NLN/ZODML collaborate to open Green Library in Lagos
By Editor
THE National Library of Nigeria (NLN) and Zacchaeus Onumba Dibiaezue Memorial Library (ZODML) are set for a collaboration that will revolutionise library system in Nigeria when the proposed Green Library project comes on stream in the coming months as viable alternative to existing models. Details of the collaboration will be made unveiled to the media on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Although sporadic book activities have been taking place at the one-time National Library headquarters before its relocation to Abuja to reduce its status to a branch, the zonal director Mrs. Obianuju Onuorah has done a lot in the area of collaboration to rev up activities to put the library on the path of growth.
The Green Library collaboration between NLN and ZODML will establish what is possibly the first green library for children and young adults (aged 4-17 years old) in Nigeria. Situated within the Lagos branch of NLN in Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos, the collaborative effort marks a significant step towards promoting environmental literacy and sustainable practices in transforming the traditional library experience.
The library will pioneer ‘green’ practices that integrate renewable energy, recycled materials, and energy-saving measures into its operations, serving as a model for future eco-friendly libraries. It will be more than just books, craft-making, as recycled materials and games will be available to make learning not only educational but also enjoyable.
The library’s eco-friendly attributes will be its floor tiles manufactured from recycled tires, ceiling fans instead of air-conditioning, energy-saving LED lighting, solar panels as a renewable energy source, bookshelves, chairs and tables made of wood, cotton fabric floor cushions and a collection of e-books that will complement its paper books.
Chief Librarian/CEO, National Library of Nigeria, Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi
The library will also provide access to the Internet and will have an e-reading service through the provision of e-books on e-readers. The library’s target audience is digital natives who prefer electronic devices over paper books. By providing e-readers, students will be attracted to the library. E-reading will be promoted as an eco-friendly practice, particularly given the proposed large number of e-books for the collection.
The Green Library is poised to enable NLN to deliver on its mission to provide easy access to knowledge and ZODML’s commitment to aiding the acquisition of literacy and technological skills. Nigeria’s poor reading culture, which can be traced to a lack of libraries, paradoxically results in an absence of advocacy for the proliferation of libraries. The Green Library, as a place for hands-on learning and exploration where children and young adults are inspired to become active conservationists in the future, will set a precedent for replication.
For its sustainability, “ZODML would like to seize this opportunity to appeal to book lovers, authors, publishers, and the general public to donate books to the library,” organisers say.
First mooted in 1944, the National Library of Nigeria (NLN) became operational through the 1964 National Library Act. Its mission is to collect, preserve, and provide easy access to knowledge and leveraging on ICT while its vision is to connect and build an informed citizenry. NLN has its headquarters in Abuja with some 32 branches across the federation.
NLN is also the National Repository of Nigeria with the objective of preserving the intellectual and cultural resources of Nigeria among other things, in which capacity has been referred to as ‘a vital organ that acts as the intellectual memory of the nation’. Some of its other responsibilities include issuing International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) and International Standard Serials Numbers (ISSN) to publishers.
ZODML is a not-for-profit organization based in Lagos that works in the education sector. Since its inception in 2000, it has established 54 libraries – 34 in local government primary schools in Lagos and Anambra States, 19 in custodial centres across Nigeria, and one community library at 196 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi. Its website – zodml.org, has an extensive online library that is accessible free-of-charge.
ZODML’s work is inspired by the life and legacy of Zacchaeus Onumba Dibiaezue, who, through self-learning and access to libraries, was able to transform his life and the lives of others. The organisation provides free access to libraries, digital resources, information, and learning tools to aid self-learning. ZODML is invested in spreading a love of books and aiding the acquisition of literacy and technological skills vital to a modern economy, especially amongst Nigeria’s children and youth.
