Library and information professionals in Africa discussing the SDGs

By Justin Chisenga

A scan of the themes of conferences being organized by library and information professionals in Africa reveals a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in some cases on the African Union Agenda 2063.

SDGs. [Source: Sustainable Development Knowledge
Platform]

In May 2017, the theme of the African Library and Information Associations (AFLIA)’s conference in Yaonde, Cameroon was on “Libraries in the Development Agenda: Repositioning African Libraries to Deliver on the Future We Want”. The Zimbabwe Library Association’s (ZimLA) annual conference, in June 2017, focused on “Libraries in the National Development Agenda: Repositioning Libraries for Sustainable Development”, and in Zambia, the Library and Information Association of Zambia (LIAZ) annual conference in July 2017 was on the theme: “The Role of Information Institutions and Professionals in the Attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals”.  The theme of the forthcoming XXIIIrd SCECSALConference, scheduled for April 2018 in Entebbe, Uganda is “Positioning Library and Information Services to Achieve Sustainable Development: Innovations and Partnerships” and that of the 4th IAALD Africa Conference, in May-June 2018, is “Agricultural Innovations, Information and Knowledge: Catalyzing the Attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063”.

It is almost two years since the World leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, popularly referred to as the 2030 Agenda; its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as Global Goals; and the associated 169 targets spanning economic, environmental and social development. Since then, governments have been developing frameworks for multi-stakeholder dialogue to facilitate the integration of the SDGs into their national and sub-national development plans. Development organizations, civil society organizations, and even some organizations in the private sector, have also been aligning and mainstreaming the SDGs into their development policies, strategies and initiatives. Therefore, it is good news to see that library and information professionals in Africa are discussing SDGs and possibly developing strategies to contribute to the 2030 Agenda.

Mr. Mark Maseko, National Information Officer from
the United Nations  Information Centre (UNIC), Zambia
  guiding the discussions on  SDGs by librarians at the
LIAZ 2017 Conference [Photo: Justin Chisenga]

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) took part in the pre- 2030 Agenda consultations and contributed to the process in several ways, including “advocating for the inclusion of access to information, safeguarding of cultural heritage, universal literacy, and access to information and communication technologies (ICT)” in the 2030 Agenda. IFLA also encouraged librarians and library associations to actively participate in the 2030 Agenda process, conducted capacity development activities targeting library and information professionals, and developed a toolkit, all with the aim of helping information professionals and their institutions to advocate for and show that they can drive progress across the entire 2030 Agenda.

IFLA also provided concrete evidence to show that information institutions, such as libraries, information centres, documentation centres and information professional associations, have a role to play in attaining the 2030 Agenda. This is documented in the booklet on Access and Opportunity for All: How Libraries Contribute to the United Nations 2030 Agenda. The booklet highlights several examples from around the world showing how libraries and access to information contribute to improved outcomes across the 17 SDGs.

The current focus and discussions of the SDGs by library and information professionals in Africa is most welcome and should be encouraged. To effectively and efficiently contribute to the attainment of the 2030 Agenda, they should:

1. Know the 2030 Agenda, its 17 SDGs, the 169 targets and the associated 232 individual indicators otherwise it will be difficult to directly and meaningfully contribute to the Agenda. Official documentation on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs is available on the United Nations Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform and the Sustainable Development Goal indicators website.
2. Know their national governments’ development priorities and commitments to implement the 2030 Agenda. The “primary responsible for achieving the SDGs are the governments and the people they represent”. Therefore, contributing to attaining the SDGs, whether by organizations or groups of individuals, should not be done in insolation of the national development efforts. Working with national governments and national partners is key and one surest way to meaningfully contribute directly to attaining the 2030 Agenda. Getting to know the country’s development priorities and commitments to the 2030 Agenda is among the first steps towards contributing to the national development goals and ultimately to the 2030 Agenda.
3. Define the responses to the 2030 Agenda and SDGs and document priorities, strategies and activities in the context of contributing to the national government’s efforts. All efforts and contributions to attaining the SDGs should be aligned to the priorities of the national government. Therefore, library and information institutions and professionals should have a written document articulating their strategies and monitoring mechanism for their planned efforts or contributions. Without any monitoring, it will be difficult to show evidence of any contributions to the national development agendas and the 2030 Agenda.

