Populating School and Academic Libraries Holdings Through Culturally Responsive Materials in Some Selected Libraries in Southwest, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigates the critical cultural representation gap in academic libraries in Southwest, Nigeria. Findings reveal that 70-80% of collections consist of Western materials, while only 15-20% represent local cultural content. This imbalance significantly limits the cultural relevance and community engagement of library services, hindering the promotion of indigenous knowledge and contributing to cultural erosion. The urgency to address this is underscored by a 60% decline in practitioners of many Yoruba cultural festivals over the past two decades, emphasising the need for libraries to play a proactive role in cultural preservation. Culturally responsive materials are crucial; research shows students perform 23% better with relevant content (Walker, 2023), and library engagement increases 40% among minority populations (Library Trends Study, 2022). This study aims to propose strategies to bridge this gap and foster stronger community engagement. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, examining 10 selected academic libraries through content analysis of acquisition records and user surveys. Cultural responsiveness assessments had an inter rater reliability of 0.85, and survey reliability (Cronbach's Alpha) averaged 0.78. Insights from successful programmes like Ghana's "Adinkra Library Project" and Kenya's "Maasai Storytelling Initiative" demonstrate that culturally responsive collections increased library usage by 35% (African Library Journal, 2021), highlighting their vital role in cultural preservation and community connection.