Gertrude Kayaga Mulindwa

Last updated

Gertrude Kayaga Mulindwa
Born1956 (age 67–68)
Uganda
NationalityUgandan
CitizenshipUganda
Alma mater Makerere University
(Bachelor of Library & Information Science)
University of Wales
(Master of Library and Information Science)
Occupation Librarian
Years active1980–present
Known for Library Skills
Title Director
National Library of Uganda
Successor Adonia Katungisa

Gertrude Kayaga Mulindwa is a Ugandan librarian who was the second director of the National Library of Uganda and is the director of the African Library and Information Association and Institution. [1] She also holds various voluntary positions at organizations that promote literacy and library services throughout Uganda.

Contents

Background and education

Mulindwa attended Makerere University in Uganda and the University of Wales. In 2019, she was part of the Public Library Association Leadership Academy's first African graduating class. [2]

Work in Botswana

Mulindwa worked as Director of the Botswana National Library Service in Gaborone and helped develop the national bibliography, called The Botswana Collection, starting in the early 1980s, when the nation was far behind others in resources and technology. [3] In the 1990s, the bibliography grew, not just because of a growing number of publications in Botswana, but because of the implementation of new resources and technology such as computerized systems used with the implementation of ISBN for cataloging. Different media, such as video, were now included in the collection, along with publications in different languages; not just everything published, but everything filmed in Botswana, and all reports of all research done in Botswana were added to the Botswana Collection. Mulindwa has argued that the preservation of resources through bibliography is not just for historical posterity, but to spread knowledge of what is available for public use in a nation with little reading material. [4]

In addition to the efforts of literacy programs, Mulindwa and others advocated the need for post-literacy programs to help build and maintain literacy skills and reading culture in Botswana. Village Reading Rooms were created in the 1980s and 1990s to help foster a reading-friendly culture, taking the concept of the public library out into remote villages to make reading material available to all. In 2000, Mulindwa analyzed the efforts of the Village Reading Rooms and presented findings at the IFLA conference in Israel. [5]

Work in Uganda

Mulindwa returned to Uganda in 2000, where she worked as head librarian for Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi, for three years. She then became director of the National Library of Uganda (NLU).

Despite a lack of funding among other problems, the leadership of NLU helps communities to run their own libraries. Mulindwa commented on the NLU's relationship with small community libraries, "We set policies, give them guidelines on standards and produce manuals for them on how libraries are run. But they do the day-to-day running of the libraries." [6]

Under Mulindwa's leadership, the National Library of Uganda started the Digital Bookmobile Project with an American organization called Anywhere Books. With a computer containing internet-archived public-domain documents and a printer, the bookmobile could print books on-demand in any village it traveled to. By taking NLU out of the library building and into the villages with new technology, the library offered more flexibility and access to resources. [7]

Mulindwa is the Vice Chairperson of the National Book Trust of Uganda, which promotes a reading culture in Uganda through programs like National Book Week. She is also co-founder and treasurer of Uganda Community Libraries Association-UgCLA, providing resources to communities allowing them to start, run, and maintain their own libraries. She is on the Children's Literacy Committee of Ka Tutandike, an NGO that encourages reading, advocates for a healthy childhood and equal rights among Ugandan citizens.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Librarian</span> Profession

A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.

The Association of College and Research Libraries defines information literacy as a "set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning". In the United Kingdom, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals' definition also makes reference to knowing both "when" and "why" information is needed.

The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bookmobile</span> Vehicle with an onboard library

A bookmobile, or mobile library, is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Bookmobiles expand the reach of traditional libraries by transporting books to potential readers, providing library services to people in otherwise underserved locations and/or circumstances. Bookmobile services and materials, may be customized for the locations and populations served.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LA County Library</span> Public library system in California

LA County Library is one of the largest public library systems in the United States which serves residents living in 49 of the 88 incorporated cities of Los Angeles County, California. United States, and those living in unincorporated areas resulting in a service area extending over 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2). The LA County Library system provides local libraries to several unincorporated areas and cities across Los Angeles County.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is an international body representing the interests of people who rely on libraries and information professionals. A non-governmental, not-for-profit organization, IFLA was founded in Scotland in 1927 with headquarters at the National Library of the Netherlands in The Hague. IFLA sponsors the annual IFLA World Library and Information Congress, promoting access to information, ideas, and works of imagination for social, educational, cultural, democratic, and economic empowerment. IFLA also produces several publications, including IFLA Journal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of library and information science</span> Overview of and topical guide to library science

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to library and information science:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School library</span> Library within a school

A school library is a library within a school where students, and frequently their parents, and staff of a public or private school have access to a variety of resources. The goal of a school library or media center is to ensure that all members of the school community have equitable access "to books and reading, to information, and to information technology". A school library or media center "uses all types of media. .. is automated, and utilizes the Internet [as well as books] for information gathering." School libraries are distinct from public libraries because they serve as "learner-oriented laboratories which support, extend, and individualize the school's curriculum... A school library serves as the center and coordinating agency for all material used in the school."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Wedgeworth</span> American librarian (born 1937)

Robert Wedgeworth is an American librarian who was the founding President of ProLiteracy Worldwide, an adult literacy organization. He is also a former executive director of the American Library Association, served as president of IFLA, served as Dean of the School of Library Service at Columbia University, and was university librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has also authored and edited several major reference works, and has won many awards over the course of his career. In 2021 the American Library Association awarded him Honorary Membership, its highest award.

