Acquisition Unit

The acquisitions unit performs various functions, often times working hand-in-hand behind the scenes with the Technical Services of the library and faculties. These functions include:

• Collection Development and Selection: Working with subject specialists and faculty to assess user’s needs and select materials (books, journals, databases, e-books, etc.) in line with the university library’s collection development policy.

• Acquisition : This involves supervising  and managing the different methods of  obtaining information materials into the  university library, which include:

1. Purchase: Placing orders with publishers, vendors, or booksellers, which include negotiating prices and terms.
2. Gifts & Donations: Determining whether donated materials including bequest (a gift of property, specific assets often a personal library, a specific sum of money, or a percentage of a deceased individual’s estate left to the library through their legal will) meet the library collection criteria.

• Exchanges: Managing inter-library exchange programs with other institutions

• Financial Management: Tracking expenditures, processing invoices, managing funds, and ensuring all financial transactions correspond with the stipulated budget.

• Receiving and Accessioning: Verifying that the specified materials have been delivered, checking quality, and formally adding each new item to the library’s inventory with a unique accession number.
• Vendor Relations: Developing and maintaining working relationships with external suppliers, publishers, and dealers to ensure efficient delivery of materials.
• Coordination: Collaborating closely with other library departments, especially the Cataloguing Department (which processes materials for shelving and circulation) and the Circulation Department. 

The Acquisition Process

The process is systematic and involves several stages:

1. Need Assessment: Identifying the information requirements of the library’s user base on demand.

2. Selection: Choosing information materials and titles based on the collection policy criteria like relevance, authority, quality, and cost.

1. Ordering: Placing orders or arranging for gifts/exchanges as the case may be and tracking their status.
2. Receiving & Verification: Checking delivered items for correctness against the original order and invoice.
3. Payment : Processing payment to the vendor 
4. Stamping & Accessioning: Formally adding the received item to the library’s collection by giving it ownership stamp and accession number.
5. Technical Processing: Forwarding the materials to the Cataloguing and Classification Department to be prepared for the shelves and public access. 

Access

Access to the Acquisition unit is strictly for Staff only.