SECURITY STRATEGIES AND PRESERVATION OF LIBRARY RESOURCES IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES: UNIVERSITY OF UYO LIBRARY, AKWA IBOM STATE

The study examined security strategies and preservation of library resources in university libraries using University of Uyo library. It adopted the descriptive research design, with a population of sixty-eight (68) library staff. The census sampling technique was adopted, as there was no sampling since the population was small and manageable. The instrument for data collection was the researcher’s developed closed-ended questionnaire. Data for the study was collected personally by the researcher, which yielded 91% response rate, representing 62 copies of questionnaire completed and returned with valid information. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of percentage counts, mean scores and standard deviation. The study revealed that the security strategies for preserving library resources in the university library include: fire extinguishers, user’s identification card for access authorization, network and server security system, security guards on patrol, burglary security systems, etc. It showed the causes of security threats to library resources to include: financial constraints faced by users to buy the resources they need, selfish interest of some library users, lack of concern for the needs of other users, students’ dissatisfaction, etc. The study also revealed that the reasons for adopting security strategies in preserving library resources in the university library include the need to curtail incidences of mutilation and stealing of library resources, promote the moral responsibility of librarians, provide protection to library resources, preserve the intellectual and cultural heritage in library, among others. It identified poor cooperation among library staff and security guards in the library, shortage of professional library staff and security personnel in library, lack of disaster and recovery plans, inadequate technical expertise to manage security systems, lack of staff training on security issues and the use of security tools in the library, etc., as the factors militating against effective security strategies for preserving library resources in the university library. Based on the findings, the study recommended among other measures, that the university management should provide adequate funds to the university library to enable the acquisition and installation of modern security tools such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance system, electromagnetic security system (ESS), Robot security system (RSS), radio frequency identification (RFID) system, etc., while university library should prioritize training and retraining of library staff on security issues and the use of security tools in order to enhance effective preservation of library resources.