As more Nigerians turn to digital libraries for research amid the dilapidated state of physical libraries in the country, especially those owned and maintained by government, stakeholders in the book sector have noted that traditional libraries will still hold sway writes ISAAC TAIWO.
The story of National Library of Nigeria (NLN) headquarters in Abuja is the kind that make you weep.
Conceived over two decades ago, as an idyllic reading facility that encourages visitors to be themselves and set lofty goals, construction of the headquarters began 17 years ago.
Full Disclosure: It just so happens that the facility has seen its construction cost shoot up without completion.
The NLN headquarters, when completed, will meet global standards but the project is being executed at a snail speed owing to non-release of adequate funds to contractors.
Records reveal that the contract for the construction of the edifice was awarded to Messrs Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) on March 11, 2006, at the cost of N8.59 billion and the contract duration period was 22 months.
But the project was literally abandoned, only to be reviewed in 2010 at the cost of N17 billion with the duration period put at 21 months.
The government’s inability to finance the project caused another review in 2013 that took the cost to N18 billion.
Two years later, it was again reviewed to N38.8 billion. Records also revealed that in 2017, another review was done and the contract cost rose to N78 billion. The project, made up of 11 floors with two basement floors, a ground floor and eight upper floors, among others, was recently reviewed again and will now cost N100 billion.
Despite these failings, the National Library remains a dream and work in progress. It will be financed by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) not minding the disruptions technology has brought to many aspects of life, including reading culture.
For many, libraries are considered a prerequisite for effective democracy, as an informed citizenry with a thirst for knowledge, will share ideas not gossip.
They also recognised it as a democratising force in a different sense – an instrument to promote social and cultural (as well as functional) literacy where, in the words of the Andrew Carnegie whose philanthropy built 2,500 libraries, “neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.”
They hold that growth and development can only be achieved through knowledge. Therefore, the secret behind any growing or developing society can be rightly hinged on acquisition of knowledge. Knowledge itself does not come cheap, but through intense and disciplined reading or studying.
According to Ritkimwa Istifanus, a reading society is a knowledge-based society and by extension a developed society.
However, in Nigeria today, the reading culture is arguably poor and people jocularly say that if you want to hide anything from an average Nigerian, keep it in a book. A lot of scholars have traced the development to the government’s lackluster approach towards promoting the culture of reading.
Years back, Nigeria could boast of well-equipped physical libraries built by the government, all aimed at providing materials to students and researchers for their studies.
Students in those days, in addition to regularly spending their weekends in libraries during school session, could easily visit any of the libraries during holidays.
Researchers too found public libraries very helpful to their research and visited many of them located in different parts of the country. Apparently, the facilities then were very attractive and the environment very conducive.
However, the story today has changed as the structures have dilapidated even as stocking them with current literature seems not to be the government’s priority any longer.
With the government’s nonchalant attitude to the maintenance of existing libraries and the construction of new ones, many Nigerians are turning to digital libraries to source for books and other materials of interest.
But the question is: Do e-libraries have the capability to completely relegate physical libraries to the background?
Technology is ever introducing more convenient, instant, affordable, precisely calibrated paths to retrieving the written word, stakeholders have consistently held that the library is a force for progress.
Many have argued that there is no way the physical library can be phased out, because of its peculiar advantages, most especially the serenity of the environment. Those who hold this view however noted that efforts should be made to rehabilitate existing physical libraries in the country and stock them with up-to-date materials, stating that this would encourage Nigerians to make use of them.
When The Guardian visited the National Library of Nigeria (Lagos Branch), Ebute-Metta, earlier this year, a security operative attached to the facility stated that the library had been inactive for over a year, as members of staff were on strike.
A reader, who was seen in the premises, Eric Macdonald, expressed his disappointment over the development.
He said: “Can anyone imagine a national library being on strike for one year and two months with the government not intervening if it really values the existence and importance of this library? Sometime ago, the roof of this library was leaking whenever it rained, which spoke of the age of the structure until recently when it was rebuilt.
“Physical library is still needed because there are some books you may not be able to get through the e-library. The fact that the e-library is having stiff competition with the physical library is not an understatement. However, if the physical library is also given due attention, many people would still patronise the physical library because of its own advantages over the e-library. Whether it is the advent of the e-library that is diminishing the expected focus on physical libraries, one does not know.”
During a repeat visit to the library when the workers called off the strike and returned to work, the Chief Librarian, National Library of Nigeria (Lagos Branch), Ogwa Aduloju, insisted that the physical library would remain relevant.
