Library Collection Development in Women Development Centres in Africa - The Case of Nigeria

Abstract

Women Development Centres (WDCs) in recent times have been set up to carry out functions towards the improvement of the woman in all facets of life. These WDCs work under the supervision of a governmental or a quasi— governmental body. In Africa, these centres exist in many countries under various names. In Ghana, it is the National Council for Women and Development while in Nigeria there is the government’s National Commission for Women (NCW) and the quasi- governmental Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development (MBNCWD). These set ups have Library and Documentation Centres (LDCs) to collect, process ,store ,and disseminate information on women. The methods used by the MBNCWD, Nigeria which is a pacesetter among WDCs in West AFRICA to collect information, problems encountered in sourcing these information and the types of information available in its LDC are discussed. Suggestions for effective library collection development for WDCs in Africa are proffered.