Background

In many countries, including Nigeria, public libraries play a huge role in breaching the gap between the haves and the have-not through reading.  Delta state has 28 branches across the state setup to provide information services to meet the intellectual needs of the public. The libraries were to promote greater utilization of library services for research purposes.

The Challenge

A significant challenge for Libraries in Nigeria is a general decline in the reading culture of the people.  The average citizen rarely reads and is even less likely to visit a public library.

The case study of Delta State Public library, Orerokpe which has been known to still operate daily and provide a reading hub for the residents of that town in the past, had experienced a significant reduction in library visits over the years chief amongst reasons for this was a lack of relevant and updated books on the shelves.

There are many factors which are vital to operating a public library efficiently and effectively. Some of these factors include; good library administration, budget mismanagement, updated information, adequate funds, good infrastructure, good  electronic libraries, consistent government policies.

Acquire Centre (AC) in partnership with the Adventist Disaster and Relief Agency (ADRA Nigeria) under the “Education for All” scheme initiated a project to address the absence of updated textbooks at Delta State library, Orerokpe as its pilot project.  The latest books in the library were published over two decades ago and the only recent reading materials were the daily newspapers.

The Solution

This project required AC. providing in-depth advisory, technical and logistical services to conduct comprehensive research and authorization from all relevant authorities to ensure the smooth planning and implementation of this project.

The project is part of the overall national ‘Education for All” ADRA Nigeria Initiative to be conducted in all geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

The key objective was to provide new reading materials from all works of life for basic and higher education learners.

A team of AC. Business, digital technology consultants and logistics personnel put together a comprehensive proposal using industry best practices and project management methodologies to plan the identification, collation, transportation, and presentation of the books.   The team subsequently designed and developed a robust and sustainable database of the book categories and a comprehensive supporting report to guide the overall exchange.

We deployed a combination of accelerated and collaborative data gathering approaches,  including utilizing long-standing relationships with institutions, organizations and individuals built over the years. The methodology included interviews (in person or phone), questionnaires (online and in-person) and focus-group workshops to gather the data and information about the challenges and benefits of the new arrivals of books.

successfully secured buy-in from all stakeholders including the HRM Orhue 1. CTR mni, the Orodge of Okp Kingdom, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission,DESOPADEC, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church leadership of Edo-Delta Conference, Ministry of Higher Education Asaba, pupils from all government primary and secondary schools in Orerokpe.

The Result

Our initiative to upgrade the reading materials of Delta State public library, Orerokpe with books and magazines from all works of life has significantly improved the quality of options visitors to the library now have access to.  The library staff were overjoyed to receive such a vast array of reading materials and promised to do their best to organize and maintain these new books for future generations.

Our efforts promoted DESOPADEC to give the library a repaint with a promise to provide the library with a fully equipped children’s study area including computers and creative materials.  A recent visit to the library in 2016 showed that all the books donated during this project are still available for library visitors to read.