National Library To Mark 60th Anniversary With New Logo

The National Library of Nigeria (NLN) will mark its 6oth anniversary on November 20 by unveiling a new logo and a four-year strategic plan covering 2025-2030.

Both developments aim to boost the apex library’s services and operations in line with the current information and digital-driven world.

“The National Library is evolving yet remains the same. There has been a change in the method of information collation, processing and access. The National Library remains the nation’s library while also working to provide services according to the environment’s needs.

“The library must include the youth, who comprise 35% of our users. Thus, our technology must be upgraded,” said the National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Professor Veronica Anunobi.

Highlighting the library’s current logo – which features an open book of printed text, Anunobi noted that while such symbols are familiar to the baby boomers and millennials, it’s fast becoming outdated to the Gen Z’s – broadly deploy ICT-enabled gadgets for research, reading and learning.

Similarly, the new four-year strategic plan to be unveiled at the anniversary finale, she said, will encompass programmes specifically designed to accommodate Nigerian youths in a culture of personal development. It will also continue the apex library’s campaign to hard-to-reach areas.

“As part of the anniversary activities starting today (November 15) at the mosque, to November 20, I will host a youth engagement programme on the 19th, and the ‘Youths on Literature for Life’, which will also be built into the new strategic plan, of which we will unveil its additional contents at the finale event on November 20,” said Anunobi.

The library will also launch a new publication on the same day featuring indexes and abstracts of newspaper articles spanning the first anniversary of incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Stressing the significance of the event, Chief Executive Officer of Kryterion Ltd, Col. Felix Alaita, a key partner of NLN’s strides to digitalisation and virtualisation, commended the library’s dedication to changing trajectory after many years of existence.

“Not everyone in their lifetime is going to experience the 6oth anniversary of an institution. Neither will everyone in his or her lifetime get an opportunity to contribute to changing the trajectory of any institution at such a noble moment. Kryterion has the privilege of working with NLN to make that pivot. We hope that Nigerians will see some of what we are trying to do at the anniversary celebration.

“The Strategic Plan being put together will speak to the future because the future is fast racing and leaving us behind, and if we don’t catch up or go beyond our grouses, our children.