Innovation in Library and Information Services in supporting Africa’s industrial development

1. Innovation in Library and Information Services in supporting Africa’s industrial development Dr. Edda Tandi Lwoga Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences Tanzania

2. Agenda • Introduction • Economic value of information & knowledge • Information, knowledge, creativity & innovation • Role of innovative library & information services in the industrial development • Experiences from developed countries • Experiences from Africa • Other initiatives that facilitate access to knowledge and information in Africa • Conclusion and recommendations

3. Introduction • The availability of knowledge strengthens innovators capacity to produce new knowledge • However, documentation process has not gained its importance • Low levels of scientific outputs, • Patent applications & trademarks registered, • Further underdevelopment Patentable products New services & business processes Local journals Libraries • Have minimal circulation • Few journals are indexed • Only 28 journals were indexed • by ISI in 2006 (Onyancha 2008) • Low impact factor • High priced literature • Journal subscriptions normally • increase at rate of 11-16% yearly • (Nyika 2006) • Inadequate resources • Poor ICT infrastructure -However, library can play a major role in industrial development in Africa

4. The economic value of information & knowledge • Key to economic development • Enhanced by information & the ability to convert it into knowledge • Sources of power and productivity - replacing land and capital • Facilitate creativity and innovation – foster industrial development • The world has consequently moved through • hunter–gatherer, agrarian and industrial to information/ knowledge society/ economy

5. The economic value of information & knowledge

6. Information, knowledge, creativity and innovation • Libraries • Need to articulate tacit knowledge • & make it available for use by others • Through • Converting tacit to explicit • Socialization process Knowledge • Tacit • Explicit

7. Information, knowledge, creativity and innovation • Libraries • Need to use information and knowledge management practices • Enhance availability of knowledge for creativity & innovation • Creativity • Production of new, novel and useful ideas • Innovation • Implementation of these creative ideas e.g. new products, services However, the productivity of and return on investments in science, technology, and innovation is lower in Africa

8. Innovative libraries and information services services in the industrial development • Major players in facilitating information and knowledge services for industrial development • Need to change their roles & functions • Changes of technologies • New participatory approaches • Information seeking behaviour • Nature of information • Need to convert information into knowledge • Contribute to knowledge creation • Advantages • Good quality of services • Adequate resources & communication infrastructure

9. Innovative libraries and information services Source: Drotner (2005)

10. Innovative libraries and information services Phases of technological development Library 2.0 Hybrid library model • Libraries • Need to provide more flexible user-centred services • Physical library services to onsite users • Electronic library services to offsite users “A general title search in Google Scholar on “Library 2.0” recently retrieved 745 articles, and 8,050 articles for a title search of“Web 2.0”

11. Role of libraries in industrial development: developed world • Play a key role in serving the industry community • Libraries in Canada, Germany and UK (Ifidon 1995) • Kansas public libraries in the USA (Glass et al., 2000) • Public libraries in the USA (Hamilton-Pennell 2008) • They offer a range of services • e-resources, information on patents, job vacancies, business expansion • Reference services & advisory services • Borrowing privileges, interlibrary loans, • Current awareness services, translation services

12. Role of libraries in industrial development: developed world • Drawbacks • Provide mainly traditional business reference services (Glass et al., 2000) • Need to be pro-active • Users do not recognize libraries as a source of information (Glass et al., 2000) • Most libraries lack • Funds • Expertise • Business research • A change of mindset toward outreach to the business community

13. Role of libraries in industrial development: developed world • Use of technological innovative library services • Virtual libraries - offer online resources and services • Library 2.0 is becoming popular • Use of web 2.0 technologies is high in North America, than in other regions such as Asia and Europe • (Chua and Goh 2010; Harinarayana and Raju 2010; Linh 2008 ; Sapa 2005; Xu, Ouyang, and Chu 2009) • The level of awareness about library 2.0 is high • However, the implementation of innovative technologies is still uneven Many libraries are still struggling to see how these tools might be used in their organizations (Secker and Price 2007)

14. Role of African libraries in industrial development • Academic libraries • Vital for industrial development • Well equipped and better resourced than other types of libraries • But, there is uneven development and growth, both in quantity and quality A survey of 20 university libraries in eight countries of East and Southern Africa showed that most participating libraries were practising information management (65%), (Jain 2007)

15. Role of African libraries in industrial development • Academic libraries • Most African libraries • 1st phase - provision of “information about the library” • Possess basic ICT infrastructure, websites (Muswazi 2000; Rosenberg 2005) • Still automating library services (Rosenberg 2005) • Subscribe to few e-journals (UNESCO 2005) • Few libraries in Africa are getting closer to 2nd phase - “virtual libraries” • E.g. South Africa (Blummer 2007; Wood 2009) Seven of the 23 sites used some form of Web 2.0 on their home page, and over half of the sites offered web 2.0 feature on internal pages (Wood 2009)

