The History and Development of Library and Information Science Education in Ethiopia

International Journal of Applied Research and Studies (iJARS)

ISSN: 2278-9480 Volume 3, Issue 2 (Feb - 2014)

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Manuscript Id: iJARS/770 1

Research Article

The history and development of library and information science education in Ethiopia

Authors

Lawrence Abraham Gojeh *

Address For correspondence:

Department of Information Science, College of Natural Science, Jimma University, Jimma,

Ethiopia

Abstract:

This paper discussed the history and development of library and information science education in Ethiopia. A

longitudinal survey research method was employed for the study. Data were collected using documentary analysis,

observation and personal experiences. Results show that library and information science education dates back to the

1960s at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. The program by government institution was at a break for over a

decade from 1999 to 2005. Jimma University resurrected it as “a child of necessity”, which gave birth to other

universities launching the program at Adama, Makelle, Haramaya, Gondar, Asosa and Bule Hora with a transformed

name of “Information Science”. However, on the curriculum of the program passed through various transformations

in terms of content, structure and weighting. The program is not without challenges that includes the sustainability

of of program; lack of a professional and scholarly journal or newsletter; lack of Doctoral degree program in the

discipline; stakeholders support for the program; lack of “Dynamic or Kinetic” Professional Association and the

instability of nomenclature for both degree awarded and the department. The paper concludes by noting the epileptic

growth and challenges faced by the library and information science education in Ethiopia and how it should make

amends for its better future. It finally praised the attainment of the program in terms of its current status; by

recognizing the continued increase in the establishment of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in tertiary

institutions in the country.

Keywords: Addis Ababa, association, curriculum, development, document analysis, Ethiopia, Jimma, learning

institution, information science and nomenclature

1. Introduction

Ethiopia is officially known as “The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia” (FDRE) and a country located in the

horn of Africa. It is one of the largest countries in Africa with nine regions and over 82 million inhabitants as well as

the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2. It is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Djibouti and Somalia to

the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With its capital Addis Ababa, it is also the

most populous landlocked nation in the world [1]. It is known for its hospitality, custodian of its traditions and

cultures, the country in Africa that has its language (Amharic) and its unique alphabets. It hosts the African Union

and the United Nation’s headquarters in the continent of Africa.

For sometimes now, Library and Information Science Education (LISE) in Ethiopia has been the watch

[email protected] *Corresponding Author Email-Id

mailto:[email protected]



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word of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, which has embarked on a higher education

expansion and reform program of impressive dimensions that has created about 30 new universities, established

system support agencies, new courses introduced, and triple enrolments [2]. Of course, what would guide education

in a country are the needs of the nation, and specifically with the need for technology advancement. In Ethiopia

there is the mass education for tertiary, secondary, primary and kindergarten. The structure of Ethiopian educational

system for government and non-governmental organizations were given as: pre-school, primary education, general

secondary education, preparatory secondary, undergraduate programs and postgraduate programs [1]. While the

statistics of government and non-government schools were quoted by the Education Management Information

System (EMIS) in the Ministry of Education as: primary=30,534 and secondary=1,912 [3]. Each of these levels of

education by standard; ought to be supported with libraries/information centers or resource centers, for resource

exploitation, self-education and life-long learning. This therefore goes to attest the high need for the training and

development of professional librarians and information specialists by Library and Information Science schools in the

country for the provision of effective and efficient library and information services.