The National Library and Information System of Trinidad and Tobago is a corporate body established by the NALIS Act No. 18 of 1998 to administer the development and coordination of library and information services in Trinidad and Tobago.

Kitengesa Community Library is a small and successful library in central Uganda. It is part of the Uganda Community Libraries Association and the Friends of African Village Libraries. It received international attention in October 2010 when BBC correspondent Mike Wooldridge did a special report on it for BBC News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foster E. Mohrhardt</span> American librarian

Foster Edward Mohrhardt was a United States librarian. He had a long and illustrious career in library and information science as a scholar, organizer and diplomat, and was listed by American Libraries among "100 Leaders we had in the 20th Century". Mohrhardt is also known for his work to have the United States Department of Agriculture Library re-designated as a national library.

The National Book Trust of Uganda (NABOTU), founded in 1997, is a non-government organization that brings together associations and institutions within Uganda's book sector to promote authorship, publishing and a culture of reading in Uganda.

Libraries are provided in many prisons. Reading materials are provided in almost all federal and state correctional facilities in the United States. Libraries in federal prisons are controlled by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Department of Justice. State prison libraries are controlled by each state's own department of corrections. Many local jails also provide library services through partnerships with local public libraries and community organizations. These resources may be limited, mostly provided through government sources.

Librarianship and human rights in the U.S. are linked by the philosophy and practice of library and information professionals supporting the rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), particularly the established rights to information, knowledge and free expression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Cummings Campbell</span> Canadian educator and librarian

Henry Cummings Campbell BA BLS MA was a Canadian educator and librarian, and Chief Librarian of the Toronto Public Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Library and Information Associations and Institutions</span> Non-profit organization based in Ghana

The African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA), commonly referred to as AfLIA, is an international not-for-profit organization headquartered in Accra, Ghana. The Association is registered under the laws of Ghana as an NGO. It is managed under the general guidelines of its Constitution and by-laws.The Institution is currently being led by Dr. Helena Asamoah-Hassan as the Executive Director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kay Raseroka</span> Botswanan librarian, information professional and academic

Helen Kay Raseroka is a librarian who was born in Kwazulu-Natal (Sudáfrica) with Botswana citizenship. She is a former President of The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) from 2003 to 2005, under the theme "Libraries for lifelong literacy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covenant University Library (Centre for Learning Resources)</span> Academic library in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

Covenant University Library, also known as Centre for Learning Resources (CLR), is the library of Covenant University in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. It is housed in a three-story glass building with a seating capacity of 3,500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adonia Katungisa</span> Ugandan Librarian and Administrator

Adonia Katungisa is a Ugandan librarian and administrator known for his contribution to the field of library and information science. He has been the Director of the National Library of Uganda since 2018, and he has played a crucial role in shaping the library landscape in the country. Katungisa was the Deputy Director at the same institution. Additionally, he contributes to academia as a part-time lecturer in Library and Information Science at Kyambogo University. He has been involved in initiatives to bridge the digital divide in Uganda, implementing digital literacy training programs to make computers accessible to the community.

References

  1. ↑ Orlean, Susan (October 2019). The Library Book. ISBN   9781476740195.
  2. ↑ "PLA Debuts African Leadership Academy".
  3. ↑ Mulindwa, G. K. (1987). "Botswana". Bibliographic Services Throughout the World. Paris: UNESCO.
  4. ↑ Mulindwa, G. K. (1998). "Preserving the Nation’s Documented Heritage – The Botswana Collection at The National Library Service". Botswana Notes and Records, 30, 177-180.
  5. ↑ Mulindwa, G. K. & Legwaila, M. I. (2000). "After Literacy, what next? The challenge of sustaining a literate environment in Botswana". IFLA Council and General Conference, 66. http://archive.ifla.org/IV/ifla66/index.htm
  6. ↑ Musasizi, Simon (29 November 2009). "Public libraries succumb to years of neglect". The Observer. Observer Media Ltd. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  7. ↑ Mulindwa, G. K. (2004) "The Digital Bookmobile Pilot Project". Development of Literacy and Non-Formal Education Through ICTs. Uganda National Commission for UNESCO. 48-50.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.