IS PROFESSIONALISM IN LIBRARIANSHIP
ERODING IN NIGERIA? WHO CAN WE FAULT?
On November 14, 2024,
the National Library of Nigeria will roll out the drums to celebrate the 60th anniversary
of the institution's establishment. Yes, sixty years in the life of an
institution or an individual is significant and requires a retrospective
assessment to guide proactive projection into the future.
An article by Opara Umunna published in
IFLA (36 (2):155-165) in 2010 remains one of Nigeria's most authoritative
references for the historical development of librarianship. I recommend the
article to every professional librarian and to fully appreciate how greatly the
profession has progressed in the last sixty years, a perusal of the National
Library of Nigeria ACT (1970) will also help. Though, many would argue that
technological advancements and recent developments in the National Library
Association (NLA) and Librarians’ Registration Council of Nigerian (LRCN) have
made some issues canvassed in the article, irrelevant; overtaken by time and
exigencies of present realities. Irrespective of our stand, the article has
inadvertently pointed to concerns that must be considered, if professional
librarians are to remain committed to the development of librarianship and
repositioning for national development.
A sincere attempt at the above question lies in our capacity to x-ray the roles
of the National Library of Nigeria in library and librarianship development in
Nigeria, especially her mandates. One major credit no one can take away from
the current management is the fact that she is very receptive to innovative
ideas; irrespective of the source, provided they add value to service delivery.
Over the years the National Library of Nigeria has remained committed to the
discharge of its mandates and promptly keyed into the Ministry of Education’s
policies aimed at educational development in the country.
The NLA being a
professional pressure group is expected to protect the interest of the
Librarians and the practice of librarianship. In recent times organizations
expected to play complementary roles in advancing librarianship have limited
themselves to courtesy calls and prefer to sit on the fence whenever national
issues that bother the development and interest of the professional librarians
come to light. Also, the LRCN was statutorily established in 1995 to provide
leadership in librarianship, maintain and update the register of librarians,
and regulate standards for education in Library and information practice in
Nigeria. However, the NLA and LRCN have consistently shied away from exerting
their roles as critical stakeholders in the education sector.
This is evident by
the lone voice of the Library when it marshalled out her roles in the
successful implementation of the Ministry of Education’s DOTS policy. If a
synergy for collaborative development of librarianship and its contributions to
the general educational development had developed among the NLN, NLA and LRCN,
advocacy for more funds based on empirical data would have been appropriately
championed by the NLA having to be part of the effort to make librarianship
responsive to the present realities. Had the NLA kept pace with developments at
the NLN, especially her attempt to leverage technology to integrate Citizenship
Education and skill acquisition and development programmes as articulated in
the last three posts on our blog page, the Ministry would have engaged the
government on the need for better funding of the existing structures for
citizenship education. Interestingly, NLN is currently working on some research
projects, which outcomes will aid the Ministry’s current efforts at being more
responsive and sensitive to challenges in the education sector.
Therefore, NLA would
have reacted to the recent decision of the government to establish a National
Citizens Value Brigade in schools with the view to strengthening the National
Value System. The NLA would have simply argued that a strengthened structure
for review of Citizenship Education to reflect the realities of our time could
be more cost-effective, as there are several national bodies already saddled
with the responsibility of curriculum development for citizenship education.
The idea of establishing a Brigade in schools appears ill-timed and ill-advised
as it could be seen as a deliberate attempt to take undue advantage of the
government’s determined effort to make our youth believe in our cherished value
system, which has engendered social harmony for national development in the
past.
Several studies have provided empirical
data to support the claim that a persuasive strategy appears more productive
than attempts at enforcement to ensure compliance with legal deposit
legislation. Attempting to make our youth have a false sense of patriotism and
commitment to a belief or idea than their peers could be counterproductive in
the long run. A retrospective study into the impact of the then MAMSER will
reveal that radio jingles, TV advertorials, and public talks on important
public issues had a more enduring effect on the consciousness of Nigerians. For
example, the culture of queuing to be served in a public facility, without any
horse-whip-wielding law enforcement officer at sight has been imbibed.
The NLA and LRCN
should take a cue from the Nigerian Medical Association, which is respected
across the world for their capacity to maintain standard in medical education
and the practice of medicine in Nigeria. A Ben Carson of this world would be
required to pass the mandatory qualifying examination to practice surgery in
Nigeria and just in the same way a Nigerian Medical Doctor will take a similar
test elsewhere. This explains why Nigerian Medical professionals are among the
most sought because of the known high success rate at the qualifying
examination for licence across the world. The capacity of the LRCN to ensure
standard quality education and best practices in librarianship has recently
been weakened by the decision of the government to stop budgetary allocation to
the council. In the 2016 edition of Nigerbiblios, an annual journal
publication, vol.24 (1 &2), Omotosho and Igiamoh, mention low patronage and
inadequacy of funds among the challenges facing the council. The reason(s) for
low patronage by librarians for capacity building cannot be unconnected with
the inappropriateness of most training programmes to fill knowledge gaps, a
librarian needs to function effectively in the new information
space.
How the practitioners
of any profession conduct their affairs, maintain educational standards and
adhere to ethics, go a long way to determine the respect it commands in the
society. Librarianship is a highly valued profession around the world for its
roles in national and personal development. A profession the society depends on
for the provision of verifiable sources of information for the promotion of
activities, which could lead to improved general well-being as people buy into
government programmes and policies. The only validation the profession requires
is the sustained commitment of the practitioners, the NLA and LRCN to the
ideals that make the society to hold it in high esteem. The practitioners
should own the activities of the NLN, NLA and LRCN by participating or
contributing to make programmes or policy for cost-effective service delivery.
It is in this light
that the National Librarian/CEO directed the modification of the promotional
activities already put out to make the programmes more participatory and widen
their reach. The deadline for submission of entries for the Online Lifelong
Learning Package has been shifted to November 5, 2024. The launch of the
programme; ‘Meet the Great Mind’ will hold on October 16, 2024. The
meeting between the NL/CEO and stakeholders at the subnational levels for the
discussion on how the Library could intervene to ramp up subscriptions to the
Nigeria Learning Passport will be held at a new date to be communicated to the
affected stakeholders. Therefore, NLN enjoins librarians, the NLA at the
national and subnational levels, and members of the general public to liaise
with officers at any of our branches to make known their contribution or
participation in the above programmes. The programme of events for the
one-week-long 60th anniversary has been released. The NLN
assures members of the public a fulfilling experience as this year's
celebration will truly be unique in every respect.
Abdulazeez Mistura
Kikelomo (Mrs.)
National Library of
Nigeria