Public libraries and information centers are very much available in the nine regions that make up the central

administration/government of Ethiopia. The statistics of public libraries and information centers taken from some of

the regions by the writer; reveal the following figures listed against the cities that include: Tegray 15, Amhara 66,

Oromia 150, Benishengul 2, and Addis Ababa 100. There are also museums and archival centers in each region of

the country that are serving as public enlightenment centers on various activities; such as: culture, traditions,

politics, agriculture, education, economics, social and the economic aspect of the government at federal, regional

and Werada (Local Government Area) levels. Resource centers are found to exist in Family Guidance Associations

HIV/AIDS Secretariats, while universities have branch libraries that widely accomplished their library and

information services’ needs in their widely spread campuses. The types of libraries/information centers found in the

Ethiopia’s organizations therefore include: National library, National Archives, Museum, University Libraries,

Special libraries, Research Libraries, Ministry Libraries and School Libraries. With the availability of the various

types of libraries and information centers remains the quest for staff with professional qualifications to provide

library and information services in the identified environments [4].

The availability of information professionals in the Ethiopian job market seems to be on the increase. The

growth and development of information providers in the country is being given serious attention by the educational

policies in the country. With the introduction of Mass Education Policy that advocates learner and resources based

education for primary, secondary and tertiary level education in Ethiopia; school library development would

therefore expect the active role of the information professionals in the country’s educational, economic, social,

political and cultural spheres. Counting on the roles of Libraries and Librarians or information specialists in

educational institutions at various levels [5], quoted Dr. Elliot, the first President of Harvard University to have said

that "if he were to start a new University, he would first build up a good library, then admit students and if there

were any money left, he would employ some Professors. Maigari went further to state that late Chief M.K.O Abiola,

a renowned politician of his time in Nigeria, spoke at a launching of a foundation stone laying ceremony of a library

that was named after him, that a "library is a place where the dead is alive, a permanent store of knowledge, a dairy

of the human race". The emphasis again shows how important libraries are and how the records in them are made

available by the professionals for useful exploitation by generations. The professional qualification for librarians and

information specialists in Ethiopia is Bachelor of Science in Information Science degree. This degree is obtained

from Library and Information Science schools operated in tertiary institutions in the country.

It is on the basis of the importance attached to libraries and information centers; as well as the training of

professional librarians and information specialists that this paper titled “The history and development of library and

information science education in Ethiopia” is developed. The paper is aimed at reporting the findings based on the

writer’s over seven years of documentary studies, participatory researches, environmental observations and

experiences in the historic country (Ethiopia) that is located in the continent of Africa.



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1.1 Definition of terms

For proper understanding of the paper therefore, it would be pertinent to define some concepts such as education and

development. Education as used in this paper, refers to an organized library and information science training that is

aimed at imparting knowledge, skills, and abilities through professional development to improve the recipient’s

performance or help them attain required level of experiences and competencies. While development on the other

hand has many meanings but in this context, it is the historical transformation or change in which the library and

information science discipline in a country such as Ethiopia has employed for its economic, political, educational

and societal improvement.

Education and development in Library and Information Science encompasses three main activities:

training, education, and development that focuses on individuals in an organization or institution of learning. It has

been keen in the role of imparting information/knowledge to trainees for professionalism in librarianship and

information specialization for jobs in libraries, information centers and those areas that their training meets their

needs. This is possible only with qualified professional personnel, with a client-centered perspective, with ability to

design and adapt information products and services that are responsive to user needs, rather than trying to adapt

users to the services.

2 Library and information science (LIS) discipline

The first school to establish LIS was at the University of Pittsburgh in 1964. Reference [6] referred to the University

of Pittsburgh as about the first library school to adopt Information Science, on January 29, 1964 and in that same

year, the name of the school was officially changed from the Graduate Library School to the Graduate School of

Library and Information Sciences, recognizing a growing emphasis on the application of new electronic and

computer technologies. This development did not stop in American library schools but more schools followed

during the 1970s and 1980s and during the 1990s had almost all library schools in the USA adding “information

science” to their names. Similar developments have taken place in large parts of the world. For example, in 1999 the

Addis Ababa University; Department of Library Science changed its name to Department of Library and

Information Science. Jimma University in Ethiopia also, first established its Information Science Department in

2005 with the name “Department of Library and Information Science”; although, all LIS schools in Ethiopia have as

their departmental nomenclature as “Department of Information Science”.

