INTRODUCTION
In Sierra Leone the phrases ‘official publications’, formal documents’, and ‘public documents’ are synonymous with federal government publications. Federal government publications, merely set, are paperwork created by government and neighborhood and quasi-govt bodies outlining and integrating sights and polices. They symbolize the historic and present-day development authorities of govt and supply info on a vast range of topics to include things like Political Science, Economics, Finance, Figures, Labor, Field, Background, Global Relations, Agriculture, Geology and Meteorology. Katz (1997) classed these publications into: (1) data of government administration (2).exploration paperwork for experts together with a appreciable range of data and information of value to science and business enterprise (3).preferred resources of info. Their physical kind currently being possibly a ebook, pamphlet, journal, report monograph or digital, primarily CD-ROM (p.387).
Bibliographic manage in several elements of the globe is seemingly unsatisfactory due mainly to lack of recognition of the value of bibliographic instruments in investigation in governing administration publications. The United States of The usa, for example, was for a very long time a pioneer in this subject. As far back as 1895 the Printing Act of January 12 of that yr (28 statute, 601-624) not only recognized centralized printing and distribution of federal paperwork but also instructed the Superintendent of Files to offer appropriate instruments for bibliographic management of the documents published. Fantastic Britain is an remarkable exception for as much back as 1807 collections of parliamentary papers ended up printed. Nations this kind of as Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and Japan started separating govt doc bibliographies predominantly in the 1920s and 1930s (Palic,1975). Nonetheless a fantastic need for the use of authorities publications was felt following World War 11 (1939-1945), when there was an elevated curiosity in the authoritative details contained in this kind of publications as posited by kid’s (1942) in his introductory notes that ‘more and far more the importance of governing administration documentation is currently being identified in spite of the refractory nature of some of these materials’
In parallel the emphasis produced on the usefulness of govt publications in Sierra Leone is related with the development of printing which can be traced as far back as the founding of the Colony of Sierra Leone in 1787. While the marketplace did not endure the French assault of 1794 the basis stone of what afterwards turned acknowledged as the Government Printing Section was laid in 1925 when it was charged with the production of small notices for official use. At present the Office prints all governing administration publications and provides stationery and business office tools of government departments. It also undertakes a truthful sum of business printing as revenue building measures.
Govt publications typically have the edge of remaining between the greatest in their subject fields typically not conveniently out there to others (Smith, 1993). In lieu of the extent and complexity of authorities activities there is a need to have for the widespread dissemination of information about these actions and for well-known integration of government coverage. No surprise why federal government publications have distinctive price to tutorial library collections and their authority is everlasting. In educational libraries in Sierra Leone these publications are place aside into a unique assortment manned by a curator as at Fourah Bay University Library. Some are saved in vertical files some others are placed in pamphlet packing containers, while people like maps and surveys are presented specialized storage. These publications are acquired primarily by order, deposit, donation, trade and photocopying. The Authorities Printing Department is dependable for their publication
DIVISIONS OF Federal government AND THEIR PUBLICATIONS
The growth of authorities in Sierra Leone’s post-war reconstruction period at neighborhood, national and global ranges has resulted in growing her affect on the life of the citizenry. At the same time with this growth is the proliferation of formal and semi official businesses, commissions and bureaus which keep on to publish operates this kind of as directories, restrictions, studies, expenses, Functions and technological literature which numerous a scientists, educators, public provider functionaries, welfare recipients and the unemployed can not do with out reference to this kind of publications. Because librarians provide as interface in between consumers and governing administration they have for very long acknowledged the complications which this sort of a plethora of selection can pose and have been making huge strides to deal with the challenge. The essence right here is to provide systematic controls to stay away from the disappearance, into oblivion, of crucial formal publications.
In Sierra Leone federal government publications drop within 3 typical lessons: Government, Legislative ands Judicial. The Government publications contain those people issued by the Places of work of the President and the Vice President, and numerous unbiased workplaces and establishments this sort of as National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), Countrywide Revenue Authority (NRA), Anti Corruption Fee (ACC), Nationwide Fee for Privatization (NCP) and the Office environment of the Ombudsman. Also integrated are federal government ministries this sort of as the Ministries of protection Schooling, Youth and Sports activities International Affairs and Worldwide Co-procedure Tourism and Cultural Affairs Neighborhood Authorities and Group Growth Agriculture, Forestry and Meals Security Trade and Business Interior Affairs labor and Industrial Relations and Enhancement and Financial Scheduling.
The Ministry of Trade and Business, for illustration, is responsible for both of those inner and intercontinental trade and the promotion of exports. It has powers around customs and excise, tariffs, insurance plan, patents, emblems, criteria, weights and measures. The Ministry of International Affairs and Global Cooperation is dependable for Sierra Leone’s romance with foreign and Commonwealth nations whilst the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Foods Stability is responsible for administrating governing administration policy on agriculture, horticulture and food stuff stability. This Ministry provides practical advice to farmers, industrial producers of horticultural crops and investigation.The Ministry of Inner Affairs offers with the upkeep of regulation and order, the Law enforcement and Hearth Forces, administration of the prisons and the cure of offenders. Other miscellaneous issues dealt with by this ministry contain explosives, firearms, risky medicine, prisons, retailers, public basic safety, enjoyment, cremation, bylaws and good rule and formal business enterprise. The aforementioned functions and similar ones carried out by other ministries demand the development and routine maintenance of publications. There is also documentation of push briefings supplied by the various heads of ministries and newsletters, which are channels for respective ministries there-by earning them a lot more public-relations acutely aware.
