General Background: Libraries as innovative and esteemed information producers all over the world have a tremendous impact in the academic and public spheres. In science and technology researchers rely on the librarian\u2019s expertise in organizing, disseminating and archiving their output as a critical element in fostering inclusive participation in the global economy. By comparison, social sciences and humanities research will help reshape the social, economic and political landscape leading to improved service delivery. In Uganda as elsewhere, research output is reliant on the availability of research funding and the constant cultivation of a research culture among academic and research institutions.<\/p>\n
Expected role of librarians in the Research Process
\nLibrarians should:
\nFacilitate the discovery of content and utilization of information resources
\nProvide expertise on publishing and open access business models
\nSuggest channels to disseminate research output
\nIdentify trustworthy environments for researchers to publish
\nFacilitate the development and maintenance of Institutional Repositories (IRs)
\nProvide training to researchers on resource location, literature review and information literacy
\nFacilitate scholarly communication and scientific publishing
\nImplement publisher policies for self-archiving
\nFacilitate subscription and access to electronic resources
\nSteps involved in the creation, publication, dissemination, and discovery of scholarly research follow a lifecycle involving several actors, such as researchers, peer reviewers, librarians, publishers, funders, technologists, RECs, and many more in between data collection and knowledge sharing.<\/p>\n
[Hansen, 2018]
\nScience publishing is the gateway to research outcomes. It facilitates results sharing with the academic community and the public, primarily through journal articles and monographs, conference proceedings, working papers, and datasets through libraries.<\/p>\n
Librarians\u2019 expertise for evaluation of research impact
\nThe research impact is useful for:
\nAccountability \u2013 to demonstrate to funders the value of their research investment and enhance the chances for further funding.
\nUnderstanding \u2013 to understand how research leads to impact, and thus ways in which it can be developed to maximize the impact of research findings
\nPerformance evaluation \u2013 in developing standards for employment, performance evaluation and promotion of researchers.
\nImpact evaluation of research output enables the organization to gain an overall understanding of its performance and monitor how its contributions are disseminated to society.
\nResearch impact Assessment<\/p>\n
[Research4Life, 2021]
\nLibrarians have a special skill set in Bibliometrics and use other indicators for assessing research impact that uses statistical methods to analyze books, articles, and other publications
\nMetrics that are used in research assessment include:
\nScientometrics \u2013 Measures scholarly literature output of science in general, not limited to publications
\nWebometrics (cyber metrics) \u2013 Measures quantitative aspects of the construction and use of information resources, innovative data structures, and technologies on the Web
\nInformetrics \u2013 Measures production, dissemination, and use of all forms of information, regardless of its form or origin
\nAltimetrics \u2013 Measures how datasets are discussed and used around the world – page views\/downloads, shares, mentions, bookmarks, applauds, reviews, comments, and reports<\/p>\n
A UGANDAN PERSPECTIVE
\nLibraries in Uganda rely on proactive partners, either national or international:
\nNational:
\nCUUL, Consortium of Uganda University Libraries
\nRENU, Research and Education Network for Uganda Free Services catalogue
\nULIA, Uganda Library and Information Association
\nInternational:
\nAFLIA, African Library & Information Associations & Institutions
\nAHILA, Association of Health Information and Libraries in Africa
\nEIFL, Electronic Information for Libraries
\nIFLA, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
\nINASP, International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications
\nSPIDER, Swedish Programme for ICT in Developing Regions
\nLet\u2019s take a deeper look at the major two collaborating networks based in Uganda and focused on research promotion:
\nCUUL \u2013 Subscriptions and training, Collaboration and Networking
\nRENU- Bandwidth (Data), Web hosting, Back up, Research discovery tools, training
\nThere have been very welcome moves by publishers, vendors and others working with libraries to facilitate access to content for researchers even when library buildings were forced to close due to COVID-19 Pandemic.
