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A Model for Community Participation in African Libraries to Preserve Indigenous Knowledge


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1 eThekwini Municipal Library, PO Box 917, Durban, 4000, South Africa
     

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Africa and African libraries and information centres are poorly equipped to make a meaningftil contribution to the current global digital knowledge economy. The lack of management systems for indigenous knowledge perpetuates the low local content on the Web, retards buy-in from local communities into digital resources and inhibits digital skills development. Afro-centric Libraries and Information Services should include provision of indigenous knowledge resources. This paper discusses a model for community participation in establishing a digital library of indigenous knowledge. It focuses on public libraries and aims to create a virtual resource that is in step with the global information society while at the same time empowering citizens through preservation of indigenous knowledge and through development of digital skills.
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  • A Model for Community Participation in African Libraries to Preserve Indigenous Knowledge

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Authors

Betsie Greyling
eThekwini Municipal Library, PO Box 917, Durban, 4000, South Africa

Abstract


Africa and African libraries and information centres are poorly equipped to make a meaningftil contribution to the current global digital knowledge economy. The lack of management systems for indigenous knowledge perpetuates the low local content on the Web, retards buy-in from local communities into digital resources and inhibits digital skills development. Afro-centric Libraries and Information Services should include provision of indigenous knowledge resources. This paper discusses a model for community participation in establishing a digital library of indigenous knowledge. It focuses on public libraries and aims to create a virtual resource that is in step with the global information society while at the same time empowering citizens through preservation of indigenous knowledge and through development of digital skills.

References