Management information for strategic decision-making in the library of administrative staff college of Nigeria : a comparative study with UK academic library

This study examines how information is being managed to make decisions in ASCON Library (AL) and the University of Birmingham Library (UBL). The study is not intended to show whether or not AL offers the same level of services as the UBL. It seeks to illustrate UBL as a good example of how to manage information for strategic decision-making and suggest how AL can benefit by making use of the ideas to its background and environment. The study looked into goals and service provision, user needs and service development, personnel, resources, technology, finance and user fees, cooperation and future plans. The findings reveal that AL needs to plan its future in the context of a rapidly changing environment, with increasing dependence for its development on the exploitation of information. Information is seen as very essential and to ignore it is to take a suicidal management attitude. Sustaining AL and all the benefits it offers in to the future will demand adequate resources and clear sighted management, knowing users' needs, building and preserving collections and providing easy access to the collections. Management has to determine not only what information is interesting to have, but what is really essential in a given situation, and then make every effort to obtain this information and use it in making decisions. A proper understanding of communication channels, intensifying on co-operation with others, being alert to new opportunities relating to service elements are essential for future planning of effective information services in ASCON Library.