Quest Journals Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science Volume 5 ~ Issue 5 (2017) pp.: 64-67 ISSN(Online) : 2321-9467 www.questjournals.org *Corresponding Author: Dr. H. Dedi Masri 64 | Page Lecturer At Islamic University Of North Sumatera - Indonesia Research Paper Libraries as a Pivot for National Development of Nigeria 1 Yahaya Ogbe Agbaji and 2 Comfort Ojoma Ukwela 1 Tom Adaba Library, NTA Television College, Jos (Affiliated to Ahmadu University, Zaria, Kaduna State - Nigeria). 2 Department of TV Production NTA Television College, Jos (Affiliated to Ahmadu University, Zaria, Kaduna State - Nigeria) Received 11 May, 2017; Accepted07 June, 2017 © The author(s) 2017. Published with open access at www.questjournals.org ABSTRACT: A nation is said to be developed when its citizens attain high standard of living. Building an ideal nation requires a holistic approach. All facets of human activity must be harnessed while all indices of nation building must be taken care of. This in turn requires well equipped Libraries and information resource centres in tertiary institutions to improve the educational system. Libraries and information resource centres are institutions that are well established to take care of the information needs of all segments of society- students, lecturers, researchers and scholars. The library is continuously bringing man in contact with the world in the fulfilment of its functions as a repository for knowledge in all forms and shapes. In doing this, all academic and professional disciplines are involved. Libraries and information resource centres are not exception. This paper looks at different types of libraries and information resource centres and their basic functions. The study also x-rays the roles of libraries and information resource centres in national development as well as exposes the challenges facing library and information resource centres services in Nigeria, such as inadequately trained staff to meet the increasing demands of library and information resource centres users. I. INTRODUCTION The word “development” has hitherto mocked efforts at a concise and generally acceptable definition. This has resulted in a myriad of definitions by scholars. While some scholars see development as normative and synonymous with progress, others regard it as multi-dimensional, involving changes in structures, capacity and output. Still, others view development in terms of the growth and mastery of the natural environment by man. Thus the development of any society today is said to be measured by the strength of its military, socio- economic, political as well as technological advancement. Mimiko (1998, p.101), asserts that development is a process implying deep and double changes in social structure in the functioning of institutions and in the cultural values of great masses of people. Aremu (2003) sees development as a process of enhancing the productive forces of a country for the actualization of more prosperous and meaningful life for all its citizens. Thus, development emphasizes growth or advancement, with a positive cultural and socio-economic tendency towards a self- generating and self-perpetuating utilization of people‟s potentials. According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, “national” refers to a whole nation. National development, therefore, can be described as the overall development or a collective socio-economic, political and religious advancement of a country or nation. This is best achieved through development planning, which can be described as a country‟s collection of strategies mapped out by the government. The English word “library” is derived from the Latin word “librarium”, in which “liber” means “ book, paper, parchment” (Online Etymology Dictionary) and “ -arium” means “ a place associated with a specified thing”. In the present world, “book” could be defined as a collection of written, printed or other graphic materials, including films, slides, phonograph records and tapes, housed, organized, and interpreted to meet broad and varying needs of people for information, knowledge, recreation, and aesthetics (Ikegbune, 2003). Experts have qualified the term library in different ways, such as; the heart of an institution, the mind of a society, the only effective repository of knowledge, the racial memory, a live depository of cultural past, sustainers of the intellectual activities that anticipate the future, and so on. (AbdulKalam, A.P.J, 2001 and Kumar, K, 2000). In principle, the mission of all types of libraries, such as academic, public, school, special, research, and national as well as related information centres, is to carry out information management responsibilities in the areas of acquisition, organization, preservation and dissemination of information to users. The users on the other hand, are expected to utilize the information