HISTORY/BACKGROUND
The Anambra State University Uli was established on 1^st January, 2000 by Law N0. 13 of Anambra State University of Science and Technology published as a supplement to the Anambra State of Nigeria Official Gazette N0. 8, vol. 10 of 8^th September, 2000. Mr. N. A. Agbanu was appointed as a Senior Librarian in 2001.  He was promoted to Deputy University Librarian and acting University Librarian in 2004 before Mr. J. C. Anafulu a renowned academic Librarian was invited by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cornelius Ezekwe of then ASUTECH, to take up the position of the University Librarian in an acting capacity from 4^th April, 2005. Mr. Anafulu was given a three years contract which expired in 2008 and the succession ladder fell on N. A. Agbanu as the Deputy University Librarian and the acting University Librarian.  In 2010, Dr. N. A. Agbanu was made the substantive University Librarian.
 
Presently, the Anambra State University has four functional Libraries, the Uli Campus Library; the Igbariam Campus Library inherited from the former College of Agriculture Igbariam, the Faculty of Law Library and the Medical Library at Amaku-Awka.  The Strategic Planning Policy of the University is geared towards evolving measures aimed at the development of faculty-based Libraries to service different faculties in the University.  This is in line with the National Universities Commission (NUC) Policy guidelines.  In practice now is that the University has developed other faculty-based Libraries, which include;
1.         Faculty of Agriculture Library
2.         Faculty of Arts Library
3.         Faculty of Education Library
4.         Faculty of Environmental Science Library
5.         Faculty of Social Science Library
 
The Uli Campus Library is strategically located in the centre o the core academic area of the university.  It is easily visible from the main entrance of the University Campus and accessible on foot from the faculties and administrative buildings.  The Igbariam Campus Library is located close to the main entrance of the University Campus and the Medical Library is located at the College of Medicine Amaku-Awka.  As to be expected, the Law Library is located at the Faculty of Law Complex in Igbariam Campus and is easily accessible to Faculty members.
 
     SCHEDULE OF ACCOMMODATION/COLLECTIONS AT MAIN LIBRARY ULI
–           Usable space 1444.2m²
–           Collections 35,000 volumes
–           Sitting capacity 1, 500 students
–           Journals 250
 
IGBARIAM CAMPUS LIBRARY
–           Usable space 775m² (2 floors)
–           Collections 15,000 volumes
–           Sitting capacity 450 students
–           Journals 200
 
   LAW LIBRARY, IGBARIAM CAMPUS
–           Usable space 400m² (2 floors)
–           Collections 12,000 volumes
–           Sitting capacity 250 students
–           Journals 1,800
 
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE LIBRARY
–           Usable space 50m²
–           Collections 3,500 volumes
–           Sitting capacity 100 students
–           Journals 35
 
   MEDICAL LIBRARY, AMAKU AWKA
–           Usable space 200m²
–           Collections 10,000 volumes
–           Sitting capacity 150 students
–           Journals 1,700
 
 STAFF POSITION
At the core of the Library’s raison d’être is its ability to support the university’s enterprises of teaching, research and extension service.  To ensure that this support is of the best quality, the Library must have a critical number of staff of the right categories to ensure that operations are well organized and services efficiently delivered.
 
Determinant of the staff size of any university Library includes:
a)         Multi-Campus nature of the university
b)         Student population
c)         Volume of Collections
d)         Complexity and hours/days of services provided which include evening/night services, Saturdays             and even Sunday services.
 

 
   USE STATISTICS
Daily statistics maintained in our readers’ service division show that in the main library, there are over four hundred readers present at peak period.
 
 OPENING HOURS
Monday to Friday       9am-6pm
Saturday                      10am-2pm
 
     LENDING POLICY
–           For academic staff 4 books per month
–           For students 2 books for 2 weeks
–           Non-teaching staff 2 books for 2 weeks
 
 ACQUISITION POLICY
Our policy is based on two canons determined by the multi disciplinary character of the University’s academic master plan and the limited resources available.
 
CANON 1
The University Library is first and foremost a collection representing the universe of knowledge.  This means that although we do not run a degree programme in Archaeology, we should have at the minimum, the basic one-volume dictionary of Archaeology.
 
CANON 2
Make the best use of what you have.  The development of the collection in the main subjects taught at the university will focus on spread. In other words, we would rather buy one copy each of ten titles than ten copies of one title.
Besides, in order to ensure that only what is most required is acquired, the Faculties are involved in resources material selection.  However, the University Librarian has the ultimate responsibility for the development of the collections of the libraries, so he is the coordinator of all university Library acquisition processes.
 
     NEWS
On 19^th February 2009, The Institute of Anambra State Development (TIFAD) based in Atlanta, USA, donated a container load of books on diverse subjects including medicine to the University Library. The TIFAD donation which included reasonable volumes of medical books was added to our already available reading materials in Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry to form the University’s Medical Library stock at the College of Medicine at Amaku Awka.  Furthermore, a large consignment of books, mainly of Medical materials were received from TIFAD in August 2013.
 
      VIRTUAL LIBRARY SERVICES
The Virtual Library service, which was put in place and became fully operational at Uli Campus of the University, had received a boost with the addition of more computers.  With this development, staff and students can now access intellectual property and electronic information by the use of these digital information resources. For the University Library to be fully ICT complaint, there is a proposal for subscription to basic legal and Medical Data Bases, such as Hein-on-line, West Law, Lexis-Nexis and Legal Paedia, including HINARI (Health Internet Access to Research Initiative)  a Medical Data Base.  Also the University Library at Uli Campus has benefited from the 2010 Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), a digital e-library project with carrying capacity of 50 fifty workstations.