I Want The World to Know TV

Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa, and the Nigerian Experience e University, Abraka, Nigeria ( ngozichikaogu@yahoo.com Context It commonly is understood that around the globe, given current ICT (Informa- tion and Communication Technologies) developments, there is occurring a para- digm shift that sees among other things lection to providing access to many in- formation sources regardless of their format and location. This shift from pears to be a force that also promotes consortia building. While local collections are still impor- tant for heavily used paper format ma- terials, access to distributed information resources continues to grow in impor- tance. Today, librarie s are challenged es while at the same time providing a range of new and often costly resources and services to their users. This chal- with other libraries. Globally, the development of new tech- nologies with a concomitant exponential increase in the amount of information available has made the building and ex- pansion of library consortia an impera- dily digitized and delivered electronical- ly, this rapidly is be coming the preferred means of information retrieval. Given this trend, in order expectations they must develop new strategies to obtain and use shared digi- tal resources and services. Thankfully, not only do new technologies promote digitization, they also expand the possi- effort to increase awareness and promote development of consortia, this paper fo- cuses on the successes and challenges of consortia development in Africa, with particular attention given to some of the challenges facing collaborative initiatives in Nigeria as perhaps typical of other re- gions on the continent. Admittedly, these challenges are daunting, but identifying and understanding them will hopefully support efforts in promoting and expand- Consortia Building: What Is It? A consortium, by one version of ster’s Dictionary definition, is "an agree- ment, combination or group (as of com- panies) formed to undertake an enter- prise beyond the resources of any one member." A consortium also "usually involves collaboration among direct com- within the Chinese context, but with ap- plications globally, librarian Allison Zhang notes that while consortium building often expresses itself in re- source sharing, it could also include a share human resources, bibliographic da- ta and various other services found in Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa each of the operating libraries that are part of the sharing group. To be sure, library consortia vary widely in their type, goals, structure, membership and funding. The organizational framework and structure of the con- sortium may be a formal or informal some common principle or principles. It may also take the form of a cooperative that could involve the loaning of books, interlibrary exchange of staff, or an elec- tronic network interconnecting different libraries for shared access to resources. Most commonly, a library consortium encompasses similar types of libraries: academic, special (such as medical or cor- porate), or public. A consortium may also be geographically based and include sev- eral types of libraries. However, what remains unclear in some of the profes- sional literature is a precise distinction between a library consortium and a li- brary association, other than the connota- tion that a consorti um may be a more closely knit group and created for some specific purpose. Genesis of Consortia Building The first steps towards consortia building involved interlibrary loan arrangements commonly is termed the “information explosion,” it became virtually impossi- ble, certainly within the African context, for any library to acquire all the useful publications related to even a single area of interest to a library user. ries with sizable collection development budgets were having difficulties in cop- ing with this increase. By way of exam- ple, in recent times, according to a study of a new renaissance in library consortia development in New Zealand, libraries have encountered serious reductions in funding at the same time of rapidly in- creasing costs of information resources. Today, in a climate of global economic decline libraries are faced with the chal- Given the rapid pace of development in the field of information technology leading to the emergence of networked information services, many consortia of different types have come into existence all around the world. It is against this background that quite recently libra- ries in Africa facing similar financial challenges have also moved to co- operate more extensively in sharing users, although the pace of develop- ment has been relatively slow. In Africa, the notion of cooperation, de- scribed as a “universal language spoken braries explored each other’s common strengths and limitations and as they be made available. Many library lead- ers saw the utilization of electronic access for research and study purposes, needs. The Mission of Consortia Generally, the of a consortium is to fully utilize and develop the informa- tion resources of their libraries for the purpose of promoting education, re- search and lifelong learning. Given this mission, the vision is to create a virtual organizations via elec An overview of some of the principal li- brary consortia in Africa (described in the following section) reveal that their objec- tives based on this mission and vision in- clude the following: Establishing a formal relation- ship between the members of the consortium in order to foster cooperation and communication. Supporting the information