About Us

The IfedayoOladapo Library is the main library of the Ekiti State University. The University Library is named after the founding Vice Chancellor of the Ekiti State University, Engr. Prof.  Ifedayo Oladapo. The academic library is an information service provider situated on the main campus of the Ekiti State University. The Library’s operation hours are regulated and adjusted according to requirements of the academic calendar year.

The university library is an essential part of the university with the main objective of providing the university community with a wide range of scholarly materials that are consistent with the institution’s mission, curricula/research needs and academic freedom tenets. Specifically, information resources are provided to stimulate students’ knowledge acquisition so as to achieve academic excellence and integrity of purpose.

The University Library as an academic library is charged with the responsibility of providing students, staff and people within the university community unfettered access to an extensive range of information resources by carrying out the basic functions of sourcing, ordering, acquiring, processing, organizing, preserving and dissemination of information within the mission and vision of the university. The university library provides access to quality resources, traditional and innovative services to stimulate creativity, intellectual curiosity and facilitate lifelong learning and research within its community.

IOL is a two-storey building with scores of offices, sections, departments, units etc. The building houses the various administrative, financial, technical and other categories of staff, as well as resources, repositories and lots more. The library complex also has under it, several branches and faculty libraries found in various sections of the University.

Brief History of the Library

Ekiti State University was established on 30 March 1982 as Obafemi Awolowo University, Ado-Ekiti during the administration of Chief Michael AdekunleAjasin. The institution underwent several name changes and reorganizations, becoming Ekiti State University in 2011 after the merger and consolidation of multiple state universities. Soon after the university began in the 1980s, a library was established to support learning and research for students and faculty. In the earliest period, the collection, like most new universities, began modestly and grew as the institution expanded academically.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the library expanded physically and in holdings to accommodate a growing number of students, academic programmes and academic disciplines. In 1992, the University Library had extended facilities with dedicated sections such as a Law Library apart from the main library building as the curriculum broadened. Over time, Colleges/Faculty/Department libraries have also been established to support specialised academic fields across various disciplines within the university. The library’s systems now include electronic journals, databases, e-resources and digital tools to support advanced academic work.

In 2025, the Ekiti State University Alumni Association funded a major digitisation project, introducing a modern Integrated Library System (Koha ILS). This automates key functions like the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC), enhanced searching, self-registration, and improved access to e-resources, placing the library on the same pedestal with international academic library standards.

Chronicle of University Librarians from Inception to Date

Vision Statement of the University Library

The vision of IOL is to be a dynamic, innovative, and globally recognized academic library that advances knowledge, supports academic excellence in teaching, learning and research and preserves intellectual heritage for future generations.

Mission Statement of the University Library

The mission of IOL is to aid and promote intellectual growth and creativity of the university by growing its collections, facilitating unimpeded access to information sources and resources, teaching the effective use of information resources and evaluating critically, library services that meets global standard.

Objectives of the University Library are to: 

1. Provide facilities for teaching, learning and research programmes of the University.
2. Create awareness and unencumbered access to information for Faculty members, students, researchers and everyone in association with the university.
3. Provide facilities for all categories of users for intellectual development which is powerful for knowledge acquisition through individual efforts.
4. Conserve and preserve knowledge.
5. Put knowledge to use for knowledge extension.
6. Provide latest knowledge to lecturers in their different fields for effective and efficient knowledge transmission.
7. Vigorously and enthusiastically support the accreditation needs of the university.

Who we are

• We recognize users as our primary focus.
• We are innovative, creative and proactive.
• We respect and protect our users’ privacy.
• We value diversity both in selection of information resources and provision of
• We encourage flexibility, innovation and staff collaboration.
• The library as a segment of the university supports self-education, learning research and scholarship.
• The library at all times promotes equal access to information.
• Defense of intellectual freedom is our watchword.

Core Values of the University Library

The University Library’s core values are:

1. Access: Using our library collections, trusted online information, and engagement with sister libraries, the academic Library provides access to information and knowledge from diverse perspectives, increasingly available anywhere, anytime with utmost ease.
2. Knowledge Enhancement: IOL information resources serve as the foundation on which our patrons create, share, and disseminate knowledge. We share data, evidence, and information to nurture collective knowledge that helps our users succeed.
3. Learning: The Library is germane and paramount to learning outside the classroom as it supports individuals, group learning, and collaboration. Through its services, the library endeavour to stay current on information and knowledge service practice.
4. Research: With a wealth of information to discover, EKSU Library is the place to start for conducting research in any field. The professional competence level of the academic librarians can assist clienteles with research projects to achieve desired results.
5. Service: Everything being done in the university library is based on a guiding ethic to provide excellent service that enables our diverse communities to efficiently and effectively complete successful work. The library tries to maintain positive relationships with all users and partners in all the campuses.
6. Teaching: IfedayoOladapo Library is a teaching library, offering users the opportunity to learn, find, evaluate, and apply information in their work and lives. We orientate users thereby bringing library resources and services to the door step of users. Academic Librarians and Faculty staff partners with instructors to teach information literacy, research, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving skills. The synergy has been beneficial to all and sundry within the academic community in Ekiti.

Core Activities in the Library

Collections and Physical Spaces

The IOL holds over 163,100 volumes of print resources including serials. The Library collections are located in the main Library Complex, Faculty Libraries, Medical Library and other branch libraries. In the main Library Complex, the ground Floor accommodates the Circulation Section, Reference Section, Cataloguing and Classification Section, Bindery, Social and Management Sciences reading room; the first floor houses the e-library 1, University Librarian’s Office, Arts and Education Reading room, while the second floor is home to Serials, e-library 2, Engineering and Science reading room and discussion spaces.

Departments

Branch Libraries

LIBRARIANS

LIBRARY OFFICERS

SUPPORT STAFF

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF