Revitalizing Nigerian Libraries through Digital Infrastructure: A Blueprint for Equitable National Knowledge Access

Abstract

Nigeria’s libraries, once vital to education and national development, are facing a deep relevance crisis in the digital age. Years of underfunding, obsolete infrastructure, and fragmented policies have left them unable to meet the information and learning needs of a knowledge-driven society. This study adopts a documentary research design, analyzing policy papers, institutional reports, and scholarly literature to examine the structural and governance barriers hindering library digitization in Nigeria. Anchored in the knowledge society and digital inclusion paradigms, the study identifies three key constraints: weak policy coherence, uneven ICT capacity across regions, and limited investment in human and technological infrastructure. Findings reveal that while policy frameworks exist, their implementation remains inconsistent and poorly aligned with national digital economy goals. The paper develops a digital infrastructure revitalization blueprint, proposing integrated strategies for capacity building, sustainable funding, and coordinated governance. The study contributes theoretically by linking library modernization to the broader discourse on knowledge equity and practically by offering a roadmap for transforming Nigerian libraries into inclusive digital knowledge ecosystems.