needs of clients through regional coop- eration, while encouraging each member to build good, basic col- needs of its clients. Promoting resource sharing and enhancing access to information, formulating appropriate collec- tion development and acquisi- Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa tions policies among members, and exploring opportunities for cost savings. Facilitating access to information through shared computer sys- tems and networks. Utilizing appropriate and current technology and keeping abreast of new technological developments. Improving information literacy among clients and sharing training resources and expertise where appropriate. Library Consortia in Africa The most vigorous and successful de- velopment of library consortia has oc- curred in South Africa and neighboring states. While there were some coopera- tive library initiatives prior to 1990, it was during the period from 1992 to 1999 that saw the most significant advances, although some consortia may have been more “conceptual” and less operational. by the turn of the century, however, there were only a few functioning con- sortia in Africa, this despite serious efforts among African universities in particular to foster library cooperation through the Association of African Uni- versities (AAU) and with support of the International Development Research Cen- The following provides an overview of some of the more significant library consortia in Africa. South African Bibliographic and Informa- SABINET was established in 1983 as a non-profit organization to provide a bib- liographic utility for South Africa. Re- sponsible for cataloging books, journals and materials in Southern African li- braries, by the late 1990s this online in- formation network contained approx- imately 2.5 million bibliographic records with more than 7 million holdings. CAPE Libraries Cooperatives (CALICO) CALICO was established in 1992 through tion, an amount matched by funds from the Desmond Tutu Educational Trust. Be- ing the first library consortium formed in South Africa, it now consists of five institu- tions in the Western Cape. Its mission was modified somewhat in 2004 but remains essentially, “to promote infor- mation literacy and economic develop- ment of the region by providing infor- mation to users in the form they want, when and where they need it, and at an affordable price.” Free State Libraries and Information Con- sortium (FRELICO) Centered in the Free State province of South Africa, FRELICO, established in 1996, is now comprised of three university libraries, two technical institution libra- ries, and one public/legal depository library. It serves more than 25,000 students, faculty and researchers affi- liated with member institutions. Gauteng and Environs Library Consor- tium (GAELIC) GAELIC was founded in 1996 as part of the efforts of the Foundation of Tertiary Institutions of Northern Metroplois (FO- TIM) to support a cooperative venture among regional libraries in Gauteng province. In recent years it has grown into the largest academic library consor- tium in Southern Africa covering three provinces in South Africa as well as the universities of Botswana and Lesotho. The University of Namibia Library also participates in some GAELIC initia- tives, though no longer a full member of the consortium. This cooperative is and training needs on regional, na- tional and international levels. Eastern Seaboard Association Libraries (esAL) Initiated in 1997 and based in Kwa- Zulu-Natal province, esAL is a part- nership initially comprised of six, then eight, academic libraries. Following some institutional changes, four member libra- ries emerged that serve a large number of campuses, students, faculty and staff. Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) South East Academic Library System (SEALS) Cape Higher Education Association, ex- isted first as a project that began in 1996, but then emerged as a formal consortium in 1998. Centered in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa, it consists of four academic libraries whose scope of cooperation initially was limited to periodicals and CDROM products but whose mission later expanded considera- bly, namely, “to foster improvement in access to information resources, to sup- port and embrace high standards of teaching, research and scholarship in member institutions by promoting re- source sharing of human, material and information resources between academic libraries within the region.” South African National Library and In- formation Consortium (SANLiC) SANLiC was formed in 1999 with a vi- sion, “to enhance access to information and the sharing of resources to benefit the clients of consortia in South Africa through national cooperation.” SANLiC continues to thrive in its mission to broker national site licenses to electronic re- sources, to support member participation in the National Catalogue, and to advance inter-lending agreements. Its members now include the Cape Higher Education Consortium, Foundation of Tertiary Insti- TIM), Eastern Seaboard Association of Tertiary Institutions (esATI--of which es- AL is a member), South East Academic Libraries System (SEALS) and South Afri- can National Research Information Con- sortium (SANRIC). While not consor- tium members in the full sense, The Na- tional Library of South Africa and the Li- brary and Information Association of South Africa are “general members.” Having a full-time ma providing an online news service helps to position this organization as a leading li- brary consortium in Africa. Other Initiatives In addition to consortium development in the southern