Providing Cognitively Just Subject Access to Indigenous Knowledge through Knowledge Organization Systems

This article explores cognitively just, reliable subject access to indigenous knowledge through knowledge organization systems (KOSs). Cognitive justice requires that indigenous people be able to access materials in a way that respects their worldview, yet dominant KOSs are based on positivist, Western approaches that are fundamentally incompatible. Alternatives to universal systems include the creation of new KOSs and the adaptation of universal ones. Going forward, emerging web technologies are presented as key to moving away from universalist schemes and toward specialized access.     

Resource Sharing in Special Libraries

This article provides a detailed account of resource sharing in special libraries in Kenya. A brief definition of special libraries is provided, and the characteristics of these libraries highlighted. The current position pertaining to cooperation in Kenya in general and in social libraries in particular is provided. It is concluded that cooperation in Kenya is still informal. Factors hindering formal programmes have been isolated. The suggestion is advanced that formal programmes can be operational only if the government establishes a national coordinating body on information.     

Gender and digital divide 2000-2008 in two low-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa: Kenya and Somalia in official statistics

The Beijing World Conference on Women held in 1995 by the United Nations member states, approved strategies for improving women's access to and use of new communication technologies. The aim of this paper is to retrieve official statistics for the years 2000-2008 with regard to sex differences, gender and digital divide (specifically concerning telecommunication technologies) in two low-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya and Somalia. This paper reveals that official statistics on sex discrepancies and, the gender divide regarding access, use and benefits of telecommunications are still almost totally lacking for the countries in view. However, the digital divide is successively closing, and the telecommunication process in Kenya was quite rapid at the end of the period. Official statistics from Somalia are difficult to comprehend due to the absence of official data and a lack of evidence-based knowledge. Fifteen years after the Beijing Conference in 1995 there is still a lack of comprehensive statistics regarding new communication technologies for low-income economies such as Kenya and Somalia.     

NAGPRA: Effective Repatriation Programs and Cultural Change in Museums

A survey of museums in the United States sought to identify evidence of broad impact on the organisational culture and practices of museums in their relatioships with indiginous peoples as a result of the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act 1990 (NAGPRA). NAGPRA establishes a process for the repatriation of human remains and other specified items held in museum collections to Native Americans who can prove they are lineal descendants or members of tribes which are culturally affiliated with identified items covered by the legislation. Effective repatriation programs are characterised by: * a genuine belief in the primary rights of indigenous people in the management of their cultural material presently held in museum collections; * a commitment to greater collaboration between the museum and indigenous people in the management of scientific research and public programs pertaining to items of indigenous cultural heritage; * practices which are indicative of an organisational culture which acts in ways which go beyond the minimum requirements of the legislation. Our research shows that museums are engaging in consultation with indigenous people in the management of collections of indigenous cultural heritage, and that this engagement is influencing conservation strategies. Museums espouse goals which promote external consultation, the involvement of indigenous people in their activities, respect for the cultural goals of indigenous people and a commitment to increasing public awareness of indigenous cultural heritage and social issues. However, only in the areas where NAGPRA has mandated it should happen—collections of human remains and secret/sacred material—is there evidence of communication and consultation, commitment of resources and sharing of authority with indigenous people consistent with the outcomes intended under NAGPRA.     

肯尼亚的图书馆服务

本文介绍了肯尼亚图书馆的发展历史,在图书馆权利问题上的基本理念和基本情况,最后介绍了肯尼亚几种独具特色的图书馆服务。     

Transition from Camel Libraries to Digital Technologies in Kenya Public Libraries

Public libraries in Kenya were established with the aim of providing information services to the general public. The Kenya National Library Service (KNLS) is responsible for providing services through its library network across the country. In the past, to combat illiteracy, the library launched various initiatives, including mobile services and community libraries. The public libraries are in a transition period of moving from paper library services to incorporate modern digital technologies for information access. This article addresses the progress from predigital to the present, examining difficulties and challenges faced in adopting new technologies in the modern information age.     

Knowledge ambassadors in academic libraries in Kenya: Development,benefits, and challenges

The Knowledge Ambassadors Programme in Kenya was largely born out of a growing concern about the unsatisfactory use of electronic information resources in the universities. In an attempt to maximize their use, many academic libraries are engaging students in their promotional activities. The student partners are often referred to as knowledge ambassadors. This article looks at the development of knowledge ambassadors in selected university libraries in Kenya. A questionnaire designed using Google Forms was used to collect data. The link was e-mailed to universities known to have the program. The findings revealed the need for formalizing and mainstreaming the program.     

