The Value of Managing Library Information Resources in Digital Form in Uganda

IntroductionThe explosion of information in libraries has led to several means and measures of managing this information. New technologies are driving new developments in electronic publishing and learning and people have become increasingly dependent on digital information and the internet as a medium for gaining and exchanging information. There is growing evidence in Uganda of successful digitisation projects to develop digital resources. Libraries and Archives have embarked on digitising their information resources to provide access to and to preserve their unique materials in their collections.The records at UCU have been digitised and made available in both digital and microfilm format. The digitised Archives of the Church of Uganda Office of the Archbishop are divided into series and these are: Administrative Records, General File, Dioceses, Programs/Activities/Institutions, and Related Organisations.Access and preservation of materials are the major reasons for libraries and archives to undertake digitisation projects. Through digitisation, the library is able to provide access to text, photographs, manuscripts, audio and moving image materials. Digitisation also allows for the preservation of rare, fragile, and unique materials. Collections can be made accessible, via digital surrogates in an enhanced format that allows searching and browsing, to both traditional and new audiences via the internet (Hughes, 2004, p. 6). Another benefit of digitisation is that it raises the profile of the institution as users worldwide utilise its collection remotely.In Uganda, some institutions, organisations and families have digitised their collections for easy access and preservation of information resource; these include, but are not limited, to the National Library of Uganda, Uganda Christian University Archives, Hamu Mukasa Home Library, Parliament Library, Makerere University Library, Bank of Uganda Archives, and Uganda Law Society. The records at UCU have been digitised and made available in both digital and microfilm format.Requirements for Digitisation projectsAccording to Alemna & Cobblah (2005), there are several requirements for an effective digitisation to take place:* Availability of appropriate Information and Communication Technology; which will include hardware, software and adequate network connectivity.* Human Resources with appropriate skills which depend on the nature and sophistication of the project being implemented; these could be hardware specialists, database administrators, programmers among others.* Financial resources to support and sustain the development of digitisation project; it is important to understand that hardware, software and human resources cost money as does the maintenance of the technological infrastructure.* Availability of standards for the management of digital information resources; for the good quality of information resources, databases and effectiveness of information searching and retrieval, electronic information management standards should be employed. These could include metadata standards, object data construction standard, data navigation standard are required.In addition, Thomes, (2003) suggested that economic and commercial issues should be put under consideration. He argued that this mainly concerned publishers and others who trade in information resources (basically print) who are worried that their business would be affected by digitisation.World Digital Library (WDL) ProjectThe WDL was established to create an Internet-based, easily-accessible collection of the world's cultural resources that would tell the stories and highlight the achievements of all countries and cultures, thereby promoting cross-cultural awareness and understanding. The Library of Congress (LC), in cooperation with UNESCO, officially launched the World Digital Library in 2009.The principal objectives of the WDL are:*Promote international and intercultural understanding. …