THE ROLE OF LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTRES IN GOVERNMENT
POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN NIGERIA
Oyeniyi, J. Oluwakemi and Olaifa, Taye Paul
[email protected] [email protected]
(Library Section)
National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization
P.M.B.1525
Ilorin, Kwara State Nigeria
ABSTRACT
Government policies are tools for national development in Nigeria.
Libraries and information centres, as important agents for information
dissemination, have a vital role to play in the actualization and
implementation of government policies. This paper explains what government
policies are and the role of the libraries and information centres in
implementing them. The factors responsible for policies failures in Nigeria
are also addressed, with suggestions for improvement through the active
involvement of libraries and information centres in implementing government
policies.
Keywords: Library, information centre, government policy, policy
implementation,
Nigeria.
INTRODUCTION
The essence of government policies is to improve the living condition of
the people, which is regarded as one of the primary roles of any
government. Nigeria has a lot of policies ranging from cultural,
economical, political, educational, health etc; all aiming at improving the
living conditions of the people. It is however important to note that both
policy formulation and implementation are complementary facets of policy
process. In other words, it is not enough to make a policy, but the
implementation is more important. People say: "the end justifies the means"
but it is also important to note that the very end pre-exist in the means.
There have been series of policies in Nigeria since independence that have
proved abortive because of their faulty implementation processes, and these
have posed a lot of set-back on national development. Since Nigeria's
present socio-economic crisis is related to policy failure, the problems
and challenges of policy implementation should be considered paramount.
However, the role of libraries and information centres becomes very crucial
since they are the "information house" and should be "the power house"
through which various government policies will be communicated to the
public, in other to enhance effective implementation.
The importance and role of information cannot be over-emphasized in any
situation. No wonder countries and international organizations are
investing heavily in the technical development of information and the
social adaptation to situations and conditions. The world at large is now
witnessing an era of information revolution. Companies in different nations
now spend more than half their capital investment on new information. Powel
(2003) confirmed that in the United States, more than half of the work-
force is now defined as information workers.
It is therefore not out of point to say that the quality of any government
is judged by the quality of the existing information system. Libraries and
information centres are the repository in that pursuit. Similarly, the
effectiveness of any government is also determined by its ability to
disseminate knowledge and information to the public at the right time and
through the right channel(s).
What is policy?
The BBC English Dictionary (1992) defines policy as "a set of plans that is
used as a basis for making decisions, especially in politics, economic, or
business."
Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia also defined policy as a principle or rule
to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome(s). Policy typologies
broken down by their effect on members of an organization could be
distributive, regulatory, constituent, and miscellaneous policies. Nigeria
has a lot of policies that cover areas such as education, politics, health,
economics etc.
Government/public policy is defined as the course of action (or inaction)
taken by the state (i.e. government) with regard to a particular issue. It
can also be defined as a system of "courses of action, regulatory measures,
laws and funding priorities concerning a given topic promulgated by a
governmental entity or its representatives. Government policies are usually
embodied in constitutions, legislative acts, and judicial precedents.
Sometimes, policies could be oral statements–pronounced even when they have
not been articulated in writing or enacted without being written (Gitu,
2001). But the questions that are likely to arise are: if this set of plans
by the government is meant for the people they are governing, don't they
deserve to be informed about them? How do they get the information about
such plans or policies?
Libraries and Information Centres
Library is defined as an organized collection of published books and audio-
visual materials with the aid of the services of staff that are able to
provide and interpret such materials as required, to meet the informative
research, educational and recreational needs of its users. It is an agency
through which sources of information of accumulated knowledge and
experience are selected, acquired, organized, preserved and disseminated.
Libraries and information centres provide a much wider range of information
services from local, state and federal governments;
organizations/institutions within and outside the country among others for
the people. With the provision of variety of information sources, users of
libraries and information centres are exposed to different information with
their respective values. A very important word, which is functionally
synonymous with library, is "information dissemination".
The word 'library' can be used inter-changeably with 'information centre'.
