FROM ARCHIVES TO ALGORITHMS: BUILDING DIGITAL PRESERVATION FRAMEWORKS FOR NIGERIA'S CULTURAL HERITAGE

PROMOTING READING CULTURE FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

(2023 Readership Promotion Campaign)

#ReadYourWayToTheTop

A country that is blessed with considerably high level of reading culture among her populace will be egalitarian, progressive, and harmonious. When citizens are well informed, they are innovative and capable of critical thinking which engenders national development. Reading helps to raise the horizon of an individual which enables him or her to cope effectively with the realities of life. His or her capacity for critical thinking at tender age is developed to the effect that he or she is able to find, analyze, interpret and communicate without any bias.  The ultimate product of critical thinking is highly valued in any society because it leads to wealth creation which engenders national development. 

In this digital age, the Internet has revolutionized the way information is shared and remained the most cost-effective way to reach a wide audience irrespective of time and space. In line with the global practices, the library is constantly reviewing her service delivery methods with the view to meeting the needs of the patrons. She is working assiduously to improve on her capacity to cope with new formats and media technologies available for presentation, preservation and retrieval of information. Presently, some of our traditional services are available online which have helped to reduce human traffic to the library, COVID-19 has necessitated. This is evident by improved efficiency being experienced with the availability of some traditional services online. The Library’s readership campaign programme which for years has been a one-off activity, is currently been remodeled to include all-year-round online activities and rejuvenation of the traditional methods to encourage Nigerians to cultivate a good reading habit.  

The Library is not oblivious of the challenges the society is facing with the young ones’ addiction to digital devices such as cell phone, computer game, and PC laptops and desktop. Although, children are now technology savvy as many would be surprised at what they can do with digital devices at tender age. Internet has become a fertile ground where extreme ideologies which are unethical and anti-social in the society, are taught. It is a dilemma for a society keeping an eye on various social media platforms to guide against abuse and attempting to regulate the information space without the action being misconstrued as gagging free speech. The library will in her own little way leverage technology to channel the energy of the youth to productive ventures in such a way participation is made inclusive to take care of all interest. The readership promotional activities are being structured in a flexible and convenient way for pursuit of academic excellence and promotion of lifelong learning. 

The Library is also committed to the promotion of mother tongue to identify with recent policy of the government to make the dominant local language in any community, the medium of instructions at the primary school. Many published work by experts on education management have acknowledged the importance of mother tongue in cognitive development of children. It is therefore, important that capacity to comprehend and understand any subject matter without any negative influence, must be enhanced.  A child with good capacity to identify the main characters in a story, understand the essence of a story, and make valid deduction or inference, would have his critical thinking skills well-developed as he grows into adulthood. He or she would be able to identify fake news and not participate in its spread. Cultivating a good reading habit from young age provides opportunities to learn from other people’s experience and different perspectives any issue could be viewed to prepare him or her for future challenges. Therefore, reading helps to fill knowledge gap and helps to propel individuals’ desire to explore and exploit opportunities.  Also, a good reading culture in local language helps to build national identity and allows people to easily buy into government programmes for improved general wellbeing. 

Happily enough, current effort by the Library to document un-recorded historical materials, places and monuments of importance to the people’s history and identity, was conducted in applicable local language at different communities across Nigeria. NLN will continue to play lead role in preservation of intangible aspect of our cultural heritage, especially local language and music. When citizens are well informed about others’ way of life and beliefs, there will be mutual respect which promotes peace, social harmony and national cohesion; ingredients for national development. 

From the foregoing, readership promotional activities are now being captioned with a central theme  #Readyourwaytothetop. This involves national competition to help develop critical thinking skills among children and young adults (2 age categories: 9 and 14; and 15 and 21), live streaming of educational programmes on our YouTube channel with content carefully designed to inspire the young ones to greater heights; and serializing biographies and auto- biographies of successful and great people in the society on our website.

Therefore, the objectives of the readership promotional campaign include:

1. produce more and more Nigerians with critical thinking and digital skills;

2. improve the reach and participation in the readership campaign;

3. encourage the preservation of indigenous languages; and

4.

inspire more youth to be globally competitive.

National Library of Nigeria has taken several proactive measures by constituting various committees charged with responsibilities geared towards attainment of set goals. Capacities are constantly being built for all cadres as they are being empowered through provision of needed infrastructural facilities. The hallmark of the strategy to be deployed is the provision of equal access and opportunity to ensure participation of all Nigerians, even the hard-to-reach- communities. At community level, debate and quiz competition in local language and English will be organized. Regular engagement with stakeholders at local, subnational and national level to encourage them to embark on self-help programmes which promote reading culture among their people. They will also be encouraged to document their own history, keep records of unforced air of gaiety about events and developmental efforts in the community. 

Budgetary allocation for online readership campaign may definitely be inadequate but effort to seek public support may be explored. 

Abdulazeez, Mistura Kikelomo 

Deputy Director (VLSD)