But [7] stated that the historical development of conceptions of Library and Information Science can be

better understood if we think in terms of two different traditions, which he called "document tradition” and a "formal

tradition." These he related to those techniques and technologies based on logic and algorithms and historic

traditions of information retrieval. Reference [8] considered how Library and Information Science Education (LISE)

developed and how it should develop in the future by providing the understanding of LIS as the study of knowledge

production as it is materialized in documents, and of through which channels this knowledge to communication and

how one can make access to this knowledge in terms of organization and representation of documents.

Some authors view the term LIS as a label for a discipline that is often used synonymously with

"Information Studies", “Information Science”, “Documentation” and “Informatics” and more or less mixed up with

other labels such as “Bibliography”, “Computer Science”, “Information Technology” (IT) and “Library Science”.

Attempts to differentiate these terms have mostly been based on idiosyncratic views without broad consensus.

Reference [9] called bibliography, documentation, and scientific information during the first five decades of the

twentieth century, the field became known as information science in the early 1960s. In his own view [10] opined

that Information Science is concerned with the generation, collection, organization, interpretation, storage, retrieval,

dissemination, transformation and use of information, with particular emphasis on the applications of modern

technologies in these areas. Reference [11] had seen it as a discipline that seeks to create and structure a body of

scientific, technological, and systems knowledge related to the transfer of information. It has both pure science

(theoretical) components, which inquire into the subject without regard to application, and applied science

(practical) components, which develop services and products.



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The definitions by [10] & [11] were criticized by [12], when they indicated that the definitions did not

contain a good identification of the special focus of information science. No science should be defined by its tools

(e.g. modern technologies). All fields are supposed to utilize the most appropriate tools available. A science should

be defined by its object of study. As such, the study of information is a better one. They identified the specific role

of information science in relation to the generation, collection, organization, interpretation, storage, retrieval,

dissemination, transformation and use of information as distinct from the activities in which other professionals are

more qualified. That information professional usually have a broad overview of information sources, sociological

patterns in knowledge production and documents types. Also, should have a broader knowledge of the philosophy of

science (e.g., paradigms and epistemology), and of the principles of languages used for special purposes.

The relationship between librarianship on the one hand and on the other hand Library Science (or Library

and Information Science) have, of course, been an important issue for schools of LIS. In general can we now assume

that the movement from "professional schools of librarianship" is based on research based programs in library

science to research based programs in Library and Information Science? Secondly, can we also assume that the

hybrid term LIS is seen to be by far the most used expression today in many countries of the world? Still, what can

be said of some people and organizations that consider or prefer the use of "Information Science" as the appropriate

nomenclature for the discipline? Of course, these are postulated questions that require answers, which may not be

found in this paper but from individuals as professionals. The questions this paper attempts to answer in relation to

LISE in Ethiopia include: what happened to Library Science and to Information Science as a result of the formation

of this new hybrid? Do they still co-exist as two different approaches within the same organization in Ethiopia?

3. History and development of LIS education in Ethiopia

3.1 Introduction

The history and development of LISE in Ethiopia is traced to Addis Ababa University and Jimma University

respectively. The two Universities are focused independently in this paper based on their contributions to LISE in

Ethiopia. According to [13] that:

“The discipline of library and information science is one that requires attention in Ethiopia, because,

‘information’ is the heart of any development (international, national, regional, state or individual), an

important and powerful commodity in any human community. It is also the basis for innovations and the

resources for an informed citizenry. Nations will flourish or fail depending on the availability of leaders,

professionals and citizens who have been educated to understand the power of information and have access

to it for decision making and solving the problems of their society. The role of libraries and information

centers therefore cannot be over emphasized as to the insurance of the availability, accessibility of

information resources as well as the administration and management of human and material resources in

such environments”.

