Bauchi- Education stakeholders have attributed the decline in the patronage of public and school libraries to the neglect of such facilities and technological advancement.
In a survey in the North East geo-political zone, the stakeholders told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the advancement in technology had continued to provide easy channels for sourcing of information.
They said the current trend was being fueled by the fact that most public libraries had operated either with insufficient books or outdated materials.
Mr Joel Vandi, the Executive Director, Adamawa State Library Board, said the long-term neglect of public libraries, called for concern.
Vandi said that the state library board which had branches in Yola, Mubi, Ganye and Numan, had not purchased new books for the past 10 years due to funding constraints.
He said that although the library was doing its best to salvage the situation, this development had affected patronage of the libraries.
The director urged the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and other government organisations supporting education, to extend such support to public libraries in view of their role in national development.
” We are rendering free services to the public and most students of public schools that have no library, depend on us, hence the need for organisations like TETFUND and others, to come to our aid,” Vandi said.
In Bauchi State, investigations by NAN revealed that most public libraries were stocked with outdated books, just as the library structures, built over 40 years ago, were yearning for renovation.
An official at the Prof. Iya Abubakar Community Library, who spoke to NAN on condition of anonymity, revealed that most of the libraries in the state were neither adequately funded, nor stocked with modern reading materials.
He said that most of those who patronised the library, especially students, went there either to read their lecture notes, or newspapers.
NAN reports that the situation is almost the same at the National Library, Bauchi, as revealed by a source who did not also want his name mentioned.
“Most libraries are now irrelevant as their roles had been taken over by e-libraries and smart-phones.
“People sit in their homes and offices, or even places of relaxation, and
conduct research, getting all they want through the Internet,” he said.
Some Secondary School principals interviewed in Bauchi, said most school libraries had no books, but were rather “stocked with speeches delivered on Prize Giving Days”.
They said that the Ministry of Education was supposed to provide the books and that no provision had been made for them to provide same in their libraries.
Fielding questions from NAN, some students in Bauchi attributed the poor patronage of school libraries to the over-dependence on ‘handouts’ and ‘smart phones’.
One of the students, Musa Suleiman of Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, said the emergence of handouts was a setback to learning and had discouraged the use of conventional library.
“Lecturers produce lecture notes and make it compulsory for students to buy; as such, students are no longer encouraged to utilise libraries.
“The Nigerian child relies on the words of the teachers as final authority.
“Therefore, reading and undertaking researches for the sake of knowledge, intellectual development, pleasure and self-development, is never considered important.
“You will also agree with me that most of the books you see on the shelves are outdated”, he said.
Another student, Norbert Markus of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, argued along the same line, noting that GSM and other similar facilities, had taken over the functions of libraries.
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“Even if you go to the libraries, you will discover that most of the books, especially in school-owned libraries, are outdated; as such, you only waste your time, going through them.
“But when you log on to your handset, within a twinkle of an eye, Google has provided you with everything you need.” he stated.
In an effort to address the problem, Parents/Teachers Association in some states decided to give a helping hand, NAN learnt.
Malam Habibu Ismail, Secretary of the Parents/Teachers Association, Kafin-Hausa Secondary School, igawa, said the community had been donating books to the school’s library.
Habibu said that the gesture was to re-invigorate the library and promote reading habit among the students.
He noted that the neglect of the library system was one of the major obstacles militating against sustainable development in the education
sector.
“There is need to rehabilitate library facilities and engage qualified personnel to accommodate the growing population of students in the school,” he said.
Similarly, Mrs. Angela Ndukuba, the Principal, Pacesetters College, Gombe, observed with concern, the decline in reading culture among students.
“Most students prefer browsing on their phones; for instance, during WAEC examinations, instead of picking their books to read, they prefer browsing on their mobile phones.
“This is because browsing the Internet is easier for them than going into the pages of books.”
Also commenting, Mrs Aisha Ahmed, the Commissioner of Education, Gombe State, said in spite of the decline in reading culture, the library still contributed to attaining academic excellence.
“As a teacher, I see libraries as indispensable in any academic setting; students go to the library to read and refer to textbooks, getting research information that they probably might not get using the computers.
“In libraries, there are lots of textbooks that have to do with civic education and historical perspective of the nation.
“Students also get to read the books and it helps them imbibe the correct ethics and give them clear understanding of the nation,” she said. (NAN)