A library is more than a room full of books. It is a place where people learn, gain skills, find help and build better lives. Yet many Nigerians live far from any library. Some villages can only be reached by river. Some farming settlements have poor roads, and some schools have no books at all. These are the hard-to-reach communities, and libraries have a duty to reach them.
Why reaching these communities matters
Access to information supports all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), not only education. A farmer who finds the right information can grow more food. A mother who learns about health can protect her family. A young person with digital skills can find work. Libraries make all of this possible when they reach the people who need them most.
The gap is real. A study of riverine communities in Anambra State found that some communities can only be reached by river and have no rural library or information centre. Lack of funds, difficult transport, too few staff and too few mobile libraries were the main problems. Nigeria also has over 20 million people who still cannot read and write.
Bringing books to people
Libraries cannot wait for people to come to them. They must go to the people. Mobile libraries do this by carrying books, learning materials and digital resources straight to underserved groups, including children who are out of school.
Under the leadership of the National Librarian/CEO, Professor Chinwe Veronica Anunobi, National Library of Nigeria state branches across Nigeria have also taken books to remote places and set up literacy centres, some examples include:
- Plateau: A library branch donated books and writing materials to Gyel community in Jos South so that a literacy centre could start there.
- FCT: A branch took its programme to Gwagwalada Area Council with whiteboards, markers, writing materials and basic reading materials. It also asked community heads to start reading clubs.
- Lagos: A branch visited the Mechanic Village in Mushin to speak with artisans about the value of reading, even in their own mother tongues.
- Bauchi, Gombe, Kwara and Kano: Branches reached an orphanage, Kwadon, Ogborondoko and Bichi.
- Yobe, Jigawa and Rivers: Branches reached Mamudo village, Kyawa village and Mgbuoba community.
The numbers are growing. In 2024, NLN state branches created 99 literacy centres and 148 book clubs across 34 states.
Teaching digital skills
Many people in remote areas have never used a computer. Libraries help close this digital gap. They help community members overcome the digital divide, build digital skills and take part in the digital world.
There are e-libraries in eighteen branches of the National Library, where children, youths, teachers and retirees learn digital skills. The Anambra State Library Board also joined a project that gave digital literacy, technology and entrepreneurship training to 513 people, including youth, teachers and librarians. Another project involving Nigerian public libraries trained 750 people in digital literacy skills.
Other countries show what is possible. In Uganda, the national library trained female farmers to use ICT so they could check weather forecasts and set up online markets.
Teaching skills for work and daily life
Libraries also teach practical skills that help people earn a living. The Enugu State Library Board set up a skills corner where young people learn shoemaking and bookbinding. National Library branches in Abuja and Enugu have also run empowerment sessions for women, including training in making home cleaning products. Abuja branch also runs an adult literacy class that teaches basic life skills, and has held a health talk for women in Paze village.
Studies on libraries and poverty point to the same kinds of help: entrepreneurship training, information literacy, lifelong learning and information for people who cannot read.
Caring for the environment
Libraries are also taking action on climate and the environment. The FCT branch of the National Library planted trees in six secondary schools in Abuja. In Lagos, the National Library branch open a Green Library that teaches environmental awareness. Planting trees and flowers around a library also makes the place cooler, cleaner and more welcoming for readers.
Working with partners
No library can do this work alone. African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA) and the Nigeria Library Association have trained public libraries to help achieve the SDGs. In Katsina, National Library now hosts a Window on America, which opens new programmes to young people in the state. Partners such as government agencies, embassies, companies and community leaders can all help.
How library work links to the SDGs
- SDG 4 (quality education): literacy centres, book clubs and reading support
- SDG 3 (good health): health talks and health information
- SDG 5 and SDG 8 (gender equality and decent work): skills training for women and youths
- SDG 9 (innovation and infrastructure): e-libraries and digital training
- SDG 13 (climate action): tree planting and green library spaces
- SDG 17 (partnerships): work with associations, agencies and community groups
The way forward
Reaching hard-to-reach communities takes more mobile libraries, more digital equipment, trained staff and steady funding. Leaders, partners and communities all have a part to play. A child in a remote village deserves the same chance to read, learn and grow as a child in a big city. When libraries go to the people, that chance becomes real.