ABUJA
A Nigerian digital librarian has returned home after representing
the country at one of the largest gatherings of library professionals in the
world, where he called on library leaders to build new funding models that
protect free access to knowledge for everyone. Azeez Elijah Olawale, a Digital
Librarian at the National Library of Nigeria, attended the International
Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) World Library and
Information Congress (WLIC) 2026, held in Busan, South Korea. The event drew
more than 3,000 delegates from 111 countries, making it one of the largest professional
gatherings in the library field, and placed Nigeria firmly among the voices
shaping the direction of libraries worldwide.
Olawale was selected as one of 16 emerging leaders worldwide to receive
the IFLA Emerging Leaders Grant, a programme that brings young professionals
together to shape the future of the library profession. This year's congress
Emerging Leaders programme carried the theme "The Present Is a
Mistake," a call for librarians to question old assumptions and design new
paths for the profession. The trip marked Olawale's first international
conference and his first experience representing Nigeria on a world stage, an
experience he described as one that changed how he sees his profession and his
own place within it. "Nigeria stood tall in Busan," Olawale said.
"I am proud to have represented my country at the centre of the world
stage, before delegates from every region of the globe."
Speaking to the congress, Olawale delivered a message on the future of
library funding that drew attention from delegates across different regions.
His central point was that free access to knowledge must remain a fixed
principle, even as libraries look for new ways to fund themselves in a period
of shrinking public budgets and fast-changing technology. "Free access to
knowledge is not negotiable," he told the gathering, “But our funding
models must grow to match the pace of technology." He explained that libraries
can build steady income through paid spaces, subscriptions, and digital
services, without asking the public to pay for the core services that should
remain open to all, and that money raised this way should go back into closing
the technology gap and keeping library doors open to the people who need them
most, including communities that current funding systems often leave behind.
Olawale thanked IFLA, under the leadership of President Leslie Weir, for
the grant that made his trip possible, and he also praised Vesna and Stephen
Wyber for guiding the Emerging Leaders programme from the first stage of the
application through the closing session in Busan, describing their support as
smooth and full of learning at every step. He extended thanks to the National
Library of Nigeria and its Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Chinwe Anunobi, for
backing his participation in the congress, along with members of the Nigerian
Library Association who attended the event and stood with him during his
presentation and throughout the week. He said Nigeria's presence at the
congress went beyond formal sessions, as the delegation carried the country's
culture and values with pride, from traditional dress to everyday conversations
with delegates from other nations, several of whom told him they now hope to
visit Nigeria.
Behind the achievement stood a circle of personal support that Olawale
was quick to acknowledge. He thanked his wife and children, his parents, and
his wider family for their prayers from the day he applied for the grant to the
day he returned home, and he also thanked friends and colleagues who called and
sent messages of encouragement throughout the journey. South Korea left a
strong impression on him outside the conference halls as well, and he pointed
to a country that runs on systems that work as planned, with trains that arrive
on time, clean streets, and efficient public services. He said the people he
met matched the country's reputation for order, describing them as warm and
patient with a first-time traveller finding his way around a new place.
Olawale said he returns home with new ideas gathered from the keynote
sessions and panel discussions at the congress, and his next task is to turn
those ideas into practical steps that can strengthen libraries across Nigeria
and the wider region. The IFLA World Library and Information Congress is held
every year and brings together librarians, policymakers, and information
professionals from across the world to discuss the direction of the profession,
and the 2026 edition in Busan focused on questions of access, technology, and
sustainability in libraries, themes that shaped much of the week's discussion
among delegates and that Olawale hopes will now shape conversations back home
in Nigeria.