The Library and Documentation Unit of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) Ibadan,is the oldest Agricultural Library in the country with its establishment in 1957. The library which grew out of the Western Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources (MANR) is a special cum academic library because of its specific collections in the areas of agriculture and other related fields. The establishment of the library predates the existence of the Institute of
Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Obafemi Awolowo University which evolved from the Research Division and the Schools of Agriculture and Animal Health of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources (MANR) of the former Western State of Nigeria. The institute charter was signed by the then Military Governor of the Western State and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University on 1st April, 1969.
The main objective of the library is to provide all necessary literature and information in all disciplines of Agriculture and allied subjects to prospective users in and outside the institute library. Other aims and objectives are:
- To select and acquire print and non-print information resources relevant to the institute’s mandate.
- To process, organise and conserve information needed for easy access, retrieval and dissemination to users.
- To provide personalised and timely information.
- To provide inter-library cooperation/network within and outside the country, especially through the e-library.
- To develop a computerised and in-house database of published works of scientists in the institute.
To provide agricultural information services that equip library clienteles through the unit collection development, organisation, management and dissemination of information that are germane to the mandates and the research activities of the institute.
- Accessibility Factors and Attention Rates of Published Works of Research Scientists in the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Ibadan: Soil Science Category 1972– 2021
- The Development of a Bibliographical Database of Published Agricultural Research Works of Scientists in the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training 1970 – 2019
- Content Analysis of Literature Citation in the Published Works of Research Scientists in the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Ibadan.
International and local donors such as Book Aid International (BAI), Center for Technical Agriculture (CTA), Commonwealth of Agricultural Bureau (CAB), Library Professional organizations (NLA) and other institutions that share resources with the institute library through consortium.
(a) TEEAL Acquisitions: TEEAL (The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library) is a major advance in access to agricultural literature from Albert R Mann Library of Cornell University in United States of America. TEEAL is an offline database of agriculture and related sciences which can be accessed without connection to any internet service provider (ISP). The latest upgraded version of TEEAL- (1993-2017) which replaced the old version of 1993-2010 was installed in 2020 through Itoca Foundation in the USA free of charge. TEEAL provided access to over 609,000 full text articles from over 525 journals. It is currently accessible by scientists in five blocks in the institute and through wireless radio transmitter / router links on desktops, laptops, tablets and android phones.
(b) Collection Development
Print Resources: In the last 50 years, the library collection has increased to over fifty thousand (50,000) titles of print resources acquired through local and international donors. The books donated were processed and organised through technical procedures to maintain easy accessibility to the library collections.
Compendium of Scientists’ Published Articles:
The unit developed:
- A bibliographical index and electronic database of published agricultural research works of scientists in the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training 1970 – 2019 and bibliometric research on the literature cited;
- Content analysis of lterature citation in the published works of scientists in the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Ibadan
The library also envisions a robust and sustainable online access for digital resources in the nearest future.