In view of Obi (2014) a library is an organised collection of information resources made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital access to material, and may be a physical building or room, or a vital spare, or both. A library collection can include books, periodicals, newspapers manuscripts, films, maps, prints, documents, microforms, CDS cassettes, video tapes, DVDs, e-books, audio books, data bases and other formats. Obi continue stated that functions and roles of library and information centre includes:
1. Libraries provide access to education by teaching information skills, by providing leadership and expertise in the use of information technologies and by participating in networks that access to resources outside the school or community.
2. Secondly, libraries help to ensure equality in education by (i) helping children start school ready to learn. (ii) addressing the needs of students most at risk; (iii) providing access to information and ideas unimpeded by social, cultural and economic constraints; (iv) ensuring free equal access to information and ideas without geographic constraints and (v) helping students stay free of drugs and violence, in an environment conducive to learning.
3. A third role is that of impacting academic achievement for individuals and assisting them in lifelong learning, preparing individuals for productive employment, promoting functional literacy among adults , preparing individuals for responsible citizenship. However, looking critically at the definition of Obi; they are what is needed by the traditional herbal medical practitioners for practice and decision making in order to clarify the efficient and effective use of herbal medicine.
In view of Harande in Obi (2014) information is raw materials for development for both urban and rural dwellers. Prosperity, progress and development of any nation depend upon the nation’s ability to acquire, produce, access and use pertinent information. Moreover, (Udensi and Akor 2014) viewed that the role of the library in any society is centred on information generation, information preservation and information dissemination according to the need of various sectors in the society. Its importance therefore affects the individuals, groups, corporate bodies, institutions and societies. Thus, the library provides different types of information which in turn contributes a lot of the human and material development of any nation. However, traditional herbal medical practitioners are not left out also in this stated role, since part of their activities to carry out their duties successfully is through information generation, information preservation, information utilization and even information pass down from generation to generation.
2.9 Related Empirical Studies
Empirical studies on the information accessibility, knowledge acquisition and management and transfer system among traditional herbal medical practitioners in South West Nigeria. Several studies have been carried out on the information accessibility, knowledge acquisition and management and transfer system among traditional herbal medical practitioners. Such studies included the one done by Anyaoku, Nwafor and Enehu, (2015) who carried out a study on the role of medical libraries in the collection and preservation of traditional medical knowledge. The study recommend that as a duty to the peoples collective indigenous knowledge heritage, medical libraries in Nigeria as a matter of priority, should develop inclusive polices that support collection, development or traditional medical knowledge information resources. If this is done, medical libraries will have not just to preserve this knowledge but increase the safe use of traditional medicine products. Survey design was used and data was collected by the use of questionnaire. The study identified some obstacle. So the consensus on the gradual extinction of traditional knowledge including Traditional Medical Knowledge. The consequences are that, vital knowledge that might contribute to the future survival of man and animals are gradually being lost, since it is on collection and preservation of Traditional Medical Knowledge which is very necessary to increase the safe use of traditional medicine products. The findings are very useful to this study and could be employed in preservation of indigenous Traditional Medical Knowledge in Nigeria.
Studies carried out by Upadhya, Hedge, Bhat and Kholkute (2014) on non-codified traditional medicine practices from Belgaum Region in Southern India, the study examined that Traditional Medicine in India can be classified into Codified (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy) and non-codified (flok medicine) systems. Study is aimed to understand the current Scenairo of medicinal practices of non-codified system of traditional medicine in Belgaum region, India. The study was conducted as a basic survey of identified non-codified traditional with semi structured, open ended interviews and discussion. One hundred and forty traditional practitioners were identified and interviewed for the present study. These practitioners are locally known as “Vaidyaâ€.
