1.1 Introduction
Human Rights can be defined as those basic standards without which people cannot live in dignity as human beings. Human rights are the foundation of freedom, justice and peace. Their respect allows the individual and community to develop fully. Fundamental human rights have been defined as moral rights which every human being everywhere, at all times, ought to have simply because he is rational and moral (Idowu, 2008). Human right is what enables us to develop fully our human qualities, intelligence and our conscience. They are based on humankinds increasing demand for a life which the inherent dignity of each person is accorded respect and protection.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Historically, human rights principles have been in existence for ages, but it was not until the end of World War II that member states of the newly established United Nations agreed on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and set down for the first time a list of human rights and fundamental freedoms. These were considered by the community of nations to be minimum standards by which governments should treat their citizens. Human rights are inherent in human nature and without which we cannot live as human beings. The origin of human rights can be traceable to the creation of man and the right to life accorded him by God while the inherent nature of these rights is one of the many qualities that God has given to man.
Mubangizi (2004) stated that human rights are referred to by various names and phrases. These include fundamental rights, basic rights, natural rights and sometimes common rights. Although these phrases don’t mean the same thing, they are usually used interchangeably.
Hubbard (2001:27) defined human rights as universal moral rights that belong equally to all people because they are human beings. It has been stated that, one person’s right to swing his/her arm ends where the other person’s nose begins.
Fundamental and basic rights are these rights which must not be taken away by any legislation or act of the state and which are often set out in the fundamental law of the country E.g. bill of rights in the constitution. Human rights are entitlements or legal claims one has by virtue of being human - against the state. Human rights are protected in the constitutions of the country; e.g International Bill of Human Rights, treaties or agreements that the government has signed which obliges them to ensure these rights and freedoms.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Role of the Library as an Information Resources in Promoting Human Rights.
1.3 Statement of Problems
The problem observed is that accessibility of the information resources seems difficult. This perhaps might be as a result of poor processing of the information resources. The problem with use of information resources as observed in the library is that users appear not to be aware of the information resources and services available in the library probably because they are illiterate or does not know the library setting/use.
Human Rights and Documentation Centre was involved in a human rights baseline study on behalf of the ombudsman office. Such a study is important because it provides an insight on human rights perceptions by the sample, in order to provide the right materials at the right time.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to scrutinize the Role of the Library as an Information Resources in Promoting Human Rights. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To establish the role of libraries in supporting human rights.
- To assess the library and information workers to create human rights awareness in their communities.
- To find out the knowledge of Human Rights among individuals in Nigeria.
- To determine the rights threatened or violated by other students in Nigeria Tertiary Institution.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What are the roles of libraries in supporting human rights?
- What are the library and information workers to create human rights awareness in their communities?
- What is the knowledge of Human Rights among individuals in Nigeria?
- What are the rights threatened or violated by other students in Nigeria Tertiary Institution?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
- H0: Tertiary Institutions with library access does not play an important role in educating the learners about human rights
- H1: Tertiary Institutions with library access plays an important role in educating the learners about human rights
1.7 Significance of Study
In specific terms the findings will be significant to academic institutions administration in the area of policy formulation by providing a road map on the information resources and services to be provided to users in order to satisfy their information needs. It is hoped that that it will create awareness to the library committee as regards the strategies to enhance effective marketing of library services to users.
This work will also educate librarians on how to effectively and efficiently market library products and services. It will also assist them in identifying their lapses and hence improve on their services by attracting, satisfying, and retaining users in the library. The findings will also be useful to users by creating awareness on the various services available in the library. The users will get an improvement in the services offered as a result of the recommendations of this study.
The research will also contribute to the existing body knowledge in marketing library services and build on the knowledge of the problems in academic libraries in Nigeria. The findings of this study will provide background information for other researchers researching on various marketing techniques in Nigeria libraries.
1.8 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Role of the Library as an Information Resources in Promoting Human Rights in Nigeria Tertiary Institution using University of Nigeria as a case study.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
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