Legislative publications involve the information and debates of Parliament and the stories of hearings of the various Parliamentary Committees. Bundled below also are several plan statements in reply to parliamentary concerns. The Hansard is another abundant source for general public matters as it presents official information and sights about parliamentary debates.
Publications from the Judiciary branch of federal government consist primarily of reports of authorities selections by the Justice of the peace, Appeals and Supreme Courts. Located in this arm of governing administration are law books, ‘annual registers’, state trials and rulings, the constitution, global treaties, protocols, peace accords, Functions, charges and digests of community newspapers. These publications give the judiciary with pertinent data on multifarious authorized matters. These info is essential to be factual and politically neutral.
The Town and District Councils, being quasi-federal government institutions, offer files categorized as govt publications. These involve setting up codes, instructional development, well being and sanitation, laws on squander disposal, use of firearms and hearth equipment. Also there are authorities departments which offer statistical facts on a large vary of financial, industrial and social demographic info. Of central great importance are Stats Sierra Leone (formerly Central Data Business office-CSO), accountable for countrywide population census and home surveys the Business office of Births and Fatalities which registers and generates yearly data of births and deaths in the country the Business of the Registrar Standard responsible for statutory registration of marriages, patents and trademarks the Chamber of Commerce which specializes on company data. These workplaces convey alongside one another critical financial and social studies equipped by governing administration departments. Other critical authorities departments are the Meteorological Workplace, which carries on to give pertinent climate information, and the Countrywide Archives, which serves as repository of all non-existing govt publications inclusive of nationwide newspapers. The afore-mentioned govt publications range in dimension and duration. Written by industry experts in the subject matter, authorities publications are not only authoritative but also timely released and deal with subjects of existing interest. Their goal, according to Katz (1969), is to give facts and solution concerns and not to provoke discussion or organizational cataloging and administration. They are handy primary reference sources.
Tutorial LIBRARIES IN SIERRA LEONE
Tutorial libraries in Sierra Leone are people in the constituent units that type the country’s two universities, namely the College of Sierra Leone and the College of Njala. These libraries represent the bibliographic basis of the nation’s research curiosity. They take part actively in the distribution and trade of ebook and non-book elements to sister establishments all around the state. Collectively these institutions serve pupils, school, scholars and scientists that are engaged in perform in the sciences and humanities as very well as the common general public. These libraries have mixed assets of more than 500,000 volumes, most of which are of unique scope and high-quality. Bundled in these massive collections are federal government publications these kinds of as treaties, Functions, statistical tables and compilations, conventions and information of diplomatic relations, experiences of govt departments, committees, bureau and commissions, census schedules, proclamations and laws. The upkeep, preservation and progress of these publications are duties shared by educational librarians as their libraries go on to provide as national methods.
JUSTIFICATION FOR THE Development OF Government PUBLICATIONS IN Tutorial LIBRARIES
Varied explanations have been superior for the inclusion of governing administration publications in tutorial libraries in Sierra Leone. The purposes of the country’s universities are teaching, company, investigate and interpretation and dissemination of research. Society views governing administration as a reliable and neutral resource of authoritative info that really should be accessible to its citizens via its a lot of publications. Due to the fact academic institutions offer with learners who in convert will be long term citizens these really should be knowledgeable accordingly. Government’s stance must be acknowledged when there is community discussion on wellness, global relations, training, agriculture, social stability and trade, to cite a number of examples. As a result the require for the advancement of authorities publications in tutorial libraries as these products could talk for the govt in diversified actions. Additional tutorial libraries have the goals of preservation, conservation and service. And govt publications form section of society’s cultural heritage which need to have conservation and preservation not only for study uses but also for posterity as tangible primary resources of facts which teachers can consistently refer to. Small wonder why as a measure of bibliographic command of these publications librarians continue on to present catalog’s, checklists, guides, indexes, accessions lists and picked standard bibliographies made up of considerable information and facts on govt publications.
1991-2001 was a period of time of doom in Sierra Leone as it marked the civil war. Fought as a end result of undesirable governance, nepotism and huge corruption it led to the un-wanton destruction of life and attributes. Vital authorities buildings0 destroyed to reckless abandon bundled the Nationwide Treasury, Sierra Leone Police premises, regulation courts and the workplaces of the Freetown Metropolis Council all of which housed important paperwork consistently consulted by scientists, governing administration functionaries and the community. Not withstanding the region is little by little recovering with the re-institution of local government, multi-occasion democracy, enhanced human, women and little one legal rights, the provision of a conducive atmosphere to financial commitment, and a new procedure of education (6-3-3-4), to cite but a couple of developments, the helpful operation of which requires continuous use of government publications.
