Echoes in Empty Halls: The Unseen Crisis of Staffing Shortages in Our Libraries
Echoes in Empty Halls: The Unseen Crisis of Staffing Shortages in Our Libraries T he alarming shortage of staff in libraries across the federation has become a pressing concern. Recently, I was shocked to observe the extent of this inadequacy. Institutions serving over seven thousand users, managing thousands of volumes in print, non-print, and electronic formats, are being operated by just five library staff members — including the university librarian. This is not only unsustainable but detrimental to the quality of service provided to users. Consider the case of a small library equipped with just one computer, a single room, and three thousand collections. Despite its modest size, it is managed by a professional librarian with a master’s degree, a paraprofessional with a diploma in library science, and two support staff — a secretary and a security personnel. If this is deemed the minimum requirement for a standard library, then what can be said of the state of libraries in other in...