Institutional University Co-operation Organised by VLIR

Co-operation between the Sokoine National Agricultural Library in Tanzania and Belgian Universities • Paul Nieuwenhuysen Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen, Belgium • Egbert De Smet Information and Library Science, Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen, Belgium • Doris Matovelo Sokoine National Agricultural Library, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania Presented at SCECSAL 2000 in Windhoek, Namibia, April 2000

Institutional University Co-operation Organised by VLIR • Belgium = small country in Europe • Belgium = Flemish Community + Walloon Community +… • VLIR = Flemish Inter-university Council, in Belgium • VLIR organises developmental co-operation between Belgian universities and universities in development. • Recipients contribute to the management of the project as much as possible.

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: the Programme and the Project Co-operation programme started in 1997, between Belgian universities and Sokoine University for Agriculture = SUA, in Morogoro, Tanzania = 7 projects: • 1 project is co-operation with Sokoine National Agricultural Library = the University Library of the Sokoine University for Agriculture • 1 project is co-operation with Sokoine National Agricultural Library = the University Library of the Sokoine University for Agriculture • 1 project is co-operation with Sokoine National Agricultural Library = the University Library of the Sokoine University for Agriculture • 1 project is co-operation with Sokoine National Agricultural Library = the University Library of the Sokoine University for Agriculture • 1 project is co-operation with Sokoine National Agricultural Library = the University Library of the Sokoine University for Agriculture 1 project is co-operation with Sokoine National Agricultural Library = the University Library of the Sokoine University for Agriculture 1 project is co-operation with Sokoine National Agricultural Library = the University Library of the Sokoine University for Agriculture

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Location of the University Morogoro is 200 km inland from Dar es Salaam at the coast.

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Aim of the Project The aim is capacity building of the library, knowing that this will also strengthen the basis for • learning, • teaching, and • research at this university and in the large region served by this library.

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: SNAL in Tanzania • SNAL = Sokoine National Agricultural Library • Established in 1991 • Should co-ordinate with other libraries: • resource sharing • co-operation • Number of volumes in the collection is about 40 000 • Subscriptions to about 80 journals • Strives to improve its efficiency by applying ICT

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Training of Library Staff • 1 staff member of SNAL is working towards a PhD degree in South Africa, since 1998. • Short time practical training sessions in Flemish universities in Belgium were offered to 5 staff members of SNAL. • Training in applications of computers and Internet was offered by 4 experts from Belgium, visiting Tanzania. • More emphasis in the project on personnel than on hardware.

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Network and Internet Applications • The connection of SNAL to Internet is the aim of another one of the 7 projects running at the university • Based on a local ethernet + satellite transmission • Applications that are running already now: • Local Area Network • Electronic mail: • allows fast and cheap communication • is now important for the management of the co-operation • Access to WWW: still too slow • Users are very enthusiastic

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Outline of Project Activities • Building Local Databases with CDS/ISIS Software; Progress in Building the Electronic Catalogue • Establishment of CD-ROM Services; Success of these Services • Improving Interlibrary Lending and Document Delivery • Research in Library and Information Science

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Building Catalogues with ISIS (1) • CDS/ISIS software from UNESCO is used. • Reasons for this choice: • Available free of charge • Powerful database management features • Availability of experts and experience • locally + regionally • from Belgium

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Building Catalogues with ISIS (2) • Advanced user interfaces • for data input (“ODIN”) • for OPAC searches (“IRIS”) • for access through the WWW (“WWWIRIS”) • Provision for add-in solutions for more library-related features • Old cheap PCs can still be used • to build the system • to search the OPAC

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Building Catalogues with ISIS (3) • Strong data formatting features allow conversion of data for input in other systems (perhaps a better but more expensive integrated library system in the future)

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Progress in Building the Catalogue • Designed database structures for books and periodicals, based on UNESCO’s CCF. • Networked the data entry PCs to the master database through Windows 95 TCP/IP. • Began data entry in January 1999. • Limited the number of subject descriptors. • Offered a small database to readers through OPAC PCs. • Installed WWWIRIS to test the web interface.

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Establishment of CD-ROM Services • The first database on CD-ROM was obtained in 1997. • Staff awareness raised rapidly by a training conducted in 1998. • More CD-ROM databases were acquired, most of them free of charge; currently 30; subscriptions to 2. • Search assistance is provided to users (staff, students, researchers at SUA and from other institutions)

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Success of CD-ROM Services • The CD-ROM services have greatly enhanced user access to information (mainly current bibliographical information). • These services have gained a lot of popularity at SUA;they were rapidly accepted by users.

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Improving Interlibrary Lending • Co-ordination of collection building and interlibrary lending (ILL) is expected of SNAL. • An investigation is planned of the possible use of ICT for ILL; Internet and in particular e-mail will probably be useful for ILL, also in Tanzania. • Experience gained from other countries such as Belgium may be useful when adapted to local conditions in Tanzania.

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Research in Library Science • Essential for long term success of the project (because it is a co-operation among universities). • Research should increase the status and the importance of the library. • Research in co-operation with Belgium is planned. • Main focus is on developing methods to improve resource sharing in the country and beyond. • Barriers that hinder rapid progress include • shortage of staff • wish for research that is both fundamental and applicable

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Challenges and Planning (Part 1) • Progress is of course limited by budgetary constraints. • Planning should aim at sustainable development. • Further staff training and specialization will be important. • Role of ICT in the project will even increase. • Application of Internet including the WWW for information retrieval should be further implemented, throughout the university.

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Challenges and Planning (Part 2) • A web site for the library should be developed, tested and implemented. • Level of information literacy of users and potential users should be increased. • The growing know-how and services should be extended to related institutes, in view of the national role of SNAL.

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation: Conclusions • We see the project as very effective. • Tangible results were obtained after only 1 year. • Progress is made. • The future of the project looks promising.

Tanzania-Belgium Co-operation Thank you We will be happy to answer your questions

Institutional University Co-operation Organised by VLIR