The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad has urged judiciary stakeholders to reposition the nation Judicial libraries to enhance information gathering and dissemination.
According to CJN, repositioning is necessary considering the emergence of information and communication technology and the attendant changes in various Courts, participants must be equipped with necessary skills in line with global best practices.
The CJN made the plea in a keynote address delivered at the opening ceremony.
Speaking at the biennial national workshop for Judicial librarians, tagged, “Digitalization of Court Libraries in the 21st Century” Tanko said,
“Today, we are in the midst of a tremendous shift in the way people consume literature and other content therefore, libraries must continue to play a central role of providing open and free access to information and dissemination of ideas.
“As we are all aware, the Judicial librarians are entrusted with many responsibilities among which is being the custodian of law books which are preserved in paper and non-paper format.”
In his welcome address at the programme, the NJI Administrator, Justice Salisu Garba Abdulahi re-emphasized the importance of librarians in the administration of justice saying, ‘You are charged with the onerous task of day to day running of the court libraries’.
Justice Garba noted that in accommodating the role of Court librarians, the participants must be up and doing, pay regular attention to books, court records, and judgments which are archived in the Court Libraries.
“In order not to be left behind, you must continuously seek knowledge pertaining to technological innovations for library science and also imbibe ICT knowledge and skills,” he said.