Exploring the Transformative Journey of Academic Libraries in Africa before and after COVID-19 and in the Generative AI Era

Abstract

In recent years, academic libraries have been under increasing pressure to embrace the winds of change in the face of new trends, scenarios, and uncertainty to more effectively fulfill the unchanging mission of information delivery. As a core component of the university ecosystem, academic libraries actively explore innovative approaches to generating and disseminating information to their users. However, many academic libraries in African universities are slow to transform and thereby encounter challenges in their quest to shape university education. Using a comparative approach, this study looks at three stages of global revolutions (pre-COVID-19, post-COVID-19, and the current GenAI era) that have prompted universities in Africa to adapt, stay relevant, and meet educational goals. A systematic review was conducted on the Web of Science (WoS) and the Scopus database to investigate the innovative trajectory of academic libraries in Africa across the three stages. Out of 340 articles retrieved, a total of 111 articles were selected for analysis. The findings suggest that educators in numerous African universities employed innovative methods (e.g., Web 2.0 applications, digital databases and repositories, open distant libraries, mobile websites, and professional development) to transform academic libraries at all three stages. The shift from traditional library systems to more dynamic, digitized platforms came with challenges such as poor internet access, lack of technological skills and infrastructure, insufficient funding, and poor digitization policies. Moreover, Africa is still limited in terms of generative AI technology-integrated library services. To improve university education, academic libraries should utilize existing and emerging technologies to innovate their services.