IFLA has already shown that library and Information institutions and professionals have a role to play in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals. However, their contributions should be within the framework of national development agendas and priorities, which in most cases are aligned with the 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs. Information institutions should define the services and products to be provided and establish strategic partnerships that will contribute to the three dimensions of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental.

AFLIA and SCECSAL, the two largest groupings of library and information professionals in Africa, should ensure that the outcomes of the various on-going discussions of the SDGs by library and information professionals in African sare widely shared and published online for easy access.

Library and information professionals in Zambia reminded of the importance of libraries in sustainable development

Ms. Velenasi Mwale Munsanje, LIAZ President (L)
and Dr. Auxilia Ponga, Permanent Secretary (R)
[Photo: Justin Chisenga] 

The Minister of National Development and Planning in Zambia, Honourable Lucky Mulusa, has reminder library and information professionals in Zambia on the importance of libraries and information in sustainable development.
In a statement at the opening session of the 2017 Library and Information Association of Zambia (LIAZ) Annual Conference in Siavonga, read on his behalf by Dr. Auxilia Ponga, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Hon. Mulusa urged participants to seriously review the way libraries and other related institutions in the country are managing the information to effectively contribute sustainable development.

“The Government recognises that to deliver inclusive and equitable development to its citizens who are at the core of sustainable development, it requires concerted efforts and commitment of all stakeholders, including libraries. In order to attain its aspirations for sustainable development, Zambia needs services of up-to-date and well-coordinated libraries to make sound and informed decisions. This implies that there is need for ready access to well-packaged information for individuals, institutions and communities. This would lead to empowered and resilient citizens and consequently attainment of sustainable development”, Hon. Mulusa said.

Hon. Mulusa also urged library and information professionals to take advantage of technological advancement to modernise the libraries and the provision of information services.

“As a country that pursues smart technologies, it is imperative that libraries should no longer only be accessed physically, but they should allow for a readership that access libraries online through computers and other devices such as phones”,  Hon. Mulusa added.

In her statement, Ms. Velenasi Mwale Munsanje, LIAZ President, assured the Minister’s representative of LIAZ’s support to the government’s development aganda.

Group  photo of participants at the 2017 LIAZ
Annual Conference

“We are looking at what our institutions and us, the information professionals, can do to help the government attain the SDGs. We are the right profession to help you achieve the development goals of Zambia”,  Ms. Munsanje said.

In a vote of thanks, Mr. Hephias Hamakanda, a former librarian with the Zambia Library Service and now a farmer, expressed regret at the absence of a library policy and relevant legislation in the country. He asked the government, through Dr. Ponga, to address the issue of a library policy that was initiated in the late 1970’s by the library and information professionals in the country.

The 2017 LIAZ Annual Conference, on the theme: “The Role of Information Institutions and Professionals in the Attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals”, runs from 18 July to 21 July 2017.

LIAZ members get acquainted with advocating for the SDGs

Part of the workshop participants during group work
[Photo: Justin Chisenga]

More than 100 members of the Library and Information Association of Zambia (LIAZ) on 18 July 2017 attended a one-day workshop on advocating for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Siavonga, in the Southern Province of the country.

 “As information professionals, we need to fully understand what the SDGs are if we are to meaningfully contribute to the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”,  Ms. Velenasi Mwale Munsanje, LIAZ President, said in her welcome statement.

The practical workshop held at the Lake Safari Lodge, on the shores of the Lake Kariba, covered the following topics: introduction to the SDGs, library advocacy and the SDGs, identification of targets for advocacy initiatives, selecting an advocacy issue, developing messages, developing an advocacy strategy matrix, and monitoring and evaluation of advocacy initiatives, among others.

