A modern university no longer looks at the library and laboratory as the only arena for research and information gathering. The introduction and rapid growth of information technology has actually reduced the scope or importance of the library as the repository for information on research output. Surfing the Internet for information is now a common phenomenon among academicians and students. Notwithstanding this overarching role of information technology, the library remains the main source of information in both soft and hard copies. In fact, the virtual library is now part and parcel of the traditional library complex.

The Library facilitates teaching, learning and research through the provision of information sources in print and non-print formats. The roles of OOULlB in teaching, learning and advancement of the frontiers of knowledge can be sumed up as sustenance of teaching and research activities of the Universiy, and dissemination of existing and new information towards the success of the students of the University.
(ODD Library Annual Report, 20(5)

The Olabisi Onabanjo University library opened to students on January 31. 1983. As expected, it is one of the first units of the University to start operation and was headed by a visiting Librarian - Mr. 0.0. Ogundipe - who was on sabbatical leave from University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. The Visiting Librarian was, on completing his sabbatical in November, 1983, succeeded by Mrs. Olayide Soyinka from University of Ibadan. Mrs. Soyinka came on leave of absence and was appointed an Acting University Librarian with effect from January 1, 1984. She later transferred her services to Ogun State University and also became the University Librarian until 2003 when she retired. The Library now has the second substantive University Librarian in person of Mr. O.K. Odusanya.

The University library which started with about 5000 volumes of books and virtually no journal collection was started as a multi-campus unit. This was in line with the nature of the University as conceived by the founding fathers. At the initial stage, the University operated from three campuses viz: Ago-Iwoye (Main Campus), Ikenne (Remo) and Aiyetoro (Yewa). Library branches were opened in these campuses. At that inception the current Law Library on the mini campus with seating space for only 60 readers at full capacity was the Main Library while the branch library at Aiyetoro served the College of Agricultural Sciences and the branch at Ikenne served the College of Health Sciences. All the libraries were centrally administered from the Main Library.

                        At the end of 1983/84 session and sequel to the return of the military to governance of the country, the multi-campus system was abolished by the government of Ogun State led by the Colonel Oladipo Diya. Thus, by February 28, 1985, the branches of the University library in Aiyetoro and lkenne were closed down and merged with the main library in Ago-Iwoye. However, the new Main Library building, which incidentally remains the main library till today, had been completed before the merger and therefore saved the space problems that would have arisen from the merger.

            Also, on February 3, 1986, a library was established on the campus of Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Sciences (OACHS) in Sagamu, Remo Division and this further reduced the pressure on the Main Library. In the meantime, the original Main library had been designated as the Law Library and remains so till date. The University Library has been playing its major role of research­ support services and information dissemination through provision of:


            1             Technical Service and Collection Development
            2.             References and Information services
            3             Readers Services and lnstructions
Reprographic and document delivery
Current awareness services
Provision of Serials Services
Inter-Library Loan

            From the modest growth of the University Library, at the early stage of the University development, the Library has grown into a complex. It may be noted that the University returned to the multi-campus system in 2005 in fulfillment of the dreams of the founding fathers. This implies that the new campuses would have to be serviced by the library. However, before the additions based on the new campuses, the University library complex had grown in size and operational venues in response to the needs of the readers. Thus, before 2005 when the University returned to the multi­-campus system, the Library complex comprised the following components

 1         The Main Library, Mini Campus, Ago-lwoye
2          Law Library, Mini Campus, Ago Iwoye
3          The Main Campus Branch Library
4          ACHS Library, Sagamu
5          The Sopolu Library. Ikenne (Donated by Chief Obafemi Awolowo)
6          The FacuIty or Basic Mcdical Sciences Library, Ikenne.
7          The Annex Library at Ijebu-Igbo.

With the reversion to the multi-campus system and the need to serve CESAP students in the Ijebu-Ode annexe, three new branches were opened. These are:
            1.             College or Agricultural Science Library, Aiyetoro
            2             College or Engineering and Technology LIbrary, Ibogun
            3.             SEICO Annex Library. Ijebu-Ode.

The Library Components and Locations

The Main Library, Ago-Iwoye:
 In its new location on the Mini Campus and the original form, could accommodate 100,000 volumes of books, 400 readers in the main reading area, 40 readers in the Serial section and 20 readers at the newspapers reading unit. In the 1995/96 session, the library was extended and linked to the former Bursary unit of the University. Until recently, the main library has four divisions namely, (i) Reader's Services Division, (ii) Technical Services Division, (iii) Serial Division, and (iv) Collection Development Division. In 2004, a Multimedia Resource Centre (formerly Computer Section) was added to the existing divisions. Each of these divisions is sub-divided into units.

