HISTORY OF LIBRARIES

MRS. O.A. OLUWOLE

Introduction
The library as we know it is older than books, older than paper, and older than
prints. Libraries evolution extends back to scrolls, papyri and clay tablets that appear
near the dawn of writing. Libraries further extends back to the ancient times when
information was stored in the memory of human beings, via songs, poems, chants,
stories and rituals, back to the times of recorded knowledge which were passed from
one generation to the next.
Libraries traditionally stared as places/rooms/buildings where religious, legal, historical,
business or states records were kept. In recent times, the library has evolved to a far
reaching body of information that has resources and renders services, even beyond its
walls.
Libraries are where collections of books, manuscripts, journals, research works and
other informational sources are kept. Also they include references works, such as
encyclopedia and indexes. Libraries also acquire resources such as maps, atlease, CD-
Roms, audio and video tapes.
Ancient Times
The origin and development of libraries have been traced to the early civilizations
of Egypt, Sumerian, Greece and Rome.
The Sumerians developed the method of producing clay tablet “books”, and in
the process had to provide a place to store the tablets so that they could be used and
could be passed on to future generations. These early archives developed into the first
libraries. By 270BC, the Sumerians had established not only government libraries, but
also private and religious libraries. The clay tablets were stored in baskets or boxes and
a label listed the contents inside.
The Egyptians are credited with having the greatest library in Alexandria in the
ancient times. This attracted keen scholars from all over the world, Papyrus was cheap
then in Egypt, the resources of the museum were also at the disposal of the library, and
the enlightened rules of the Ptolemies furnished a great impetus to the translation and
editing of books.

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 Archeological discoveries have enabled us to appreciate the extent of the writing
in Egypt, as scrolls have been discovered in the tombs of Egyptians rulers.
The Phoenicians, who were travelers also contributed to writing and the
development of Libraries. Their exposure and enlightenment through their travels
influenced the Egyptians and Babylonian civilizations. They developed an alphabet and
kept business records.
In Greece, a written literature such that cannot be brushed aside existed for a
long time as they benefited from the earlier civilizations. By the 15 th century B.C., the
Greek culture had become a force to reckon with. Papyrus and parchments were used
to produce substantial literature and hence libraries.
Rome took over many library collections as spoils of war. Educated Greeks were
also captured as slaves to organize the materials and to produce more for the libraries.
To Julius Ceaser goes the honour of proposing public libraries. Prominent citizens of
Rome also built private libraries.
Middle Ages/Medieval Times
The period of the middle ages began when the West Roman Empire ended in
476 A.D. and lasted until the 14 th century. There were basically three types of libraries in
Europe during the period.
i) Monastic libraries
ii) Cathedral libraries
iii) University Libraries
Monastic Libraries
During the early middle ages, Christian monasteries preserved libraries and learning in
Europe. In the monasteries writing rooms, monks copied the Christian and secular
writings, preserving many ancient manuscripts which would have been lost, Bibles were
copied along with other religious works. A Bible codex, now in the British Museum,
written in the 4th Century was found in a monastery in the Sinal peninsula in 1844. The
manuscript books were kept in chests or cupboards according to subjects. For reading,
the manuscripts were taken out and chained to the reading desks, which were like a
lectern. Reading was done standing and there was no loan system.

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Cathedral Libraries
From the 12th – 14th centuries, great cathedral (churches) were built and with that
came the establishment of educational institutions with its complement – the library for
the tutors and pupils.
The major subjects taught then, were latin, grammar, classics and literature. The
collections of these libraries were, surprisingly, more secular than religious.
University Libraries
During the 12th century, the modern university began to develop in Europe. The
need to do research work brought about the development of libraries to help lecturers
and students gain information and knowledge. Book dealers and scribes became an
important part of every university. The scroll and codex form of textbooks were used.
The establishment of universities also aided the preservation of classical literature.
Many universities came into being and contributed to the preservation of reading
materials and the generation of more knowledge through the production of books by
their scholars.
Renaissance
Under the influence of renaissance humanism and aided by scholars who in their
pursuit for the literature of the past tracked down texts in the neglected monasteries of
Europe, the book trade expanded rapidly in the western world. Knowledge was thus
reawakened and libraries became more important. After the printing press was invented
by Johann Gutenberg of Germany in 1450, many more books could be produced and
reading materials became less expensive. Soon libraries had thousands of books and
the number of libraries increased rapidly even to the working class. The increase of
books in the library forced the shelving arrangements to change. By the 7 th Century,
books were no longer chained to their cases, they were now arranged on shelves with
their spines facing out, in the late 19 th century, modern classification schemes were
developed.
Libraries and hence librarians have always been involved in exploiting information
technologies by participating in cooperative ventures with other libraries, for example by
sharing their catalogues and other holding to facilitate lending of materials. Librarians
have also become expert in finding information from online sources and CD-ROM data
bases.

