Preservation and Conservation of Information Resources in the Nigerian Library: Concepts and Challenges

Abstract

The paper examines the preservation and conservation of information resources in the Nigerian library: concepts and challenges, conservation is seen as specific practices taken to slow down deterioration and prolong the life span of an object by direct intervening in its physical or chemical makeup, while preservation explains all the managerial and financial considerations including storage and accommodation provisions, staffing levels, policies, techniques, and methods involved in preserving library and archival materials and the information contained in them; agents of deterioration of information resources in libraries are humidity, disasters, light, water among others, while repairs, fumigation, proper storage, air conditioning among others are the preservation and conservation methods used in preserving the information materials in libraries, digital preservation refers to the various method of keeping digital materials alive into the future, the major challenges of preservation and conservation of information resources in libraries are inadequate finance, quality of paper and ink, Tropical climate, maintenance culture and administrative problem among others, while adequate funds, good handling culture, adherent to preservation and conservation policy, enough space, training and readers awareness are some of the ways of combating these challenges.

Keywords: Preservation and Conservation, Information Resources, Library, Nigeria.