By Azeez, Elijah Olawale
The recent 3-day hands-on training on Wikidata and Wikibase for Authority Control and Knowledge Organization, organised by the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA) in collaboration with the National Library of Nigeria and Wikimedia Deutschland, marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s knowledge infrastructure development. This landmark initiative does more than introduce tools, it lays the groundwork for a new era of bibliographic accuracy, digital visibility, and intellectual accessibility. It is a decisive step toward building a future where Nigerian knowledge, culture, and creativity are discoverable and respected across global platforms. By equipping librarians and information professionals with the skills to manage structured, linked data, this training unlocks enormous potential for Nigerian authors and publishers to gain international recognition through enhanced cataloguing, metadata standardization, and authority control.
The National Library of Nigeria’s role in this initiative cannot be overstated. As the apex library, its statutory mandate to preserve and promote Nigeria’s intellectual output gives it both the authority and responsibility to lead this kind of transformative effort. Under the visionary leadership of the National Digital Librarian, Prof. Chinwe Anunobi, the National Library is actively reimagining its role from that of a passive collector of materials to a dynamic hub for digital innovation and global engagement. By embracing open knowledge platforms such as Wikidata and Wikibase, the Library is spearheading a shift toward interoperable data systems that align with international bibliographic standards. This has enormous implications for the creative economy, especially for authors and publishers who rely on discoverability and accurate representation to reach wider audiences.
One of the pressing challenges Nigerian authors and publishers face is the inconsistency in how their works are represented in local and international catalogues. Variations in author names, imprecise subject headings, and missing metadata often result in fragmentation and poor visibility. Through the authority control capabilities of Wikidata and Wikibase, these issues can be systematically addressed. These platforms allow for the creation of unique identifiers that unify all references to a particular author, work, or subject, regardless of language or cataloguing system. As a result, Nigerian authors stand a better chance of having their works accurately indexed and cited, while publishers benefit from the streamlined organization and promotion of their catalogues. The long-term value lies in building a reliable and centralized metadata infrastructure that supports consistency and discoverability at scale.
Beyond bibliographic tidiness, this integration also serves a deeper cultural purpose. Nigeria is home to a vast reservoir of indigenous knowledge that often escapes formal documentation. Oral traditions, local authorship, and community publications have historically been underrepresented in digital knowledge systems. With Wikidata and Wikibase, these forms of knowledge can now be captured in structured, machine-readable formats that enhance their preservation and accessibility. This development is a game-changer for authors and publishers who focus on indigenous or cultural content, providing them with a platform where their work can gain international traction and scholarly attention. By backing this initiative, the National Library is ensuring that the voices and perspectives of Nigerian communities are not only heard but preserved and amplified for future generations.
There is also a strong case to be made for the protection and proper attribution of intellectual property. One of the less-discussed benefits of authority control is its ability to help safeguard copyrights by ensuring clear author identification and tracking of content usage. Nigerian authors frequently encounter issues of plagiarism or unauthorized use, and the lack of structured data only complicates redress. With platforms like Wikidata, every author and their work can be tied to a unique, verifiable digital identity, making it easier to trace citations and derive impact metrics. Publishers, too, benefit from having a clear chain of custody for their content, enhancing trust and transparency. The National Library’s active participation in this process adds an official layer of legitimacy and standardization, which strengthens Nigeria’s broader intellectual property framework.
What makes this initiative even more impactful is its alignment with open access principles. The core philosophy behind Wikidata and Wikibase is that knowledge should be freely accessible and reusable by all. Through this training, the National Library is empowering librarians to become facilitators of open knowledge, which, in turn, empowers authors and publishers to reach new audiences without the traditional barriers of distribution or gatekeeping. When metadata is open and discoverable, Nigerian works can be accessed by researchers, educators, and readers from every corner of the globe. This democratization of knowledge opens up new possibilities for collaboration, translation, and adaptation, enabling Nigerian intellectual and creative output to be part of a global dialogue.
This alignment also positions Nigeria within larger international bibliographic networks, such as WorldCat, VIAF, and global library consortia. Integration with these systems requires adherence to metadata standards and authority control protocols, areas where Wikidata and Wikibase excel. The involvement of the National Library ensures that Nigeria is not just participating but helping to shape these standards from an African perspective. For publishers, this opens the door to wider distribution channels, rights deals, and participation in international literary events. For authors, it translates to broader readership and enhanced visibility in research and academic circles. It is a deliberate positioning that enables Nigeria to transition from a consumer of global knowledge to a meaningful contributor.
As a result, a culture of data-driven publishing is beginning to take root. Nigerian publishers now have the opportunity to rethink how they plan, release, and promote their content. By embedding rich, structured metadata into their workflow, they can optimize titles for discoverability, target specific markets, and track reader engagement more effectively. This is not a minor shift, it is a reinvention of the publishing value chain, from manuscript to market. The National Library’s leadership in training information professionals in these tools means publishers can now work hand-in-hand with libraries for metadata creation, cataloguing advice, and integration into national bibliographic databases. Such partnerships enhance the competitiveness of Nigeria’s publishing industry and strengthen the ecosystem as a whole.
In addition, this transformation lays the foundation for greater collaboration between the library sector and Nigeria’s wider creative industries. Musicians, filmmakers, and digital content creators often draw from literature, history, and cultural knowledge documented by libraries and publishers. With structured data connecting these works, it becomes easier to trace creative lineages, link adaptations, and promote cross-platform storytelling. The National Library’s investment in such systems fosters a unified cultural infrastructure where all creative outputs are interconnected, documented, and celebrated. This encourages not only innovation but also national pride, as Nigerian creativity becomes more visible and valued on the world stage.
While this training is a significant milestone, its success must be sustained through long-term investment, national adoption, and policy support. The National Library of Nigeria must continue to act as a standard-bearer, promoting the integration of open knowledge systems across all library types and facilitating partnerships with authors’ and publishers’ associations. This includes ongoing training, resource development, and public awareness campaigns. Nigerian authors and publishers must also be encouraged and supported to see metadata not as an abstract concept but as a vital tool for growth, visibility, and protection in the digital age. With the momentum generated by this initiative, Nigeria stands at the threshold of a new intellectual renaissance, one where every book, every voice, and every idea has the opportunity to be seen, heard, and remembered.