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Its technology has evolved and brought new ways of acquiring, documenting, storing,
organizing, disseminating and preserving information. The role of librarians have also
changed. Information sorting and delivering at a fast pace now operatives. ICT in
libraries is now the in-thing and librarians work is no more limited to within the library
walls.
History of Libraries in Nigeria
The first libraries in Nigeria were public libraries but the first archives or book
collection centre can be traced back to collections of Islamic books in different parts of
northern Nigeria before the 20th century.
In the late 1920’s the Lagos book club was formed. It was a public library to
which some subscription fee was received. It was established by some foreigners and
few a literate Nigerians to circulate books among themselves. The book club later
received a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York in 1932 amounting up to
$6.500. With the grant, the Club metamorphosed into the Lagos Library.
The British Council library was opened in 1934 to serve as an information centre
during the Second World War. Branches were later opened up in the north, south and
mid western zones of the country.
The University College, Ibadan, which later became the university of Ibadan was
established in 1948 and it was the nucleus of a national library in Nigeria. The
publications ordinance was passed in 1950 which made it compulsory for publishers to
deposit two copies of every book published in Nigeria with the college.
Development of the National Library of Nigeria
The National Library of Nigeria took off with the publication of an act passed in
1964. The doors were also opened to users that same year, however some lapses were
observed in the act which among other things did not make the library a national
depository, nor did it make it compulsory for it to publish a national bibliography. The
lapses were later corrected with the promulgation of the National Library Decree of
1970. There, the scope of its activities were widened. A board was set up to oversee its
activities. The national library was also made the legal depository and bibliographic
centre for the nation. Branches were established in states.
The functions of the National Library of Nigeria could be summaries as follows:

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 i) To identify published materials in the country, acquire and organize them for
preservation and dissemination.
ii) To serve as a coordinating centre for all library activates within the country
and act as a link with other libraries abroad.
iii) To publish the National Union Catalogue, national bibliography and compile
bibliographies on special topics.
iv) To maintain a National Union Catalogue for books catalogued by it and five
other libraries. These are Universities of Lagos, Ibadan, Nigeria, Ahmadu
Bello University and Obafemi Awolowo University.
The main objectives of the National Union Catalogue are to facilitate the
cooperative use of library resources, avoid duplication of effort and expenses and to
encourage uniform standard in regard to bibliographic information.
The National Library is interested in making sure that everyone is literate and
hence, in cooperation with other bodies, it inaugurated the National Reading Week in
1981.
The National Copyright Information Centre (NCIC) came into being in 1983 at
the National Library. The centre serves as a data bank on copying works in Nigeria.
The establishment of the National Library has helped to bring library issues to the
attention of the Federal Government.
Public Libraries
A library service was established in Nigeria in 1956 as part of the Ministry of
Education. Although not backed by law and lacking in resources, the library served as a
public library during the war.
In the Mid-Western Region, a board was set up and with that the state library
began operations. The board was empowered to provide library services to all through
the establishment of different libraries.
The Western Region Library began when a librarian was employed to organize
and train people to give library services. In 1953, a UNESCO seminar on public library
services in Africa was held at Ibadan, resulting in some library services beginning the
next year.
School Libraries