regions of Africa, other cooperative ventures should be men- tioned, though not in the full sense deemed “consortia.” The Cataloging South Africa, is designed ostensibly for sharing cataloging records, and the ex- change of materials on a regional scale. On another front, the International Fed- eration of Library Associations and Insti- tutions (IFLA) has initiated projects in Ghana and Kenya that, since 1993, have electronically linked the main univer- sity libraries. As well, a grant from UNESCO has enabled the National Li- brary, the National Archives, and the Ministry of Education in Namibia to set up a network to provide mutual direct access to their computer databases and bia Library through the Communication and Library Project (COMLIB) funded by the Belgian Government, has since 2000 offered internet access through a network of University-based computers. The Case of Nigeria While there have been notable successes in establishing consortia in Africa, there still remain significant challenges. An overview and analysis of the situation in Nigeria, perhaps typical of other regions of Africa, reveal more precisely the na- ture of these challenges. Simply put, despite the advances in collaboration through the Association of African Uni- versities (AAU) and other groups, in- adequate access to the internet contin- significant problem in Nigeria, and this presents significant challenges to library administrators. As the country, Africa’s most populous, have tried to obtain access to the latest information, to improve the dissemina- tion of information, and to provide high quality library services, but these efforts have failed because of a lack of appro- priate technology. Based on research presented at the University of Uyo in 2006, only 13 of 24 federal university Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa Country 75.1 Sweden 57.3 55.2 6.8 1.9 Senegal 1.1 Ghana 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.4 Nigeria 0.3 0.3 libraries in Nigeria have adequate in- formation technologies that enable or break" issue for consortium building not only in Nigerian but across the con- tinent. The extensive study by E. J. Wil- son and K. Wong of the Center for In- ternational Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland, found the following. “Africans are moving ahead on their own terms, participating in the glob- al information revolution and cap- turing some of its benefits…. Pre- cisely because the revolution is as much a policy and institutional revo- lution as a technological revolution, vantage precisely because like all poor regions its institutions are no- ty, colonialism and political misrule, weak institutions, half-hearted lea- dership and conservative policies [sic] do not auger well for rapid change. There will continue to be advances, and some countries in others. But across the continent the institutional and leadership com- mitments to advancing ICT are still modest, and that lackluster perfor- mance will only accentuate the gap nots globally.” For comparison purposes, table 1 shows Across Africa the quality and extent of rate is an abysmal .3% of the population. By the late 1990s, despite (and perhaps access so crucial to consortium develop- ment, there have been more that a dozen initiatives over the past ten years to create interlibrary and inter-institutional ticipating organizations include: Nigeria Universities Management Information system (NUMIS); Nigerian Universities Teach Net); eIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries); National Virtual (Digital) Library Project (NVLP); Nigerian Virtual Library Consortium (VLC) Of these, the Electronic Information for Libraries deserves special mention because of its success, albeit still ra- ther modest. Beginning in 2001, eIFL strives to initiate, negotiate and sup- port wide-spread availability of elec- tronic resources for libraries in devel- Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa oping countries. Seeing its main work as both negotiating subscriptions on a country-wide basis and supporting and providing training for emerging national consortia in member countries, eIFL pro- vided interested Nigerian university li- braries with three years of free access to a suite of full-text databases. While univer- sity libraries were thrilled to have access to these important re sources they simply did not have the infrastructure or equipment to take full advantage of them, and it was only towards the end of the three years that some institutions began to provide access on a regular ba- sis. As the funding program drew to a close and libraries were expected to pay their own way, eIFL encouraged libra- purchasing. To help bring libraries to- workshops and other practical guid- ance. As an outshoot of this eIFL initiative, the Consortium of Nigerian Libraries (CONLIB) was formed, led by Dr. Doris Bozimo, University Librarian at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, and Ril- wanu Abdulsalami from the National Universities Commission. Various projects were developed and funding obtained, including a grant of $293,000 West Africa to support connectivity in selected universities in Nigeria for a two- year period from late 2004 to late 2006. Despite these encouraging develop- ments, it appears that CONLIB really did not thrive, and judging by the closing of its websites, the consor- tium may have folded. Two factors may have conspired against its suc- cess: both the lack of government sup- port for higher education and the rapid development of new private universities environment. These have effectively put an end to consortium building and