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by Rowena Cullen, Samuel Adeyoin, Richard Olorunsola, and D.A. Idada

Available online 28 May 2004

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recent Carnegie Challenge, which brought together some twenty-five international donors and librarians, identified the ability to participate in a global economy iLl that is increasingly centered on access to knowledge as a critical key in solving the problems of the African nations. "Africa's libraries, under resourced and under utilized, are facing a crisis that, though seemingly quiet, has the potential to affect the continent's intellectual capital for decades to come." 2 The vision created by the meeting was of libraries of the future based not on the outdated models of the colonial past, but innovative and self-sustaining services designed to meet the particular needs of local populations. Anxious to see the continent "not left behind in the information revolution as it was in the industrial revolution,"3 one of the goals of the conference was to develop partnerships between libraries and donors and establish a platform on which future consortiums and agendas could be built. Along with the many problems they share with public libraries in Africa, such as an umnet demand for professionally trained staff and a chronic and severe shortage of financial resources, the report identified some additional problems faced by university libraries in Africa, many of which were initially defined in the International Africa Institute report, University Libraries in Africa: A Review of Their Current State and 4 These included issues such as: Future Potential. * inadequate funding leading to inadequate collections and dependence on donors; * poor physical facilities and a failure to keep pace with expanding enrolments; * teaching methods centered on classroom learning, not on library-based independent research;

* lack of management strategies and poor communications between librarians and university administrators; and * electronic resources such as CD-ROMs and the Internet seen as more easily accessed sources of information. 5 All these factors were considered to have resulted in university libraries being perceived as unable to anticipate the needs of academic and student users, or keep up with technology, and as being increasingly marginalized in the academic community rather than being seen as a center of learning to be enhanced and expanded. In addition to lack of financial and staffing resources, other problems confronting African universities and libraries are identified by Chisenga as inadequate technology infrastructure, lack of computers, networks, bandwidth, and even vandalism in some areas (e.g., of copper telephone lines). Little cooperation between institutions that each create their own databases of local materials and very few digitization programs to increase African content on the Web and respond to the thousands of different cultures and languages across the continent were also noted as problems common to most countries in Africa. 6 Counteracting these issues, the Carnegie conference noted positive progress in African university libraries in the introduction of ICT through university-wide networks and the Internet, the growth of regional professional associations such as the Standing Conference of African National and Academic Librarians in East, Central and Southern Africa (SCANAL-ESC), and the increasing adoption of information technologies by the Association of African Universities (AAU), which has "actively promoted ICT adoption and the establishment of a clearinghouse for the dissemination of information concerning library management." 7 Nigeria, governed by a federal system comprising sixty-one states and one territory, is the most populous country in Africa and has a long tradition of higher education since colonial times. According to the CIA Factbook, Nigeria is currently rebuilding after nearly sixteen years of military rule. A new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian goveniment was completed in national elections in April 2003. The new administration faces the daunting task of transforming the earlier petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, into a broader economic base and institutional-

Rowena Cullen isSchool of Communications and Information Management, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand <rowena.cullen@vuw.ac.nz>. Samuel Adeyoyin, Richard Olorunsola, and D.A. Idada are at the lgbinedion University Library, Okada P.M.B. 0006, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria <soade2003@yahoo.com>, <richsola2004@yahoo.com>.

330 The Joumal of Academic Librarianship, Volume 30, Number 4, pages 330-332

izing democracy in the context of longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. With an estimated population of approximately 134 million (in a land mass not much larger than California), Nigeria has a young population' but relatively high literacy rates by African standards (68 percent of adult population). The population is divided on religious grounds: 50 percent Muslim, 40 percent Christian, and 10 percent indigenous religions. Despite attempts by the new government to diversify away from the overcapitalized oil sector in recent years, Nigeria remains a subsistence agricultural economy with 60 percent of its population living beneath the poverty line and great disparities in income between rich and poor-however, there is a growing service industry sector (including education),' which has now reached 30 percent of employrment. Nigeria, as noted above, 'has had for many years a' strong educational/research infrastructure including a large numnber of research institutes and scholarly associations, most of which date back to the 1960s' and occasionally earlier. World of Learning (2004) lists twenty-nine universities, under state or federal jurisdiction, and over thirty colleges and polytechnics in the public sector, all of which have libraries. Many of these also date back to the early 1960s or 1970s, with the exception of the University of Ibadan, 'established as the University College of Ibadan in 1948. Nigeria also, according to Gupta and Gupta,8 has eight library schools providing professional library education, some up to PhD level, and Nigerian librarians 'are enthusiastic and prolific contributors to the LIS' 9 literature, including the Jourtnal of Academic Librarianship. The irony of this, as Nwakanma notes, is the problem created by the very industry and ambition of Nigerian library research-. ers-publishing in international journals, their work is inaccessible to colleagues in Nigerian libraries because of the state of the Nigerian economy and the rapid inflation of the Nigerian Naira, which makes these journals too 'expensive for purchase. Funding remains a crucial issue for tertiary libraries in Nigeria, which are heavily dependant on international aid funding.' 0 A 1997 report on education funding in a group of six developing countries lists Nigeria as devoting the least of its national budget to education, despite paying lip service to the importance of education and libraries for many years. With a history of military government, defense7has taken-the lion's share of national resources,11 although Nigerian librarians are hopeful that this may improve with the new civilian regime in power. In addition, some new developments and research reported by contributors to this column' may provide new models for the tertiary libraries in Nigeria. For example, Olorunsola.and Idada of Igbinedion University Library, in Benin City, report that there are now six private universities in Nigeria: Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo' State; Babcock University, Inisha, Ogun State; Madona University, Okija, Anambra State; Covenant University, Lagos State; Benson Idahosa University, Benin' City, Edo State; and Bowen UJniversity, Iwo, Osun State.12 These, they report, have been established because of two reasons: "One, the issue of cultism is gradually destroying what is left of our educational system in Nigeria. The private universities have indicated their readiness with a common desire to frontally confront the menace of campus cult currently plaguing older generations of universities in Nigeria.... Two, the impact of strikes on the educational system, particularly in higher education, has been devastating over the years., Academic sessions have been

