Public libraries are local centers of information, learning, and recreation. Their roles include helping to promote reading habits among the community they serve and also facilitate easy access to information. Therefore, they are usually stocked with variety of information resources, which are accordingly arranged for easy retrieval and access. Their services are regardless of age, religion, nationality or social status. However, the present age of information and publication explosion in different forms and format has made it difficult for public libraries and indeed other types of libraries to perform their roles of facilitating easy retrieval and access to information resources and services without automation. This research project adopted two research methods, case study and operational research methods. The case study was adopted so as to study the operations and analyze the problems of the samaru public library. The findings from this are that the information resources in the samaru public library are over fifteen thousands titles of books, maps, pictures, journals, newspapers, video cassettes and a television set. The samaru public library has over five thousand users from Ahmadu Bello University Community, Bassawa, Palladan, Samaru, and Bomo villages. The samaru public library has six members of staff, one professional, two Para-professionals, one library assistant, one typist and one messenger/cleaner. The Library uses Author/Title catalogue and subject catalogue as retrieval devices. It uses the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme and Anglo American Cataloguing rule II for classification of information materials and for catalogue respectively. The second research method used was the operational research methods. Based on the findings of the case study the operational research method was adopted to develop a computer-based library application system for samaru public library using dBase iv software. The developed software (SPLAS) has four modules for library acquisition, cataloguing, circulation and reports/inquiry. Each module has menus and sub-menus. In order to ensure utilization of the developed software by both the library staff and users, simple and direct interactive language was adopted. The software developed (SPLAS) has 45 program tiles, 6 database files, containing more than seventy five (75) fields. The SPLAS was tested and found to be adaptable to the library under the study. The experience gained from the demonstration shows that the software can be adaptable to other public libraries and indeed other libraries too. Its application is found to be easy because it is user friendly and cost less when compared to other library software in the market. In the light of the above it can be concluded that our public libraries in Nigeria can go for automation within their limited resources. They need not wait till they have millions of Naira to buy a turnkey systems.
