A survey of digital library education in library schools in Africa

Abstract

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to bring to light the state of education in digital libraries (DLs) in library schools in Africa, and the readiness of library schools to produce future digital librarians in Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe survey was carried out in two parts: first, a survey of web sites maintained by library schools was conducted to identify any DL course offered and also to analyze the course contents, followed by e‐mail messages containing three research questions to library and information science (LIS) faculty members to ascertain the availability of DL courses in the curriculum.FindingsResults from the survey revealed that only a few library schools offer courses specifically related to DLs. Many library schools have not developed DL as a standalone course in their LIS curriculum; rather, it is briefly discussed as a topic in related courses. The reason for this is that the LIS departments lack the facilities and qualified personnel to teach a course on DL. More than 45 library schools were investigated, among them 20 institutions offering DL courses or related courses.Originality/valueThe results from the study presented in this paper will provide important data and insight into the current state of DL education in African library schools, and generate suggestions for educators and policy makers for developing and including “DLs” as a standalone course in the LIS curriculum.