Challenges and Collaborative Solutions for Academic libraries in Africa

1. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Challenges and Collaborative Solutions for Academic libraries in Africa Dr. Elisha R. T. Chiware Director: CPUT Libraries Cape Peninsula University of Technology Cape Town, South Africa

2. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Presentation Outline • The Higher Education Landscape in Africa • Value of Academic Libraries in Africa • Challenges in Service Delivery • Collaborative Ventures • Conclusion

3. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Higher Education in Africa • HE in Africa – is playing a critical role in Human Resources development for the Civil Service and Development of Education System • Challenges • Access – rising but still behind in global terms • Gender equality – the girl child is still marginalized • Relevance – to development priorities and social change • Quality – teaching staff, low skilled researchers • Management – poor resources focus • Funding – inadequate investment from funders • Research - poor and not being applied to social and economic change

4. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Value of Libraries in Higher Education in Africa • A growing global disconnect between libraries and academics(RIN and RLUK, 2011) • Growing call for libraries to articulate their value and align with institutional goals (Value of Academic Libraries Initiative – ACRL, 2010) • Value of academic libraries in the Developing World – SAGE, 2013 • Enabling academic excellence in African universities by demonstrating the value and impact of academic libraries to university leadership(A joint ACU/INASP publication for African vice chancellors, rectors and university leaders)

5. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Libraries in Higher Education in Africa • Challenges • Funding - a rise in investment (in the last decade) – but not adequate • (academic research – a source of information and knowledge - for social, economic and political well being of countries) • Information Access • While resources – are now widely available – the main problem remains with access – technical • Acceptance by users – faculty and students • Technology challenge • Broadband connectivity • Reach to areas beyond major cities • Training • Brain Drain

6. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Libraries in Higher Education in Africa • Challenges • Advocacy and Administration • Position of library in the institution • Appreciated value • Political and economic stability / instability • Varied external funding sources and agendas • Rapid growth of student population • Challenge on library facilities • Library physical infrastructures • Buildings • Electricity • Climate control

7. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Providing Solutions through Collaboration • Principles • Types of collaboration • Future areas of collaboration

8. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Principles of collaboration • Benefit for all the participants • Well defined relationships • Common, new goals • Have the commitment of the organizations leaders • Several projects with long term effort and results • Comprehensive planning, including: - development of joint strategies and - measures of success i.e. benefits to the user • Mutual risk • Shared resources or jointly contracted • Distributed benefits – more is accomplished jointly than could be individually Murray Shepherd, University of Waterloo, Canada http://www.iatul.org/doclibrary/public/conf_proceedings/2004/murray20sheperd.pdf

9. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Country specific collaboration • University Library Directors Councils • Coordinated national forums • Consortium • Resource sharing and joint development projects • Combined Donor sponsored initiatives • In various areas • Library Association Chapters • Focused on academic library development • National conferences, workshops and seminars • Open Access initiatives

10. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Collaboration initiatives among African academic libraries • IFLA - Africa Section • African Library Summit • Carnegie Leadership Academy • Leadership development • DRUSSA • Libraries Support Research Uptake initiatives • Open Access – Digitization initiatives • Database of African Theses and Dissertations (DATAD) – ACU • (18 countries) • Information Literacy Standards • Statistics Databases

11. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Areas of future collaboration • National electronic licences • Learn from Brazil • Research data management – a coordinated response to the emerging area of e-Research • Likely provide African researchers with opportunities to share and collaborate on common research areas • Open access - Increase African content on the web • Make a whole wealth of research outputs from govts, NGOs, universities more visible • Share technical expertise across boarders • Provide African technical experts in the Diaspora the opportunity to plough back home • Provide focused opportunities for growth and development of new professionals in global LIS trends

12. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Conclusion • Continuous demonstration of library value – through advocacy and alignment with university goals • Sustaining current collaborative initiatives • Learn from more developed emerging economies e.g. in BRICS • Provide opportunities for broader global networking

13. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Acknowledgements • To USFC for giving IATUL an opportunity to interact with Library Directors in Latin America • To USFC Library Staff for organizing the workshop and ensuring that we have all information prior to travel • To my colleagues (Mark Snyders at CPUT Libraries) for assisting me with putting this presentation together • And all those in attendance today • Estamos ansiosos para a família IATUL!!

14. IATUL/UFSC Networking Workshop Obrigado!!