Towards Inclusive Knowledge Organizational Systems for Multilingual Communities and Conceptual Models in Federal Universities Libraries in Nigeria
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Knowledge organization systems (KOS)—including classification schemes, subject heading lists, thesauri, and metadata frameworks—remain predominantly monolingual and shaped by epistemological traditions developed in Anglo-American and European contexts, posing significant access barriers for multilingual communities served by academic libraries in linguistically diverse nations such as Nigeria. This paper examines the conceptual and practical challenges of designing inclusive KOS for multilingual users within Nigerian higher education institutions, where English serves as the official language of instruction alongside numerous indigenous languages spoken by students, researchers, and host communities. Drawing on the literature on classification theory, multilingual subject access, indigenous knowledge organization, international library policy instruments, and the technological context of Nigerian academic libraries, this paper proposes a layered conceptual model—the Inclusive Multilingual Knowledge Organization (IMKO) framework—that integrates terminology mapping, parallel vocabularies, community-informed indexing, and adaptive metadata layers within existing library systems. The framework is examined against the operational realities of a composite Nigerian academic library, including its predominant reliance on the Koha open-source integrated library system (ILS), highlighting infrastructural, financial, and human-resource considerations documented in prior research. The paper concludes with recommendations for library and information science education, professional bodies, and policy actors—including the National Universities Commission and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund—to support the gradual adoption of more linguistically inclusive cataloguing and classification practices.
Downloads
References
Adei, D., Mensah, J. V., & Asare, B. (2023). Digitization of Indigenous knowledge systems in Africa: The case of South Africa's National Recorded System (NRS). Records Management Journal, 33(2/3), 152–168. https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-10-2022-0029
Adeyemi, A. O. (2019). Adoption and use of Koha integrated library system in the University of Ilorin Library. Library Philosophy and Practice, 2019, Article 2274.
Andrade, A. M., & Albuquerque, A. C. (2017). Ranganathan and the faceted classification theory. Revista Ibero-Americana de Ciência da Informação, 10(2), 544–563.
Cherry, A., & Mukunda, K. (2015). A case study in Indigenous classification: Revisiting and reviving the Brian Deer Scheme. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 53(5–6), 548–567. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2015.1008717
Chigwada, J., & Ngulube, P. (2024). Librarians' role in the preservation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge. IFLA Journal, 50(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352231217270
Doerr, M. (2001). Semantic problems of thesaurus mapping. Journal of Digital Information, 1(8).
Howard, S. A., & Knowlton, S. A. (2018). Browsing through bias: The Library of Congress Classification and subject headings for African American studies and LGBTQIA studies. Library Trends, 67(1), 74–88. https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2018.0026
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2008). IFLA/UNESCO multicultural library manifesto. https://www.ifla.org/ifla-unesco-multicultural-library-manifesto/
Jamogha, E., Owoeye, J., & Godwin, L. S. (2022). Perceived usefulness and adoption of Koha integrated library systems by librarians in universities in Southern Nigeria. Digital Library Perspectives, 38(1), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-12-2020-0130
Littletree, S., & Metoyer, C. A. (2015). Knowledge organization from an Indigenous perspective: The Mashantucket Pequot Thesaurus of American Indian Terminology project. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 53(5–6), 640–657. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2015.1010113
Mossop, J. (2004). Non-Western languages and literatures in the Dewey Decimal Classification scheme. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 37(3–4), 89–100.
National Library of Nigeria. (n.d.). Home page. Retrieved June 15, 2026, from https://nln.gov.ng/
Obot, I. N., & Kolawole, D. T. O. (2025). Information and culture in a Nigerian library's perspective. [Manuscript].
Olson, H. A. (2002). The power to name: Locating the limits of subject representation in libraries. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Onyemaizu, C. (2016). Information communication technology and the preservation of oral indigenous knowledge in Nigeria. Middlebelt Journal of Library and Information Science, 14, 1–12.
Thornton, L. (2024). How did we get here? Race and ethnicity in Dewey Decimal Classification. Information Technology and Libraries, 43(3).
UNESCO. (2003). Recommendation concerning the promotion and use of multilingualism and universal access to cyberspace. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://www.unesco.org/en/legal-affairs/recommendation-concerning-promotion-and-use-multilingualism-and-universal-access-cyberspace
Webster, K. (2017). Providing cognitively just subject access to Indigenous knowledge through knowledge organization systems. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 55(3), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2017.1281858
X̱wi7x̱wa Library. (n.d.). Indigenous knowledge organization. University of British Columbia. Retrieved June 15, 2026, from https://xwi7xwa.library.ubc.ca/collections/indigenous-knowledge-organization/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published in our journal are licensed under CC-BY 4.0, which permits authors to retain copyright of their work. This license allows for unrestricted use, sharing, and reproduction of the articles, provided that proper credit is given to the original authors and the source.