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 Most primary libraries in Nigeria consisted of book collections in the different
classrooms arranged in an area known as the reading area. Before the introduction of
UPE, most secondary schools and the teacher training colleges had a room designated
as a library, but they were poorly equipped. However in 1972 book depots were set up
with about 4,000 books for the use of secondary schools and teacher training schools.
When the UPE scheme began, the Federal Ministry of Education decided to draw up a
library plan that is, a library building with wood book eases and with appropriate
furniture. With the coming of free education, library fees were no longer collected from
the students and most school libraries ceased to grow. In most secondary schools, the
rapidly expanding number of classes made it impossible to set aside a room for library
use. The growth and condition of the of the library is largely determined by the
importance that the principal gives to library development.
Academic Libraries
These are libraries of Higher Institutions, such as Universities Polytechnics and
Colleges of Education. The first university library in Nigeria was established in 1948,
that is, the University College, Ibadan. Academic libraries are expected to contribute to
the achievement of the goals, missions and objectives of the Mother Institution.
Some of the functions of Academic Libraries are;
i) To acquire, organize, preserve and transmit materials that are relevant for the
use of immediate and extended users.
ii) To encourage research work through the provision of materials.
iii) To enhance the moral upbringing of the user, through in-house orientation on
the use of books and other materials.
The development of libraries have spanned over the countries and the growth is still on.
With the emergence of the computer, libraries will still develop further.

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 TYPES OF LIBRARIES
MRS. OLUWOLE, O.A
Introduction
A general belief among users is that all libraries have the same aims, methods
and organization, but the opposite is the case as there are different and varied types of
libraries. This is not to suggest that, because these differences exist, different types of
libraries run quite independently of each other. No library is an island thus, co-operation
between libraries of all types and sizes has created networks with the aim of providing
the right book or information for the right reader at the right time.
A general overview of five types of libraries are discussed here, starting their users,
owners and objectives.
1. School libraries: The development of school libraries began early, first in
Europe and then in America when Benjamin Franklin included a school library as
a separated and distinct faculty in his blue print for an ideal school.
In Nigeria, the National Policy on Education clearly states that all schools should
have libraries, but we are yet to see that happening. The users of school libraries
are basically the primary or post primary students, the teachers and the
administrative staff of the school.
School libraries are ideally supposed to be owned by the government or private
proprietor of the school, nowadays, libraries could be set up by the Parent
Teacher Association (P.T.A) or various non-governmental organizations.
A true concept of a school library programme means instruction, service and
activity throughout the school rather than merely within the four walls of the
library. The school library should attempt to achieve the following objectives.
a) The library should provide background materials which would supplement class
teaching.
b) It should familiarize the user with sources of information, recreation and
education.
c) It should develop skills in independent study, organization and recording of
knowledge.
d) It should develop appropriate behaviours in the library and the world beyond.

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In conclusion, school libraries are of great importance because they are the first contact
of the user with the world of books. School librarians/teacher-librarians are supposed to
work together with the teachers in selecting different types of librarries materials.
Examples of school libraries are
i. LAUSED International School, Oto/Ijanikin, Lagos
ii. Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos
iii. Corona Secondary School, Ogun State.
2. Academic/University Libraries: These are libraries of higher institutions such
as Universities, Polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Education.
Academic libraries started as early as the 6th century in Europe and America with
the founding of Higher Institutions.
Academic library is usually a library in an educational institution that is above
secondary school level to meet the information, educational research and entertainment
needs of the students, lecturers and individuals in the community where it is situated.
Academic libraries are basically established to support the core mission of the mother
institution that is to help individuals get the right information at the right time, in the right
format to serve and advance humanity.
In Nigeria, the first academic library came with the emergence of the University
College of Ibadan. In 1948 which later became university of Ibadan.
The users of academic libraries are essentially students, lecturers, researchers,
administrative staff and members of the community. They are usually owned by either
the federal or the state government. It could also be in a privately established university
by individuals or religious organizations.
Academic libraries are the most properly developed and funded of all types of
libraries in Nigeria, as they usually stock up to date materials for teaching, learning,
information and research.
With online catalogue and subscription databases, the community of academic-library
users have access to many library materials and services 24/7 without having to come
to the library physically.
The objectives and functions of academic libraries are to:
i. To serve the mission of the institution that established it.