\nA key step has been to allow remote access to content that has been restricted to on-site users. For instance, VitalSource has worked with its publisher partners to broaden access to materials using only an email address to log-in, as did ProQuest through eBook Central and Springer through extended log-in periods and Emerald and others through remote access possibilities.
\nConsortium of Uganda University Libraries (CUUL)
\nThe Consortium of Uganda University Libraries seeks to facilitate effective and efficient collaboration and resource sharing among uuniversity and Institutional libraries in Uganda in order to strengthen the library services provided to their clients. Key objectives include:
\nImprove the visibility of libraries and mobilize funding for collaboration
\nHelp librarians become part of larger national, regional and international conversations
\nResearcher Focused Goals of CUUL:
\nTo build the capacity and effectiveness of its member institutions.
\nEnhances access to quality information for learning, teaching and research; and develops resource sharing procedures
\nImprove research generation and publication of its member institutions
\nTo advocate for the vital role of libraries in education, research and innovation in Uganda.
\nStrengthen leadership and membership capability related to advocacy
\nBuild new and strengthen existing partnerships across a range of sectors, so that CUUL can play a vital bridging role in the knowledge economy
\nIn addition, the RENU – CUUL official partnership seeks to:
\nFacilitate Research & Education collaboration
\nResearch, cooperation and resource sharing
\nSupport Research & Education transformation<\/p>\n
Research and Education Network for Uganda Free Services catalogue:
\nThe following resources and services are provided to academics free of charge under the RENU framework:
\nInstitutional data traffic;
\nIPv4 public addresses + IPv6;
\nWeb conferencing;
\nCybersecurity – RENU CERT reports;
\nSSL Certificates;
\nNetwork traffic monitoring;
\nOpen-source mirror;
\nFileSender;
\nEduroam – eduVPN;
\nTrainings and workshops;
\nTechnicians, researchers and librarians;
\nResource Discovery Tools.
\nIn addition, anti-plagiarism tool Turnitin is subsidized through bulk purchase<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[RENU, 2019]<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[RENU, 2021]
\nThe Availability of Free Research4life Access for Uganda
\nCreated with the initiative of UN under Kofi Anan, Research4Life is a public-private partnership of the FAO, WHO, UNEP, WIPO, ILO, Cornell University, Yale University, the International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical (STM) Publishers and up to 160 international scientific publishers.
\nResearch4Life was created to reduce the knowledge gap between high-income countries and low and middle-income countries by providing affordable access to important scientific research.
\nResearch4life Project
\nSince 2002, the five programmes \u2013 Research in Health (Hinari), Research in Agriculture (AGORA), Research in the Environment (OARE), Research for Development and Innovation (ARDI), and Research for Global Justice (GOALI) \u2013 have provided researchers from more than 10,000 institutions in more than 120 low- and middle-income countries with free or low-cost online access to up to 119,000 leading journals and books in the fields of health, agriculture, environment, applied sciences and law. Further information is available at www.research4life.org
\nHere below are a few examples of the rich palette of tools that can be subscribed to by Ugandan librarians and information professionals:
\nWeb of Science \u2013 the largest citation research engine for acquiring, analyzing, and disseminating global research information;
\nScopus – Elsevier’s Scopus , the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature;
\nPublons – Tracks research impact – publications, citation metrics, peer reviews and journal editing work, in one place;
\nReference Managers – Mendeley, Zotero, Endnote;
\nPublisher e-resources Platforms \u2013 Wiley, EbscoHost, Emerald, Jstor, Elsevier, IEEE, etc.;
\nResearch data repository registry – re3data.org;
\nAntiplagiarism tools \u2013 Turnitin.<\/p>\n
3. CHALLENGES Several challenges can frustrate the library\u2019s noble duty. Below are some typical obstacles for academic libraries across the world:
\nBudget constraints;
\nCommunication about changes within the library;
\nTraining and career advancement;
\nKeeping up with changing technical requirements;
\nVirtual storage space and increased need to attain high internet speeds by expanding bandwidth.
