles
before
(3) annotated
as finding
and finding
searching
library
aids.
6. Do you use “see also” for items entered entered under later names? Yes/No your 7. Do you consider adequate for the needs
library’s cataloguing of users? Yes/No
8. If no, what is inadequate?
9. Do you have current plans to improve a. within the next few years 0 b. not at all 0 10. How do you want to improve?
it?
under
Yes
No
cl
q
0
0
q
0
former
and referencing
names
of bodies
of official
to items
publications