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the delivery of library and information srvices through mobile phones. On the contrary, technical staff had the skills required to support offering of library and information services through mobile phones but were not adequately staffed. This suggests that public university libraries in Malawi need to address human resource challenges to successfully offer library and information services on the mobile phone platform.
5.6 Electronic Information Resources and Services that are Currently Available in
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time of the interview) which was expected to improve Internet access. On another note, the UL indicated that the e-resources the institution was subscribing to were only accessible on- campus because the institution had not taken steps to make them accessible off-campus. This made it difficult for students and academic staff to access them using their mobile phones.
However, he said that the library was making efforts to subscribe to an EZ proxy software that would make it possible for remote users, including those using mobile phones, to access the e-resources.
5.6.2 Kamuzu College of Nursing
The College Librarian for KCN also highlighted the presence of e-journals and e-books (provided under HINARI project of the World Health Organisation) as the resources which could be deployed through use of mobile phones in future. The CL further indicated that subscription to e-resources was done annually whilst e-books provided by HINARI were freely accessible. This implied that the long-term accessibility of these resources was assured.
The CL also observed that the e-resources were used more by both academic staff and students. Asked whether he saw the possibility that the e-resources could be accessed by students and academic staff through the use of mobile phones, the CL answered in the affirmative. However, he hinted that challenges relating to affordability of data charges and Internet connectivity needed to be addressed first if this project was to succeed, saying:
“Tablets donated by Airtel Malawi have not been rolled out yet because of challenges with the cost of purchasing data. Wi-Fi is again not easily accessible throughout the campus and other parts of the library, and this poses challenges in the use of the tablets”.
5.6.3 The Polytechnic
According to the CL for the Polytechnic, the library had e-resources (e-journals and e-books), OPAC, and institutional repository. A digital library was scheduled to be launched in the next financial year (commencing July, 2016). These are resources which were identified as accessible to patrons through the use of mobile phones. The CL further explained that there was potential for the long-term availability of these resources as the library planned to use library fees charged to postgraduate students for paying e-resources. In addition, the library
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would use its share of resources generated from the Continuing Education Centre (CEC) to also pay for e-resources.
The CL was, however, not impressed with the current level of usage of the available e- resources. She indicated that the level of usage did not correspond with the level of investment made. Much as this were the case, the CL was still optimistic that prospects of the e-resources being accessed by students and academic staff using mobile phones were high.
She indicated that the off-campus access to e-journals project that had just been implemented was well-received by students and academic staff, and hoped library and information services offered through mobile phones would equally be positively received.
5.6.4 College of Medicine
The COM, according to the CL, possessed the following resources which could potentially be accessed through use of mobile phones: OPAC, e-resource databases, and digital library for local content. The CL further indicated that the library had collaborations with other institutions such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the American Medical Journal that ensured long-term availability of some of these resources. However, he bemoaned the high library staff turnover which he indicated was hampering the growth of the digital library.
With regard to use of the e-resources by academic staff and students, the CL stated that usage was good. He attributed this to the popularisation of the Wi-Fi hotspots on campus. Asked to say if there was a possibility that the e-resources that the institution possessed could be accessed by students and academic staff through the use of mobile phones, the CL stated that this was already happening as these resources had already been made accessible through use of mobile phone.
5.6.5 Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR)
E-journals, The Essential Electronic Agriculture Library (TEEAL) database, and digital repository of Malawiana materials are some of the electronic resources which the UL indicated that LUANAR Library had which could be offered through the use of mobile phones. He further indicated that the long-term accessibility of these resources was assured as long as the subscription was paid for and more documents were added to the local
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repositories. The UL also stated that students and academic staff used the e-resources quite often. On the potential of deploying the available resources through the use of mobile phones, the UL stated that prospects were high.
5.7 The Current Status of Providing and Accessing Library and Information Services