The participants worked in groups and developed sample advocacy plans based on the SDGs of their choice and shared their work in the plenary session.

Mr. Mark Maseko, National Information Officer from the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Zambia, and Mr. Charles Nonde, Librarian at UNIC, co-facilitated the workshop.

The workshop was held part of LIAZ’s 2017 Annual General Conference taking place from 18 July to 21 July 2017, on the theme: “The Role of Information Institutions and Professionals in the Attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals”.

Call for applications: Carnegie Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme

Applications for the fourth intake of the Carnegie-funded Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme, which is aimed at enhancing ICT skills for research enablement in African universities opened on the 1st of February 2015 and closes on the 13th of March 2015. The course will begin on the 23rd of May 2015. Academic librarians and LIS faculty in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda are eligible to apply for admission to this programme.

Eight four-week training sessions will take place over a period of three years. 32 participants will be selected for each intake. 

This four-week residential training programme with both practical (70%) and theoretical (30%) components will cover the following topics:

1. Setting the context: Libraries, ICTs and research 
2. Leadership and innovation
3. Information literacy
4. Social media for research discoverability in an academic environment
5. Mobile technology and mobility
6. Managing and organising information
7. Personal Information Management
8. Open Scholarship and Open Science (OS/S) – Publishing
9. Open Scholarship and Open Science - Institutional Repositories.
10. Open Scholarship and Open Science - Understanding and using research data management
11. Digitisation
12. Evaluating website architecture
13. Cloud services and storage
14. Virtual research environments
15. The next generation librarian 

This is a fully funded programme which will take place in Pretoria, South Africa. The funding covers books and other academic expenditures, flights, accommodation, and a daily stipend while in Pretoria. All participants are expected to reside in the accommodation provided in Pretoria for the duration of the programme.

Grant exclusions:

• Visa applications, personal expenses (for example medicine, laundry, phone calls, etc.)
• ICT equipment such as laptops, modems, internet access top-ups etc.
• Travel to and from the airport in your home country

Application for the third intake closes on 13th of March 2015. No late applications will be considered. (There will be a fifth intake in November 2015, as well as a further three intakes in 2016.)

For additional information on the programme content, eligibility and selection criteria, application procedures, important dates, etc., please see: http://www.up.ac.za/en/information-science/article/21563/carnegie-cpd-programme.
 All correspondence or enquiries: Joan de la Haye at Carnegie-cpd@up.ac.za

  

Kind Regards

Joan De La Haye

Carnegie CPD Programme Administrator

joan.delahaye@up.ac.za

+27 (0) 12 420 2887

 

 

 

14th Biennial Congress of AHILA (AHILA 14)

Date: 20th - 24th October 2014

City: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Theme:

ICTs, Access to Health Information and Knowledge: Building Strong Knowledge Societies for Sustainable Development in Africa

Background

The Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa (AHILA) is pleased to announce its 14th Biennial Congress scheduled to take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. AHILA was founded in 1984 with the aim of improving provision of up-to-date and relevant health information; encourage professional development of health librarians; promote information resource sharing in Africa and exchange of experiences as well as promoting the development and standardization and exchange of health databases in Africa. The main theme of the 14th AHILA Congress is: “ICTs, access to health information and knowledge: building strong knowledge societies for sustainable development in Africa”.

The sub-themes of the Congress are:

1. ICT’s and health information and knowledge management systems for  sustainable development

• Use of ICT to enhance access to health information for gender empowerment and poverty reduction
• Qualitative and quantitative studies of knowledge management systems for health
•  ICTs and evidence based health care practices
• ICTs and knowledge management practices for health care services
• The design of appropriate ICTs to meet information needs of various stakeholders in health care setting, such as health professionals, patients and health consumers
• ICT and indigenous knowledge management
• Security, privacy, and risk management through ICT
• Mobile health applications and access to health information
• Emerging technologies for disseminating health information
• Information discovery: portals, databases, gateways

