Ifechuba and Shoki, Part 7
Recommendations
In light of the innovations adopted, the ones not yet adopted, limited application of the innovations, and the infrastructural, cultural and educational constraints identified, the following proposals are recommended:
The Federal Government should go on with the proposed provision of the Virtual Digital Library to link the nation’s university libraries with the outside world. They should involve the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA). This will encourage members of the NPA to digitize not only internationally demanded titles but to expand the endangered tertiary market.
The print book publishers, printers, Reading Association of Nigeria, public libraries and optical disc publishers in the country should convene a conference to work out modalities for tackling the problem of computer literacy and forward their views to the government.
Practical computer education should be integrated in the curriculum for all levels of education in Nigeria. This is absolutely necessary since the success of e–publishing is largely dependent on media literacy.
The Nigerian Publishers Association should liaise with Rank Xerox and AGFA Corporations to find a solution to the need for POD printing machines in universities and other institutions in Nigeria.
The problem of electricity supply should be handled with seriousness by the federal government.
Individual publishers should liaise with university libraries and university presses to work out modalities for publishing scholarly journals and textbooks in electronic formats.
For specialized scholarly books without mass appeal, it will be appropriate to produce CD–ROM. This can be done locally by optical disc publishers. The NPA should therefore co–ordinate such a project.
More publishers should take advantage of the opportunities offered by the African Books Collective.
Courses on e–publishing and media literacy should be introduced by all universities offering publishing programmes.