While the university libraries of developed countries are developing and implementing Library Strategic Plans to provide users with enhanced support, the public university libraries in Bangladesh are still grappling with establishing basic information systems.
Students, mostly graduates, throng libraries to prepare for job interviews and recruitment tests rather than focusing on their academic studies.
The scenario will become clearer during a visit to any of the 37 public university libraries since they remain packed from morning till dusk.
For instance, the Central Library of Dhaka University gets crowded around 8am, with long queues of users waiting outside even before the library opens.
By the time the clock strikes 10am, the library is already overflowing with users in numbers that surpass its official capacity of 2,000.
A close look reveals that most of the students are actually job-seekers as they bring books and materials related to recruitment tests with them.
The number of students looking for a job mounts up to 3,000, especially before any important government recruitment exam, such as the BCS preliminary test.
A recent conversation with several users of the library also attested to the situation, with most of them saying they were there only to prepare for recruitment tests.
When asked why they were studying job-oriented books instead of the academic ones, many of them pointed to a shortage of reading materials featuring their subjects.
The situation at some of the libraries of the public universities, which were recently upgraded from colleges, is even worse as they have a poor collection of academic books, let alone research materials.
According to information management experts, university libraries should not only complement classroom studies but facilitate research.
Experts in the sector said for the last couple of years, university libraries are being equipped with several modern information supply technologies but they are only halfway through.
Muhammad Mezbah-ul-Islam, professor and chairman of Department of Information Science and Library Management (ISLM) of DU, said the initiation of a semester based system has lessened the habit of reading (text or research books) among students.
The number of students in the universities has increased over time, he said, but the library space remained the same, failing to adequately accommodate the growing number of users.
“This is barring students from being regular library users. Duly, they are using the university libraries as reading rooms,” he observed.
Professor Md Roknuzzaman of the Information Science and Library Management Department of DU said: “The library services have become automated which is why students are enjoying more access to the resources. However, there is room for improvement.”
He claimed that there is no coordination between the current education and recruitment systems, and that students have limited knowledge about library resources, which is why they end up seeking “job-oriented content.”
SM Zabed Ahmed, librarian of DU Central Library, too, claimed that they were providing better services, with the dissemination services advancing.
He said: “It is true the number of students who come here for academic studies is decreasing. However, that does not show the real picture as students can and do access library services online from outside of campus. This has been possible since 2012.”
He added: “There are around 22,000 publications from 35 suppliers and consortiums available for the students. Around 500,000 materials were downloaded and 35,000 e-books were purchased last year alone, indicating a sharp rise in the number of readers.”
When asked about the poor scenario at other public libraries, he said: “Almost all the public university libraries in the country have access to the same resources, and their services are also similar. Maybe some students are not aware of the services and resources.”
Professor Mezbah said in order to improve the scenario, the authorities concerned should take comprehensive steps to make them sustainable, helping the library users.
He suggested that the university authorities expand the reading room facilities without allowing reading materials from outside.
Besides, they could also establish segregated places such as a discussion room, non-readers’ room, users’ space, and public zone, aiming to increase their regular users rather than mere readers, he advised.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