The broad packages in educational establishments contain quite a few spots of existence with the teaching of historical and geographic ideas scientific reports are undertaken for improved wellness and foods stability worldwide relations and inter-spiritual being familiar with are fostered. Also modern neighborhood daily life and the philosophy of democracy, peace and conflict resolution, superior governance, human rights and other ideologies are taught in purchase that intelligent conclusions could be drawn. These designed instructional systems carry enrichment and information to pupils in these fields as economics, governing administration, well being and sanitation, agriculture, global relations, human rights and diplomacy. In guidance of these diversified disciplines academic libraries provide massive collections to consist of neighborhood resources some of which are in the form of governing administration publications whereby learners, college and researches could share their ordeals and pursuits and create satisfactory own adjustment with regard diverse federal government functionaries in culture. By so doing students are furnished the chance to improve in social usefulness and acquire their mental interests and abilities in buy to become dependable users of culture. This in switch could help market nationalism. In lieu of these components academic libraries try to present liberal collections to include books, serial publications, audio-visuals and govt publications.
Difficulties
Authorities publications are amid the most practical components in tutorial libraries in Sierra Leone. Aside from the community library, the countrywide archives and parliament library which serve as repositories for this kind of publications educational libraries keep on to produce these publications in their huge collection. Nonetheless these kinds of moves are not bereft of problems. These selection from weak formats as a result of deficiency of trade bibliographies to unsatisfactory methods of distribution. The basic difficulty to all these libraries is the quantity of publications gained, much of which is very little but raw information and figures utilised to guidance arguments or gathered a lot more for the sake of gathering relatively than for any certain factors. Due to the fact these libraries have limited area to dwelling their numerous collections the continued acquisition of federal government publications poses challenges to personnel.
Educational libraries acquire federal government publications primarily by donations even though a couple are acquired by obtain, exchange and photocopy. As soon as these elements are been given they are envisioned to be processed and organized for use in the library. Sadly there has been no fixed sample in classifying and organizing these supplies in these libraries. Their firm is possibly by govt ministry/office, topic or format which is typically confusing to users. At Fourah Bay College library, for instance, these publications are positioned separately from the standard collection which usually constrains people in having to depart their looking at area to consult with these resources with constrained sitting down lodging. Libraries at Njala College College or university, Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) and the College or university of Drugs and Allied Health and fitness Sciences (COMHAS), which are somewhat smaller in dimension integrate the publications in their standard assortment thereby posing retrieval complications to people.
Trying to keep monitor of govt publications is another issue as there are no trade bibliographies printed out to help trace them. Hardly are these publications mentioned in the national bibliography, Sierra Leone Publications, well prepared by the community/nationwide library. Aside from the Government Printing Department accountable for the generation of authorities publications does not have any comprehensive lists of its publications. Most times these publications are either returned instantly to the respective ministries/departments owning them on completion or despatched to the Federal government Bookshop for sale or offered by the Govt Printing Section upon completion, so earning it tough to locate retrospective publications. Even worse even now each the Government Printing Office and the Authorities Bookshop are not intrigued in publicizing these publications and as these several shoppers which includes academic librarians are not informed of the availability of suitable governing administration publications for acquisition so producing lapses in the enhancement of these components in academic libraries. In parallel 1 would be expecting tutorial libraries to compile thorough lists of this sort of publications but this has not been the scenario thanks to the confined variety of employees manning this collection and the quantum of operate they have to execute specifically during peak periods when libraries are seriously made use of which is time consuming.
There are also complications of collection improvement. Tutorial libraries are under-funded and consequently librarians prioritize their selection development wants. Purchasing govt publications has not been a priority for educational librarians as they always seem ahead to the Government Printing Office for donations which are routinely not forthcoming. Hence numerous applicable federal government publications are not uncovered in educational library collections. What is more this confined selection is grossly misused and abused by consumers (primarily undergraduate scholar end users) in their academic pursuits. Therefore most of these publications have dingy addresses other people have a few of pages either penned on or pilfered whilst some are intentionally mis-shelved to deprive colleagues of making use of them.
Conclusion
The incorporation of government publications in the mainstream of educational library products and services ought to be considered a priority by university authorities and tutorial librarians in supplying accessibility to govt-created information in Sierra Leone. Representing a considerable and integral element of the countrywide resources governing administration publications are important sources of information in basically each individual discipline of endeavor and are crucial to informed community-final decision earning. Tutorial librarians must consequently review their assortment growth strategies and processing and group methods of these components if they are to be persistently used by their many clientele. Especial believed should be given to elevated funding, resource sharing, compilation of lists and enough staffing, sitting down lodging and storage area if they are to preserve specifications in serving their quite a few clientele.
Author Be aware
John Abdul Kargbo is Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Library, Facts & Communication Scientific tests at Fourah Bay College or university, College of Sierra Leone. Mail can be despatched to him on