FUTURE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL AREAS FOR AFRICAN ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS

Elisha Chiware

Director: Cape Peninsula University of Technology Libraries, Cape Town, South Africa

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OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION Overview of current LIS Education in Africa Challenges of LIS programmes Future knowledge areas Future skill areas Skills development through Continuing

Development Programmes The role of LIS programmes in future knowledge

and skill areas Conclusion

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CURRENT LIS EDUCATION IN AFRICA

LIS programmes in Africa in the last ten years: Rapid changes to keep up with trends in

information worldAmalgamation of programmesRe-orientation of programmesCurriculum review and revisionName changes Realignment within universities

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CURRENT LIS EDUCATION IN AFRICA

Nature of current programme offeringsCertificate courses (1 year)Diploma programmes (2 years)Bachelor Degrees (3-4 years)Masters (2yrs) PhD degrees( 3 yrs - )

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CHALLENGES OF LIS EDUCATION IN AFRICA New entrants (young and little interest in

LIS careers) Staff qualifications and experience to teach

in LIS programmes Dwindling number of students Diluted programmes e.g. Double Majors (A

LIS Degree combined with a subject e.g. History, Psychology, Geography, etc)

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NEW OPPORTUNITIES/AREAS OF TRAINING

New areas of training in LIS schoolsKnowledge managementPublishing studiesMultimedia studiesDevelopment communicationMedia and Public Relations

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THE FUTURE KNOWLEDGE AREAS FOR AFRICAN ACADEMIC LIBRARIANSHIP

Subject Specialization before LIS programmes

Knowledge of the information environment

Knowledge of the higher education environment in general and the value of libraries

Knowledge of (PEST) Political, Economic, Social and Technological Environment

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THE FUTURE SKILL AREAS

Library leadership and management skills Support for scholarly communication and

dissemination Information technology management Advocacy, Marketing and Fundraising Instructional skills Community engagement and development Innovation and entrepreneurial development

support LIS Research skills

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LIBRARY LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Library Leadership The African Library Leadership Academy

Carnegie Foundation of New York

Management Finance and Project Management

Human Resources Managing a diverse skills base

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SUPPORT FOR SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION

To support/collaborate with faculty and postgraduate students in accessing information for research

Need to understand the research process & environment in specific subject areas

Assist faculties in research output management

Research Data Management Emerging international support

Research Libraries support from the Carnegie Corp

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

Electronic information resources management

Network management Research data management Digitization and preservation management E-learning platforms

How librarians successfully collaborate with faculty in e-learning platforms

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ADVOCACY SKILLS

Budgetary challenges in Higher Education in Africa Libraries are no longer seen as the heart of the

university? To many competing programmes in universities for a

small cake Need for more advocacy

To fund raise To promote continued use of libraries To position libraries in society and the economic

development of Africa To get the attention of policymakers/fund allocators

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MARKETING SKILLS

Library marketing skills

Promotion of library programmes within the university community

Promote the library’s work in national and international library programmes

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FUNDRAISING SKILLS

Knowledge of the national and international donor communities Grant proposal writing Working within the guidelines and framework of

the mother institution How to handle donations

Accountability Maintaining the relations with the donor community

Working with alumni African universities have poor histories of working

with alumni There is need to change – as this group is a

potential source for building/supporting HE and libraries

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INSTRUCTIONAL SKILLS

Academic libraries training programmes

Instructional skills

Information literacy programmes require firm grounding in teaching skills to be effective

Presentation skills15

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SKILLS

Why community engagement Strategic goals of many universities esp. UoTs

Libraries participation in community engagement programmes Outreach programmes

Book donations Assist with the start-up of small community libraries,

especially in remote areas Teacher training programmes – model school libraries

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INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL SUPPORT

Support for innovation and entrepreneurial development Informal sectors SMME sectors Science parks

Support for the growing knowledge economies Knowledge based economies The role of librarians in support of knowledge

based economies

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LIBRARY RESEARCH SKILLS Ability to implement and evaluate research for

service improvement

Gathering and analyzing data and dissemination of findings to advance African Librarianship

Demonstrate a commitment to the improvement of the professional practice in Africa through a culture of research and evidence-based information practice

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CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES

Responsibility of employers Special skills programmes for existing staff Funding for Special skills programmes Indentifying credible service providers In house training programmes Selection of staff participants Include CDPs into staff KPA (Key Performance

Areas)/Performance Management Contracts Monitoring and Evaluation of CDPs

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THE ROLE OF LIS PROGRAMMES IN SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Development of relevant curriculum Work closely with employers to identify and

develop skill and knowledge areas Carry out independent market studies

Maintaining standards Through provision of resources to monitor and

evaluate programmesoutputs Ensure that LIS programmes remain relevant to

the market place

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CONCLUSION

Better Skill and knowledge areas articulation will determine how academic institutions value and support libraries in Africa

This will also determine the level of the flow of resources to libraries for better information services delivery

And also how libraries can leverage themselves for more funding for skills development and knowledge acquisition

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