disrupted for as much as six months in a few instances.... The private universities have the mission to put in place strike free academic sessions...."13 As these new universities set out on their charter, they too struggle to find the necessary IT and library resources to support their learning programs. Olorunsola compares two of these new universities, Igbinedion, privately owned and operated, and Babcock, a mnission-based institution, with other Nigerian universities in their founding years. Igbinedion's 10,000 books and fifty-six foreign journal titles and Babcock's 40,000 books and' 140 foreign journal titles compare, not unfavorably, with Edo State University's 60,000 (in 1981 for 15,000 students), Ogun' State's 33,000 (in 1982 for 8000 students), and Ondo State's 122,000 (in 1982 for 6500 students) (the new private universities appear to have far fewer students). The only exceptions to this are the universities established during colonial times, e.g., lbadan established in 1948 with 650,000 books and Lagos in'1962 with 450,000 books.14 However, there are considerable discrepancies in funding between the two, as Olorunsola: and Idada report. The new. libraries have applied for generous funding to establish their collections and services but'do not-all receive funding at this level-both Igbinedion and Babcock libraries applied for sums around five to six million Nairas.15 Igbinedion received around NGN 500,000 for their budget for 2001/2002. Babcock received a sum of over NGN 9,000,000-2.5 million in excess of what was requested. Olorunsola comments that private universities will continue to be disadvantaged by the falling exchange rate of the Nigerian Naira, and by inadequate funding for libraries in private universities, since administrators do not understand the role of libraries in an institution of higher learning. Technology services fall far behind tertiary'libraries at all levels in developed countries, with reliance on manual systems still the norm, and only Babcock having e-mail and CD-ROM facilities. Babcock's significantly better budget and facilities may possibly be attributed to the establishment of a library committee to oversee the development of the library and the appointment of a University Librarian dating back to before the university opened (Igbinedion has only a Deputy University Librarian and one librarian/second class, supported by six paraprofessionals). Olorunsola concludes that while the time for private universities has clearly arrived in Nigeria, if their libraries' are to offer adequate' services to: staff 'and students, they will need to increase their budgets to 10 percent of the institutional budget (the norm in Nigeria for tertiary libraries), employ more professional staff, make significant increases in their book collections, and introduce electronic library services. Ihi earlier papers, Olorunsola has argued for the need for Nigerian academic libraries to get away from the traditional structure of reader services and technical services and focus on access services, information services, special collections, and training activities, but this would be a solution for larger institutions, with more generous staffing and other resources. 16 'Another way of increasing revenue and enhancing services in Nigerian academic libraries was explored by Samuel Adyoyin, who investigated the use of charging for services in four Nigerian libraries-a federally funded university, a state funded university, a private university, and a research institute.' 7 The majority (65.9')percent) of respondents favdred charging for services (such as interloans and online searches): This is in line with 'a number of developments in Nigeria-to enhance services
July 2004 331

