The Role of School Libraries in the Promotion of Indigenous Language in Nigerian Primary and Post-Primary Schools

Abstract

The indigenous language of a community is an essential component of that society and it plays an important role in communication, teaching and learning in the educational sector as well as national development and must not be relegated to the background. The focus of this paper is the integration of school libraries into the promotion of the use of indigenous language in Nigerian secondary schools. The paper highlights the concept of school library, the rationale for promoting the use of indigenous language in our secondary schools, the school libraries and their role in the promotion of indigenous languages. Inadequate funds to properly stock and run school libraries, school librarians; lack of experiences in promotion of use of indigenous texts and lack of novels and school textbooks in indigenous language were identified as challenges as well as the nation nation's linguistic plurality. In conclusion it was noted that librarians need to be more proactive and innovative in rendering information services that would promote the use of indigenous languages in the country.