He added anyone who wants to read with good intention would always read physical books.
She acknowledged that there are some books that are online, hard copies of which may not be found and cannot be reproduced as doing so would amount to plagiarism, yet disciplined and avid readers would seek for hard copies.
He added: “Google too is a library which uses index form by bringing out all the relevant files to the researcher for him to pick the one that is relevant to his need.
“Some online libraries have structures, others do not. The implication of libraries without structure is that information there may be relevant or not. This applies to Youtube also. The fact is that there is no check and balance in online information dispensation as it can sieve anything which goes to say that because it is online, it does not mean that every information is authentic.
“Anybody can write what he thinks or feels and put it online. A good material should have the reference. Some people, because they have the idea of what a good material should look like, write whatever they want and occupy references that they assume fit their work and just submit. The implication is that when people see such material, they assume it is good.
“The good thing about books is that any writer that copies wrong references or information attributed to someone else can be sued for plagiarism. In the Nigerian system, which I believe follows the system in the world, when a book is published, some copies must be deposited to Readers Deposit and those copies are supposed to be for the intellectual heritage of the country so that coming generations can access it whereas there is nothing like that online. Library where books are deposited for intellectual heritage can also testify to the author of a particular book in case of any act of plagiarism.
“As regards patronage of this library by readers, people conducting serious research have no option than to come to the library as online information would not suffice. Books in the library will invariably enable citations and references to be top-notch. The fact that the new generation is not familiar with the physical library because of the online library does not mean the latter has an edge over the former. Deep knowledge of some things like entertainment among others cannot be found online.
“Every Saturday, students come here to read and we also engage them by teaching them in many areas like rudiments of photography. We upgrade our books with intellectual books. We also get donations from organisations outside the country. The United Nations and their various departments bring their copies from United Nations materials.
“The conclusion again is that the physical library is still very relevant. Any reader who wants to avoid distractions, wants to be disciplined, wants to read and understand should read physical books. Anyone who wants to also read with good intentions should read physical books despite the fact that there are some books that cannot be found.”
Students in the library
At Isolo Public Library, a visitor who simply identified himself as Samuel, told The Guardian that the serene environment of the library was the main reason for his coming there.
“When I first came here, I read two motivational books on Mahatma Gandhi and Braithwaite. However, I read on my phone these days. It is like physical books always make me sleep. I always come here because of the quiet environment.
“However, we still need the physical library if for nothing the serene environment. Whenever I leave home, I set my mind on the aim of going to read in the library. This helps me to overcome all sorts of distractions. My advice to the government is to equip libraries with computers that would facilitate accessing e-books.
“Those using the physical library should also be made to fill a questionnaire on how satisfied they felt using the library, if they got the books they wanted and suggestions of new books,” he said.
Samuel, who said he visited the library when it was opened, noted that the traffic has reduced but attributed the development to Nigerians not imbibing the culture of reading and non-availability of relevant materials.
“I used to feel that people in offices could make out the time to visit the library during their break period to read, taking the advantage of its quietness. This library does not have books relevant to my studies, hence I always come here with my laptop. I come here because of the serene environment conducive for reading” he added.
The Librarian, Read Library, located on Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba, who gave her name simply as Miss Adesua, said the physical library is still very relevant.
“People that come here to make use of the library are of different categories. We have adults, children, elderly ones and the itinerants. The elderly ones prefer to make use of the physical library where they would have access to newspapers and journals.
“Children prefer physical libraries because they give them information that is bulky. Medical students prefer physical libraries because most of their books are produced yearly and they need to always update their knowledge. Seventy per cent of those in rural areas still prefer physical libraries, while 30 per cent make use of e-library. However, we still stock books for those who prefer physical libraries,” she said.
To the President and Chairman of Council, Nigerian Library Association (NLA), Dominic Omokaro, the physical library is still very relevant because the e-library is meant to complement the physical library, by helping to take the library to meet the user in the comfort of his or her location as against him or her coming to the physical library.
Omokaro said: “The relevance of physical library cannot be over emphasised because of the following reasons: The physical library creates the ambience for self study; it creates the opportunity to engage the librarian for help when necessary; it also creates opportunity to do long study with physical books rather than e-books that may affect the eyesight; it creates the opportunity for concentration, as it eliminates the distraction that comes with the use of an Internet device; it is more economical for the user because it takes away the cost of data and the physical library can provide users with free internet access at no cost to them.”