\nUnderstanding research trends and the librarian\u2019s role in the research cycle;
\nKeeping up with policy changes;
\nManaging and Sharing Research Output;
\nCountering the rise of predatory publishers;
\nConveying the value of librarians to researchers;
\nBeyond these obvious difficulties, the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries (CUUL) has to address specific challenges:
\nExpensive subscriptions to publisher e-resources;
\nHigh cost of bandwidth for libraries and individuals;
\nFluctuating subscription timelines by members;
\nResearchers need training and online support;
\nEifel Funding for Research Repositories ended in 2019;
\nINASP funding for Library Consortiums ended 2019;
\nSIDA funding on e-resources and scholarly communication ended in 2020.
\nConversely, the future of research in Uganda in our view should entail the following:
\nImprove budgetary allocation for research generation and dissemination;
\nFunding long-term sustainability of CUUL and RENU;
\nTrainings\/workshops for researchers and scholars to foster end user engagement;
\nCollaboration between CUUL, RENU, INASP, RAF and other stakeholders
\nConnectivity improvement (International bandwidth and content cloud hosting) through RENU
\nContent development liaison & dissemination of research output with CUUL
\nBetter research & publication with Researchers and Academics Forum (RAF)
\nStronger LinkedIn presence and professional networking of Ugandan researchers
\nInstitutional repository development for various institutions with CUUL
\nSubscription to the Web of Science platform<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION
\nFacilitated by exponential growth of the global ICT sector and the arrival of the 4th Industrial Revolution in 2015, Librarians and Information professionals in Uganda are quite optimistic about their changing roles in facilitating research output. If research is to thrive and gain international visibility, CUUL and RENU need to exploit all the opportunities including creating lasting partnerships that are readily available and forge new ones that can enable Librarians and Information professional access relevant training, collaborative support and alternative funding hence increasing our potential to provide inclusive services based on global standards.<\/p>\n
Further reading:
\nConsortium of Uganda University Libraries: https:\/\/cuul.or.ug\/index.php\/layout\/aims-objectives
\nInternational Federation of Library Associations and institution: https:\/\/www.ifla.org\/news\/libraries-for-human-rights-good-practices-and-key-trends-in-uganda\/
\nInternational Network for Scientific Publications: https:\/\/www.inasp.info\/project\/improving-organizational-effectiveness-national-library-consortia
\nResearch4Life: https:\/\/www.research4life.org\/wpcontent\/uploads\/2021\/06\/20210627_M1_L1.3.EN_.Research4Life-1.pptx;
\nResearch4Life:
\nhttps:\/\/www.research4life.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/20210627_M1_L1.2.EN_.Research-Assessment-and-Bibliometrics-1.pptx
\nResearch4Life: https:\/\/www.research4life.org\/about\/programs\/
\nResearch and Education Network for Uganda: https:\/\/www.renu.ac.ug\/services.html
\nHansen, Samuel (2018) Supporting Scholarly Communication
\nhttps:\/\/hacklibraryschool.com\/2018\/10\/31\/supporting-scholarly-communication-part-2\/
\nTop 10 Challenges for Academic Libraries in the 21St Century, (2018). http:\/\/www.sirsidynix.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/25\/top-10-challenges-for-academic-libraries-in-the-21st-century.<\/p>\n
Andrew Ojulong
\nSenior Librarian | Ag. UL \u2013 Lira University,
\nPhD Scholar \u2013 College of Computing & Information Science, Makerere University
\nContact: Mob: +256781308440; Email: andrew.ojulong@gmail.com; Net:\u00a0www.linkedin.com\/in\/andrew-ojulong<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
General Background: Libraries as innovative and esteemed information producers all over the world have a tremendous impact in the academic and public spheres. In science and technology researchers rely on the librarian\u2019s expertise in organizing, disseminating and archiving their output as a critical element in fostering inclusive participation in the global economy. By comparison, social […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1048,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/arl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/arl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/arl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/arl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1048"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/arl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=696"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/arl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":704,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/arl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696\/revisions\/704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/arl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/arl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ifla.org\/arl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}