Incorporating indigenous knowledge materials. Efforts at Elhafeed Library,Ahfad University,Sudan

Abstract

This article describes work being done at Ahfad University for Women in Omdurman, Sudan, to document and catalog indigenous knowledge (IK) materials. The recognition and appreciation of IK taps into the intellectual resources associated with it. Librarians, as major workers in the knowledge society, have to recognize their roles in the incorporation of IK into the “scientific knowledge system” with which they are familiar.     

Exploring copyright knowledge in relation to experience and education level among academic librarians in Kenya

Since the year 2001, Kenya’s copyright regime has extensively been shaped by Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement; World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty; Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA); and The Cotonou Agreement, which have advocated for effective copyright administration and management structures in addition to stiffer penalties for those who violate copyright laws. Despite better administrative structures being put in place, copyright infringement in Kenya has persisted. Being able to balance the needs of rights owners and information consumers becomes a critical role librarians have to play. Knowledge about copyright, thus, becomes critical. Despite the fact that librarians in Kenya are not a homogenous group, how knowledgeable the different librarian cadres are concerning copyright issues is least understood. The raison d’être for this study is to find out whether different cadres of librarians based on academic qualifications differ in the level of knowledge on copyright issues. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Results indicate no statistically significant difference in self-reported knowledge of copyright among the five librarian cadres based on their education level and neither is there a statistically significant difference based on librarians’ years of service. Statistically significant differences among the five librarian cadres exist when we compare “tested knowledge” of copyright issues. Evidence of insufficient mastery of provisions in the Kenyan copyright law does exist.     

Improving medical education in Kenya: an international collaboration

This paper describes a partnership between the University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences (CHS) Library and the University of Maryland Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HS/HSL). The libraries are collaborating to develop best practices for the CHS Library as it meets the challenge of changing medical education information needs in a digital environment. The collaboration is part of a Medical Education Partnership Initiative. The library project has several components: an assessment of the CHS Library, learning visits in the United States and Kenya, development of recommendations to enhance the CHS Library, and ongoing evaluation of the program''s progress. Development of new services and expertise at the CHS Library is critical to the project''s success. A productive collaboration between the HS/HSL and CHS Library is ongoing. A successful program to improve the quality of medical education will have a beneficial impact on health outcomes in Kenya.     

为肯尼亚青年谋求STEM教育的平等机会

肯尼亚人口中18岁以下的青少年占50％,他们是肯尼亚社会中一股重要而活跃的力量,大力发展青少年教育是促进发展的有效方式。肯尼亚科学中心是一所筹建中的STEM教育机构,旨在为所有青少年提供平等的教育机会,并接受STEM教育方面的启迪。本文介绍了建设和发展肯尼亚科学中心的各种工作方式,期望能够借鉴国际上其他科学中心的经验,以达成独具特色的发展目标。     

Learning from Museums with Indigenous Collections: Beyond Repatriation

As indigenous voices become stronger through legislation or other means, museums with indigenous collections must reexamine their approaches to collection, exhibition, and preservation. Traditional approaches to collection management are undergoing change as participation from indigenous and tribal groups increases. This article summarizes these trends and describes the post-modern charters of two museums: the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, and Te Papa Tongarewa/The Museum of New Zealand, in Wellington.     

The potential of information and communication technologies in collecting,preserving and disseminating indigenous knowledge in Africa

Abstract

This paper first gives an outline of the importance of African indigenous knowledge. After that it gives the definition of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and indigenous knowledge (IK). It then goes on to highlight examples in which information communication technologies have been used to preserve IK successfully. The paper further lists projects which are still underway, in which information communication technologies are being harnessed in the collection and preservation of the IK. Lastly the paper looks at the challenges faced by African countries in harnessing information communication technologies in preserving IK and gives recommendations on the way forward.     

Previous Possessions,New Obligations: A Commitment by Australian Museums†

In 1993, Museums Australia, representing museums and the Australian museum community, adopted a policy covering relations between museums and Australia's indigenous peoples. Previous Possessions, New Obligations is based on 13 principles, the first of which recognizes the right to self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in respect of their cultural property. The policy recognizes a multiplicity of interests in indigenous peoples' cultural property but emphasizes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' primary role. The policy was developed through consultation with indigenous people and communities, museums, professional associations, and governments. It covers human remains, secret/sacred material, and collections in general. It also deals with museums' public programs and issues of staffing, training, and governance. It emphasizes the importance of consultation between museum staff and appropriate persons and communities when museums are dealing with indigenous cultures. This paper traces the history of museums' dealings with indigenous peoples in several countries, especially Australia. The development of this policy from mid-1991 is traced. Museums Australia, in collaboration with the Australian government, is pursuing the policy, especially the provenancing of human remains and secret/sacred material, to assist in returning such material when requested and appropriate. Museums Australia is also reviewing the effect the policy has had over the last two years. While the policy is an important document, there is still much progress to be made.     