in the current economic circumstances such as charges being levied on patients in public hospital for some services and for prescription drugs. Adeyoyin indicates that this policy of revenue generation is in line with govemment policy for the education sector. More sustainable and effective solutions may be found in some of the solutions suggested for the mainstream tertiary library sector across the sub-Saharan continent. These include collaboration and resource sharing and the applications of technology to support these activities. Despite the difficulties of establishing and maintaining computer networks in Africa, there are some successful initiatives bringing gains to African libraries, education, and research. While noting the irony that "although information is more available worldwide today than in any other era of human history, most of -it is inaccessible in African countries," Alemna and Antwi list a number of consortia being established in the southem part of Africa (most often based in South Africa and dependant on South African library resources) and some in Ghana and Kenya, with support from international aid agencies such as the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). However, lack of bibliographic tools that can support such ventures and lack of political will, as much as the lack of financial resources, management expertise, and technology infrastructure, Alemna and Antwi note, mean that such developments are slow to materialize. However, some significant advances have been made by health librarians that could provide a model for other sectors. According to Akhigbe, who summarizes current endeavors to support international cooperation in Africa in the health and medical information sector, the prohibitive cost of communication and the unaffordability of subscriptions to the medical literature means that critical new research on endemic diseases and other diseases is not available to clinicians and medical researchers alike. In addition, information produced in Africa about local health problems and initiatives is not widely available due to the inadequate infrastructure, both bibliographic and technological. With strong support from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Congress of Medical Librarians (ICML), and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), the African Medical Library Association has established an international network, AHI-LA, to promote cooperation between health libraries in the region. AHILA maintains a communication network among members and with international colleagues, using Ahila-net to add to the existing printed and mailed newsletters. In addition to its international connections, AHILA has two intemal concernssharing scarce resources through interlibrary cooperation and developing systems for improved bibliographic control of the health literature produced in Africa. Against this are set problems such as the lack of a common language, irregular publication schedules of local journals, and the lack of trained staff to support such developments. Stop-start international funding exacerbates problems of sustainability. Despite this, AHILA can point to gains such as Ahila-net, the development of an African Index Medicus, regular congresses, and continuing education programs for health librarians. In addition, Healthnet run by Satellife (an initiative of the WHO that is based on satellite communication networks to overcome some of the problems of lack of physical infrastructure in developing countries) can enhance access to the
332 The Joumal of Academic Librarianship

international journal literature and WEHO reports.18 With such ICT networks in place, countries like Nigeria are better placed to take advantage of the willingness of major health sciences publishers, including Elsevier, Blackwell Science, Oxford University Press, and the British Medical Journal Publishing Group, to permit free access to the major health sciences literature for subscribers accessing their journals from developing countries-which includes most countries in Africa. To readers from the developed world, despite continuing complaints of underresourcing and the escalating amount of information to be accessed and managed, a brief glimpse of the problems faced by countries in Africa and the willingness of our colleagues in Africa to tackle them with ongoing hope and goodwill are sobering. Initiatives to support education and research with free access to information, from more publishers in the field of science and technology, might be possible with more pressure from concerned academic librarians around the world. In the meantime, may the endeavors of our colleagues in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa all contribute to a healthier environment for their tertiary and research libraries. NOTES AND REFERENCES l.Forty six percent of the population were under fifleen at January 2003, the population distribution having been significantly affected
by the AIDS epidemic. 2. Carnegie Corporation of New York, Revitalizing African libraries: the challenge of a quiet crisis. Carnegie Challenge 2000. Chi-

cago: Carnegie Foundation, 2000. http://www.carnegie.org/ pdf/aflib.pdf. Accessed 2/02/04.

3. Ibid. 4. International Africa Institute, University Librariesin Africa: a review of their current state andfiuture Potential, 1997. 5. Carnegie Corporation, Revitalizing African libraries,p. 5.

6.Justin Chisenga. "Global information infrastructure and the question of african content", in: Tatiana V. Ershova, Yuri E. Hohlov (Eds.), Libraries in the Information Society, Munchen: Saur, 2002. 7. Carnegie Corporation, Revitalizing African libraries,p. 5.

8.S. Gupta and D.K. Gupta, "Development of library and infonnation science education in Africa", Library Science wvith a Slant to Documentation and Information Studies 35 (1) 1998:59-67. 9.Nwakanma, Chukwuemeka D. "Research publications in library and information science (LIS) in Nigeria: publishing to the wrong audience?", African Joutrnal of Library, Archives and Information Science 13 (2) (2003): 93-106. 10. Anyanwu, Emmanuel U. and Pearl Akanwa, Funding of Libraries inNigeria: The Way Forward. International Information &Library Review 33 (4) (2001) 347-358. 11. J.C Anafulu, "Trends in the funding of academic libraries inNigeria" Paper presented at the 35th National Conference/AGM of the Nigeria Library Association, Arewa House, Kaduna, 5-9 May, 1997. 12.Richard Olorunsola and D.A. Idada, "Private university libraries in Nigeria: a comparative study" Research report completed at Okada: Igbinedion University Library, 2003. 13. Ibid. 14. Ibid. 15. There are approximately 140 Naira (NGN): USS1.00. 16. Ijeoma J. Ibegbulam and Richard Olorunsola. "Restructuring academic libraries in Nigeria: issues to consider" Library Management 22 (8/9) 2001:381-386. 17. Samuel 0. Adeyoyin. "Commercialization of library services in Nigeria" Research report completed at Igbinedion University library, Okeda, 2003. 18. http://www.healthnet.org/infoservices.php.

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