Nigerian Librarians charged to protect electronic storage

THE Nigerian Library Association (NLA) has been charged to strive towards further improvement in the efficiency, storage and speed of access to Electronic Document Managements to prevent foreign libraries from making inroad into the country.

This call was made at the 2016, 10th Library and Information Technology (LIIT) National Workshop held at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Lagos State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Olufemi Odubiyi, said that there was urgent need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Electronic Document Management System of Libraries in order to prevent inroad of foreign Libraries into the Nigeria.

According to the Commissioner, who was represented by an Assistant Director, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), “one of our greatest problems is lack of information, which is in the library. Librarians should therefore create a synergy between the library and the students, by being Information Technology (IT) compliant.”

In the same vein, Rector of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Dr Margaret Ladipo, while noting that the modern day library must be Information Technology  compliant in terms of infrastructure, resources and operations, observed also that reading is vital to the development of human life especially in children and adults.

Ladipo commended the Information Technology Section of the Nigerian Library Association for the pro-activeness and foresight demonstrated in its yearly organization of Workshops, describing it as a veritable forum for knowledge sharing

In her response, Chairperson, NLA, (I.T. section) Dr Ngozi Ukachi expressed determination to expose librarians to the nuances of the current and emerging trends in information handling so as to promote creative and innovative service delivery.

“Participants would be exposed to practical sessions on current and emerging trends in information handling procedures with a view to equiping them to be creative and innovative in their service delivery,” she said.

Dr Ngozi observed that most trainings for librarians in Nigeria focus on skills acquisition, which would only enhance productivity on the job, at the expense of personal capacity building of the professionals.

“To fill this gap, the present workshop has been packaged to cater for both enhanced productivity at work and personal capacity building of Library and Information Professionals in Nigeria.”