Law Reports Exploitation in a Law Library: The Case of University of Benin Faculty of Law Library.

This study was intended to investigate law reports exploitation in a faculty of law library, University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted in carrying out the study. In order to achieve the stated objective, research questions and hypothesis were developed to guide the study. A total of one hundred and eighteen (118) copies of the structured questionnaire were distributed among the law students, one hundred and four(104) were properly filled and retrieved making up an 88.1% respondence rate. Data was analyzed using frequency tables, simple percentages and chi-square. The study revealed that the likely factors that are accountable for the insufficiency of law reports in law library are insufficient fund to be able to acquire law reports, stealing and mutilation of the reports by the users, number of students exceeds the available copies of the law reports, the absence of judgement of counts online has made it practically difficult for many students to have access to judgements. Based on the research findings, it is therefore recommended that law library should be adequately funded to be able to acquire sufficient copies of weekly and monthly law reports needed in the library for the users. The law library management should try to increase the number of copies of law reports that are being subscribed to, as it will help to reduce theft and mutilations of the law reports. Also judgements of the courts in Nigeria should be digitalized so that they can be accessed online, since no law library can afford to satisfy her patrons no matter how rich the law library can be, there is the need for law libraries to form consortium to assist one another, finally subscription to weekly and monthly law reports should be acquired as when due to avoid acquiring them as back issues