Towards the digital library: findings of an investigation to establish the current status of university libraries in Africa

Abstract

The term digital library is used to refer to a library where some or all of the holdings are available in electronic form, and the services of the library are also made available electronically – frequently over the Internet. Over the past fifteen years libraries worldwide have increased their holdings of electronic information and automated their operations, but within Africa digital development has been uneven. The philosophy of the academic library as a passive repository has taken longer to change, and librarians have not had the opportunities to critically reflect on what has been developed, and what their priorities are for the future. In 2004 INASP commissioned a survey of the current status of digital libraries in sub-Saharan Anglophone Africa, so as to draw conclusions on where future developments and investments might be made, and what can be learnt from the implementation of digital libraries within the continent. The findings are presented in this report