CHALLENGES OF SELECTION AND ACQUISITION OF GREY LITERATURE IN NIGERIAN LIBRARIES

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Selection and acquisition are terms used in provision of library materials. Selection is the process of choosing while acquisition is the process of obtaining library materials (Anyanwu, et al, 2006) selection must precede acquisition, what to select depends on the type of library since the library is interested in serving primarily its clientese which could be homogenous or heterogeneous (Oduagwu, 2002). Book selection is used as a generic term covering the selection of both book and non-book materials for library. Acquisition on the other hand is a process of obtaining books and other items for the library, documentation centre, or archives (Harrods, 2000). Acquisition is carried out through purchase, gift, exchange and legal deposit. Provision of current information which supports the curriculum of the parent institution is as a result of selection and acquisition in the academic libraries. The following factors are considered in selecting materials for academic libraries,  i. Aims and objective of the institution ii. The number of faculty members iii. The number of departments / subjects areas iv. Research and teaching needs v. The nature of materials required in terms of book and non-book. There is a specific library acquisition policy which specify the type and range of items to be selected and acquired. The purpose of the acquisition policy is to serve as a reference for the library staff to follow when assessing potential acquisition for the library collections including print and non-print materials, electronic and other type of resources. The mission of the acquisition policy is to ensure that the selection of library resources supports the educational need of the students, administrations and staff of the institution. Anyanwum et al, 2006 Started that selection is of very important because of literature explosion, reduction in library budget, reduction in income of library users and pressure from the both the publishers and the library users. Grey literature is one of the materials selected and acquired in Libraries