The Reader's Services Division comprises the Circulation Unit, Reference and Bibliographic Services Unit, and the Reserved Books Unit. The Technical Services Division, which can be described as the library's engine room, comprises four sections viz Cataloguing and Classification, Catalogue Maintenance, Reprographic and Binding, and Building and Security sections. The Serial Division, though not sub- divided into units,- carries out the functions such as Circulation, Reference and Bibliographic Services while the Collection Development division has the Acquisition Section and Gift and Exchanges Section. The Multimedia Resource Centre houses the Virtual Library and the Library's cyber cafe. It is expected that, in not too distant future, the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) system of the Library has been activated such that readers can search for books and journals electronically rather than manually as obtains in the previous manual cataloguing system.

The various divisions of the, Library make it possible for it to provide a variety of services to readers - students and staff. In this connection, apart from promoting borrowing of books and creating conducive reading atmosphere for the users, the Library provides the following services and facilities: photocopying services; binding of books, journals, projects and theses that are either new or require repackaging; a viewing centre for cable or satellite delivered programmes; supply of multimedia projectors, video camera and public address system (on loan), acquisition of reading materials from other nearby libraries or through the virtual library or gifts from notable indigenes, other Nigerians, national and international institutional donors.

The number of books, journals and other reading materials continues to increase. In 2005 alone, almost N2.5 million was spent on acquiring books and journals. The total number of books acquired was 3,467 bringing the total stock to 65,580. In the same period, a total of 103 journal titles (150 volumes) were added to the existing stock to reach a total volume of 20,359, and about N1.8 million was expended on newspapers and magazines for the Main Library and its eight branches.

In 2004, the University Library was connected to the Internet through the erection of a mast specifically for the library. Also, the College of Agricultural Sciences at Aiyetoro was connected. The other branch libraries in Ikenne and Ibogun are ready for internet connectivity. The main objective of the Internet connectivity is "to enable both stu.dents and lecturers to have insight and easy access to related information for their research work" (Annual Report, 2005). The Library is using Alice Library Management software to store its collections and for browsing library collections by readers.

Branch Libraries
Law Library, Mini Campus, Ago-Iwoye: This library was opened in December, 1984 after the main library was moved to its present location. Though it is open to all staff and students of the Faculty of Law, the library can also be used by students from other faculties with the permission of the Law Librarian who heads the Unit. The main collections are law textbooks and law reports, but textbooks of related disciplines can also be found. It has about 8,000 volumes of textbooks and law reports and about 100 journal titles totalling about 2,000 volumes. The library has a seating capacity of 150 in the main reading area and eight seats in the staff reading room.

The Law library had benefited greatly from donors. The important donors to the library are Late Hon. Justice O. Somolu, E. Babasanya Craig and Dayo Sonuga.

The volumes of judgement documents by the great Lord Dennins donated by Justice Morenikeji Onalaja, the gifts by Prince Bola Ajibola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi have remarkably enriched the Library. The Library is also updated with new acquisitions every year. In 2005 alone, the library served 30,060 readers and a total of 36,319 books and journals were consulted. These statistics show that the library and its resources are heavily patronised.

Main Campus Branch Library, Ago-Iwoye:
 The Main Campus library is situated in the building donated by the late Sir Hassan Odukale on the northern part of the Main campus. The branch library was established in June, 1998 but became operational in July, 1998 to cater for the needs of the Faculty of Arts, and the then Faculty of Social and Management Sciences (now separated into the Faculty of Management Sciences and the Faculty of the Social Sciences). The building consists of two fairly spacious reading areas viz: the Serials reading room, and the Staff and Postgraduate reading room with individual carrels. There are staff offices, a Security checkpoint at the entrance, and the Circulation Desk to the right of the main entrance.

The Main Campus library currently serves the aforementioned faculties and the Faculty of Education, which has also moved to the Main campus. Relative to the population, the library is small with seating capacity of 201. The Faculty of Law, which will be moving to the campus in a couple of months and its Library will be located within the new Law complex.

The collections of the library are mainly in the clients' core areas.  In 2005, the Library acquired 883 volumes of books and 85 journals title that cut across all the disciplines in the faculties it is serving. In 2005, 53.693 people used the library and 11,011 volumes of books were consulted.

Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Sciences Library, Sagamu:
This is situated on the premises of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital. It was first established in Ikenne in 1983 before the multi­-campus system was abolished in 1985. The library started in a small bungalow by the side of the car park within the premises of the hospital but was relocated to a one-storey building on the college premises on November. 1998. The ground floor houses the Serials section and a store for back issues of journals and periodicals. In the first floor is the general reading area, the staff workroom and the Medical Librarian's office.

The OACHS library serves the College of Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmacy. At peak period, it can accommodate 150 users. It provides full library services throughout the year and is open to all bonafide staff and students of the College and Faculty of Pharmacy. In the year 2005, the library registered 1,815 users with a breakdown of 1,060 clinical students, 505 pharmacy students; 60 staff of the College and 180 Teaching Hospital staff. It loaned out 5,600 volumes and users consulted a total of 12,600 volumes in the same year. Over the years, the library has witnessed a number of visitations for accreditation of programmes and earned commendations from the visitors. These include visits by the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the West African College of Surgeons, and the National Postgraduate Medical College.