16. Role of African libraries in industrial development • Public libraries • Vital for industrial development • Natural partners • Their utilization for industrial development is not satisfactory in most countries • Studies in Nigeria (Harande 2009; Ifidon 1995) • Progress in some African countries • e.g. The Library Business Corners (LBC) in South Africa (Fourie 2003; Underwood 2009) • Most African libraries • Possess internet connectivity • Limited web-based library information services, automated library functions (Chisenga and Rorissa 2001; INASP 2004) • Few libraries have automated their services - e.g. South Africa, Botswana

17. Role of African libraries in industrial development • Special libraries • Vital in the industrialization process, but their use is low • Mainly provide traditional library services • Studies in Nigeria (Harande 2009), Uganda (Kizza 2010) • Most libraries are not well equipped • E.g. Libraries attached to government offices, NGOs etc • Basic infrastructure, computers & internet connectivity • Most lack Online Public Access Catalogue, e-journals (Kizza 2010) • Digital development is still uneven • Progress is observable in • Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa (i.e. public offices, NGOs, corporate) • Libraries attached to International organizations • e.g. UNECA, EAC, SADC, American Resource Center (ARC),

18. Role of African libraries in industrial development • LIS education • Vital for industrial development • Good progress in • Revision of curricula, application of ICTs • Expansion and closure of LIS schools • Increasing and decreasing numbers of students • Combination and reorientation of LIS programmes • Rearrangement of the academic administration of LIS schools • Most of them are at different stages of integrating ICTs into their curriculum (IFLA/ALP 2006) • Library consortia • Solicit funds and subscribe to online resources • Good progress in few countries, • i.e. 18 countries (EIFL 2011) e.g. Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa etc • However, the establishment of consortia in most countries in Africa is still in its infancy stages (Kamba 2011) Ocholla 2008; Onyancha and Minishi-Majanja 2008)

19. Challenges • Marginalized • Lack of policy frameworks • Reduced budgets • Lack of local content - very little indigenous knowledge is documented • Each year, 2% of the languages (and the cultures and knowledge expressed by them) dissapear (Muñoz, 2004) • Poor circulation of most of the local journals • Few African journals are indexed • Poor ICT infrastructure • Shortage of human resources • Networking & resource sharing

20. Other initiatives that facilitate access to knowledge • International efforts • Open access movement • Remove access and permission barrier • Open access journals • 6364 journals, with a total of 563649 articles (DOAJ 2011) • Institutional repositories

21. Other initiatives that facilitate access to knowledge • Open Access is gaining its momentum • 63% (610) publishers formally allow some form of self-archiving (Romeo 2011) • However, there is low adoption of Open Access in Africa • 48 (2.5%) of 1943 repositories come from Africa (OpenDOAR 2011) • 36 of 1746 repositories are from Africa (ROAR 2011) • 26% countries are represented in AJOL, with not more than 2 journals(Ezema 2010) 47 Funder mandates 119 Institutional mandates 31 Sub-institutional mandates (ROARMAP 2011)

22. Other initiatives that facilitate access to knowledge • Infrastructural project • Improve internet connectivity, lower costs • Regional bodies • The African Regional Action Plan on the Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE) by the African Union (AU) • African Information Society Initiative (AISI), the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) • SARUA – promotes OA • DATAD through AAU

23. Mobile telephony Source: ITU 2011 • In the developing world, mobile cellular penetration rates will reach 68% at the end of 2010 • In the African region, • penetration rates will reach an estimated 41% at the end of 2010 (compared to 76% globally) leaving a significant potential for growth.

24. Conclusion • Library have a critical role to play in industrial development • However, African libraries are not well equipped to serve the diverse needs of the industry and business community • Need to change their roles and functions • Change from information providers into knowledge facilitators • Develop and adopt innovative strategies and technologies in African libraries as important building blocks in industrial development

25. Recommendations • Library networks (consortia, associations) • Library policies • Involve users in the management and delivery of library services • Educate industries • to either establish special libraries within their structure, or utilize the existing ones • Capacity building of library staff and associations • Expand business and economic development information services • Create a small business information center/ corner • Establish awareness, outreach and community engagement programmes • Regular information needs studies • Assess & map the local knowledge • Provide opportunities for users to acquire and create knowledge • Both physical & electronic • Develop local indigenous content

26. Recommendations • Adopt a mix of appropriate ICTs • Creation of learning societies • information literacy programmes, lifelong learning, apprenticeship, voluntarism, research, innovation and publications; offer workplace literacy programs • Partnerships • African governments • Develop national knowledge and information policies • Foster links and partnerships & open access • Establish and strengthen the existing public & special libraries • Strengthen the ICT infrastructure, standards, & supply of electricity • Regional information policies and infrastructure plans • Recognize the role of libraries • Coordinate and foster partnerships • Improve the library infrastructure, • Expand open access to scholarly information

27. Thank you for your attention! Edda Tandi Lwoga, PhD tlwoga@muhas.ac.tz, tlwoga@gmail.com