U.S. Consulate, Partners Hold Capacity Building Program for Nigerian Librarians

From September 25-26, the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, in collaboration with the Goethe Insitut, University of Abuja, and Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre, (W.TEC), supported a training workshop for librarians drawn from across the country.

Held in Lagos, the capacity building initiative was organized with a view to equipping the librarians with digital skills needed to provide public library services that use digital technology to benefit local communities. The training covered broad areas of digital literacy, knowledge management, innovative service delivery, and expanded role of libraries and librarians in the 21st century.

In her keynote remarks, Public Affairs Officer, United States Consulate General in Lagos, Ms. Darcy Zotter, encouraged the selected participants to take advantage of the training to get a good grasp of the key competencies of the profession and make a big difference in their chosen field of endeavor.

“We are collaborating with our partners to equip young Nigerian librarians with renewed approach to service delivery in the management of library and information centers. Nigeria needs more young vibrant, energetic and information technology savvy library and information resource professionals,” Zotter said.

During the workshop sessions, the participant interacted with a whole array of resource persons drawn from the academia, civil society and public sector. They included: Dr. Victoria Okojie, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Abuja; Ms. Safurat Balogun, Head of Information & Library Services at the Goethe-Institut; Ms. Oreoluwa Somolu, Executive Director at Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre, and Mr. Samuel Eyitayo, Information Resource Centre Director, United States Consulate General in Lagos.