Library and Information Technology for national transformation: curriculum building perspective in Nigeria

Abstract

The traditional mode of service delivery in any profession and particularly librarianship cannot meet up with the contemporary challenges becoming a threat to the practicing librarians and library educators. The main constraint identified to be responsible for this weakness is the curriculum. This paper therefore, provided a historical antecedent on library and information science education in Nigeria while the need for effective national transformation through information service provision was stressed. The relevance of information and communication technology (ICT) for an improved information service and national transformation was also discussed. The need for a curriculum transformation for LIS programme was examined using the LIT Department of Federal University of Technology, Minna as case study. Finally, the paper recommended that all institutions offering LIS programme should as a matter of urgency revise their curricular to withstand the modern challenges. This is regarded as the first transformational development. In addition, lecturers of LIS are enjoined to embark on re-training for the attainment of contemporary knowledge and skills in order to improve not only the curriculum but also to enhance the teaching and learning activities in the library schools.