guidelines for legal information resources use at supreme court library

Description

The study aimed at developing the guidelines for Legal Information Resources Use at Supreme Court Library. The objectives of the project were to; establish the current status of legal information resources use, find out how the legal information resources are managed, identify the challenges in legal information resources use and come out with guidelines for improving the legal information resources use at the Supreme Court Library. The study adopted a case study design using both qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection. Interview, questionnaire and observation methods of data collection were used. The study used purposive sampling method to select 62 respondents who participated in the study. The study established that the Supreme Court Library has 8,862 information resources which include; text books, law reports, periodicals (magazines, journals, newspapers), statutory instruments, electronic resources among others. The library services offered by SCL were; book loan services, library orientation, reference services, reading space among others. Librarians also use the face to face interactions with the library users to update them about the new legal information resources in the library. The challenges faced in legal information resources were; inadequate information materials, strict rules and regulations, lack of a library catalogue, inadequate funds, inadequate reading room, and inadequate storage space. The strategies to improve legal information resources use were recruiting more qualified staff, providing more space for reading, allocating more funds to the library. The study concluded that the guidelines for Legal Information Resources Use at SCL would help in provision of services that meet the user’s needs. The study recommended user education programs, and the need for more effective methods to offer services.