Through decades of efforts and development, the LIS discipline in Ethiopia now has eight institutions officially

providing LISE that ranges from bachelor degree to master. Academic institutions like Jimma, Adama (now Adama

University of Science and Technology), Haramaya, Mekelle, Gondar, Asosa, and Bule Hora Universities as well as

St. Mary’s University College, have now established Departments of information science; taken their roots from the

history and development of LISE from the country’s premier University (the Addis Ababa University). The

curriculum is based on present and probable future characteristics of information professions, emphasizing the

essential knowledge, skill, and professional attitude needed by trainees in this field. Table 1 shows the location, type

of program, year of establishment and its current status of LIS discipline in Ethiopia according to Universities.



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Table 1: Library and Information Science Education in Ethiopia according to university

Name of University Type of program (s) Year of LIS

establishment

Current

status

Addis Ababa University

i. Diploma in Library science Mid 1960s Discontinued

ii. Bachelor of library and information science degree (BLIS)

Mid 1960s Discontinued

iii. Master of Science degree (Information science) 1990 In progress

vi. Bachelor of Science Degree (Information Systems). 1999 In progress

St. Mary’s University

College

i. Diploma in Library science 1998 Discontinued

ii. Bachelor of library and information science degree

(BLIS)

1998 Run in

partnership

with Indira

Gandhi

National

Open

University,

India

Jimma University,

Jimma

i. Bachelor of Science (information science) degree 2005 In progress ii. Master of Information Science (Electronic and Digital

Resource Management) degree

2011 In progress

iii. Master of Information Science (Information and

Knowledge Management) degree

2011 In progress

Adama University

(Now Adama

University of Science and Technology),

Adama.

Bachelor of library and information science degree

(BLIS)

2006 Discontinued

Haramaya University i. Bachelor of Science (information science) degree 2007 In progress

ii. Master of Science in Information science degree 2011 In progress

Mekelle University Bachelor of Science (information science) degree 2010 In progress

Gondar University Bachelor of Science (information science) degree 2010 In progress

Asosa University Bachelor of Science (information science) degree 2011 In progress

Bule Hora University Bachelor of Science (information science) degree 2013 In progress

3.2 LISE in Addis Ababa University (AAU)

Addis Ababa University (AAU) that was established in the 1950s, is a premier public university; established by the

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to train higher level academics in various disciplines for the development

of the country and is located in the Federal capital city of Ethiopia named Addis Ababa. AAU established the

Department of Library Science to produce diploma graduates from mid-1960’s-1976 under the Faculty of Education.

It started with two programs simultaneously. One of the programs was a minor in Library Science for Secondary

Education degree students who majored in academic subjects and the second program was a diploma in Library

Science, which was offered as a full-time course of one academic year and as a two-and-a-half year part-time

course in the Extension program but discontinued after 1976 for two years.

In 1978, the Department of library science was put under the care of the Addis Ababa University Libraries

(AAUL) temporarily. In the same year, the Diploma program, aiming at producing paraprofessionals, was reinstated

with an almost completely revised curriculum, consisting of 63 semester credit hours and extending over two years

in regular classes and three years in evening classes. By arrangement with the Ministry of Education, this program

was also offered in the summer to teacher-librarians, and took six summers to complete. Since the establishment of

formal educational programs in Library Science in the mid - 1960's, a total of about 425 students graduated with

Diploma in Library Science. A further 150 obtained an undergraduate degree in an academic discipline with a Minor



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in Librarianship. Majority of these Para-professionals are believed to be serving in the various libraries throughout

the country [14].

According to [14] and [13, that the curriculum for the Degree program in Library and Information science

was first designed and submitted to the Academic Standards and Curriculum Review (ASCR) of AAU in 1987. It

was once again revised and submitted in 1988 under the name "Syllabus for Bachelor's Degree in Library Science".

(The term 'information' was dropped from the title of the program upon the decision of the ASCR, on the ground

that the name of the Department did not have the same term in it.) The final version of the syllabus was approved

and was in use since 1990 along with the commencement of the Degree Program.

