Why is there a shortage of prescribed textbooks in the Library?
| In terms of the Collection Development and Management Policy of the Library as approved by the Senate Library Committee, multiple copies of books, i.e. recommended undergraduate reading (normally not more than two copies of a title) are ordered by Faculties or Schools against their Library allocations. There is no separate Library fund for this purpose. The Library does not necessarily purchase prescribed textbooks. Where this happens as a result of recommendations from lecturers, the Library would have a limited number of copies (one or two). The budget would not be enough to buy a high number of copies of any prescribed textbook nor is there sufficient space to shelve large numbers of these in the Libraries. In consultation with lecturers, a book that is essential reading for any class of students is placed on short loan in the Library. This way, the book easily circulates among as many students as possible. |
Answer
| In terms of the Collection Development and Management Policy of the Library as approved by the Senate Library Committee, multiple copies of books, i.e. recommended undergraduate reading (normally not more than two copies of a title) are ordered by Faculties or Schools against their Library allocations. There is no separate Library fund for this purpose. The Library does not necessarily purchase prescribed textbooks. Where this happens as a result of recommendations from lecturers, the Library would have a limited number of copies (one or two). The budget would not be enough to buy a high number of copies of any prescribed textbook nor is there sufficient space to shelve large numbers of these in the Libraries. In consultation with lecturers, a book that is essential reading for any class of students is placed on short loan in the Library. This way, the book easily circulates among as many students as possible. |