2. Health information literacy and information behaviour

• Health information literacy seeking behavior: theories and models
• Research approaches and methodologies for health information literacy, information needs and information seeking behavior
• Information seeking, searching, use and sharing in health care context
• Information literacy and health libraries

3. Social media networking and dissemination of health information and knowledge: its contribution to creating knowledge societies

• Social media, Web 2.0 and Information Literacy 2.0 approaches for health library and information services
• Role of libraries in supporting web2.0-based medical education and learning
• Qualitative and quantitative studies of social media for health information
• Application of social media/networks applications, interfaces and interactions techniques in library and information centers setting
• Developing social media tools/ applications for health professionals, patients and health consumers
• Role of libraries in supporting collaborative biomedical research
• Ethical & legal issues, confidentiality and privacy in information delivery services

4. Capacity building of Health Information Professionals: the role of LIS education in Africa

• Curriculum development for LIS education
• LIS education and innovative teaching techniques and methods
• LIS education and e-learning technologies
• LIS education, information literacy and ICTs
• LIS education and knowledge management
• LIS education, networking and collaboration
• LIS education continuing education and professional development programmes
• LIS job market in Africa: current trends
• Information literacy instruction, including curriculum development, instructional design, teaching techniques and methods, and evaluation
• Information literacy, online learning, distance learning and lifelong learning

5. Bringing health information and knowledge to Africa’s rural communities through partnership and community engagement

• Access of health information to patients and health consumers: strategies and approaches
• Indigenous knowledge management
• Innovative rural health information services delivery
• Partnership and community engagement approaches for rural information provision

The Congress will incorporate the 2nd HIFA International Conference (Healthcare Information For All) where delegates will review progress made since the launch of HIFA at AHILA 10 (Mombasa, Kenya, 2006) and ways forward to accelerate progress towards Healthcare Information For All in Africa and worldwide.

Abstract details:

Abstract should be in English with a maximum of 500 words.  
Deadline for submission of abstracts is 1st March 2014

All abstracts should be submitted as an attachment and sent to the following:

1. Prof. Frankwell Dulle, Email address:  dullefw2011@gmail.com OR nzengamshe@yahoo.com 
2. Dr. Alfred Sife, Email address:  sifesas@gmail.com OR sifesas@yahoo.com  
3. Dr. Edda.T. Lwoga, Email address: tlwoga@gmail.com 
4. Copy to Ms Rehema Chande-Mallya, Secretary Organising Committee: email address: rchandemallya@gmail.com

For information on sponsorship, conference exhibition or nay other enquiries please contact Ms Rehema Chande-Mallya, Secretary Organising Committee: email address: rchandemallya@gmail.com

Kitwe Public Library in Zambia

The Kitwe Public Library (KPL) started operations in the early 1960s. It is

Kitwe Public Library main entrance

located at the City Square in a building that was constructed in 1954. The building originally served as the Civic Centre and later as a Whites’ only library before becoming a public library. The library falls under the Department of Housing and Social Services of the Kitwe City Council.

Library membership is open to the public. However, adults pay five Kwacha (about US$0.90) per month to use the library while junior membership fee is fixed at three Kwacha (about US$0.54) per month. The library has a seating capacity of about 85 in addition to 50 at its Buchi Township branch library. This capacity is not adequate for a city with a population of about 520,000 inhabitants (based on 2010 Population Census).

Reading room

KPL has about 14,000 volumes covering textbooks, reference materials and children’s books. However, most of the collection is obsolete. The library was once an Environmental Public Information Centres (EPIC) and served as a public disclosure and reference centre for research and other educational and academic purposes supporting the World Bank funded Copperbelt Environment Project (CEP). Kitwe, founded in 1936, is the hub of the Copperbelt Province in which the copper mining industry dominates. Environmental problems associated with the mining industry are a major issue. CEP addressed environmental liabilities associated with the mining sector. CEP closed in 2011.