The nomenclature of the program was changed to "Bachelor's Degree in Library and Information Science

(BLIS)" in 1997. The syllabus contains major areas of Library and Information Science courses with 57 credit hours,

Minor area (Computer Science) courses with 24 credit hours and general courses with 54 credit hours. The overall

program adds to 135 credit hours. The revision of the undergraduate curriculum was launched in 1997 with the

formation of the self-assessment and Peer Assessment Committees. Following the assessment, and as per the

requirement of the program the curriculum was reviewed and approved from 1st to 2nd July 1999 to be operated in

AAU.

On the basis of the profiles of the graduates, the agreement by the committee was to drop the Minor in

Computer Science program but to incorporate computer related courses in the Major area. The changing trends of

the profession started after the meeting of the committee had agreed to change the nomenclature of the program to

Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Systems. However, this was in relation to the national and regional

Information and Communication Technology capacity building program that resolved on the need for introducing

certain areas of specialization into the revised curriculum. Since this idea was highly appreciated and strongly

recommended by most of the major stakeholders and the concerned management bodies of the University. The

Department of library science of the AAU was transformed to an undergraduate level with the name of Library and

Information Science and was reorganized under School of Information Science for Africa (SISA) that was

established in September 1990. Lately the department was again transformed into the Department of Information

Systems in Business under the Faculty of Informatics.

Reference [15] observed from the transformation that the manpower output from this department

(Information Systems), automatically moved to other sector activities and not libraries or information centers and

became very small but marketable. The need for market diversification and job opportunities in the market he

continued, may have forced new thinking in Library and Information Science education (LIS) in Ethiopia but SISA

again engaged in wrong transformation and survival driven strategy that excludes LIS education and curriculum

facing the new challenges. According to [15]:

“AAU’s School of Informatics disregarded library and information science by giving it a new face.

Whether we will be safe in our traditional profession - librarianship - by giving it a new face or

(cybrarianship:- hybrid, digital, electronic or virtual libraries) or by courageously exploring the turbulent,

often amorphous and highly competitive field in the name of 'emerging professions or markets' seems to be

an open question. We want to believe that our definition of the market and interpretation of convergence

and divergence will be well thought of to dictate the decision on the suitable option to be taken for LIS

education in the future.”

Tefera’s sympathetic opinion goes to show the discontent of discontinuation of the LIS education in AAU and

transforming the Department to what is now known as the “Department of Information System”. This

transformation could be seen as the genesis for the LIS education discontinuity from the premier University (AAU)

that also could be said to have led to the societal insensitivity to the librarianship and information science

specialization. Reference [16] referred to the discontinuation of the program as a “hijacked by the information

science professionals”. Tsigemelak also noted that the “professional training in librarianship especially the training

which was given in Addis Ababa University has been ceased in Ethiopia few years back and the training scheme is

hijacked by the information science professionals”.



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SISA again, launched the Master of Science in Information Science (M.Sc.IS) degree at AAU The

curriculum, which was drawn by a team of experts from around the globe, reflects the interdisciplinary nature of

Information Science and covers the range of knowledge in depth. It was designed such that the graduates are able to

apply what they have learnt to developing and managing information systems and services in different areas of

development in Africa.

SISA acceptance by AAU in 1989 and its establishment in 1990 had the assistance of the International

Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC) and UNESCO; to respond to the urgent and growing need of the

Eastern and Southern Africa high-level manpower, which can research, design, implement, operate and manage

information systems and services at the local, national and regional levels. It aimed at preparing, through its

graduate as well as short-term training program and refresher courses, students for careers in the information field,

and providing the much needed opportunity for professionals presently employed in African information

organizations to enhance their professional skills and to gain additional knowledge in the information area. The

SISA program has been recognized as relevant to the Library and Information Science employment and market

demands. Career opportunities and market requirements for information scientists in Sub-Saharan Africa are

promising within governmental, private and international organizations. Several recommendations have been

suggested to enhance the SISA program.

