Management Prospects and Challenges of Library Associations in Africa: The Case for Uganda Library Association and the Library and Information Association of South Africa

Authors

  • Dick Kawooya University of Tennessee

Abstract

For professional library associations to meaningfully contribute to the development of LIS institutions and professionals in Africa, management issues need to take center stage and attention. This paper draws from the experiences of two associations in Africa to describe their approach to management and lessons for other professional bodies. The Uganda Library Association (ULA) realized remarkable achievement through strategic planning and the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) through the establishment of democratic structures and project management. The author identifies strategic planning, partnership building, and internal democratic structures as key in the success of LIASA and ULA. Strategic plans for the two bodies are discussed with emphasis on implementation strategies. LIASA and ULA provide good cases for other associations in Africa to address their own challenges but more documentation of what has worked, where and how is needed for purposes of sharing experiences.

Author Biography

Dick Kawooya, University of Tennessee

Richard Kawooya is a Doctoral student at the School of Information Science, University of Tennessee. Email: dkawooya@utk.edu. The author served as Editor and Executive Committee Member of Uganda Library Association (1999‐2001), earned the MLIS from Valdosta State University (2001) and is currently working on a PhD in Communications (Information Science) at the University of Tennessee.

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Issue

Vol. 11 No. 1 & 2 (2001)

Section

Articles

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