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 ii. To acquire, process and preserve all materials in whatever format that can
meet the academic and informational needs of the users.
iii. To provide materials for research work of students, lecturers and research
individuals in a clean and conducive environment.
iv. To arrange for inter-library loans.
v. To provide general reading materials that assist users to broaden their
knowledge and entertain them.
vi. To meet the information needs of their immediate community.
vii. To conduct library orientation/familiarization tour to new students and
members of staff.
Academic/University Libraries basically have the following departments:
A) Administrative Department: This is usually found in the office of the head of the
library be it university, polytechnic or college of education. It is saddled with the
responsibility of coordinating the human and material resources of the library.
B. Reader services Department: This is the section where library activities are
clearly seen by the users. Depending on the size of the library, the number of sections
can be large or small, but the basic sections there are as follows:
i) Circulation Section – This is the area frequently used by library users. Here
books and other materials are kept for library users to browse, read and even borrow.
Records of registration cards of users are also kept here. Some personal information
are requested, for example – name, address, year, that is, level of study and
department. There are different types of cards for different categories of users. In the
academic world, there are a set of cards for student, for staff, for visitors etc.
In the circulation department different duties are carried out which includes the
registration of users, loaning of books, arrangement of materials in a logical order,
renewal of loans and retrieving overdue materials.
Statistics are taken daily in the circulation section with a view of making the service
rendered more readily available. The number of users are taken along with the number
of materials browsed through or borrowed. The security of the materials is also
important to prevent loss.

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Members of staff on the circulation table must always ensure that torn or worn-out are
not loaned out and that books returned should be promptly put back on the appropriate
shelve.
ii. References Section: In this section, questions are answered through available
reference materials. Such as dictionaries, encyclopedia, audio and visual materials,
indexes and abstracts bibliographic services are also given to users.
Reference materials can simply be defined as an information tool that has been
designed to give accurate and factual information to the researcher. Reference
materials are usually used to write term papers, projects, research work, or for
additional information which may not be readily available in text books. Books or
materials in this section cannot be borrowed out of the library, they are to be used only
in the library.
Reference: materials are not expected to be read from cover to cover, they are usually
arranged alphabetically, they are revised or updated on a regular basis and they are
expected to perform a specific function.
iii. Inter-Library Loans: No library in the world can acquire all the materials it
desires. Therefore, libraries go into cooperation to share resources among themselves.
This responsibility rests in this unit. It takes on loan from other libraries, required
materials that are not available in its library, for use by its clientele.
iv. The Reserved Book Section: The reserved book section is a special room, area
or shelf for books in restricted use. The materials could be book, periodicals audio or
audio-visual materials.
The librarian decides which books to put in the reserved section and when to remove
them on the basis of:
1. The instance/advice of the teaching staff/lecturer.
2. Observed high demand on a book as when many students ask for the same
book.
3. Rare or costly nature of a book which makes it preferable to limit its use.
4. Any other factor which may dictate that use of the book be restricted.
The principal reason for placing a book on reserve is to ensure that all those who
require it have an equal opportunity to read it. Thus such books are usually borrowed on
a two-hourly basis. It could also be loaned out on weekends and over night.

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 As it is not possible for borrowers to select books by entering into the reserved
books area and personally pick the titles from the shelves, it is necessary to make
available a list of the reserved materials which they can consult when making their
requests. Such list must be well located within the library and should be reviewed and
updated regularly.
v. Serials Section: This unit stocks all periodicals of serial publication which form
an important part of the library collections. Serial materials could be defined as
publications issued in parts at specified and regular times and are intended to continue
indefinitely. Serial provide current and up-to-date information that are needed by users.
Serial include journals, magazines, bulleting of institutions, year books, government
gazettes, research finding of learned societies. Others include newspapers, diaries and
transactions of societies. The list of serial collection are usually stored in a Kardex.
vi. Reprographic Services/Photocopying: This unit makes photocopies of
restricted number of pages following the copy right rules and regulations of the nation.
Next to the lending of materials, the most frequently used library services is the
reprography or photo duplication services.
Many libraries offer general reprographic services such as photocopying, binding and
various forms of services, in many cases to be used on a self-service basis, thus
reproduced materials are at a highly subsidized rate.
The restriction of reference materials has also further necessitated the need to have
photocopying services. Although serious problems of copyright persist, the volume of
copying is now enormous, as the library has the original responsibility for photocopying
copyright materials and under the Copyright Act, The Chief Librarian/College or
University librarian is the only individual that has the right to offer such services.
C. Collection Development: This department acquires educational and
informational materials that are ideal for teaching, learning and research work. Is also
keep the record and book that are received. The department consist of the following
unit:
i. Acquisition department:- This department searches for and selects materials in
whatever form that will be of good use to their clients. The librarian in charge is usually
the one that does the final selection, after the shelf list has been gone through to avoid

