CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Background to the study
Providing access to resources in academic libraries is a core mandate of libraries all over the world. It is therefore of great interest to information professionals to protect library resources from theft, mutilation and depletion. With the increasing number of students gaining admission into higher institutions of learning to pursue various courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels, academic libraries are expected to have more users coupled with increase in unacceptable activities by some users and staff of the library. According to Buchholz (2011) unacceptable behaviour in academic libraries is a major obstacle to information access and use. Unacceptable behaviours in academic libraries are not limited to library information materials alone but theft of properties such as notebooks, laptops and handsets are equally common. Depletion of available resources in academic libraries means a reduction in the library‟s service and satisfaction of user needs. Similarly, Udoudoh (2012) opine that high incidence of unacceptable behaviour in academic libraries would gradually deplete resources and reduce the library‟s effectiveness in supporting the academic pursuits of higher academic institutions.
Even though much work has not been done on security of academic libraries in Ghana, it can be generally argued that, librarians and library science students have come to the realization that academic libraries are becoming unsafe all over the world. The unsafe environments of some academic libraries have necessitated research by both librarians
and information science students to conduct studies into security of academic libraries. According to Jato, (2005:139) unacceptable behaviours in academic libraries have negative impact on the users and the library. Therefore, such acts should be given attention and discouraged within the academic library through different security measures and policies. When adequate measures are not taken, both the librarian and supporting staff will be failing in their responsibilities and roles as managers and gatekeepers.
The following relevant concepts are defined within the context of this study: Academic Libraries, Library Resources and Library Security. An academic library forms an integral part of a college, university or other institution of post-secondary education. Since time immemorial, academic libraries have been entrusted with the selection, acquisition, organisation, storage and dissemination of information. Saunders (2016) acknowledges that academic libraries being a department within higher educational institutions are pressured to demonstrate their value by supporting the mission and goals of their parent institutions. Activities of an academic library include functions and processes that are all geared towards the accomplishment of the mission of the academic institution. Academic libraries make accessible knowledge that has been accumulated over the ages.
The aim of an academic library is to meet the information and research needs of its students, lecturers, and staff by assembling information resources regardless of format, ownership and organizing information sources to enhance their retrieval at the time of need. According to Nyantakyi-Baah and Afachao (2013) academic library users get satisfied when the library is able to meet their needs. They further stated that, to
determine the extent to which an academic library is achieving its objectives, it is prudent to examine the extent to which library resources are patronised. Academic libraries are of central importance to any higher educational institution. It is a combination of people, collections, buildings and technology with a mission to transform information into knowledge. Knowledge is said to connote power and the mission of a library is to package this knowledge in a way that can be easily accessible to support teaching, research, give information and to entertain. These can be achieved if academic libraries have resources that meet the needs of their users. Akareem and Hossain (2016) maintain that the best way to judge an institution‟s quality is to look at its library resources.