inter- library loan programs that held such early promise. Nigerian Universities Network (NU- While not ostensibly a library consor- project initiated by the National Univer- sities Commission (NUC) in 1995 to “es- gerian University System (NUS).” folding in three phases, the project was designed first, to establish a national computer network using dedicated phone lines, then to migrate to dedicate data lines for email services, and then was expected to have over 65,000 com- ever, unfolded differently. One key major obstacle was the lack of reliable telecommunications and spo- radic electrical supply that caused uni- versities in remote locations (the majori- ty of Nigerian universities) to be unable ties in more accessible regions also could not participate effectively because campus LANs and WANs were not well In a report to the international agency, Ibrahim describes the problems of NU- review [in 2000] and feasibility and topology. The sum of USD 16.2 million (out of the total grant of $100 m) was approved for the NU- University System Innovation were appointed, and the first Plan- ning Workshop was held in March 2002. Unfortunately, disagreements the NUC/Federal Ministry Educa- tion (which sought to change project Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa components and modalities), and the entire project intervention was cancelled… [T]he institutional user- increasing deployments of VSATs [very small aperture terminal, a two-way satellite ground station with a dish antenna less than 3 me- ters tall]. At the same time, the availability of free web-based mail vices in the universities has hin- are really not more than cyber- The good will and ambition evident in factors both internal and external. These mitigating factors have left li- brary and academic collaboration, at least by late 2004, in ruins. While the creating viable consortia, what more clearly are the challenges facing library collaboration in Nigeria? Obstacles and a Way Forward On a very basic level, all of the issues may be reduced to questions of funding. Funding for libraries has decreased in recent years across the globe, but espe- cially so in developing countries where the priority of national governments might not be library development. Ac- cording to the Mortenson Center Report on library development in Nigeria, irre- difficult for a library to secure consistent funding and to realize effective develop- ment. Specifically, funding deficiencies have led to challenges in several areas that affect consortia building. Unreliable electrical infrastructure electrical power supply in order to pro- vide access to electronic resources. As a Mortenson Center Report states, "Relia- services, a precondition that does not libraries … visited." Having a reliable power grid is a problem that has pla- gued Nigeria and other parts of Africa for a long time, but if the government at all levels cannot rectify this prob- lem, libraries essentially shut down as information providers. Users quickly tire of seeking resources that simply are not available. Inadequate ICT infrastructure Creating an adequate ICT infrastructure continues to be a major challenge facing libraries in Africa, especially in Nigeria where even a reliable electrical grid re- mains a question. Most libraries in Ni- geria lack the necessary computing in- frastructure to provide needed services. Computers loaded with appropriate software, connected to routers, and a high speed or fiber-optic data transmis- sion backbone, along with skilled tech- nical support, are often lacking at the institutional level. As the need for con- sortia becomes stronger and as more electronic resources are made available to individual libraries thorough consortial agreements, students and faculty alike will rely more heavily on these resources Without a capable local ICT infrastruc- ture a library cannot fully be part of a functioning consortium. Sporadic and inadequate access to the Having a reliable power source and a ro- local access. Libraries providing electronic re- sources also need sufficient bandwidth to reach beyond the borders of its campus or community. Unfortunately, this re- mains a problem in Nigeria and in other regions of Africa. While there have been some consortial efforts to improve and expand bandwidth, this perhaps still remains the weakest link in the fuller de- velopment of consortia and to actualize the potential advantages of resources available through rece nt open access in- itiatives. Lack of staff training Many library staff me Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa adequate training in construction, main- tenance and development of information and communication technologies. In fact, the greatest need for professional exper- tise and technical know-how likely lies in design, back-up systems, assuring data managing operating system software. 