Omokaro maintained that the relevance of physical libraries will remain as long as man continues to study and needs concentration to do his or her work and even for leisure reading.
“The physical library remains a community hub for social and academic engagement that the e-library can never provide. Then coming to preserving history like old Black and White television, big computers like Main Frame, among others, I doubt the capacity of an e-library to preserve history better than physical library in this regard because the contents of e-library are e-books and e-resources but the physical library may be able to create an archival repository for such preservation. The sighting of such relics will remain in the memory of the user rather than just viewing the images on the device without connecting to it.
“My submission is that the e-library is one of the beauties of the deployment of technology in the library and information science service delivery. It is basically aimed at giving access to a user who may not have the chance to come to the physical library. But it cannot take away the relevance of the physical library. The content of e-library, as it were, also creates what I call intellectual laziness because of the ability to copy and paste, thereby, leading to a lot of plagiarism today even though we do have the tools to check it out. Therefore, my advice to users is to find time to visit the physical library if they want to do real studies or want full concentration,” Omokaro said.
A Professor of Digital Linguistics and Digital Cultures, English and New Media Studies, Digital Humanities and Discourse Studies and Director, Centre for Digital Humanities, University of Lagos, Tunde Opeibi, said, “the question whether e-library can upstage the physical library has always been a huge debate that has gained momentum during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and I can tell you that to-date, no conclusion has been reached.”
He added: “However, there is a sense of compromise owing to the changing nature of instructional practices through the adoption of blended/hybrid learning. The library has been charged with the role of shifting access to its collection remotely through the use of IT-mediated tools. Hence, e-libraries in the future might upstage physical libraries.
“On the question, if the physical library is still relevant, I would submit that despite the robots’ e-library resources of George Peabody library (John Hopkins University), Firestone library (Princeton University), and Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Library at Yale University, Cambridge, and Oxford University Libraries in the United Kingdom, among others, they still maintain a physical library collection owing to the unchanging advantages of the physical library.
“Deliberating over the advantages physical library has over e-library, it would be out of place to say that e-library should upstage the physical library as they both have different benefits and advantages in terms of mode of accessibility, digital divide, user’s information-seeking patterns and behaviours and repository archives. Hence, the users and objectives of the library will determine how the library resources will be accessed and used (e-library or physical library).”
Prof. Sylvester Akhaine of Lagos State University, Ojo, also said: “I recall very well that at the turn of the century, The Economist magazine examined the future of books in the light of ICT. They reached the conclusion that books will remain on the shelf in the 21st century. The Economist was right. Many in my generation cannot read a full-length book online. We prefer hard copies. Reading requires reflections, internalisation and understanding. It is not something you do in fleeting moments.
“Another factor is the digital divide. This exists between the global North and South. How many people in the global south have access to computer or Internet connectivity? So long as this gap exists, books on the shelf will continue to remain relevant.
Do not forget that books have aesthetic value. They give you a certain feeling you do not get from online matters.”
Commenting, Prof. Ibiwumi Alade of Tai Solarin University, noted that traditional libraries have reinvented themselves to offer a broad service to different user profiles.
His words: “New technologies create a new framework of reality also in the context of the libraries since, nowadays, many users consult information in virtual libraries. However, one of the keys to the success of traditional libraries is that they have reinvented themselves to offer a broad service to different user profiles: students, reading enthusiasts, freelancers who telecommute, professionals and so on.
“The advantages of physical libraries are still very unique as follows: It is a living environment that conveys the flavour of culture; an environment of silence in which you can read the newspaper, do your homework, read your favourite books and consult the computer. All these, in an environment of socialisation since the library is a meeting place between people; one of the points most valued by traditional readers is the magic of paper books. You can enjoy current books or older ones, thanks to the extensive library catalog, all without accumulating material at home thanks to the loan service; going for a walk and going to the library is one of the cheapest plans you can practice. For example, on Friday afternoon you can go there to borrow a movie to see on the weekend; some libraries are not only valuable for their cultural content, rather, from an architectural point of view, they are tourist places full of interest; cultural activities are also organised around physical libraries that enrich the social life of users. For example, reading workshops in which attendees share their reflections on a work; the librarian can advise you in a personalised way on reading proposals that suit your tastes. In addition, you can also volunteer at a physical library since many centres have volunteers to deliver books to the homes of users who are sick and cannot leave home.”
