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The Namibia Library and Archives Service (NLAS) Directorate’s main purpose is to ensure that adequate, appropriate and relevant information services and resources are available at all levels of the Namibian society. The vast majority of library users are learners, ranging from pre- primary to postgraduate level but the services offered are not limited to this user group alone but to a wide cross-section of the Namibian society.  The NLAS Directorate consists of the following five (5) subdivisions:

·         The Community Library Service (CLS): provides the general public and learners’ country-wide with information and learning resources through the community library network. At present there are 52 Community libraries in the country.

·         The Education Library Service (ELS): responsible for providing curriculum related resource materials and exciting books to stimulate reading culture to all learners and teachers at primary and secondary schools in   Namibia . In addition the ELS promotes the subject, Basic Information Science (BIS) by developing a learner centered, resource based syllabus in conjunction with the Namibian Institute of Educational Development (NIED).  

·         The Ministerial Library Service (MLS): supports and coordinates specialized library and information services in government ministries. At present the MLS comprises twelve (12) libraries in government ministries and agencies.

·         The National Library of Namibia (NLN): supports education and research through access to national and international information resources, and collects and preserves the nation’s published intellectual heritage through legal deposit and book purchases.

·         The National Archives of Namibia ( NAN ): maintains the institutional memory of government ministries, offices and agencies; collects and preserves the nation’s history and unpublished documentary heritage; and supports education and research by providing access to these resources. 

2.         Main Achievements

2.1.     

Provision of Services

The CLS continued to broaden its service to previously neglected communities. Two new Community libraries were opened in Tsumkwe and at Greenwell Matongo in Katutura, bringing the number of Community Libraries to 52. Books totaling 4 292 were purchased (against 11 959 in the previous year), while 2 457 books were received as donations mainly from Book Aid International. 24 565 books were distributed to the community libraries, the majority of them from processing previous years' acquisitions. The ELS purchased 21 050 books with budget funds and received 37 300 books thrpough donations for distribution to school libraries. The National Library added 922 books to its general collection. 1179 Namibian monographs were added to the library mainly through legal deposit, while 76 new Namibian periodicals titles were catalogued. The national bibliographic database Namibian Literature (NAMLIT) grew by 2,198 records. A total of 345 titles were sent to the three Legal Deposit Centres, namely the Parliament, Keetmanshoop Community and UNAM Northern Campus libraries.  

Utilization of Libraries

The CLS continued to broaden its service to previously neglected communities. Two (2) new Community libraries were opened in Tsumkwe and Greenwell Matongo, Katutura bringing the number of Community Libraries to 52. The number of registered memberships was 17 947 against 19 602 in the previous year.  298 563 books were borrowed against 388 356 in the previous year. However the book circulation figure only represents the books being borrowed by members, and does not include the number of books being utilized by users within the libraries.  In underprivileged areas, learners without any study space at home come to the library to study instead of taking books out.   The falling numbers in “membership” (which is only required for borrowing) and “circulation” indicate a shift in usage patterns rather than declining use of libraries.  For the National Library a total of 44 543 used the library against a figure of 37,133 the previous financial year. The National Library also processed 546 inter-lending requests from within Namibia and 13 requests from the SADC region. The National Archives was used by 1,243 daily visitors against 1,287 the previous year. The specialised (ministerial) libraries achieved an increase in the number of users especially among professional scientists, technicians, researchers, investors, small/medium business people as well as tertiary level students. The situation varies a lot between libraries but in some of these libraries user figures grew to 15-20 clients per day.

Upgrading Service Quality

The staffing situation slightly improved with the filling of several posts that had been vacant for years in the various sub-divisions. The recruitment of professional staff has clearly improved the usage and service levels of the libraries. Newly recruited professional librarians in the specialised (ministerial) libraries have among other things initiated subscriptions and promoted the use of electronic journals and other web based resources. Meteorological Service Library was re-opened after the recruitment of a Library Assistant. The ELS managed to fill all three (3) Education Officers’ posts. Three regional librarian’s posts were filled.