5. Lack of electronic access Since libraries all over the world increa- singly have been better able to share re- sources electronically, many libraries tegically embracing “access” rather than “ownership” of resources. Un- fortunately, this remains largely an ideal rather than a reality in Africa. While libraries on other continents are coming to depend on full-text electronic access to journals and other resources, most libraries in African countries find that African scholarly materials are still largely available only in print. dependence on print, again, tends to limit the appeal of, or the ability to form, library consortia in Africa, and especially so in Nigeria. Moreover, libra- ries tend to have only rudimentary web- sites, if at all, and those that do exist rare- ly integrate web 2.0 applications and oth- er services that allow effective and robust electronic access to holding and full-text materials. Despite these rather large and daunting challenges, there are some concrete measures that libraries could consider to improve the situation. As a first step, cultivate a better financial climate in which consortia development can be nur- tured. A study by A. Alemne and I. Antwi suggests four steps to improve library funding. Request a percentage of alloca- (The annually budgeted amounts need to be made available to the library in a timely fashion.) Insist that money from income generating activities is paid into a separate library account ra- ther than the general universi- ty account. Campaign for decentralization of library has control over its own expenditures. Insist that a percentage of out- side funding of university facul- ties and departments come to the library so that it is able to adequately satisfy the informa- tion needs of its users. In addition to these suggestions, fi- nancial and material support from donor organizations, such as Open So- WA) should be exploi ted more widely. As well, large publishers and database aggregators in more developed countries sometimes have funding and resources (both print and electronic) available to countries in Africa. Companies such as Oxford University Press and EBSCO should be appealed to for assistance. This most effectivel y is done collabora- tively. Note, however, that it is important for funding proposals to be well re- searched and skillfully written. Once the financial resources are in place, libraries need to move forward aggressively in digitizing scholarly works and other print materials. This not only enhances the possibilities for access and co nsortia building, as Ka- nengo emphasizes, but also addresses preservation concerns. Moving for- ward more aggressively on this front requires librarians to receive intensive and comprehensive training in the de- velopment of library websites and inter- portance of having an effective and strong national union catalogue in each country cannot be overstressed. This for resource sharing and consortia de- velopment. Of course, this presupposes the existence of and adherence to biblio- graphic policies and standards for cata- The larger issues of information tech- nology and communications infra- structure on a regional and national scale and of a reliable electrical grid may be beyond the control of the li- Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) brary, but knowing about the issues helps libraries advocate for improve- ment whenever the opportunities As well, library leaders in Africa need to become knowledgeable about new developments in communications, and in particular, understand the poten- tial benefits of VSAT technology and other broadband satellite connectivity. Conclusion While there are many problems thwart- ing the efforts of libraries in forming or joining a consortium, libraries through- out Africa should be encouraged in every way to participate in these part- nerships. Perhaps some of the recent successes in developing library partner- ships in South Africa, such as SANLiC, might be seen as models of consortia building. The benefits of library consor- tia are significant, and with the devel- opment of new and robust information and communication technologies, as A. Ojedokun and E. Lumande of the Uni- versity of Botswana suggest, “the pos- sibilities of innovative interlibrary co- operation projects emerge: libraries combining their efforts through various cooperative electronic networks are mation sources mo re economically.” In addition to ICT development and in- novation, other factors driving the crea- tion and expansion of consortia in Africa include: globalization of economic and educational opportun ity and responsibil- ity; the exponential growth of informa- tion; the rapid elevation of expectations and information seekers for access to a wide range of ma- that necessitate ever greater resource sharing and wider economies of scale. While this article has taken the broad view of the situation in Africa generally, its spe- cific focus has been on Nigeria as a case study of some of the particular challenges in consortia building. From the Nigerian experience, certain imperatives can be consortia to realize more fully the promise they hold. First, administrators of Nige- rian libraries need to create locally the me- chanisms needed to foster participation cluding programs for adequate staff training, ITC infrastructure development, institutional information policy development, and adherence to bibliographic standards. Second, the local library, as much as possible, should insist on adequate funding, maintenance of hardware and software upgrades, and staff training in ICT services. Third, the Nigerian Library Association should soli- dify its key role in promoting consortium building across the country, and seek gov- ernment support of these initiatives. Fourth, collectively, Nigerian libraries, following the model of OCLC’s WorldCat, need to standardize and adopt one prima- ry classification system . Fifth, locally and collectively, Nigerian libraries need to pressure other agencies and utility com- panies to provide a broader and more reli- able electrical grid. Sixth, library workers need to support all efforts of The Libra- rians’ Registration Council of Nigeria to expand and enhance library education in the country, and to help create a profes- sion that embraces technological opportu- Clearly, the challenges in consortia build- ing in Africa are daunting, especially when many of them come