Though an information centre is not necessarily a library, a library is by
its function is an information centre. Library services are not completely
divorced from information services, which are also provided by other
agencies such as the mass media, and at times more effectively and
competitively. This was the view of Broadbent (1982) when he stressed that
the above point illustrates one significant point, namely, that as much as
the library has informational role in the society, being one component of
communication system, it has other vital social functions to perform.
These he explained might be recreational, cultural, social or educational.
Information centres are the veritable repository of knowledge that
underpins socio-economic, political and cultural development of any
country. They are avenues of knowledge that constitute one of the principal
instruments in building a richer and better social order.
In his own view, Beckman (1982) explained that information centres are
viewed as being more dynamic, whereas library has historically been known
as depositories for books and journals. Information centres, he said are
involved in the analysis, synthesis, transmission and repackaging of data
and information. But as new technologies allow libraries to become more
involved in different types of activities performed by the so called
information centres, distinction between libraries on one hand and
information centres on the other hand is no longer valid he concluded.
Therefore, for the purpose of this paper, the two terms "Library" and
"information centre" will be used interchangeably.
PROBLEMS/CHALLENGES OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
A government policy is an aggregation of a people's collective hopes,
wishes and aspiration. To an extent, the quality of a government is
measured by the number of her policies successfully implemented. Policy
implementation is one of the problems confronting developing nations. It
refers to the process of converting inputs (financial, material, technical,
or human) into output–goods and services.
The problem of policy implementation is traceable to the planning stage,
which follows policy formulation. In other word, a good policy
implementation (with the active involvement of libraries and information
centres) should be ensured in the formulation process.
More so, Van Horn and Van Meter (1977) came up with three (3) points that
resulted in unsuccessful implementation of policies/programs, namely:
- The communication problem: One of the essential ingredients for
effective implementation of government policy is communication. Orders
to implement policies are expected to be transmitted to the
appropriate personnel through the appropriate channel. To ensure an
effective implementation of government policies, the government must
consider the available communication chain/network. It must also
consider the possible challenges in reaching the public.
- The capability problem: factors such as incompetent staff,
insufficient information, fund, time, etc. can hinder the
implementation of government policies.
- Dispositional conflicts: the various commission/committees charged
with the responsibility of implementing government policies may also
fail to carry out their assignment, which will result into a failure
in the implementation of the policy.
The problems connected with public policy implementation are intertwined
with basic economic and political conditions. Government form policies in
order to improve the quality of life of the governed, but they are often
restricted by the poor implementation process due to weak extractive
capacity of the state in relation to the economy, as well as by the
dissipation of any resources through corruption.
THE ROLE OF LIBRARIES IN POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
If communication and information remains an effective ingredient in the
implementation process, then, the question of how the policies will be
disseminated to the intending public becomes crucial. One of the primary
functions of the library is the dissemination of information. Thus, the
library is assumed to play a crucial role in policy implementation. This is
done by ensuring that the policies are disseminated to the public (library
users). Library has a role to model the value of the information mosaic
built-up over time and across cultures. Other than the library, there is no
agency of government that has a wide knowledge of the social significance
of the accumulated resources of knowledge in the public domain (Alan, E.
S., 2002).
In line with the challenges of implementing government policies in Nigeria,
it has saddled Nigerian libraries and information centres with the
responsibility of safe-guarding the information of today for a better
tomorrow. In a bid to ensuring the effective implementation of government
policies, libraries and information centres are expected to play a pivotal
role in the following areas:
- Creating awareness: awareness on the said policy must be created by
the library to avail the public (library users) the necessary
information on the policy. This can be done by making available books
and information related to government policies in the library.
- Ensuring feedback: the library can also help in gathering feedback on
government policies from the library users. If the government can get
adequate feedback on her policies, it will help her in the formulation
of new policies as well as improving on the existing ones.
- Aiding the development of good policies: the library provide necessary
information on government policies which in turn aids the development
of such policies.
- Consortia: this is also important for the implementation of government
policies, since it is only through co-operative endeavors and
consolidated effort that government policies can be effectively
implemented. No single committee, commission, agency or institution
can single handedly ensure an effective implementation of any
government policy.
