Library association laments shift from books to internet

Chairman, Nigerian Library Association, Kaduna State chapter, Dr. Lawal Umar, has lamented the shift from books reading to web browsing.

Speaking at an award ceremony in Kaduna over the weekend, the chairman said one of the negative effects of Information Communication Technology is the decline in reading culture.

According to him, “Everything that has advantage has disadvantage, so the negative aspect of ICT is that young people prefer browsing the web than reading. The challenge of the continuous decline in the reading culture among our youths is multi-fold and from many angles, but largely in my own opinion, I look at the homes, there are many homes that have shifted their attention from books.

“You will be surprised that if you visit some homes you will not find a newspaper, even the well-to-do homes and other average families do not bother to buy fiction novels, so the reading culture is dead right from our homes.”

He noted that there is no public primary school in Kaduna State that has a befitting library, adding, “when you move to the secondary school, it is the same thing.”

He said the association decided to organise the award ceremony to celebrate its emergence as the champion and best chapter in 2018, adding, “we were the best chapter in 2018, that is why we decided to call all our members to come and rejoice with us and honour the individuals and organisations that partnered with us in form of donation or active participation in one way or the other.”

He said 21 persons, including General Mohammed Aliyu Gusau, were recognised for their passion for the development of library and administrative services.