Identification of priorities of Nigerian academic library directors

This study identified the current and future priorities of Nigerian academic library directors. The study measured the directors' perceptions of their libraries' programs and activities identified as staff, collection development, and services against three priority criteria: centrality, demand and cost. It also sought to determine if the directors' projections of library funding had any influence on their perceptions of future library priorities.; A descriptive survey research method was adopted using a questionnaire as the research instrument. The population surveyed was the library directors in the twenty four Nigerian university libraries. The respondents evaluated twenty library programs and activities. Appropriate statistical analyses were performed using frequency, percentage and other measures of central tendency. Rank ordering of the means and standard deviations were used to compare the relationship among the programs and activities.; The results showed that many library programs and activities were considered more central to the missions and objectives of the libraries and the universities than the demand for them. Readers' services and technical services were the most central activities. Books and periodicals were the programs most in demand. The most costly program in most of the surveyed libraries was books.; Library services were of the most concern to the library directors, followed by collection development; of the least concern were staff and related issues. There was no significant difference between the future priorities of those directors anticipating increases and those anticipating decreases. However, library services and collection development will likely be given priority in the future with the most emphasis on the acquisition of periodicals.