President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi as the new National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the National Library of Nigeria...
The appointment which takes effect from 2nd September 2021, was announced by the Director of Press, on behalf of the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu on 8th September, 2021. Until her appointment, Prof. Anunobi was a lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka and had at different times been a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, the Imo State University, and the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede. Prof. Anunobi completed her tenure as the University Librarian of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO in April 2021 and returned to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka before she was identified by President Muhammadu Buhari and appointed as Nigeria’s National Librarian.
While serving as the University Librarian, she established the University’s Institutional Repository and also successfully led the Library to score above 80% for all the programmes that faced accreditation throughout her tenure as the University Librarian, which started in 2014. She also transformed the Operations and Services of the Library from traditional to ICT based – by automating operations and services; digitization and deployment of elibrary operations and services; Social media services; Cloud Services through the Library Website and University Library Automation Platform running on Alexandria. She also instituted Innovative Library Services by creating a gaming section, Viewing / Relaxation section, Light reading section , Research & Learning common. She also Led the University to take 1st position at the National Universities Commission’s Open Educational Resources Competition in 2018.
Her career as LIS practitioner began at the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria where she pioneered the establishment of ICT unit, Electronic Thesis & Dissertation and the automation of the University Library. She also pioneered the establishment and development of Digital library as a Digital librarian of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Nigeria. Before her appointment as the University Librarian in FUTO, she had worked in different roles as a librarian including being a Deputy University Librarian at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, where she was the Chairman, Committee on Automation of the University library, initiating steps towards automating the University Library with a Web- based software.
Throughout her career, Prof. Anunobi has always seen to the introduction of novel and innovative programs that enhance service delivery, especially with the deployment of ICT tools and subscription to reputable databases. As an administrator, the new National Librarian has at different times been either Chairman or Member of various institutional committees including: University Management Committee, University Senate, Tenders Board, Curriculum Committee of the University, Research Policy Committee, as well as ICT, Academic and Professional Staff Training, Publications and Procurement Planning Committees as well as Member, Institute of Erosion Studies. The alumnae of the United Nations Institute For Training and Research (UNITAR): where she completed a course in Innovation Collaborative for Development, e-Learning course on Social Media is also an Associate, Mortenson Centre for International Library Programs at the University of Illinois at ChampaignUrbana where she participated in the Programme: Librarians of Tomorrow, Communication and Leadership. Prof. Aunobi has published over sixty articles in both international and domestic academic journals and published over ten books.
Anunobi is a member of many professional bodies and associations including being a chartered member of the Nigerian Library Association and IT Section of the Profession. She is also a member of the Governing Council of African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA) where she represents the entire West Africa region on the Board of the Organization. The erudite scholar has attended and contributed to the organization of many national and international conferences and workshops. She is an active participant in IFLA conferences where she has presented many papers. She is interested in networking, mentoring and research on the adoption of ICT in Library and Information Science as well as library users’ needs. She is an expert in Digital Library development and management as well as Open Educational Resources. Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi by her appointment stands as the second female National Librarian/CEO of the apex library of the nation and took over from Prof. Olatokunbo Aina, who was the the National Librarian from August 2016 until the end of his tenure in July 2021.