COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND LIFELONG LEARNING IN NIGERIAN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES: A LITERATURE-BASED ANALYSIS (2017–2025)

Abstract

Collection development policies (CDPs) guide how academic libraries select, acquire, and preserve resources (Johnson, 2018), yet little is known about how well Nigerian CDPs accommodate lifelong learning the continuous, non-curriculum-bound learning that adult learners, distance learners, and community users increasingly expect from higher education institutions (UNESCO, 2021; Tight, 2021). This study asks how closely documented CDPs in Nigerian academic libraries align with lifelong learning priorities. An integrative literature review (Whittemore & Knafl, 2005) of nine peer-reviewed empirical studies (2015–2025) on collection development in Nigerian academic libraries was conducted, drawing on Google Scholar, African Journals Online, ResearchGate, and the Library Philosophy and Practice repository, data were synthesized using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). CDP development across the reviewed institutions is uneven and rarely reviewed; funding constraints dominate policy discourse; explicit lifelong-learning provisions are almost entirely absent; digital and open-access integration remains weak; and policy-practice gaps persist. Nigerian CDPs remain largely curriculum-centered rather than learner-centered. The study proposes a four-dimensional model (Scope and Diversity, Access and Equity, Adaptability and Currency, Institutional Alignment) to guide CDP revision toward inclusive, lifelong-learning-oriented practice. This is among the first studies to synthesize Nigerian CDP literature specifically through a lifelong-learning lens, offering both a diagnostic account and a reform framework for practitioners and policymakers.