An Academic Resource Centre in the University of Malawi: It’s Need and a Plan for Its Development, Together With Prototype Databases
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Date
1993-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The Academic Resource Centro (ARC) discussed in this
thesis is an information facility designed to provide
information support for the efficient and effective
performance of the statutory and public service functions
of the University of Malawi and its associated
institutions and organizations including related
government departments, pastorals, research centers
etc. It is conceived as an information center forming an
integral part of the university college and institutions
associated with higher learning and research in Malawi.
The ARC will utilize viable information technology
in conjunction with manual methods. Pr-planning studies
undertaken include: a review of trends in information
technology (IT), a survey of a accessibility to IT in \
Malawi, an assessment of the existing information support
systems of the University of Malawi and their
inadequacies in relation to the information and data
needs of the variety of users of the academic and
research community and the related government and
para statal organizations . Based on the findings, plans to
develop the ARC and steps to implement the plans are
proposed. The ARC is conceived as a networking of
-viiinformation
systems within the university and the
associated institutions as well as of appropriate
institutions in the country and abroad. The ARC plan
outlines the requirements in terms of manpower, systems
design and implementation. Libraries and information
centers which could participate in the ARC network are
mentioned.
A set of integrated databases consisting of :
bibliographic records; information on . \
curriculum
development, academic prospectus etc; profiles of experts
and institutions; of databases and information systems;
of ongoing projects and researches in the university of
Malawi, Government and other selected research
institutions, is presented as prototypes for the
databases to be developed at the ARC. Data entry
guidelines are also provided.
Training facilities for IT personnel are not
adequate in the country and it has led to under utilization
of equipment and heavy reliance on vendor
service support for the systems. Some suggestions are
made in overcoming this problem.
Introduction of IT in libraries, documentation and
information centres in the country is slowly gaining
ground and currently is largely being applied in special
-viiilibraries
and to a certain extent in academic libraries
as well. However, IT applications to generate information
products and services is currently limited to word
processing and in-house bibliographic database
management. Emerging its, such as CD-ROM, networking and
desktop publishing, are yet to be widely used in Malawi.
The need for developing national databases to capture and
disseminate information generated in the country is
emphasized.
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Keywords
Information Science