Sopolu Library, Ikenne:
 The Library originally privately owned, was bequeathed to the University by the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1989. The collections of the library include scarce basic texts in the humanities and the social sciences, as well as government publications covering Nigeria and other West African countries from the pre­ independence era. It stocks volumes of reference materials, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, almanacs, yearbooks, atlases, various versions of the Holy Bible and Holy Quran, bound copies of newspapers dating back to the 1940s, albums and photographs on the constitutional and political history of Nigeria and West African coast, and other general interest textbooks.
The library can seat 30 users at a time and is purely a reference library, thus it does not provide loan facilities to users. The volumes grew to 6,288 and 23 journal titles in 2005. Also, the Ogun State Government donated four sets of computers in the same year. Case files and other personal records of Late Obafemi A wolowo are being stored in the systems.

Facility of Basic Medical Science Library, lkenne:
 One of the newly established facilities after the re-introduction of the multi-campus system in 2005, the library provides information and related services for the staff and students of the Faculty (FBMS). It is estimated that about 3000 users patronise the library annually. The services include reprographic facilities, Internet facilities, reading facilities - books, journals, newspapers and magazines, etc. However, inadequate space and disconnection of electricity hampered the efficient delivery of some of these services.

Ijebu Igbo Annex Library:
Solely financed by the Centre for Sandwich Progremme (CESAP)_ the Annex Library was opened under the auspices of the Centre in 2004. Occupying the middle floor of one of the two storey buildings tagged Block C, it has both a reading section and an area for periodicals. It is headed by a professional librarian whose office is located on the right hand side of the library from the security checkpoint at the entrance.

At full capacity, it can accommodate about 80 users. It has made remarkable growth in its collections. From 245 titles or 363 volumes in 2004, the collection rose to 579 titles or 843 volumes in 2005. It has 11 Journal titles in 182 volumes, aside from newspapers and magazines, One thousand, two hundred and ninety-six volumes were consulted by 5,800 users who visited the library in the year. The library is still growing as the available volumes cannot meet the current demand by staff and students.
             
It is important to say that within the annex, there also exist the specialised library for the staff and student of the department of Mass Communication. The library is solely managed by the department and is situated on the middle floor of Block D.

College of Agricultural Science (CAS) Library, Ayetoro:
This library was reopen in 2004 as a result of the return of the multi-campus system. As indicated earlier, a library that existed at the inception of the University within the concept of a multi-campus system had to be closed down in 1985 when the then military government reversed the system. The library is located on the first floor of a one-storey building within the Ayetoro campus of the University, situated in the Ayetoro Comprehensive College complex.

The Library acquisitions are basically on agriculture, which is the specialisation of the College. However, new courses relating to management but allied to agriculture have been introduced since the college moved to the campus and the University Librarian realised the need to diversify the collection. In the present state, the library is deficient in that the reference material, books and journals are adequate to meet the growing needs of the users

In 2005, the library recorded a modest achievement in user patronage and books consultation. Apart from regular supply of newspapers and magazines for the users, the stock of books was 1154 volumes and 684 volumes of journals. A total of 549 users were registered with the library, which also hosted the NUC accreditation team in the year. In addition to improving the general condition of the human and material resources, the library has been provided with Internet facilities.

College of Engineering and Technology (CET) Library:
The library, a bungalow located on the left side of the campus from the entrance, was established in 2004. Having a capacity for 85 users, it is a specialised library for engineering courses. There were 663 volumes of books and 523 journal titles as of 2005.

A total of 1341 users patronised the library and consulted 1964 volumes at different times during that year. As a new library, the growth is still modest and it lacks a number of operational items like book trolley, computers, file cabinets, etc. The collection and seating space are still inadequate, given the increase in the number of users in recent times. There is provision for Internet facilities but yet to be connected because of inadequate computers.

SEICO Annex Library, Ijebu-Ode:
 This library was opened in late 2006 to cater for the students of the Centre for Sandwich Programmes and to meet one of the NUC-prescribed accreditation requirements of the Centre. The library is located on the second floor of the three-storey building in the annexe. When fully furnished, the library could seat about 60 users. The foregoing paragraphs have shown that the University Library has grown tremendously over the years in terms of branch network, collections, specialisation and experience in providing services within the limits of available resources. Staff development remains on going with a number of the senior staff on their Masters and Ph.D. programmes, while junior staffs are on in-service training for diploma and bachelors degrees.

However, there are still enormous challenges facing the Unit, which is considered the 'heart' of any academic institution. These challenges are in the areas of, but not limited to, collection development, space problems, main or permanent library building, adequate funding to acquire recent and current books and journals and automation of the library operations.