Technical Services

The Technical Services Division is normally headed by a Deputy University Librarian as Technical Services Librarian. The Division comprises Acquisitions, Cataloguing and Classification Sections, Serials and Bindery Unit. The primary responsibility of the division is to coordinate activities that take place in the sections.

Acquisitions Section

Major routines performed in the Section include:

• collection development i.e. procurement of books through purchases, donations, gifts and endowment;
• keeping records of books purchased;
• verification of books on order;
• accessioning and stamping of books purchased;
• facilitating book purchases between Library clientele and Publishers for personal use; and
• preparation of lists of new arrivals (books).

Cataloguing and Classification Section

This section is charged with the responsibilities to:

• catalogue Library materials;
• classify Library materials;
• manually and electronically create and maintain records of the Library’s holdings;
• label Library materials; and
• move the processed materials to their designated sections (e.g. Circulation, Reference and Serials)

Serials Section

The section is manned by the Serials Librarian. The main routines and services in the Serials Section include:

• procurement of journals, newspapers and magazines through subscriptions or donations;
• processing of Serials for the use of the clientele;
• arrangement of Serials on the shelves;
• making Serials available to users on demand;
• keeping statistics and generate reports of users of Serials;
• displaying current Serials;
• providing current awareness services; and
• maintaining bibliographic details of Serials in the Kardex as well as Serials card catalogue.