The Spine of the Heart: The University of Jos in Search of a Library Building Model

B. U. Nwafor is university librarian, University of los, Nigeria . for the architects that while the university library "exists to provide materials and facilities which enhance the achievement of the teaching and research objectives of its parent University, its main focus, however, centres not so much on the number of materials, print and non-print, it stocks (important though this is) as in its concern to ensure in a cost-benefit context, a high degree of (a) relevance of the acquired materials to the needs of the University, and (b) use made of these materials." Or new library building should thus deliberately encourage, induce, and advance the materialization of the above goals. We were, of course, familiar with the famous statement that "the library is the heart of the university," a statement that, in real life, seems to be no more than a platitude or, at best, one that describes what ought to have been rather than what is. For many universities the library is seen by some teaching faculty and many students as something on the periphery of their academic programs, something one occasionally refers to. It remains to be appreciated as an integral part of the total academic effort. We were also aware that most briefs prepared by academic librarians for their architects included the specification that the building be "centrally located" on campus. However, while this "commandment" is generally obeyed, future developments on campus have often pushed the physically cen, tralized library to the perimeter of the uni/ versity site. / There were two other factors we had to