THE ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHINOLOGY FOR RESOURCE SHARING Daniel Gelaw Head, Faculty of Law Library A

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THE ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHINOLOGY FOR
RESOURCE SHARING Daniel GelawHead, Faculty of
Law LibraryAddis Ababa University Libraries

• First National Conference on Information Resource
  Sharing and Networking Among Academic
  Institutions in Ethiopia, September 3 - 6, 1998,
  Addis Ababa University,
• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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Introduction

• Ubiquity of Computing and Telecommunication
  systems.
• Consequent, distributed availability and
  accessibility of library and information
  resources.
• Has made IT based library networking and resource
  sharing order of the day.

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Development of Networking in academic Libraries

• Library Automation (facilitated by MARC) was the
  basis for present day computer networks.
• In early 1980s OPACs came in to existence as
  re-orientations of bib. information
• By the mid 1980s On-line access of abstracting
  and indexing databases was commonplace in
  Academic libraries

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Basic Definitions

• Present day IT based networking evolved out of
• Interlibrary Loan Concepts
• Reciprocal Borrowing
• Referral Services
• IT application makes possible more efficient
  resource sharing arrangements than all these.

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Basic Definitions

• ITs impact on resource sharing is two fold
• IT as a facilitator/means of resource sharing
• IT as a container/form of existence of resources
  to be shared
• These two aspects have now a days become
  inseparably entwined

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Trends and Challenges - Developed countries

• Electronic resources are increasing in size in
  academic libraries (Some say paper is in danger
  !)
• Idea of electronic library is gaining wider
  acceptance and implementation. For e.g.
• American Reseach Libraries (1992)
• Follet Report (1993)
• Dempsey (1996)

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Trends and Challenges - Developed countries

• All indicate that the new scholarly communication
  system will inevitably be based on capabilities
  of networks and networks of networks like
  Internet.
• Hence, academic libraries in the developed world
  are grappling to handle the challenges and
  possibilities presented by new technologies and
  information explosion.

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Trends and Challenges - Developing countries

• Many developing countries are characterized by
  poor IT applications and networking.
• Many reports say that application of electronic
  networking in these countries is replete with
  confusions and lack of coordination.
• Most academic libraries in these countries are
  not yet users of local and wide area networks.
• Hence, little infrastructure available to support
  full-fledged IT based resource sharing.
• Absence of Library automation is the main
  bottleneck for most.

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The Ethiopian Case
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Status of ICT in Ethiopia

• Ethiopian case is not much different than what is
  reported for many developing countries, if not
  worse.
• For instance, if we take telephone density that
  most researcher use to measure ICT developemt, we
  have only 0.26 (while global average is 11.57
  and Africas average is 1.67 ).
• However, there has been some efforts to use IT
  for library services (Even if, little use of IT
  has been made for resource sharing purposes).

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IT based services available in Ethiopia

• CD-ROM service
• Started in AAUL in 1991
• AAAS project played great role
• E-mail and, latter, Internet services
• PADIS - CABECA project
• Healthnet, UNCC-Mail, CGNet, CareNet
• ETAs dial-up Internet connectivity
• Resources like CD-ROM are IT resources academic
  libraries could share and the Wide-area networks
  can facilitate the resource sharing.

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IT and Networking for Resource sharing

• Increased Access to local and remote lib. And
  info. Resources
• Complement to other lib. Resources/services
• Improved traditional information services
• Electronic document delivery (EDD)
• Electronic Journals
• Electronic library
• Provide new role for academic libraries and
  librarians

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Some Resource Sharing Possibilities

• Accessibility
• Conveniences
• Empowerment
• Cost-Saving
• Efficiency

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Barriers to IT in Resource sharing

• Lack of funding
• Poor IT infrastructure
• Absence of Networking
• Lack of skilled human resources

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Conclusion

• Resource sharing using IT provides
• Increase in access to a broader range of
  teaching-learning support resources
• Increase in research productivity
• Increase in instructional effectiveness
• Increase in efficiencies in the administration of
  lib. Resources
• Facilitated resource sharing
• Competitive advantages
• etc.

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Recommendation - General

• IT resources for universal access
• Mother institution support
• Co-ordination
• Participation on international resource sharing
  collaborations

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Recommendation - Each Library

• Steps
• (1) Explore local resource sharing options and
  identify materials needed or available for
  distribution
• (2) Use available IT to establish an efficient
  mechanism whereby resources may be shared with
  the widest possible academic audience for the
  least cost
• (3) try to automate each library catalogue and
  look for ways to make it available in
  Internet/Web-based version.

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THANK YOU!