Challenges in Automating Tanzania Academic Library

1. Challenges in Automating Tanzania Academic Library Lois – SingaMetili Assistant Lecturer Tumaini University, Makumira – Dar es salaam College Dar es salaam, Tanzania

2. Objective of the Presentation • This paper intends to establish the cultural challenges in automating academic libraries in Tanzania. These include: • Poor reading culture • Inadequate capital • Availability of service • Infrastructure barrier • Inadequate ICT skills • Lack of management support and • Donor funded dependency syndrome

3. Introduction • Tanzania has 28 academic libraries in both public and private universities • Majority of these libraries are operated manually • 15 libraries are in the process of automating their libraries • According to available literature, only the University of Dar es salaam has completed automating its library

4. Defining ‘Academic Library’ • Academic libraries are libraries that are hosted in post-secondary educational institutions, such as colleges and universities. • Functions of academic libraries include • provide resources and research support for students and faculty of the educational institution • Provide specific course-related resources are usually provided by the library • offer workshops and courses outside of formal, graded coursework • offers both, a quite study place

5. Many libraries have subscribed to electronic journals databases and usually provide computer workstations or computer labs for students to access journals, library search databases and portals, institutional electronic resources, internet access, and course- or task-related software • Tanzania is making an effort in automating the library services in all its libraries through training, aiding libraries with computers and building the capacity of staff and other stakeholders

6. Defining the ‘Automated Library’ • An automated library is a robotically controlled device designed to load and unload removable cartridges without operator intervention. • The archiving and staging processes use a site-defined scheme for allocating the number of drives to use. • Automated libraries are also known as media changers, jukeboxes, robots, libraries, or media libraries.

7. University of Chicago Library • The University of Chicago has spent over $80 million on the Joe and RikoMansueto Library, that is unique and handy to its end users and staff. • The Mansueto library houses its contents fifty feet below the ground • The books are retrieved by a robotic arm which returns the storage bin containing the book or item.

8. University of Chicago Library (cont.)

9. Defining ‘Automated Librarian’ • A librarian, is the person who looks after the storage and retrieval of information was previously professionally trained and educated to deal with information in a wide variety of formats and settings • Today, the librarian is expected to helps users navigate into the voyage of internet and evaluate information efficiently. • Librarian should be knowledgeable in a variety of information sources and follow the new trends and advancements in computers, media and publishing

10. Cultural Challenges in Automating Tanzanian Libraries

11. Challenges of automated libraries vary from country to country • Kamba(2011) identifies challenges in Nigeria as being ICT illiteracy, ICT awareness and lack of ICT framework • Muller (2005), identifies challenges facing special libraries in South Africa as being trend change, adding value to the special library, inadequate education on library information service, lack of or inadequate proper benchmarking and lack of succession plan • This paper identifies seven cultural challenges in automating Tanzanian academic libraries

12. Poor reading culture of many university/college students • A survey shows poor tendency of individual reading at the library, which resulted to poor assignments and research reports and in some instances even duplication of research reports • 60 percent of students enter the library for assignments and research • 85 percent of those who do visit the library study books that are relevant in their respective courses only • Some students complete their three years in college without having visited the library at all

13. Inadequate Capital • Economical capital –financial implications in an attempt to get connected, purchase of a computer, train responsible staff and student’s, build a user friendly infrastructure for the automated library and the likes • Cultural capital – knowledge acquired through cultural expression learned from the family socialization and education institutions

14. Inadequate Capital (cont.) • Social capital – networking and relationships benefits one can get from participating in certain library networks and databases related to lending books, journals, papers and research • Institutional capital - issues that mediate all of economic, political and social life Inadequate capital results into poor libraries with minimum automation, poor staff with little qualification for automated libraries and poorly developed students with limited resources for their education.

15. Availability of Service • According to a survey by TCRA (2010): • 46 (67%) out of 68 ASLs were found operating • 20 of them (30%) were not traced and • 2 (3%) were not operational. • Out of 46 operational licensees only 38 (83%) of them provide internet service. • Uncertainty in availability of services acts as a stumbling block in learning, using and communicating in an automated library environment.

16. Infrastructure Barrier • In Tanzania, • if the staff are not well equipped, then they are in no good position to assist students, • If students don’t understand on how to use the infrastructure, then the staff and equipment will not be of any use. • Should the staff and students understand the computer and automated equipment, but lack computers and or electricity, then that acts as a stumbling block. • Should everything be in order but the service provider are on and off, again it affects the operation of the automated library.

17. Infrastructure Barrier (cont.) • Unfortunately, in most of the academic libraries in Tanzania, one of the above mentioned or more are off-order, hence acting as stumbling blocks to the library.

18. Inadequate ICT skills • ICT staff and end users lack the proper know-how in usage of ICT equipment. • Shortage of computers and low computer – student ratio, lead to some students not touching computer for all the three years in their academic endeavor

19. Lack of Management Support • Managements are not supportive to modernizing and automating their services due to: • minimal funds • low enrolment • never-ending priorities • ever increasing competition • They investing more in marketing, bettering remuneration and modernizing buildings

20. Donor – Funded Dependency Syndrome • Definition: a situation in which a country cannot carry out its activities without the assistance of funding and expertise • Waiting for sister-colleges to donate computers, printers, books, experts in automation, construction, tools, laboratory equipment etc

21. Conclusion • Significance of automating academic libraries can never be overlooked • It has to be noted that the library is the heart of any academic institution • There should be campaigns to stress: • Significance of automating libraries • Providing ICT training to librarian academic staff and students and • Building a user friendly infrastructure that can facilitate the smooth running of an automated library