Data collection today: An overview of data collections and acquisition procedures in health libraries in the South-West, Nigeria

Abstract

Data collections and acquisitions in the electronic age are increasingly unique globally. But the growing equity in access to data for effective information service delivery and global relevance is a serious import of this study. Therefore, the effect of current economic and political challenges in Nigeria to the community of data, and the need to bridge the gap in literature is imperative. The purpose of the study is to determine the extent to which health libraries in the South-West, Nigeria have formalized data collections and acquisitions in the electronic age and to highlight the guidelines and policies used for collection and acquisition in the electronic age as against the traditional purchasing models. And, to determine the extent of current challenges on collection development and acquisitions for improve access to relevant data. There are scores of medical/health libraries in the south west of Nigeria but the guidelines for collections and acquisitions for effective information service delivery is underdeveloped. Giving the growing importance of this study, a questionnaire and interview approach will be explored to gather data from the Sectional heads and the Medical/Health Library Directors.