The National Library of Nigeria said it will be unveiling a new logo as part of activities to mark its 60th anniversary.

The Chief Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the National Library of Nigeria, Prof Veronica Anunobi, who disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent on Sunday, said the management was looking forward to the future with enthusiasm.

“We look to the future with great enthusiasm, mindful of the nation’s young population, galloping unemployment and the need to use our mandate as a bedrock to support the economic development of the country.

“While we celebrate some of these milestones, we are living today as we focus on the future.

“Hence, within this celebration, we will be unveiling our new brand, the new logo of the National Library of Nigeria, which speaks volumes about our present and the future.

“Our direction for the next five years 2025-2030 strategic plan will also be unveiled.

“A glance at the logo and the document will provide a better explanation for the theme of our celebration, ‘The Future of Libraries in a Digital Age: Preserving Heritage, Expanding Access and Engaging Youth’.

“It is also a pointer that going forward, the NLN must design education, research and cultural development programmes that will not only attract the youth but transform them as a very important and valuable asset of this nation,” she said.

The library science professor said the NLN would improve on open access and knowledge sharing and build a smart library infrastructure.

She said the NLN had issued over one million International Standard Book Numbers since its inception in 1974.

Anunobi also noted that the library will continue to promote access to stakeholders in the world of knowledge production.

Speaking in a chat with our correspondent in Abuja, ahead of the 60th anniversary of the library, Anunobi, a professor of Library and Information Sciences, said the NLN was looking into the future with great enthusiasm while being mindful of the teeming youth population in Nigeria.

“Since 1974, we have issued 1,000,574 International Standard Book Numbers as well as 27,755 International Serial Numbers since its inception in 1976.

“Greater push was made this year to actualise our responsibility in the issuance of International Standard Music Number and we were able to issue some numbers for published music scores,” she said.

Speaking on the future of the NLN, Anunobi noted that the institution would continue to stand at the cusp of a transformative era that promised to redefine its role as a guardian of Nigeria’s intellectual and cultural heritage.

She also promised that the library would promote access to the use of the heritage, in close relationship with stakeholders in the world of knowledge production, packaging and ecosystem use towards national development.