Parliamentary Librarianship in Sierra Leone

Introduction
Typically the Sierra Leone Parliament library, the standard repository of the particular records of Parliament, is responsible intended for the gathering, organization plus dissemination of bibliographic materials and info to further the effort of the legal guidelines. The Parliament, which in turn houses the collection, can be found at the summit of System Hill, around the next floor. It was opened on the event of the nation's Independence day, twenty sixth April 1961. The proximity of the library towards the Chamber ensures that the existence and solutions are brought near parliamentarians and parliamentary administrators.

The extent and complexity of government activities create a requirement of the widespread scattering of information regarding those activities plus for popular meaning of government insurance plan. Invariably the over-riding aim of the particular library is typically the provision details that will enable parliamentarians, parliamentary administrators and support staff to carry out their duties effectively. Its objectives are:

o The accessibility of information plus knowledge resources vital to parliamentarians and parliamentary administration in the performance involving their daily functions.
o To act as archives for parliamentary and other vital government publications.
u To obtain materials through parliaments in additional countries that may well be of great benefit to be able to parliamentarians and parliamentary administrators for tedious operations.

Provisions in addition to management
Based on these types of aims and aims the library has a small collection of stock on Philosophy, Sociology, Political Scientific research, Economics, Law, Military Administration and Historical past. Also included will be Bills, Acts, Purchase papers and sees, Hansard/Parliamentary debates, State Opening programmes, Presidential addresses, Budget toasts, chronicles of Parliamentary elections and developments, Parliamentary debates associated with the House of Commons and Lords of Britain, courting back towards the colonial period, Indian Parliamentary debates and related ones from Tanganyika (Tanzania), Gold Coast (Ghana), Nigeria plus Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), in addition to materials from Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) plus the Commonwealth. Additionally is a collection regarding reference works many of these as encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, parliamentary handbooks, yearbooks, public notices, protocols and treaties. These materials will be acquired by order, donation, exchange, and deposit, especially by simply the Government Printing Department responsible with regard to the printing involving all government publications in the country. The materials happen to be classified and organized in accordance with Dewey Quebrado Classification Scheme (19th Edition).

A Librarian, an Assistant Librarian as well as clerical personnel man the collection. The Librarian will be responsible to typically the Clerk of Legislative house, the chief administrator and vote controller, and overall brain of the device. The functions associated with the Librarian, in addition to administering the library, consist of the compilation associated with bibliographies and studying lists, literature looking, summarizing facts and even published information, in addition to obtaining information by government departments. The particular Assistant Librarian performs such duties as acquisition, classification in addition to cataloguing of components, answering reference queries, writing correspondence, shelving and the standard supervision of assistance staff. He in addition computes the parliamentary index to most parliament papers plus debates, the population costs index after which global affairs index along with references taken from the particular daily and periodical press, government sees and Commissions regarding Inquiry index. These kinds of indexes are cumulated and reproduced photographically. Government mainly fiscally supports the catalogue.

The Sierra Leone Parliament Library consumers are mainly parliamentarians and parliamentary managers. The library in addition extends its services to university lecturers and students, open officials and visitors. Very low readership of over five hundred or so (500). The catalogue is open by 8: 30 some sort of. m. to 5: 00p. m. from Friday through Friday and even is closed during weekends and open holidays. It presents reference and lending services to its clientele as part of its publication services. To enable an user in order to loan materials a new request form is definitely issued for conclusion. Up to three guides can be loaned intended for two weeks. Consumers can renew their own books for the even more two weeks, offered no other users request them. Nevertheless, materials like information, conference proceedings, parliamentary Acts, debates and gazettes are not loaned but just consulted inside the collection. The library offers an Author/Title and even Classified catalogue.
Solutions

Staff in the Reader Service and even Reference Desk handle all reference questions. Reference services will be provided in about three ways: individually in order to parliamentarians in response to a request for a 'brief' on any issue connected to their official duties; the preparation of general 'background papers' associated with previous debates, specifically when an MP was absent in addition to need a review of what was mentioned; and ad hoc services to Committees of the House.

To match the stock supply in the library current awareness services and selective dissemination involving information services are usually provided on the modest scale. The particular current awareness support involves the provision of the current periodical articles, information and documents related to specific topics of each participant interest. A photocopying service of desired publications such while news features from the files regarding recent press clippings, reports and content material pages of required materials is furthermore done. There is definitely also  ふじみ野市議会議員　自民党  for the two internal and global calls. In order to meet the particular challenges of ICTs computers have recently been installed inside the catalogue with Internet facility. As a method of preserving plus conserving the collection library staff often fumigate the collection whilst the Assistant Librarian does repairs on damaged materials. Worn-out materials are delivered to the Government Stamping Department for repairing. To aid clientele use the library customer education is given together with shelf instructions.

Not withstanding the provisions and solutions in the catalogue problems abound which often serve as challenges to the staff. Noteworthy are inadequate staff, poor working problems, inadequate and outdated collection, inadequate plus untimely funding, non-performance of a study to assess typically the needs of users and the deficiency of a collection growth policy. Little wonder why trained and qualified staff are hardly retained to run the catalogue. It is however hoped that this existing Parliament will revive the situation.