The Association of University Librarians of Nigerian Universities (AULNU) has recommended that TETFund and relevant government agencies be fortified to be able to support the Open Access infrastructure, digital repositories, ICT facilities, broadband connectivity, and sustainable scholarly communication systems in tertiary institutions.

It lamented that despite the growing relevance of Open Access Publishing, Nigerian universities continue to face challenges including inadequate ICT infrastructure, unstable power supply, insufficient funding, low digital literacy, limited awareness, weak institutional policies, and inadequate support for Article Processing Charges (APCs).

The group also resolved and recommended to University administrators, policy makers, and stakeholders to intensify advocacy and awareness campaigns on Open Access Publishing and Open Science initiatives in Nigerian varsities.

AULNU commended the National Universities Commission (NUC), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the National Library of Nigeria, the Nigerian Library Association (NLA), and other stakeholders for their continuous commitment to the advancement of academic librarianship and scholarly communication in Nigeria.

The librarians in a communiqué counter-signed by its chairman, Prof Angela Ebele Okpala and the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Prof AbdulSalam Abiodun Salman, circulated in Ilorin, argued that Open Access publications, Institutional Repositories, Open Educational Resources (OERs), and digital scholarship initiatives should be recognized as critical indices during accreditation and research assessment exercises.

Themed: Managing University Libraries in the Era of Open Access Publishing: The Role of Librarians, the union suggested: “Nigerian universities should formulate institutional Open Access policies that support responsible scholarly communication, research integrity, and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence in research and publishing.”

They advocated that University libraries prioritize digital literacy training, copyright education, Creative Commons licensing awareness, research data management, and responsible AI usage for faculty members and students, saying: “All university libraries should sustain active participation in national digital initiatives and maintain functional institutional repository platforms and NULIB-related services.

The communiqué urged varsity administrators to encourage compliance with emerging technology, noting: “University Librarians should continually build competencies in emerging technologies, data stewardship, AI-enabled library systems, scholarly publishing workflows, and digital knowledge management.”

It has, however, resolved to deepen collaboration among Nigerian university libraries toward the establishment of sustainable Open Access consortia and shared digital infrastructure frameworks.

“The Association strongly recommends that only professionally trained and certified librarians registered with the Librarians Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN) should be eligible for appointment as University Librarians and heads of academic libraries in Nigerian universities.

“The Association reaffirmed that only professionally certified librarians registered by the Librarians Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN) should be employed and appointed into professional library leadership positions in Nigerian institutions,” it declared.

The Conference encouraged modern university libraries to embrace innovation, digital transformation, open science, collaborative research ecosystems, and Artificial Intelligence (AI-enabled) service delivery to remain relevant in the knowledge economy.

It frowned at the appointment of non-professionally qualified persons as University Librarians, noting that such practices undermine professionalism, standards, and effective administration of university libraries in Nigeria.

The Conference featured keynote presentations, technical sessions, panel discussions, strategic engagements, and collaborative dialogues focused on Open Access Publishing, Institutional Repositories, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Scholarship, Research Visibility, and Sustainable Knowledge Management in Nigeria Universities.

Also, the union commended the National Universities Commission (NUC), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the National Library of Nigeria, the Nigerian Library Association (NLA), and other stakeholders for their continuous commitment to the advancement of academic librarianship and scholarly communication in Nigeria.
After extensive deliberations, the Conference observed as follows:

Open Access Publishing has become a critical driver for democratizing knowledge, enhancing research visibility, improving global scholarly communication, and accelerating innovation within universities and research institutions.
University libraries are increasingly transitioning from traditional custodial roles to strategic knowledge facilitation centres responsible for research dissemination, digital preservation, institutional repository management, scholarly communication support, and digital literacy development.

The growing adoption of Open Access models including Gold, Green, Hybrid, and Diamond Open Access offers significant opportunities for increased accessibility, citation impact, collaboration, and institutional visibility.

The Conference acknowledged the strategic role of emerging platforms and initiatives such as TERAS, Institutional Repositories, Open Journal Systems (OJS), Creative Commons Licensing frameworks, and Open Science infrastructures in strengthening research accessibility and digital scholarship.

Meanwhile, the 114th Bi-Annual Conference and General Meeting of AULNU reaffirmed that university libraries remain central to teaching, learning, research, innovation, and national development.

As the global scholarly communication landscape continues to evolve, “university librarians must reposition themselves as strategic enablers of knowledge access, digital transformation, research visibility, and inclusive scholarly engagement.”

The Conference therefore calls on all stakeholders, government agencies, university managements, development partners, professional bodies, and librarians to work collaboratively toward building resilient, technologically driven, and globally competitive university libraries capable of advancing Nigerias higher education and research ecosystem in the Open Access age.