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JOHN HARRIS LIBRARY
(Main Library) |
DONALD PATRIDGE E-LEARNING CENTRE
(Extension Library) |
The University of Benin Library known as John Harris Library is an academic resource
centre established to cater for the research, learning and teaching needs of the academic
community. Since its inception in 1970, the Library has grown in response to new
developments in information science and the developments in the University. From a
humble beginning of six Professionals and one Para-Professional staff in 1972/73, the
Library has matured to a staff strength of 17 (seventeen) Academic Librarians, 18
(eighteen) Para-Professionals and 107 others in 2008/2009 academic session. This
increase in staff strength has impacted tremendously on increased functions of the Library.
In the 1990s, John Harris Library had only the Medical and Ekehuan branch Libraries.
With the increase in Students' population and in tandem with NUC accreditation
requirements of establishing faculty Libraries, the Library has established more branch
Libraries to encourage reading and research by bringing reading materials to the
doorsteps of students and lecturers in their various faculties.
As at December 2008, we had eight functioning faculty Libraries. They are:
- Agriculture Library
- Education Library
- Ekehuan Library
- Engineering Library
- Law Library
- Management Sciences Library
- Medical Library
- Pharmacy Library
These faculty libraries are located in their various faculty buildings, providing reading and photocopying services.
It is expected that more faculty libraries will spring up from time to time. It is also worthy of note that the establishment of these faculty/branch libraries is dependent on funding, availability of space and the cooperation of the Deans.
The Library is engaged in teaching students in the use of literature in different
disciplines. Each session, with special arrangements with some departments, the
Library organizes special lectures and teaching for 3rd and 4th year students in the use of
the literatures in their different disciplines, to help them in their self study, project work
and research activities. The departments of Biochemistry, Medical Biochemistry, the
faculties of Law and Life Sciences have benefited immensely from such library efforts.
The Library also runs Library Science Courses for staff and non-staff to enhance their
research activities in the University. As the oldest academic Library in Edo and Delta
States, students from the Library Schools of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma and Delta State
University, Abraka are regularly sent to the Library to be put through the rudimentary
principles of the Library profession. The Library has gone further to embark on running
a two-year diploma programme in Library and Information Science with the active
collaboration of the Institute of Education, University of Benin. This programme
began in October, 2005. This has afforded the junior Library staff of John Harris Library
and other neighboring libraries the opportunity to develop themselves, most of whom
would have ended up as Assistant Library Officers (still junior staff) on HATISS 05.
The developments in the Library led to space contention. In 2002/2003 session, a Library
Extension was established to provide ample space for reading and for new developments in information
technology (IT). The Library Extension houses the digital Library Services. There is the B-NET,
an e-learning centre, donated by Britain-Nigeria Trust Fund. The centre is equipped
with 50 personal computers with their accessories, and it is hoped that this number will
increase in the future. The B-NET centre provides Internet services to Library users. There
are also facilities for printing and photocopying services. The centre also has an e-granary
database on many subject areas from which materials can be downloaded and
bound into pamphlet form for readers.
Copyright 2011. John Harris Library, University of Benin. All Rights Reserved.
Webrarian: Ofili David N.
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