The problems of tertiary publishing in Africa and implications for the training and education of library and information professionals

Abstract

Trainees in the library and information profession in Africa depend on textbooks emanating from outside Africa because of the dearth of local books. Even supposedly local books are generally patterned along Western lines and they are either descriptive or historical, so none of them can really be used as a basic textbook for any of the courses offered in library/ information science schools. This has greatly affected the training of library and information professionals in Africa as trainees are exposed to literature that is largely suited to situations outside their immediate environments. Several factors have been identified as being responsible for inadequate tertiary publications in the information profession in Africa. In order to improve tertiary publishing, the paper recommends that authors should embark on team authorship, international funding agencies and national governments should commission textbooks that are appropriate for the African setting, and also national library and information associations should be innovative by vigorously looking for sponsors who will publish manuscripts they have adjudged to have met international standards and at the same time relevant to the African setting.

Citation

Aina, L.O. (1999), "The problems of tertiary publishing in Africa and implications for the training and education of library and information professionals", Library Review, Vol. 48 No. 8, pp. 399-402. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242539910300679