Africa must embrace digital libraries

Lazarus Sauti

DIGITAL libraries are crucial in Africa’s socio-economic development. They provide wide access to information and knowledge.

Although digital libraries are important institutions that can drive the development of the African continent, it is sad to note that most African countries are falling behind in building them.

This slow development of digital libraries is a cause for concern.

Lalla Ben Barka, deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, says the slow development of digital libraries is impacting negatively on the development of the African content.

Barka says: "Africa is still lagging behind … in its acquisition and use of digital technologies to preserve and provide access to its own content.

“It is the responsibility of African government to embrace digital libraries to facilitate express access to African content.”

The production and proper handling of African content drive the development process of the continent. Thus, from Barka’s assertions, it is important to note that embracing digital libraries can be a possible panacea to problems bedeviling the continent and its citizenry.

Again, using digital libraries can also be a stepping stone towards enabling equal right to access to information, freedom to information and education for all in Africa.

Harare based researcher, Collence Chisita believes that access to information has become significant for socio-economic development and digital libraries play a great role in the fulfillment of such noble goals that contribute towards human development.

He says: “Across Africa, information on a variety of issues is needed to help government and the general citizenry to address daily challenges and improve their lives.

“Digital libraries respond to this gap by allowing individuals to quickly and easily collect, organise, present and disseminate information relevant to their needs.”

Innovation, research and development are areas that can also benefit immensely if Africa embraces digital libraries.

Innovation, research and technological advancement are critical means through which African businesses can experience future growth developing new products or processes to improve and expand their operations.

Manka Angwafo, founder of Hadithi, an online repository of open access research for university students, academics and researchers (hadithi.org) writes in the Mail and Guardian: “Africa should use appropriate technological standards to facilitate permanent access to and resource discovery of selected digital resources.

“Making educational resources freely available will benefit African students, researchers, intellectuals and think tanks - and in the process fast-track the continent’s development.

Chisita also believes that digital libraries make diverse information and knowledge resources available beyond the physical space shared by groups of learners.

He says: “Digital libraries open new learning opportunities for global communities rather than just local communities.

“They have obvious roles to play in formal learning settings by providing teachers and learners with knowledge bases in a variety of media.

“Digital libraries also offer more information than most individuals or schools have been able to acquire and maintain.”

Digital libraries also enhance the production and publishing of African content by Africans.

Angwafo, who believes that students and teachers can easily be publishers as well as readers if Africa embraces digital libraries, shares this assertion.

He says, “The number of student-produced ‘home pages’ will grow as teachers and students not only bring digital library information into the classroom but move the products of the classroom out into the digital libraries.”

However, for Africa to fully enjoy the benefits of digital libraries, library and information professionals in the continent need new skills set; training and capacity building techniques to manipulate digital technologies.

Information professionals also need to move away from the traditional roles of library management - cataloguing, classifying, shelving and issuing library resources but to data management and virtual publishing roles.

Angwafo says: “African librarians should focus on creating and maintaining interoperable, web-scale metadata; advising scholars on the complexities of licensing; and communication with other open access repositories.”

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of African government to support libraries, librarians and information related institutions to advance open access resources.

African states should prioritise open access publishing to ensure that more local (African) content remains available to scholars and intellectuals and is accessed without challenges.

Barka calls for the formation of partnerships both inside and outside Africa, to ensure access to local information and knowledge for the people, and for this knowledge to be incorporated into Africa's development strategy to enhance economic and social development.

"For Africa to effectively benefit from digital libraries, governments and stakeholders in the knowledge management sector should work together to bring information and knowledge that preserve what Africa has accomplished and providing the fertile soil for ideas, Barka said.

Libraries and educational institutions in Africa should have the basic building blocks of a digital library in place before they can move forward into providing electronic services.

It is critical to note that an effective digital library and information services system for economic, scientific and technological development is crucial for building a national knowledge system. Sustainable, knowledge-based development strategies must be based on such libraries as well as a strong reading culture and widespread literacy in information technology.

Since digital libraries are the lifeblood for developing the continent, African states must embrace and fully support them.