Ihab Salloum[ad_1]
In Sierra Leone, the terms ‘official publications’, ‘official documents’, and ‘public documents’ all refer to government publications. These documents, created by government and local and quasi-government bodies, serve to explain and integrate views and policies. They cover a wide variety of subjects, including Political Science, Economics, Finance, Statistics, Labor, Industry, History, International Relations, Agriculture, Geology, and Meteorology. Katz (1997) categorizes these publications as records of government administration, research documents for specialists, and popular sources of information. They can take the form of books, pamphlets, magazines, reports, monographs, or electronic resources such as CD-ROMs (p.387).
Bibliographic control of government publications has often been unsatisfactory worldwide due to a lack of awareness of the importance of bibliographic tools in research. The United States of America, however, has long been a pioneer in this field. Since 1895, the Printing Act established centralized printing and distribution of federal documents and mandated the Superintendent of Documents to provide appropriate bibliographic tools. Great Britain is another exception, with collections of parliamentary papers being printed as early as 1807. Countries like Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, and Japan started separating government document bibliographies mainly in the 1920s and 1930s (Palic, 1975). The need for government publications increased after World War II (1939-1945), as there was a growing interest in the authoritative information contained in these materials, despite their sometimes difficult nature (Child’s, 1942).
In Sierra Leone, the emphasis on the usefulness of government publications is closely related to the development of printing. Although the industry did not survive the French attack of 1794, the foundation of what would become the Government Printing Department was laid in 1925. Initially, it was responsible for producing small notices for official use. Today, the department prints all government publications, supplies stationery and office equipment to government departments, and undertakes commercial printing for income generation.
Government publications have the advantage of being among the best in their respective subject fields, making them valuable additions to academic library collections (Smith, 1993). Given the extent and complexity of government activities, widespread dissemination of information about these activities and the integration of government policy are crucial. Academic libraries in Sierra Leone recognize the importance of these publications and typically have a dedicated collection managed by a curator. Some publications are kept in vertical files, others in pamphlet boxes, and specialized storage is provided for materials like maps and surveys. These publications are acquired through purchase, deposit, donation, exchange, and photocopying. The Government Printing Department is responsible for their publication.
Government publications in Sierra Leone are categorized into three main classes: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The Executive publications encompass those issued by the Offices of the President and Vice President, as well as various independent offices and establishments. Government ministries also fall under this category. Legislative publications include records and debates of Parliament, reports of hearings by parliamentary committees, and policy statements in response to parliamentary questions. Publications from the Judicial branch consist mainly of reports of government decisions by the Magistrate, Appeals, and Supreme Courts, as well as law books, state trials and rulings, the constitution, international treaties, Acts, bills, and digests of local newspapers. Quasi-government institutions like City and District Councils also produce documents classified as government publications.
Key government departments responsible for providing statistical information on economic, industrial, and social demographic data are Statistics Sierra Leone, the Office of Births and Deaths, the Office of the Registrar General, and the Chamber of Commerce. Other important government departments include the Meteorological Office and the National Archives.
Academic libraries in Sierra Leone are found in the country’s two universities: the University of Sierra Leone and the University of Njala. These libraries play a crucial role in supporting research efforts and actively participate in the distribution and exchange of both books and non-book materials with other institutions.
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