FUTURE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL AREAS FOR AFRICAN ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS Elisha Chiware Director: Cape Peninsula University of Technology Libraries, Cape Town, South Africa 1
Jan 11, 2016
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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