- Educating the public: libraries can be used in continuing education
through its print and non print materials. Librarians, according to
Iya (2003), are trained on how to relate with everybody as well as to
interpret policies and decisions of government to the people and vice
versa. Library is not only an information system, but also a
communication system. "The more complex the society is in its
bureaucratic and educational requirement, the greater its dependence
upon library based information services" (Aguolu and Aguolu, 2002).
COMPLEMENTARY ROLE OF LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTRES
The functions and objectives of libraries and information centres vary
according to the mandate of the parent body where the centre is situated.
A library is expected to acquire resources that are meant to reflect the
peculiar program of the institute which serves as its parent body.
Libraries and information centres serve as store-houses of all government
policies for future reference. For any current policies, it is always easy
to sponsor jingles and advertisement of such in media houses, but the fact
remains that "policies come and go" but their success or failure becomes a
history that must be documented for reference purpose. How then will the
coming generations be able to refer to such policies if not properly
documented, organized and preserved for future purpose. For example,
Operation Feed the nation (OFN) by Obasanjo's regime in the year 1976,
through perfect documentation will avail the present generations the
opportunity of knowing it as if they were part of the implementation
process. Even though some other agents can also supply required
information on policies to the people, the library has the advantage of
being consistent and people can visit it any time desired. Whereas,
governments and policies come and go according to their own program of
activities, which may not coincide with the period the people actually
require the information.
Libraries and Information centres play the complementary roles of
transmission and dissemination of the policies to the people. No matter how
well a policy may be, if not known to the people, they may not understand
it. The present federal government policy on amnesty is a good example. A
democratic society that believes that political power belongs to the people
must open knowledge to its entire people, since equal access to knowledge
is a pre-requisite to equal political power. The country is divided into
Federal, State and Local Governments just to bring the government closer to
the people. Therefore, the government should bring information about their
policies closer to the people via these organs. This can start from the
apex library in the country – National Library of Nigeria; down to the
state libraries and further to the grass-root – the local government or
council libraries.
It is not enough to initiate policies aimed at enhancing the quality of
life of the people, effort must also be made to encourage people to be
actively involved in making the policy a success. This according to Aguolu
(1984) can be actualized by dissemination of information on that policy,
which has been shown to be a major factor because of its potentials for
giving new knowledge, raising consciousness, strengthening links and
understanding among the populace. This opinion also tallies with Aboyade
(1984) as she affirmed that library is in a better position to ensure,
among other things, that the provision of information will not just be a
patchy affair dictated more by the need for propaganda, but will be an on-
going business constantly opening up all the policies of the government so
as to make life better for the masses.
It is the responsibility of libraries and information centres to gather all
the policies and create links between the various organs and agents of
government. Aguolu (1984) concluded that libraries and information centres
take cognizance of the entire spectrum of the government bringing their
policies together by:-
- Sustaining increasingly complex operations of the government,
facilitating their decision-making process with economy of the
country.
- Providing a relationship between the people and the various component
of government.
- Providing a useful internal political mechanism for gaining budgetary
support.
- Providing means of communicating the goal and program of the
government to the people.
PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES OF LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTRES IN POLICY
IMPLEMENTATION
Considering the role of libraries in Nigeria, it is a priority imperative
that they are equipped with the necessary information and support to
enhance and ease the implementation of government policies. Since a library
is regarded as an agency through which sources of information accumulated
knowledge and experience are selected, acquired, organized, preserved and
disseminated to the public, it thus imply that library solely depends on
"information" received.
Considering the role of libraries and information centres in government
policy implementation, the question that will likely arise is; have
libraries and information centres fared better in their role towards policy
implementation? As Aguolu (1984) also asked these interlocking questions
that arise from considering the provision of library and information
service to the entire spectrum of the society, questions like:
- How just and egalitarian have our government been in releasing this
information?
- Have they not been highly discriminatory and unjust to the bulk of the
society who needs these services, which are not provided, perhaps
because they have not been demanded?
- How free is access to many records and information in many government
departments – records vital for national development or for
individual's self fulfillment?