Reference [17] summarized his findings on a survey of the careers of graduates from the M.Sc. in

Information Science program at the School of Information Studies for Africa (SISA), Addis Ababa University,

Ethiopia, between 1990/92 and 1994/96 as:

“SISA programme has been recognized as relevant to the Library and Information Science employment

and market demands. Career opportunities and market requirements for information scientists in Sub-

Saharan Africa are promising within governmental, private and international organizations. Several

recommendations have been suggested to enhance the SISA programme. The need for the curricula to

reflect and remain responsive to the developments in the “Information Age” has been underscored”.

With the merger, in October, 2002, of the Computer Science Unit of the Department of Mathematics (Faculty of

Science) and SISA to form the Faculty of Informatics. The programs of SISA were transferred to the Department of

Information Science. The Department of Information Science, under the Faculty of Informatics, is currently running

three programs that include: Graduate programs in Information Science and Computer Science, Graduate program in

Health Informatics (in collaboration with Faculty of Medicine) and undergraduate program in Information Systems.

The undergraduate program in Information Systems is offered in the regular day program and extension program

(while the extension program is now phasing out). The Department also offers service courses for different

Departments of the AAU Main Campus.

The modular Master of Science in Information Science degree program; aims at equipping graduates with the

knowledge in the theories and practices of teaching and conducting research in Information Sciences as well as

designing and managing modern information systems and services. It is designed to prepare students who can

assume such professional responsibilities as university lecturers and researchers as well as information managers,

systems analysts and planners. They will also have the technical knowledge to lead a data processing or information

systems of an organization.

The goals of the program include: i. to foster an understanding of the theoretical and empirical bases of

Information Science as a discipline; ii. to develop professionals who are able to design and teach courses in

Information Science in tertiary education institutions; iii. to prepare professionals who are able to provide leadership

and adapt to change in a technological and knowledge-based environment; iv. to impart/instill knowledge of the

economic, social, and strategic values of information; v. to develop expert knowledge of Information and

Technology (IT) based information systems development and management; vi. to develop an understanding of the

various user-oriented information analysis and management techniques; and vii. to provide a sound basis for further

research in Information Science.



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The graduates from the program are expected to: i. exhibit core skills, knowledge, and attitude in

information and knowledge management; ii. apply scientific principles in developing and managing information

systems designed to meet user needs and interests; iii. analyze, describe, and organize resources for effective and

efficient retrieval and dissemination of information; iv. apply management principles in planning, developing,

marketing, and evaluating information systems in various sectors; v. conduct research in information and knowledge

management, particularly to address constraints and potentials in Ethiopian context; vi. build upon current

knowledge of information and communication theories and technologies in planning, design, development, and

delivery of information services; vii. prepare/review curriculum for undergraduate programs and deliver courses in

information science; viii. select develop and use effective teaching strategies to enhance teaching/learning process;

ix. identify needs and capacity of learners and create an environment that will allow the learners to achieve their

objective; x. design and implement evaluation mechanisms to assess performance and progress of learners; and xi.

facilitate learning opportunities that enable students to have the necessary skills in information technology.

The admission requirements to the Master’s Degree program in Information Science of AAU are: i. A

Bachelor's degree in Information Science, Computer Science, Information Technology or any relevant field from a

recognized higher learning institution; or ii. Bachelor’s degree in any field of study with diploma in Information

Science, Computer Science, Information Technology or related fields from a recognized higher learning institution;

iii. Applicants have to fulfill the criteria that MoE uses to select and sponsor students into the program.

