Users’ Rights and Responsibilities in the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

Abstract

The study examined the rights and responsibilities of library users in the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, Obafemi Awolowo Univesrsity, Ile Ife. The users` rights in Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library include among others, right of access to information and information materials. Users are entitled to information information materials in the library and about the library as an institution. This brings to bear the essence of reference services in the library and include among others, answers to users` query, users` education and orientation and the likes. One of the basic responsibilities of users in the library is to use the library with its resources and facilities responsibly. Users, in order to ensure enduring service delivery, and preservation of good order in the library, are expected to be unreservedly compliant with the rules and regulations governing the access and usage of the library’s resources and facilities. The study also identified organs for the enforcements of users” rights, which include Heads of Departments, University Librarian, Library Management Committee and Library Security. While all these organs are in place, yet, there are certain infringements as a result of inadequate knowledge about users’ rights and responsibilities. The study concluded that sheer ignorance and low level of awareness on the part of users` to their rights accounts largely for the continuing infractions of users rights. The study recommended increased awareness inform of orientation for library users and adequate publicity , use of suggestion box in strategic locations and political will on the part of the management to enforce users” rights and responsibilities.