WORLD HIV/AIDS DAY: The Roles of Professional Librarian

The world HIV/AIDS Day is usually held on the December 1^st of every year, this is to show support for people living with HIV, commemorate with those who have died and unite as a world to fight this disease. It provides the opportunity and a platform to create awareness, sensitize and mobilize the world towards fighting the scourge.

HIV/AIDS is a concern for both developed and developing countries because it constitutes a public health challenge to the society. Hence, everyone has a role to play in ameliorating the menace. Libraries as an institution and information center can be effective partner in fighting this dangerous disease. Librarians’, information managers can play unique and continuing roles in combating HIV/AIDS in their own little ways. The roles of this professional will include:

a) Creating awareness about HIV/AIDS through Handbill, Bulletin, Billboard e.t.c. in the libraries.

b) Provision of information to the communities about government, Agencies, Non-governmental agencies that care for people living with HIV/AIDS i.e National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Aids Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN), PEPFAR e.t.c.

c)  Placing HIV/AIDS slogan at strategic places in the libraries i. e “Know Your HIV/AIDS status, Spread the KNOWLEDGE…not the VIRUS, Don’t be a fool vulcanize your tool”.

d) Helping patients to find and identify sources of information that are relevant to their information needs on HIV/AIDS.

e) Collaborate and create Advocacy for people living with HIV/ AIDS through print and electronic media.

f)  Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI) to Healthcare providers and Allied profession with evidenced based Medicine results.

“We live in a completely interdependent world, which simply means we can not escape each other. How we respond to AIDS depends, in part, on whether we understand this interdependence. It is not someone else’s problem. This is everybody’s problem” Bill Clinton.