Rural library service in the Republic of Kiribati

This paper reflects on the outcomes of a project undertaken in 1997/98, and examines issues relating to the development of the managerial expertise that underpins the library and information services in Latin America and the Caribbean. It reviews the results of surveys of schools of Librarianship and Information Sciences and a small selection of employers in the region, examining the congruence between the needs of the employers and provision by the schools and possible explanations for an apparent mutual lack of awareness of modern management techniques. Proposals for developing management expertise include: enhancing access to indigenous professional publications and teaching materials; developing a Hispanic language distance-learning programme for library managers; improving research into the job market and skills requirements; and developing an electronic network for communication between the schools. The role of international agencies and technical co-operation projects is assessed, and attention is drawn to the need for a more positive approach to overcome the issues surrounding the transfer of management know-how between different cultures.     

Creating a needs-responsive LIS curriculum in a developing country: A case study from Kenya

The Department of Library Studies at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya has for some time now been reviewing its curriculum, for the purposes of meeting the requirements and needs of a twenty-first century global, networked society and to meet the country's information needs. To achieve this, the University has been working on approximately 10 different programs from certificate to masters in both library and information science and archives administration/records management. This paper analyzes the process involved in this undertaking and critically examines the underlying assumptions embedded in the exercise. It discusses problems encountered, solutions devised, and the products derived from the curriculum review. The paper is a collaborative effort between a faculty member based in Kenya and one based in the United States.     

本土知识与本土知识数据库的建设探讨

本土知识是人类文化的历史积淀,在当今多元化发展的社会中越来越受到重视,许多发展中国家已经开始意识到保护本土知识的重要性。本土文化的延续在于代际间的传递。数字图书馆能以生动、形象的方式记录本土知识的最初面貌,并通过对本土知识的收藏和整理为其传递、共享和利用提供重要的平台。印度等国在建设和利用本土知识数据库方面的成功做法,对我国开发本土知识数据库、发展本土知识数字图书馆、保护本土知识具有巨大的借鉴意义。     

Management Development for Libraries and Information Services in Latin America and the Caribbean

This paper reflects on the outcomes of a project undertaken in 1997/98, and examines issues relating to the development of the managerial expertise that underpins the library and information services in Latin America and the Caribbean. It reviews the results of surveys of schools of Librarianship and Information Sciences and a small selection of employers in the region, examining the congruence between the needs of the employers and provision by the schools and possible explanations for an apparent mutual lack of awareness of modern management techniques. Proposals for developing management expertise include: enhancing access to indigenous professional publications and teaching materials; developing a Hispanic language distance-learning programme for library managers; improving research into the job market and skills requirements; and developing an electronic network for communication between the schools. The role of international agencies and technical co-operation projects is assessed, and attention is drawn to the need for a more positive approach to overcome the issues surrounding the transfer of management know-how between different cultures.     

Digitizing IKS: Epistemic complexity,datadiversity & cognitive justice*

In contemporary African societies where multiple systems of knowledge coexist, and the use of informatics is becoming increasingly widespread, conventional perspectives drawn from cultural anthropology, environmentalism, development studies and intellectual property rights are insufficient guides to thinking about the digitization of indigenous knowledge. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, three moments in South African knowledge dynamics are used to probe some of the ontological, epistemological, and performative implications of science/IKS interaction in the design and construction of archives and databases of local plants. Twenty-first century databases of indigenous African medico-botanical knowledge need to assure that it is recontextualized historically and socially; that its multiplicity, visuality, and orality are retained; and that “articulation work” is done to make sure that design choices and use are cognitively just.     

图书馆职业如何承担起保护中国乡土知识的职能

文章根据对乡土知识的定义、意义和现状的分析,提出图书馆职业在保护乡土知识中所具有的优势和应当担负的责任.认为中国图书馆应该肩负起保护乡土知识的使命,并针对不同类型图书馆的特点提出了一些具体的建议.