from outside the profession and which have national or international origins. Building on the suc- cesses of the past, however, and taking full advantages of the potentials of developing new information and communications technologies, and by embracing the shift in library policy from ownership to access, perhaps a greater harvest of benefits from consortia partnerships can be obtained in Nigeria and in other regions of Africa. References A. A. Ojedoku and E. Lumande, “Coop- Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) New Zealand. Wellington, NZ: National Library of New Zealand, 2000. A. A. Ojedoku and E. Lumande, “Coop- Institute of Development Studies Library University of Zimbabwe.” Paper pre- sented to the American Library Associa- tion conference, June 13-19, 2002. http://ala.org/ala/iro /iroactivities/partn E. M. Miamibo, “Partnership in Libraries: Cornerstones of Access: the Case of Insti- tute of Development Studies Library Uni- versity of Zimbabwe.” Paper presented to the American Library Association confe- rence, June 13-19, 2002. http://ala.org/ala/iro /iroactivities/partn A. A. Ojedoku and E. Lumande, “Coop- E. M. Miamibo, “Partnership in Libra- ries: Cornerstones of Access: the Case of Institute of Development Studies Library University of Zimbabwe.” Paper pre- sented to the American Library Associa- tion conference, June 13-19, 2002. http://ala.org/ala/iro /iroactivities/partn Gwenda Thomas and Ina Fourie, “Aca- demic Library Consortia in South Africa: Where We Come From and Where Are We Heading,” eprint of Rhodes University: eprints.ru.ac.za/428/1/Thomas_Academi c_Library.pdf. See also, http://www.chec.ac.za/calico E. M. Miamibo, “Partnership in Libra- ries: Cornerstones of Access: the Case of Institute of Development Studies Library University of Zimbabwe.” Paper pre- sented to the American Library Associa- tion conference, June 13-19, 2002. Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) http://ala.org/ala/iro /iroactivities/partn ; See also Gwenda Thomas and Ina Fourie, “Academic Library Con- sortia in South Africa: Where We Come From and Where Are We Heading,” eprint of Rhodes University: http://eprints.ru.ac.za/428/1/Thomas_Academi c_Library.pdf H. M. Edwards, “South Africa’s GAE- LIC: the Gaauteng and Environs Library Information Technology and , 18/3 (1998): 123-128; and Gwen- da Thomas and Ina Fourie, “Academic Library Consortia in South Africa: Where We Come From and Where Are We Head- ing,” eprint of Rhodes University: eprints.ru.ac.za/428/1/Thomas_Academi c_Library.pdf, p. 6; and http://www.gaelic.ac.za Gwenda Thomas and Ina Fourie, “Aca- demic Library Consortia in South Africa: Where We Come From and Where Are We Heading,” eprint of Rhodes University: eprints.ru.ac.za/428/1/Thomas_Academi c_Library.pdf, p. 4. A. A. Ojedoku and E. Lumande, “Coop- See : http://www.cosalc.ac.za/home.html See : http://www.reference- al.com/doi/abs/10.1515/9783598441028.1 Hester Marais, “Co-operative Cata- loging in South Africa with Special Ref- erence to the Gauten g and Environs Li- brary Consortium (GAELIC).” Confe- rence Proceedings, World Library and Information Congress, 73 IFLA General Conference and Congress, Durban, SA, August 2007. http://archives.ifla.org/IV/ifla73/paper s/145-Marais-en.pdf A. A. Alemna and I. K. Antwi, “A Re- view of Consortia Building Among Uni- versity Libraries in Africa,” Library Man- agement 23/4-5 (2002): 234-238. See also: www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/country_profil es/namibia/naminter.htm Wilson, Ernest J., III and Kelvin Wong, “African Information Revolution: a Bal- See NLA website: http://www.nla- ng.org/nigeriaelfl.html ; see also, Report by the Mortenson Center for Internation- al Library Programs, 2005. http://www.library.illinois.edu/mortens on/activities/reports/ Ajibola Maxwell Oyinloye, “Electronic bstract/15/2/217 Ajibola Maxwell Oyinloye, “Electronic Ossai: Consortia Building among Libraries in Africa Collaborative Librarianship 2(2): 74-85 (2010) Aminu Ibrahim, “Description of NU- , p. 2. Report by the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, 2005. See: http://www.library.illinois.edu/mortens on/activities/reports/ Report by the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, 2005. See: http://www.library.illinois.edu/mortens on/activities/reports/ Report by the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, 2005. See: http://www.library.illinois.edu/mortens on/activities/reports/ See : hg.org/nigeriaelfl.html For a discussion of state of scholarly output from Africa, see Christine Wamunyima Kanyengo, “Managing Digital Information Sources in Africa: Preserving the Integrity of The International Informa- 41/1 (March, 2009): 3-4. A. A. Alemna and I. K. Antwi, “A Re- view of Consortia Building Among Uni- versity Libraries in Africa,” Library Man- agement 23/4-5 (2002): 234-238. See : (Caution : This site triggers security warnings). Christine Wamunyima Kanyengo, “Managing Digital Information Sources in Africa: Preserving the Integrity of The International Informa- 41/1 (March, 2009): 1-3. Christine Wamunyima Kanyengo, “Managing Digital Information Sources in Africa: Preserving the Integrity of The International Informa- 41/1 (March, 2009): 6. E. M. Miamibo, “Partnership in Libra- ries: Cornerstones of Access: the Case of Institute of Development Studies Library University of Zimbabwe.” Paper pre- sented to the American Library Associa- tion conference, June 13-19, 2002. http://ala.org/ala/iro /iroactivities/partn John. Secor, “Consortia: What Do They Really Hold for the Future?” See: m/docs/papers/secor.pdf A. A. Ojedoku and E. Lumande, “Coop-