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duplication of materials. Library users are usually encouraged to suggest titles that they
would like the library to acquire.
Order from publishing houses or book-sellers are received by this department, checked
thoroughly before been passed to the next section. The department keeps tools to
confirm the bibliographic details of books such as: books in print, Africa Book and
Publishing Record. British Books in print and American Book Publishing Records and
online data bases.
ii. Gift and Exchange Department: This department receive books and non books
materials, audio and video materials from local and international donors. The donors
could be religious organizations, professional bodies, government agencies or
international organization. Such gifts are acknowledged and properly process. The
department also give out some of its materials to other institutions after weeding.
D. Technical Services Department
This is a section that is hardly seen by the library users as only members of staff are
allowed to go in freely. Two main section operate here, these are:
i. Cataloguing and Classification Department
ii. Bindery Department
i. Cataloguing and Classification Department:- On receiving the materials from
the acquisition section, the cataloguing section catalogues and classify them. The
arrangement by which the materials are organized is done in line with a standard guide
according to their subject matter. Great care is exercised here to prevent the loss of the
book within the library, for once a material is wrongly catalogued, it will be wrongly
placed in the library and this will not be available for use by the right user. To put the
material in the proper section of the library, classification schemes are used such as
Dewey Decimal Classification, Library of Congress Classification and Universal Decimal
classification.
Some other duties of the cataloguing section are the revision of catalogue, labeling of
books and keeping of statistics movement of books and weeding.
From this section the books are then taken to the circulation section within the library.
ii. Bindery Department: Bindery services are also carried out by the library, first to
bind torn or worn out books, secondly to bind complete volumes of journals and
periodicals. Thirdly, students projects and term papers are also binded at minimum cost

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which is usually lower than the prices offered outside. Generally, bindery work is also
done for the mother institution.
3. Special Libraries: A special library is simply a library set up, supported and
administered by an organization to meet special informational needs of its
members in pursing the goals of the organization. These organizations have
found it essential to set up the libraries to cope with the increasing volume of
published literature. These information are collected and then made available to
their members or users. Books form only a part of their collections as majority of
the materials comprises journals, periodicals, speeches, recent research
findings, maps, current literature and proceedings of conferences.
The objectives of special libraries are:
i. To provide detailed and highly specialized information
ii. To prevent duplication of effort by providing all available literature on a topic
before a project is embarked upon
iii. To provide inspiration and stimulation to users by means of balanced
collection.
Some special libraries in Nigeria are;
- The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Library and documentation
centre, Ibadan.
- The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos
- Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Lagos.
- Central Medical Library, Yaba (CML)
- Federal Ministry of Justice Library
4. Public Libraries: These libraries are established to serve their communities. The
establishment and development of public libraries in Nigeria, started from notable
individuals and governments of the day. Public Libraries are basically a state and
local government affair, thus establishment and development in the various
states are at different stages.
The public library is set up to serve the community free of charge, every person in that
local government area or state should have access to library services. Mobile libraries,
used for extension services in urban and rural areas are also public libraries. The library

