Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) Africa Chapter Approved

Olufunmilayo Fati

The Board of Directors of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) approved the new ASIS&T Africa Chapter on 17 June 2020.

The purpose of the Chapter is to provide an organization through which members of ASIS&T located within the Chapter area (Africa) may participate in and carry forward the programs and purposes of ASIS&T. The Chapter shall promote the interests of the Association and its programs and shall make every reasonable effort to involve students of information science and related disciplines who are located within its boundaries.

"The Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) is the only professional association that bridges the gap between information science practice and research. For nearly 80 years, ASIS&T has been leading the search for new and better theories, techniques, and technologies to improve access to information.

Our members—thousands of researchers, developers, practitioners, students, and professors in the field of information science and technology from 50 countries around the world—have made ASIS&T an important part of their professional development.

Members share a common interest in improving the ways society stores, retrieves, analyzes, manages, archives and disseminates information."

Elected Founding Africa Chapter Officers

Chair:

Tandi E Lwoga (Tanzania)

Chair-Elect:

Noureddine Elmqaddem (Morocco)

Chapter Assembly Representative:

Andiswa Mfengu (South Africa)

Alternate Chapter Assembly Representative:

Marlene Holmner (South Africa)

Secretary-Treasurer:

Blessing Mawire (South Africa)

Webmaster & Social Media/Communications Manager(2 seats):

Olufunmilayo Fati (Nigeria)

Onan Mulumba (Uganda)

Advisor(5 seats):

Abebe Rorissa (United States of America)

Diane H. Sonnenwald (Ireland)

Daniel Gelaw Alemneh (United States of America)

Nadia Caidi (Canada)

Salah Eddine Bahji (Morocco)

A LIBRARY FOR UWA by Shade Adepoju

A library poem by Shade Adepoju

Uwaila Omozuwa

Those who raped Uwa Omozuwa, leading to her death, must have kept a trail on her. 

They must have known she was headed for the church at that point in time on that fateful day.

They must have known she found the church as an option to a library that was never available for her to study.

Uwa's is a story of failure

The failure of hope, in our desire to return the dying reading culture among young people.

Uwa's community failed her.

Her country failed her.

The lack of a library failed her.

We failed her.

We should have known better to avail Uwa a Library to read.

Her community would have obliged her a library to read

Her country should have obliged her a library to read

Maybe, just may be, she would have still been alive.

If only Uwa had a library in her community. 

She wouldn't have been exposed to the company of her rapists, alone.

If only governments funded libraries.

There would have been several for other Uwas who love to read.

If only governments would do better, virtual libraries will offer benefits to users with remote access.

For every Uwa out there in search of a place to read.

You don't deserve to die in pursuit of it.

It should not be.

Your community owes you a library, if government fails to provide one.

We owe one another a  library.

As everyone deserves one

Just as Uwa did.

#FundLibraries

#SafeSpace

-Shade Adepoju. 

National Library of Nigeria

Abuja

Note:

Uwaila Omozuwa simply known as Uwa, was the first-year Microbiology student of the University of Benin who was raped and brutally murdered while studying in a church in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria on May 27, 2020.

THE NEED FOR FUNCTIONAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES: A ThisDay Editorial

A ThisDay Newspaper's editorial published June 23, 2020 laments the poor state of Nigerian public libraries in a rare show of solidarity for the library sector by the Nigerian press. This effort is commendable and more of such is needed.

The piece goes thus:

The recent death in Benin, Edo State, of a university undergraduate inside a church where she went to read highlights the necessity for public libraries in Nigeria. If there were public libraries, perhaps she would not risk being alone inside a church to read. Sadly, even where they exist in Nigeria today, public libraries, often named “the poor man’s university,” are kept unattractive and poorly maintained while in most cases, the infrastructural facilities are inadequate. Besides, the books in stock are dated just as it is a rarity to stumble on new and current journals. Indeed, reference materials, where they exist, are old and dusty. Audio-visual materials are hard to come by. The quality of manpower is another story altogether....

 Follow link to read the full article http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2020/06/23/the-need-for-functional-public-libraries/

This corroborated my 2017 post on library culture. Read it here https://blograrianinfo.blogspot.com/2017/06/nigeria-concerning-library-culture-or_9.html?m=1