National Library to unveil 5-year strategic plan

National Librarian, Prof. Chinwe Anunobi, says the National Library of Nigeria (NLN) will unveil its five-year strategic plan of 2025-2030 as well as new logo, at its 60th anniversary event scheduled for this week.

Pro Anunobi who stated this at a briefing to announce the 60th year celebration of the NLN said: “A glance at the logo and the document will provide a better explanation for the theme of our celebration: ‘The Future of Libraries in a Digital Age: Preserving Heritage, Expanding Access and Engaging Youth.’

“It is also a pointer that going forward the NLN must design education, research and cultural development programmes that will not only attract the youths, but transform them as very important and valuable asset of this Nation,” she said.

She said by way of elaboration, “we will not be found wanting in the global information concerns including open access and knowledge sharing, enhancing discoverability and user engagement, building a smart library infrastructure, competence transformation and capacity building, strengthening collaborative networks, while we envision a sustainable future.”

Prof Anunobi said over the past six decades, the national library has evolved in her foundational vision as a dynamic repository of Nigeria’s knowledge and cultural heritage, offering a sturdy backbone for education, literacy, research, and intellectual heritage preservation.

“The journey has been both challenging and rewarding, one that is marked by the unwavering commitment to preserve the Nation’s knowledge storehouse, fostering reading and literacy, and serving as a platform for access to knowledge for Nigerians from all walks of life for personal and national development.”

The National Librarian also emphasized on promoting culture of reading among Nigerians, saying, the NLN has the foundational mandate to ensure that the information resources that are collected and preserved are read for enhanced literacy and sustainable development of the country.

“It is also cheering that NLN has had personal engagements with over 1million Nigerians in her effort to ensure that Nigerians across all age, gender, occupations, and class understand and embrace the culture of reading towards sustainable development,” she said.

She said: “This we have achieved through our readership promotion and establishment of over 100 literacy centres and reading clubs as well as visits to hospitals, correctional centres, skills acquisition centres, motor parks , schools, etc. Since 2022, we have taken the campaign to the hard to reach communities (the underserved) where the rate of illiteracy is becoming endemic.”

“This is necessary as Nigeria cannot afford to leave anybody behind in her developmental strides,” he said.