The NLAS organized a Reading Skills Development Workshop sponsored by the Namibian Library and Information Council (NLIC) and Book Aid International in March 2006. The workshop came up with workable strategies and recommendations. The National Library’s web site is now available, both on the Intranet and Internet (http://www.nln.gov.na).  The site enables remote users to search the library’s holdings and will enhance the Namibian Inter-lending System, being coordinated by the National Library. The National Library with the assistance of a Working Group on Inter-lending inaugurated the operational policy for the Namibian Inter-lending System (NIS) during a national workshop.  The National Library also started offering free public internet access for research purposes on four terminals as from the last half of last year (2005). The response from the public has been overwhelming.

2.2.Preservation and Accessibility of Documents

For the National Archives, the “repatriation of Namibian archives” (Administrator-General's records, and others) from South Africa , which were officially handed over by Minister Pallo Jordan , and the donation of 101 microfilms of the “United Evangelical Mission (Rhenish Mission) archives” from Wuppertal , Germany were the highlights of 2005. The "Private Accessions" programme and the "Archives of Anti-Colonial Resistance and the Liberation Struggle Project” (AACRLS) recorded new 63 accessions. The “oral history programme” within the AACRLS Project received 123 sound cassettes.  The “digitisation programm” of the National Archives switched from experimental and on-demand scanning to a full production programme in November 2005 in cooperation with the ALUKA Project sponsored by the Mellon Foundation. The programme started off with the scanning of liberation struggle periodicals, the "Native Affairs Ovamboland" archival group and the poster collection.

Maintaining Institutional Memory of Government

The “records management programme” that was for a long time hampered by inadequate staffing, resumed full operation in 2005 with the appointment of a senior archivist. Inspections of government offices and training of records management staff were resumed, while guidelines to ensure preservation of the government's electronic records are under preparation.

3.         PROBLEMS AND CONSTRAINTS

The shortage of professional staff remains critical. Of the 37 professional posts under the Directorate 24 posts were filled by March 2006 (regions excluded; there the situations is even worse). Three subdivisions have continued to function without the most senior position being filled. This seriously affects not only the day-to-day work, but also long-term planning.

The Community Library Service did not undertake the annual workshop for rural library assistants for the second year running because of budgetary constraints.  Staffing remains a big challenge in the Ministerial libraries sector. There are only eight (8) established posts for the whole MLS in relation to the 12 ministerial libraries and resource centres.  Many of the libraries do not have adequate library budgets or acceptable NLAS standards as regards ICT, furniture and stock control as it is the prerequisite of the relevant Ministries or particular government institutions to cater for these things.

The slow internet connectivity in the National Archives and Library Building remains an obstacle for many functions. While the National Archives has acquired digitisation equipment, the other services need to expand in this direction in order to provide local internet content for learners country-wide, and to speed up interlending services by electronic document delivery. The lack of restoration and preservation facilities and expertise remains another problem both at National Archives and National Library. There is no adequate facility anywhere in Namibia . Irreplaceable library and archives materials are deteriorating.and the quality of book-binding offered by private contractors is unsatisfactory.

 The rich audio and audiovisual heritage at the Archives is, despite optimal storage conditions, endangered by the slow but unstoppable deterioration of magnetic carriers and the obsolescence of replay equipment. Audio/video digitisation is becoming inevitable, and is already critical for the oldest materials.

In relation to school libraries no provision has been made with regards to time allocation for management of school libraries. Where the BIS teacher is responsible for the library, the BIS periods are used for library management, which diverts time from teaching the subject.  

Conclusion

The experience of the reporting period shows that there is an immense demand and an enormous potential for the integration of ICT in library and archives services. The use of electronic information is a key factor in providing equitable access throughout the country for enhancing education and promoting a knowledge-based economy, and needs to be vigorously promoted.    

recommendations

Improve nationwide access to information by enhancing public ICT access through the community library network and all other libraries. Expand national internet connectivity bandwidth to enable the productive utilization of national and global information resources.

There is a need for a staff training program to create national expertise in the management and provision of electronic resources. Information services require a professional labour force. Providing a professional regional librarian to each region is necessary. There is also a need for expansion of educational support for studying information and archival science, to overcome the critical shortage of professionals.  A national restoration and preservation laboratory should be established in addition to the creation of local content on the internet, in line with the ICT Policy for Education.

Fully packed....the newly opened Greenwell Matongo Community Library in Katutura

© Ministry of Education - Namibia 08/2008
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