Establishment of Malawi Institute of Procurement and Supply Library and Learning Resources Center: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The objectives of the project of establishing the library and learning resources center at Malawi Institute of Procurement and Supply (MIPS) were to draft recommendations on the kind of infrastructure in terms of hardware, software, and networking required to establish the library systems; Koha and DSpace, to develop user training manual for e-library systems, to develop a user manual for a recommendation for additional training resources for the library, to install e-library systems, link the elibrary systems to Members Management Information System (MMIS), to create catalog records for information resources and to conduct training on the functionality of the e-library system. The study was a descriptive account of the processes of establishing a library and learning resources center in an organization. Monitoring and reporting of the project activities were done which led to the development of reports, library manuals, and deliverables for the project. The scope of the work involved the establishment of the library currently operational. The period for the entire project was 6 months. Some of the major achievements for the project were the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system for the resource center, installation of e-library systems, purchase of new textbooks and subscription to electronic journals, training of MIPS management and users on the functionalities of e-library systems, and recruitment of a qualified Librarian to manage the resource center.