The Association of University Librarians of Nigerian Universities (AULNU) has called on the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and relevant government agencies to strengthen their support for Open Access infrastructure, digital repositories, ICT facilities, broadband connectivity, and sustainable scholarly communication systems in tertiary institutions.
Challenges Facing Nigerian Universities
The association lamented that despite the growing importance of Open Access Publishing, Nigerian universities continue to face numerous challenges. These include inadequate ICT infrastructure, unstable power supply, insufficient funding, low digital literacy, limited awareness, weak institutional policies, and inadequate support for Article Processing Charges (APCs).
Recommendations for Stakeholders
The group resolved to recommend that university administrators, policymakers, and stakeholders intensify advocacy and awareness campaigns on Open Access Publishing and Open Science initiatives in Nigerian universities. They emphasized the need for collaborative efforts to address these gaps.
In a communiqué signed by its chairman, Professor Angela Ebele Okpala, and the Public Relations Officer, Professor AbdulSalam Abiodun Salman, the librarians 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 Conference Focus
The conference, themed "Managing University Libraries in the Era of Open Access Publishing: The Role of Librarians," suggested that 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.
Digital Literacy and Training
The association 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. They stated that all university libraries should sustain active participation in national digital initiatives and maintain functional institutional repository platforms and NULIB-related services.
Professional Standards
The communiqué urged university administrators to encourage compliance with emerging technology, noting that university librarians should continually build competencies in emerging technologies, data stewardship, AI-enabled library systems, scholarly publishing workflows, and digital knowledge management.
The association resolved to deepen collaboration among Nigerian university libraries toward the establishment of sustainable Open Access consortia and shared digital infrastructure frameworks. They strongly recommended 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 conference frowned upon 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.
Observations and Acknowledgments
After extensive deliberations, the conference observed that 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 centers responsible for research dissemination, digital preservation, institutional repository management, scholarly communication support, and digital literacy development.
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.
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 called 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 Nigeria's higher education and research ecosystem in the Open Access age.