There are numbers of challenges facing libraries and information centres in
the implementation of government policies that must be critically viewed
and tackled. Some of these are highlighted below:
Inadequate funding: most libraries in Nigeria solely depend on aids from
either NGOs or international organizations. Corruption, educational
illiteracy, ignorance, embezzlement, mismanagement etc. have often diverted
funds that are meant for library and information development. Most
libraries only preserve outdated and archaic books that are either no
longer relevant or damaged beyond use.
Inadequate professional staff: the quality of library service depends on
the professional quality of its staff, which is tantamount to the quality
and relevance of the training they have received. Most libraries fail to
make a recognizable impact because they are handled by non professionals.
ICT challenges: A survey of twenty two (22) public library services in ten
(10) English-speaking African countries showed that the majority of African
libraries have yet to acquire computers (Mostert, 2001). If Nigerian
libraries can be upgraded to e-libraries, then the problems of information
dissemination will be half-solved.
Inappropriate buildings: A library is supposed to be a good building,
conducive enough to house both library materials and library users. On the
contrary, many libraries in Nigeria are still occupying rooms, stores or
offices that are just converted into library probably because of the need
to keep 'some books' somewhere.
Lack of maintenance culture: Unlike some countries and regions like United
Kingdom that have a well supported library system, most African libraries
rarely have a well-secured future. This is as a result of mismanagement
and corruption in library administration and lack of maintenance culture.
Rosenberg (2000) submits that:
originating from the initiative of a group from the community or an aid
agency, their birth is followed by a year or two of rapid growth and a
good deal of local publicity and attention. This is followed by a period
of slow decline, accompanied by theft, the departure of the initiators,
loss of interest among staff and users – the library still exists but
signs of life are barely discernible. Sometimes this period continues
indefinitely, but often a final stage is reached when all remaining books
are removed, stolen, or damaged beyond repair and the premises and staff
are allocated to another activity.
Inadequate training opportunities for librarians: training of library staff
is very important to enable them update their information knowledge, which
will in turn, aid the effective discharge of their professional duties.
CONCLUSION
If government policies will be well implemented, then the public must be
well informed and familiar with these policies. Libraries and information
centres as agencies for social, political, cultural, economical and
educational change therefore have a big role to play in the implementation
of any government policy. They are expected to acquire different sources
of information to process, preserve and disseminate them to satisfy the
information needs of their users. This goes beyond providing only printed
sources of information but also non print information to the entire public.
Libraries and information centres are expected to be platforms of
communication between the government and the public, therefore various
government policies implementation committees are expected to work in
collaboration with libraries and information centres in discharging their
duties. Libraries and information centres on their own part should brass-
up to cope with the present challenges of today's library users, especially
on ICT world.
Information, which is almost synonymous to the word library, has also
helped in making the library relevant in the society. For example,
information and communication research and data, as well as monitoring and
evaluation are supportive strategies for achieving the National Gender
Policy in Nigeria (Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development
2006). Therefore, the library will continue to be a relevant institution
in policy implementation as long as information and communication remains
vital. Hence, If the government will avail the library, the necessary
support as well as adequate supply of information, implementation of
policies will become effective and easier.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Libraries and information centres have played an important role in the
implementation of government policies, by collecting, organizing, managing
and disseminating information resources for both current use and for
posterity. But the challenges faced by the libraries and information
centres from internal and external factors have also posed a lot of set-
back on the effectiveness of the role of libraries and information centres
in policy implementation. The following points are hereby recommended:
- Government should use the library as a major source of feedback on her
policies
- Government should establish special libraries in national, state and
local levels on policy. Such libraries can be named 'A library of
government policy' where any information related to any government
policy will be available for the betterment of both the government and
the governed.
- All stakeholders in the implementation of government policies need to
improve their effort in collaborating with libraries and information
centres to achieve the aim of implementing those policies.
- Libraries must be adequately financed by the government
- Government should always include the library in her policy
implementation committees.
- Library should be given more concentration and importance especially
by government at all level.
- Library and information centres should engage themselves in informing
and educating other outlets.
- Library and information centres should stand out from the crowd of
other information handlers particularly government agents like
extension workers, private or roadside information mishandlers.
- Government and concerned agencies should make effort to metamorphose
our libraries to e-library through the adequate supply of computers
and other needed Internet facilities.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policy Accessed on 14/01/2011