ICT in the library

Library card catalogue

Like most public libraries in sub-Saharan Africa, Kitwe Public Library is yet to embrace fully modern information and communication technologies (ICT). When you walk into the library, you will see that there are no signs of any use of computers for public library services such as library loans/circulation or Open Access Public Catalogue (OPAC). The old library card catalogue still lives on.

Although efforts are being made to use computers in the library, they seem inadequate. During the Copperbelt Environment Project the World Bank donated four computers to the library. Today, only two standalone computers are operational and are being used for office work. In 2011, the Kitwe City Council purchased a computer server for the library and Koha, an open source library automation system, was installed. After about one year of operation, the library experienced problems with the server and since then the system has been down.

The library is not connected to the Internet. It therefore lacks access to digital information resources including thousands of peer reviewed electronic journals and books available online for free or at reduced cost to public institutions in most developing countries.

Plans are on paper to connect the library to the Internet. However, it is not clear as to when this will happen. A room with computer network cables and extra-power points is being prepared to serve as an Internet access centre. Let us hope that soon, the Kitwe Public Library will be connected to global knowledge through the Internet.

First CARLIGH international conference

The Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries, Ghana (CARLIGH) is pleased to announce that the 1st International Conference of the Consortium will be held in Accra, Ghana from 14-18  July 2014  as part of its 10th Anniversary celebrations. 

Theme and Sub-Themes

The theme for the Conference is: “Innovation for access to information”.

The sub-themes for the Conference are:

1. Library integration and resource sharing
2. Technology driven information services – E-resources, Institutional Repository, Open Access
3. The 21st Century Librarian – satisfying the needs of varied users
4. Social media in libraries and information service delivery
5. Impact of social media on socio-economic development
6. Innovative library marketing and collaboration

Registration

The Governing Board of CARLIGH wishes to invite both local and foreign participants to register for the conference. Please send the following personal information: Name, Institution of Work, Designation, Country of Origin,  Contact  Address, Telephone and Email to: maadwoa2000@yahoo.com and  egy28@yahoo.co.uk

 

Registration fees

Local participants  GH¢300

Foreign participants $250

The registration fee covers, snacks, lunches, a dinner and conference materials. The deadline for registration is  15th February, 2014. Registration is open to both those who want to present papers and other participants. Further information would be provided on how to pay the registration fees.

Accommodation

Information about accommodation would be provided in due course. The planning committee is still negotiating for conference rates.

Submission of Abstracts

The Consortium invites the submission of abstracts to be considered for papers to be presented at CARLIGH 2014. Abstract must be presented in bold; Arial 12, and a maximum of 150 words. Download the guidelines for authors.

 

All abstracts and papers should be sent to the following addresses:

   Dr. Mrs. Helena Asamoah-Hassan, University Librarian,
   KNUST, Kumasi. Email: maadwoa2000@yahoo.com

   Alhaji Ibrahim Kwabena Antwi, University Librarian

   UDS, Tamale. Email: ikantwi1993@yahoo.com

Deadline for Abstracts: 31st January 2014
Authors whose abstracts will be accepted will be notified by 15th February 2014

Submission of Full Papers

The final document is to be submitted by 31st March 2014 in MS Word format.  Submissions received after 31st March 2014 will automatically be dropped from the programme.

Authors are responsible for the quality of their paper and are kindly requested to observe the following guidelines for the preparation and delivery of manuscripts. Use of English (UK) spell checker is recommended.

The 1st International Conference of CARLIGH promises to be a melting point of great minds in the global knowledge economy.  It is expected that a cross section of the society interested in information as the driver of emerging economies will attend.

 

Survey of agricultural information centres, libraries and documentation centres in Africa

Is this the state of agricultural information centres
in sub-Saharan Africa?

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - Regional Office for Africa, in collaboration with the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD Africa Chapter), is conducting an online survey of agricultural information centres, libraries and documentation centre.

The goal of the survey is to establish the state of agricultural information centres, libraries and documentation centres in sub-Saharan Africa.

