Interview with Professor Lenrie Olatokunbo Aina of the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Botswana
| Published date | 01 January 2005 |
| Date | 01 January 2005 |
| Pages | 27-30 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07419050510588278 |
| Author | Rose B. Okiy |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Interview with Professor Lenrie Olatokunbo Aina
of the Department of Library and Information
Science, University of Botswana
Rose B. Okiy
LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 1 2005, pp. 27-30, #Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/07419050510588278 27
Professor Lenrie Olatokunbo Aina is
a Professor of Library and Information
Science at the University of Botswana.
He was previously a senior lecturer in
the Department of Library, Archival
and Information Studies at the
university of Ibadan, Nigeria, until
1989, when he joined the University of
Botswana. He had worked previously at
the University of Ibadan Library from
1976-1978. He attended the University
of Lagos, Nigeria where he obtained
BSc(Hons), Chemistry. He did
Postgraduate Diploma in Librarianship
at the University of Ibadan. He obtained
M.Phil in information Science at the
City University, London, UK and PhD
Library studies at the University of
Ibadan.
Professor Aina is widely travelled
and has published extensively. He has
carried out several research projects in
many areas of Library and Information
Science in Africa. He has served as
external examiner/assessor at several
African Universities in addition to
training students of librarianship at all
levels up to the doctoral level in 22
African countries. He is the Editor-in-
Chief of a very outstanding
librarianship journal in Africa, The
African Journal of Library, Archives
and Information Science. He is married
with four children.
You have contributed immensely to the
information profession in Africa in
several respects, for example in the
training of African information
professionals at the universities of
Ibadan and Botswana and as external
examiner/assessor in several African
universities. Could you give an
overview of your contributions and
experiences so far in these areas?
My contributions in the profession
can be grouped into three areas:
(1) Training. I have been involved in
the training of para and profes-
sional librarians at all levels ±
certificate, diploma, bachelors,
masters and doctoral programmes.
My students have come from as
many as 22 countries in Africa ±
Angola, Botswana, Cameroon,
Gambia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghana,
Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozam-
bique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra
Leone, Somalia, South Africa,
Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda,
Zambia and Zimbabwe.
I have also been involved in
several training courses and work-
shops for information profes-
sionals, especially in agricultural
information, research methods,
publishing and editing, under the
aegis of CTA (Technical Centre
for Agriculture and Rural Devel-
opment, Wageningen, The Nether-
lands); SACCAR (Southern
African Centre for Co-operation
on Agricultural Research and
Training, Gaborone, Botswana);
INASP (International Network for
the Availability of Scientific Pub-
lications, Oxford, UK); and DSE
(The German Foundation for Inter-
national Development, Bonn, Ger-
many)
(2) Research. I have carried out
research projects in several areas
of library and information science,
focusing specifically on Africa.
The various projects have resulted
in several publications, which have
appeared in reputable journals
published in different parts of the
world. I have contributed to the
development of agricultural infor-
mation in Africa. I edited a book
entitled Agricultural Information
in Africa. It was the first and
probably the only book on agricul-
tural information in Africa.
I compiled the first directory of
library school teachers in Africa in
1991 and revised it in 1995. The
directory is entitled Who is Who in
Library and Information Science
Training Institutions in Africa.
I recently completed two books
in Library and Information
Science. I edited the book entitled
Research in Information Sciences:
An African Perspective. It is the
main research text book used by
many African library schools. I
completed a textbook for the train-
ing of library and information
professionals in 2003 and it was
published early this year. It is
entitled Library and Information
Science Text for Africa.
(3) Service. We started publishing
the African Journal of Library,
Archives and Information
Science in 1991, as a forum
for African professionals to
publish their research findings.
The journal was floated be-
cause of the lack of a con-
tinental scholarly refereed
journal in library and informa-
tion science at that time. It was
established to provide a forum
for many African professionals
who hitherto were publishing
their research findings abroad
in journals which are not
accessible to the professional
community in Africa. The
journal is devoted mainly to
the publication of LIS research
findings in Africa. It is the
foremost LIS journal in Africa
today. The journal is read in
many parts of the world. It is
the only journal in Africa that
has been published on sche-
dule since its inception in
1991. It has never combined
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