(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/DSC_0031-300x199.jpg) The Government of Akwa Ibom State says over 70 million subscribed e-documents in addition to about 30,000 printed publications are now accessible from its world class e-Library via an Online Public Access Catalog.
Briefing members of the National Good Governance Tour, the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Renewal, Mr. Emmanuel Enoidem said the project commenced on the 25th of September, 2007 and was commission on 27th July 2012 by President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said the building has 5 floors with a basement and is located on 4.8 hecters of land. He said it is both a conventional and e-Library and is the biggest in West Africa as it can sit 1000 users simultaneously and another 500 who wish to use wi-fi.
In addition the Library has facilities for e-conferencing, a smart classroom, a language class an exam centre and out station facilities supported by a mobile Library.
It also has two canteens, bookshop, maintenance workshop and internet connectivity hot spot covering 5kilometers radius and a preschool multimedia class for children. He said plans are also on to run 24 hours services.
Speaking, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku said the Library is an investment that has placed Akwa Ibom at the centre of global educational resource services.
"This Library is an investment that you can't estimate its value because what it has done is to place Uyo at the Global Centre of Educational Resource for its people and other Nigerians that would eventually get connected to this place", Maku stated.
He urged the management to make efforts to get in touch with the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) of the Federal Government which is run under the Ministry of Communication Technology.
"They are providing e-Centres for secondary schools- ten per state every year. They pick ten secondary schools, they place 200 computers, they connect them to the internet, they train teachers and give 20 of those computers to teachers for teaching.
"My suggestion is that you now connect those e-Centres that are being provided by the USPF to this Library, at least those located within Akwa Ibom State", the Minister advised.
He explained that this would help the nation's higher institutions obtain academic materials which are not easily accessible. "Now you have created an infrastructure that can penetrate any other society in the world", Maku stated.
"For a very long time we have neglected the question of even the reading culture. And that was why the President launched 'Bring Back the Book', and the book today is no longer hard copy. The hard copy is still important but most books today are now soft copy", he noted.
He equally urged the management to stock the Library with indigenous books to tell the Nigeria story. "One of the challenges we face in a library like this is that our children can all become foreigners, if they don't have access to local books that talk about their future and give them the vision to know who they are and discuss their own society. Every nation protects its own. Education is culture driven and it is important that our children are first driven by our own culture before they get used to foreign cultures", Maku said.
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Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria