ABETIFI PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION LIBRARY STANDARD OF OPERATING PROCEDURE

Purpose

The library serves as a developer and preserver of rare and special collections as well as a contributor towards the achievement of the institution’s strategic goals. The library is expected to constantly seek ways to contribute effectively to the quality of teaching and research by facilitating access to worldwide information.

The purpose of this document seeks to establish an institutional framework through which an effective, efficient and dynamic library and information service can be provided that meets the information needs of all stakeholders. It will also establish a standard for services that can be understood by users of the library.

Scope

This document applies to all students, teaching and non-teaching staff of Abetifi Presbyterian College of Education as well as outside persons and institutions who make use of the College library. Important areas of library activities such as technical, acquisition, circulation, and electronic support services have been captured in this standard operating procedure document.

Activities in the library

Processing of books

• The technical processing of the books is done by systematic arrangement according to the Library of Congress Classification Scheme (LCCS) scheme. A sample of the scheme is pasted on the notice board just at the entrance of the library for users to know the main subject headings. The books are classified and catalogued.
• Physical Processing of the books including pasting of call numbers, and stamping. This

is carried out by library staff.

• The books are placed on shelves according to their call numbers by the library staff per their subject headings. This is supervised by the librarian to ensure the proper thing is done.
• Latest additions of books will be displayed in the new arrivals shelf.

Access and Shelving of Past Questions

1. The library liaise with the academic unit for past questions for students after their exams and quizzes.
2. The past questions are scanned and uploaded into the Library’s Google Drive for students and tutors to have access
3. The scanned past questions are copied onto all the desktop computers in the Library for students and tutors to have access
4. The past questions are stamped with the library stamp and filed according to subjects.
5. They are then shelved at the past question section facing the reference section for students to have access and for the library staff to monitor it usage.

Shelving of Students’ Research work

1. The library liaises with the quality and assurance office to get samples of students’ research work shelved at the library.
2. Before shelving, the library staff catalogued the research works in an excel form on a computer to add up to institutional collections online.
3. The works are then stamped and shelved at the research section in the library.

Stock verification of library books

• Books in the library are stamped and given accession numbers. This is done to know the total number of collections in the library.
• The accession numbers are recorded in an accession note book. The recording is done based on the bibliographic details of the book being recorded.

Acquisition

• The library obtains recommended booklist from by the, librarian, heads of departments, and tutors. After which the library committee decided on the vital ones.
• Recommendations are checked by library staff for duplicate, availability, etc.
• A memo shall be written to the Principal by the librarian asking for approval to purchase the new collections for the library.

Periodical Section

1. Newspapers are brought from the Human Resource Department for library users.
2. Library staff signs a book to indicate receipt of the periodical.
3. The front page, middle and back page of the periodicals are then stamped with the library stamp.
4. The periodicals are arranged on a center table at the periodical section in the library for readers
5. They are placed at the periodical section for library users.

Preservation of Newspapers

1. At the end of each week, the library staff collate and tie the newspapers according to date.
2. They are taken to the storeroom for safe keeping.
3. The librarian then writes a memo to the principal requesting for the newspapers to be bound for longer preservation at a point where it has become bulky in the store room.
4. The principal then grants approval for procurement to assist the library with that.
5. The librarian will write a memo to the principal requesting for the library to be fumigated to get rid of insects destroying library collections. This will prolong the life span of most of the collections in the library.

Circulation

• All staff, and students are eligible to borrow books and other collections in the library.
• Details of students and staffs who wants to borrow books are recorded in the circulation book. Their contact numbers are also recorded.
• Reference resources such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, world books, indexing, almanacs, directories, biographies, maps and atlases, periodicals can’t be borrowed.
• Number of days’ users can keep a book borrowed from the library depends on the availability of the number of that particular book in the library.  
• Books are returned at the reference desk for a library staff to sign user out.
• From there, the books are placed on the shelves according to the classification number by library staff.
• Past questions are not borrowed.

Electronic support services.

The Electronic support services to be provided shall include the following:

• Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) for library users.
• Provision of electronic information resources namely, online academic databases and Internet services.

Arrangement

• All reference resources should be housed closed to the reference section where the library staff sit to help students search for information and consultation.
• Periodicals like newspapers and magazines are put at their section created in the library.

Working hours in the library

• The library is closed on holidays.
• The library operates from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm on week days. The library is assisted by library prefects to who take over from 6 pm to 9 pm under a supervision of a library staff. This include Weekends.

GENERAL RULES IN THE LIBRARY

• Silence should be maintained at all times.
• Consult the library staff at the circulation/help desk to help you retrieve books and any information.
• All phones should be on silent mode or vibration.
• All calls should be made or received outside the library
• Do not litter the library. There are dustbins around for use.
• Do not shelve library collections. After use of library materials, leave them on the table for library staff to shelve it.
• Wear the prescribed attire when you come to the library.
• No food or sachet water should enter the library. Bottled water is allowed.
• Littering is prohibited in the library
• Please dispose any unwanted materials in the bins at the library
• Do not write, mark or deface any book you take from the library.

Users are requested to keep their personal belongings such as books and bags at the luggage shelf located at the entrance of the library.