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serves as a cultural centre bringing all categories of people together. It also serves
informational, vocational and educative purposes.
Some of the objectives of a public library are;
i. Provision of information to all users.
ii. Improving the level of education of all, hence they are sometimes called
“university of the people”.
iii. Provision of information/education for self-development.
iv. Gathering of information and recreational materials for the purpose of
guidance, enlightenment and recreation.
Important Departments of a public library are
- In-house reading library
- Reference and information library
- Children and youth library
- Periodical area
5. National Libraries:- The National Library of a country can be defined as “the
library which has the duty of collecting and preserving for posterity the written
production of that country. It is the central station for the assembling and service
of thought energy”.
These government owned vast establishments not only possess large and
constantly increasing stocks, they have of necessity to be extremely active in
such projects as classification and cataloguing in the production of bibliographical
materials and more recently in the introduction and development of automated
data processing methods. National libraries have additional significance,
because they are usually copyright or legal deposit libraries receiving and
preserving at least a copy of all materials published in their countries. More than
this, they are often the source of national bibliography, as well as acting as
national agents in the field of international library co-operation.
These libraries are established, by the Federal Government of countries through
legislation, like Acts of Parliament Decrees. Examples of National Libraries are:
1. National Library of Nigeria established in 1964 through the National Library Act.
2. Ghana National Library established in 1950.

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3. Biblotheque National (France) established by the French Kings in 1476, was
opened to the public in 1962. It is one of the most important libraries in the world.
4. British Museum (English) is the National Library of England.
5. Library of Congress established in 1800 is the National Library of the United
States of America (USA).
6. Private Libraries
These are owned and funded by private individuals. They are usually intended
for a small number of users. The collections usually reflect the philosophy/interest of the
founders.
Examples of private libraries are;
i. Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta
ii. Chief Gani Fawehinmi Law Library, Lagos
iii. Pastor Enoch Adeboye library Redemption Camp
Others Types of Libraries
There are other modern types of libraries which evolved as a result of advances
in Information Communication Technology (ICT). These modern libraries are;
 Hybrid Library
 Electronic Library
 Digital Library, and
 Virtual Library
Hybrid Library
This is a term used to describe libraries having a mix of traditional print library resources
and the growing number of electronic resources. Hybrid libraries mix printed books and
magazines as well as electronic materials such as down loadable audio books,
electronic journals, e-book etc.
 Electronic Library (E-Library)
In an electronic library – (e-library), users are allowed to access or reference any
published materials from their residence, college or office using the internet. In
the libraries, users need not visit the libraries directly for their reference. Such
libraries provide 24hrs online access to digitized audio, video and written
materials. Simply put, electronic or online library is that library where users can
have access to books, journals, videos, articles, novels, or any other information

15
 over the internet. E-library is usually web-based and enables a user to search the
database, view several categories of documents, view scanned images of
documents selected. It also enables the user to download documents on his
desktop, save documents on CD or flash drives and print such documents when
necessary.
 Digital Library
A digital library is that library in which a significant proportion of its resources are
available in machine-readable format (as opposed to print or microform), and
made accessible by means of computers. Such digital resources may be held
remotely and are made available on the Internet or held locally and accessed on
CD-ROM (compact disk read-only memory) disks.
 Virtual Library
This is a library without walls in which the collections do not exist on paper,
microform, or at a physical location but are electronically accessible via
computer networks. Virtual library is a kind of digital library which provides
access (portal) to information that is available electronically elsewhere.
 A virtual library is a collection of resources available on one or more computer
systems, where a single interface or entry point to the collection is provided.
This is a library where anyone who has a computer and connection to the library
networks can have access to the resources in a particular library as well as
access a variety of information available on national and international network
(internet) without being physically present in the library. In this library all
resources are available in electronic format in a virtual space.

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 REFERENCES
Aina, L.O. (2004). Library and Information science Information Science Text for
Africa. Third World Information Services Limited.
Encyclopedia Britannica (2021). The New Encyclopedia, vol 22. Library and
Information Digest,
Okafor, K. public library services in Nigeria; Challenges and Strategies. Journal
of Nigeria Library Association, Anambra State (2020).
Oshundeyi, O.A. Library Education. Raytel Communications Limited, 2001).
Oyegunle, J. Academic Libraries in Nigeria. Library and Information Science,
(2013).

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