The poor state of the nationwide library was the topic of a public outcry by the chief govt officer of the Nationwide Library of Nigeria, Professor Veronica Chinwe Anunobi. For a public official who is never within the information, the alarm concerning the library’s state ought to entice greater than a passing curiosity.
At an annual press convention, she stated the apex library and Nigeria’s documented heritage, preserved within the Nationwide Repository of Nigeria, are beneath menace.
She listed the problems as together with the absence of a everlasting headquarters, the dilapidated state of assets (newspapers, journals, and e book publications) housed within the space-deficient Nationwide Repository of Nigeria, insufficient employees, and a low budgetary allocation incapable of supporting virtualisation.
READ ALSO: Nigeria’s Heritage, Nationwide Library Below Menace – Librarian
The identical concern was conveyed on the 2024 convention of the nationwide librarian with state librarians in Bauchi State, the place the Nigeria Libraries Affiliation (NLA), chairman Vincent Giwa Franklin stated, “Most of our public libraries lack fashionable tools and services” and that many are burdened with “outdated studying assets, books, and journals.”
He expressed one of many root causes of the disaster when he asserted that librarians are sometimes not considered professionals within the public service.
Certainly, the cry for assist over the state of the nationwide library is certainly one of many concerning the close to whole neglect of the training system and, extra grievously, the seemingly willful disregard of human assets.
For many years, the training system has suffered a free fall in substance and construction, from corruption to incapacity and poor allocation to the sector. Youngsters of the elite bag levels in ultra-expensive major and secondary establishments and overseas tertiary colleges largely funded by the commonwealth whereas the wards of the less-privileged are left to their very own gadgets.
It’s no shock that Nigeria’s training sector has been disadvantaged of efficient public libraries. And for people who find themselves shortly shedding their studying tradition, it’s to be anticipated.
Most public libraries are insufficient, that includes unwelcoming environments, outdated furnishings, and collections of first or second editions of books from the Nineteen Sixties and 70s. The studying rooms are sometimes darkish and stuffy, affected by energy outages and malfunctioning, and usually, there are not any cooling techniques.
Within the distant previous, college students frequented libraries after faculty to entry textbooks and reference supplies essential for examination preparation and private growth. At the moment, nevertheless, the reverse is the case as inadequate funding, poor administration, authorities neglect, and the appointment of non-librarians to library boards have severely undermined public libraries.
It’s no shock that the studying tradition is in decline. College students go for shortcuts to success, whereas these keen to check turn out to be discouraged by the shortage of assets.
Libraries do greater than meet people’ informational wants; in addition they foster civic accountability and encourage productive leisure time use. They empower college students to have interaction in lifelong studying and keep knowledgeable about numerous fields and world points.
Regrettably, the rise of social media has additional eroded this tradition, as college students prioritise web actions—chatting, gaming, or streaming—over utilising out there academic assets. The results are evident within the widespread failure in examinations.
This challenge presents vital challenges for Nigerian greater training, with establishments producing graduates typically labelled unemployable. The federal government and all stakeholders now have the accountability to revamp public libraries to avert their collapse and enhance educational efficiency linked to the deteriorating studying tradition.
Public libraries must be stocked with present and related supplies. In collaboration with skilled organisations, the federal government ought to set up digital libraries in each native authorities space. People, firms, and academic foundations that handle personal libraries or contribute books to colleges ought to be inspired to reinforce their efforts. Collectively, we are able to modernise libraries to sort out the problems of mass failure and revitalise society’s studying tradition.
From this angle, we welcome the institution of the Nationwide Meeting Library, which was inaugurated final yr. It’s a very good feat. We, nevertheless, hope that the lawmakers, who’ve proven some constructive inclination in the direction of the library sector, will lengthen their consideration to the nationwide library.
Such consideration would begin by heeding stakeholders’ calls and taking advantage of what they’ve referred to as for a actuality. All that’s required is the dedication of the federal government and the professionals. We’re additionally persuaded to remind the lawmakers that the Nationwide Meeting Library should not be handled as a substitute for the Nationwide Library. We count on them to allocate assets very a lot wanted for the event of that very important nationwide outfit.
