Building an Academic Library from Scratch in the Modern Age: Challenges, Strategies, and Innovations at Federal Polytechnic Kaltungo Library

Abstract

The establishment of an academic library requires more than the provision of a physical facility and information resources. It involves sustained institutional support, adequate staffing, staff development, appropriate equipment, reliable infrastructure, user engagement, and progressive adoption of technology. This paper examines the development of Federal Polytechnic Kaltungo Library from its establishment in 2021 to date, focusing on the challenges, strategies, and innovations associated with building and sustaining library services in a newly established tertiary institution. The library has developed a dedicated physical facility and acquired print and electronic resources to support teaching, learning and research. However, the relatively limited size of the library building presents a constraint to future expansion, while limited staffing, staff training needs, equipment limitations, institutional support and unreliable electricity continue to affect service development and automation. The study adopts a qualitative institutional case-study approach based principally on the authors' firsthand professional observations and experiences as library staff, supported by institutional records and relevant scholarly literature. Particular attention is given to the continued reliance on manual operations and the effects of unreliable electricity on the deployment of technology-supported services. The paper also examines staff-led strategies, including resource organization, user sensitization, library orientation, collaboration with academic departments, and the promotion of library use for academic assignments and reference work. The study argues that building a modern academic library is a continuous process requiring coordinated investment in human resources, staff development, electricity, equipment, technology, space and institutional support.