STOCKTAKING IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES: A PILOTSTUDY OF AHMADU HELLO UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Abstract

A pilot study at Kashim Ibrahim Library examined academic library stocktaking practices, identifying a lack of agreement on methodology, frequency, and cost-effectiveness. Despite stocktaking's importance for resource management, systematic inventory is favored for loss documentation, while statistical sampling remains underused due to expertise gaps. The library's last comprehensive stocktake was in 1973, preceded by economic difficulties and increased book loss through theft, mutilation, and general loss. The study advocates for a systematic sampling method, inspired by Daniel (1983), to estimate book loss rates and pinpoint subject areas with losses exceeding 5%, thus allowing for focused, complete inventories. The pilot, executed by library assistants with cost efficiencies, validated the method's effectiveness in identifying missing books by subject and its overall cost-effectiveness.