By Bless Zoshe
Buea, Cameroon
Municipal librarians and other experts on the use and documentation of Arts and Culture are meeting in Buea, Southwest Region of Cameroon, to share knowledge on how to better safeguard and access such resources online.
The three day seminar brings together close to 30 participants from the Northwest and Southwest Regions, and comes against the backdrop of serious concerns about the loss of large quantities of data, especially on Arts and Culture, which has been blamed on poor usage of the facilities by both clients and promoters.
Cross-section of Participants at e-Arts & Culture Seminar
Talking about how their library functions, Prince Samuel Nganje Molindo of the Regional Pilot Library in Limbe, remarked that the facility has a software programme that makes it easy for users to access book. “When a client presents his or her library card to the circulation officer, the latter in turn refers you to the chief in charge of the shelves, where you place your command. We also access books through the computer, because all the books are registered.
Sharing some of their experiences and challenges, the librarian of the Bamenda City Council, Doris Ade, said one of their major hurdles is the loss of data, due to faulty computers
“Our machines are not in good shape. In 2010, we lost part of the data that we collected because the technician who came to repair the machine did not backup the material. Consequently, we send most of our users to the shelves. When they go there, they miss place the books, and some even tear off the pages”.
George Ngwane, Chair, National Book Development Council Cameroon
For such reasons, that many library promoters have developed strategies to ensure correct use of the facility. Madame Magrette Jongele of the Kumba City Council Cultural Centre stated that “you have to bring your National Identity Card. When you identify a book, it is registered, and we keep your I.D, until you return the book. We also have guards who monitor clients”. Jongele added.
Meanwhile, the organizer of the three day event, Chair of the National Book Development Council Cameroon, George Ngwane, insisted that the intension is not to undermine the effectiveness of traditional forms of preserving data, but for the e-version to be a foil for traditional methods.
“The objectives of the gathering are; to provide reliable information in an innovative manner, and improve access to arts and culture research, through social media. We also seek to build the skills of young cultural practitioners and community librarians through e-learning, and enable user communities understand the impact of a culture industry and a creative economy”.
The three day seminar will also feature modules on; Using social network sites to market arts and culture; Setting up electronic arts and culture sections in libraries; as well as how to make library facilities more user friendly.
It is expected that the seminar will improve library services, to meet user needs on arts and culture, while using ICTs to position artistes and their products in Cameroon and beyond.
The e-Arts and Culture seminar is organized by the National Book Development Council, with support from the Prince Claus Fund, Netherlands.
