The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Innovation in Library and
Information Services in supporting
Africa’s industrial development
Dr. Edda Tandi Lwoga
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied
Sciences
Tanzania
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Agenda
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Introduction

The availability of knowledge strengthens innovators capacity to produce
new knowledge
Patentable
products

New services & business
processes
However, documentation process has not gained its importance
 Low levels of scientific outputs,
 Patent applications & trademarks registered,
 Further underdevelopment
Libraries
 High priced literature
Journal subscriptions normally
increase at rate of 11-16% yearly
(Nyika 2006)
 Inadequate resources
 Poor ICT infrastructure
Local journals
 Have minimal circulation
 Few journals are indexed
Only 28 journals were indexed
by ISI in 2006 (Onyancha 2008)
 Low impact factor
-However, library can play a major role in industrial development in Africa
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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
Information
society
• Use of ICTs
to process &
distribute
information
Knowledge
economy
• Create,
share & use
knowledge
for economic
development
Knowledge
society
• Broader
• create, share
& use
information &
knowledge in a
society
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The economic value of information & knowledge
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Information, knowledge, creativity and innovation
Data
• Unorganised
&
unprocesse
d facts
Knowledge
Information
Knowledge
• Data with
attributes of
relevance
and purpose
• Set of truths
and beliefs,
concepts,
judgments &
know-how
Libraries
Need to articulate tacit knowledge
 Tacit
& make it available for use by others
 Through
 Explicit
 Converting tacit to explicit
 Socialization process
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Information, knowledge, creativity and innovation
R&D,
science
technology
 Libraries
 Need to use information and knowledge
management practices
- Enhance availability of knowledge for creativity &
innovation
 Creativity
Library
 Production of new, novel and useful ideas
 Innovation
 Implementation of these creative ideas e.g. new
products, services
Creativity
&
innovation
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Innovative libraries and information services
Library
Industrial society
Information society
Aim
Personal relevance of Free access to
cultural choice
information
Information literacy
Knowledge society
Free use of information
and fiction
Multimodal literacy
Librarian Cultural custodian
Information
disseminator
Knowledge facilitator
Content
Material enity,
physical artefact
Non-material process
Effective, reliable
information processing
Material artefacts & nonmaterial processes
Information and fiction
User
Receiver of choice
cultural consumer
Information producer
and evaluator
Knowledge producer &
co-operator
Source: Drotner (2005)
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Innovative libraries and information services
Phases of technological development
Web
• Information
about the
library
• Early
1990s
Digital
library
• Online
collection
and
services
• Late
1990s
Library
2.0
• Usergenerated
• Usermanipulat
ed
content
Library 2.0
Libraries
Hybrid
recently retrieved 745 articles, and 8,050 articles for a title search
of
library
 Physical library services to onsite
“Web users
2.0”
model
“A general title search in Google Scholar on “Library 2.0”
 Need to provide
more flexible user-centred services
 Electronic library services to offsite users
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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)
(Secker and Price 2007)
 The level of awareness about library 2.0 is high
 However, the implementation of innovative technologies is still uneven
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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
(Jain 2007)
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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)
(Wood 2009)
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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),
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Role of African libraries in industrial development
 LIS education
 Vital for industrial development
Ocholla 2008;
 Good progress in
Onyancha
and Minishi- Revision of curricula, application of ICTs
Majanja 2008)
- 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)
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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)
47 Funder mandates
119 Institutional
mandates
31 Sub-institutional
mandates
(ROARMAP 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)
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Other initiatives that facilitate access to knowledge
 Infrastructural project
 Improve internet connectivity, lower costs
Seacom
EASSy
TEAMs
WACS
MainOne
GLO1
ACE
Capacity
1.28 Tb/s
4.72
Tb/s
1.28 Tb/s
5.12 Tb/s
1.92 Tb/s
2.5 Tb/s?
5.12 Tb/s
Completion
July 2009
July
2010
Sept
2009
Q3 2011
Q2 2010
Q3 2010
Q2 2012
 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
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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.
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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
The Second Session of the Committee on Development
Information, Science and Technology
CODIST-II
2-5 May 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Thank you for your attention!
Edda Tandi Lwoga, PhD
tlwoga@muhas.ac.tz, tlwoga@gmail.com