| Library Name: | Kashim Ibrahim Library |
| Country: | Nigeria |
| Location: | Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna |
| Type: | Academic library |
| Location Map: | North West |
| Established: | 1962 |
| Items Collected: | Books, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings and manuscripts |
| Coordinates: | 7.126°N 3.3647°W |
| Req To Access: | Open to students, researchers, academic and non-academic staff of the institution |
Kashim Ibrahim Library is one of Africa's biggest academic libraries located on the main campus of Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria. It is commonly referred to as K.I.L. by the Abusites.[1]
The library is one of the oldest academic research centers in Nigeria in terms of good facilities, stable internet connection, and access to an E-library. The university librarian is Professor Doris Bozimo.[2] The current University Librarian's name is Dr. Abdulhamid Liman Gambo, the acting Librarian.
The University Library complex was established in 1962, alongside the university to serve the entire University community. The University Library System of Ahmadu Bello University comprises the Kashim Ibrahim Library (the main Library) and eleven other satellite libraries located on different campuses of the University. The present library building was formally opened in December 1976, by Alhaji Sir Kashim Ibrahim, after whom it is named.[3] The Library has a total holding of over 1.2 million volumes of books and 66,000 periodical titles.[4] The University library has always been at the center of research and scholarship playing a major role in acquiring, processing, and lending library materials and responding to patrons' inquiries with over 2000 readers capacity at a time. The library management in the past few years has been striving to upgrade the IT skills of the staff to enable them to cope with the challenges of the information age. Recently, thanks mostly to donations by the MacArthur Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation, rapid progress has been made not only in updating the collection but also in automating the resources and services of the Library system.
Today, online and CD-ROM searches are a common feature among staff and students of the University. With a staff strength of 42 professionals and 109 para-professionals, 22 Senior and 102 Junior non-professional staff in the entire university library system, the library management is striving to upgrade the IT skills of the staff to enable them to cope with the challenges of the information age.
There is the main library which is a three-storey building located on the main campus, Samaru. The building comprises dozens of offices, departments, sections, and units. These house the various administrative, financial, technical, and other staff, as well as resource repositories and others. It is made up of different departments and offices. The library has specialized divisions like a serial section, Reference section, CD-ROMS Search Room, Media division, Reserved Books Unit, and Casual Reading parlor.[5] The Complex also has under it several special satellite libraries or branches found in various sections of the University, in the Main Campus, Kongo Campus, Teaching Hospital, and other Centers and Divisions of the University, including those outside Zaria, like the SBRS Funtua,[6] Arewa House, Kaduna.https://blueprint.ng/arewa-house-northern-nigerias-rich-heritage/[7]
Lastly, the Complex also has departmental and faculty satellite libraries in almost every department and faculty in all the Campuses and sub-divisions of the University. These are also generally set up in such a way as to reflect the needs of the specific departmental staff and students, based on the fields of study found there.
The Library has total holdings of over 1.2 million volumes of books and 66,000 periodical titles, with collections for arts and social sciences located on the first floor, while those for physical sciences, medicine, and engineering are found on the second floor.[8] The Library has several sections that house all the collections which are as follows:
Kashim Ibrahim Library has satellite libraries that support teaching, learning, and research which are as follows: