Evaluating special library services: women's research and documentation centre(WORDOC) library, 1993-2003

Abstract

The special library services of the Women's Research and Documentation Centre (WORDOC), university of Ibadan, Nigeria is evaluated in this paper. Questionnaire, direct interview and observation methods were used in the evaluation.In the decade covered, it was discorved that the library is well used by students and researchers in the university community. 64.3% of the respondents were satisfied with the services while 35.7% were not. 37. 5% of the users make use of the library because it gives them access to current books and materials. 30.4% because their reference enquiry are adequatly met, 19.6% because both reference and literature requirements are met and 3.6% because they have reading space. The importance of the library as a special centre bringing togethera collection on women and gender issues is noted. It was discovered that the library has resources that are rare and specialised but more attention needs to be pointed at acquisition and collection development as well as cataloguing and classification procedures. Suggestions for the improvement of the collection, information dissemination strategies and general organisation of the collection are made.