Potential use of the results of the survey include the design of capacity development and technical support initiatives to enhance access, dissemination and exchange of agricultural information and knowledge in sub-Saharan Africa.

You can prepare to complete the online survey by downloading and reviewing a PDF (266K) copy of the questionnaire.

To complete the survey online, on Survey Monkey, click HERE or cut and paste the following link in your browser:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/survey-of-agric-information-centres

The survey closes on 20 December 2013

A Glimpse into the Future of Public Libraries in Africa

Books in a public library

Public libraries in most countries in Africa are top on the list of the most neglected public institutions. Most public libraries are under-funded, stocked with old and sometimes out-dated publications (the only latest publications being daily newspapers), lack access to modern information and communication technologies (ICTs), and their staff lag behind in current developments and techniques in information and knowledge management. With this type of profile, is there a future for public libraries in Africa?

Discussions at the first ever African Public Libraries Summit (APLS) 2012, held at Indaba Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa, 19–21 September 2012, revealed that while some public libraries are almost on stand still, others are making good progress by being innovative and adopting modern ICTs. A good case was presented from Botswana.


Ms Ruth B. Maphorisa

Ms. Ruth B. Maphorisa, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, Botswana, shared the experience of her government’s Sesigo - Botswana e-Public Libraries project. Under the project, public libraries in the country are providing access to computers, computer training and internet access to Batswana. The libraries are also providing space for homework clubs, health talks,  lifeline youth meetings, unemployment workshops and training sessions, book reading clubs,  English learning sessions and talk shows involving professionals from different fields including health, education and social welfare. The project is being implemented by her Ministry in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP).

Ms. Magdeline Engleton

Ms. Magdeline Engleton, Senior Library Officer, Botswana National Library Service, based Molalatau Village Library, shared her experience in running and providing information and library services to rural communities. Her library engages with community members to identify their needs, and gets them involved in the Library activities. She is providing computer training, Internet services, and helping the youths in the community to search for jobs. These services, which are beyond the traditional public libraries’ services, are attracting community members to the Library.

Although external international organizations are involved in the working in the Sesigo - Botswana e-Public Libraries project, it was clear from the discussions that the success of the initiative is largely because of the Government’s commitment and support to public libraries. The Permanent Secretary participating in the entire three-day meeting, which focused on public libraries, is proof of this support.

What is the status of public libraries in other African countries? Do they have a future? Will they end up like the extinct dinosaur?

About 127 delegates attended APLS 2012 from 53 countries out of which 43 were African countries.

Challenges to Open Access and Institutional Repositories in Africa Highlighted

Participants at SCECSAL 2012

Research outputs from Africa should be available, accessible and applicable. This is the only way research can have an impact on the lives of the millions of Africans, and contribute to the global innovation systems. One of the pathways being used to enhance the visibility and accessibility of content from Africa is through open access to information resources stored in digital institutional repositories. Several initiatives are under way on the continent, especially in universities and research institutes. However, individuals involved in the initiatives face several challenges, some of which have been highlighted by speakers at the 2012 Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and South Africa of Library and Information Associations (SCECSAL, in Nairobi, Kenya, 4 – 8 June. The key challenges include the following:

• lack of motivation and incentives for researchers/academicians to submit their works to the institutional repositories;
• absence of institutional policies and strategies to support open sharing of information resources;
• inadequate bandwidth in institutions;
• fear of the un-known resulting in resistance to open access initiatives by researchers, academicians and librarians;
• conflicts/differences between information technology specialists and information/library professionals in the institutions regarding the approaches and software tools to be used;
• unstable power supply in some countries impact on 24/7 provision of access to institutional repositories;
• open access and institutional repository initiatives are seen as additional responsibilities to normal library duties and do not receive the attention required;
• absence of appropriate skills, especially IT skills, in libraries and documentation centres;
• absence of clear copyright and guidelines for licensing digital content;
• lack of knowledge about publishers policies on open access and self-archiving.