SISA at its establishment in 1990 had only five faculty members-one expatriate staff and four local staff

members-to begin with. SISA was fortunate to have had Prof. A. Neelameghan, a renowned information

professional, on its faculty since the start of the M.Sc.I.S. program. The presence of Prof. Neelameghan, who left the

School at the end of the 1993/94 academic year, helped SISA to build its high academic standard and also formulate

its future development program. There had been significant additions to the staff over the past years. But [18]

observed that:

“A noteworthy feature of the composition of the trainees of the SISA postgraduate program is that about

80% of the Ethiopian candidates are not from library or information centers, but are executive personnel

and operatives from EDP, planning, accounting, or other departments and bureau of government

ministries and parastatals. After training they do not take jobs in library and information centers, but

continue their executive, planning, or other administrative work, assisting in the design, upgrade and/or

operation of information systems to support executive, planning, and decision making.”

Mr. M. Wali (the National Librarian from the National Library of Nigeria) contribution at a roundtable

meeting/discussion of the Steering Committee of the Consortium of African Information Science Schools observed

that:

“The National Library is the employers of these products (SISA M.Sc.IS), and from our experience in the

past, it has not been satisfactory. First of all, the project is heavily dependent on the external assistance

from UNESCO, IDRC, and so forth. Once this assistance stops, then, the future of the program is very

difficult to determine. Secondly, the program is too academic; it has not taken into account the national

capacities of the different information centers and professionals in the country. It has also failed to

recognize other efforts made by donors such as AAAS, at different locations, so that these efforts can be

harmonized and integrated. Finally, there has been no effort to involve government because they have

taken it as a university issue, not a national issue, and until recently there has been no board representing

the various countries in the region, who will eventually be requested to take over the financial

responsibility of the center or support or sponsor students in these courses and programs. So the whole

thing has not been satisfactory”[18].

Neelameghan and Wali’s observations and comments on SISA programs in both AAU in Ethiopia and the premier

University of Ibadan in Nigeria; reflects SISA’s mandate at its establishment. That it is to overcome the chronic

shortage of skilled information personnel, which has been the main stumbling block in the development of modern

information systems and services in Africa. The inadequacy or in some respects absence, of skilled manpower for



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the efficient management of information had been widely expressed by African information workers (in libraries and

information centers, my expression), as well as others in various international seminars and workshops. It has also

been stressed in various published and unpublished reports.

One of the main reasons for the chronic shortage of information specialists in Africa is the lack of fully

developed educational and training program in Information Science. It is in this regard that the School of

Information Studies for Africa (SISA) has been established in 1990; with the aim of preparing, through its graduate

as well as short-term training program and refresher courses, students for careers in the information field, and

providing the much needed opportunity for professionals presently employed in African information organizations

to enhance their professional skills and to gain additional knowledge in the information area. But what happened?

The graduates only went to business sectors ignoring libraries and information centers, thereby creating the lack of

the highly trained professionals that would have been instrumental to African’s LIS education with particular

reference to Ethiopia.

3.3 LISE in St. Mary’s University College

St. Mary’s University College was established in 1998 under St. Mary’s General Educational Development PLC

with its head office in Hawassa and a branch in Addis Ababa [19]. The University College is private with its mission

of providing quality instruction for its students, research works, academic material production, as well as

professional consultancy for the growing needs of Ethiopia and its citizens. Recognizing the complexity of the

current world and the multi-ethnic heritage of Ethiopia, the university college has promoted from the start an

atmosphere of openness, tolerance, mutual respect and cooperation.

AMUC has four main campuses in Addis Ababa, 13 major Distance Education Regional centers, and 160

Coordination offices spreading throughout the country. The University College has over 200 full time academic

staff, close to six thousand students in the undergraduate conventional mode of learning, and about thirty thousand

students enrolled in distance education programs. It also has close to 2000 students in its graduate programs. Eight

graduate programs are run in partnership with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). These programs

include Business Administration, Public Administration, Library and Information Science, Sociology, Economics,

Commerce, Rural Development and Political Science in the distance mode of learning [20]. SMUC had a Diploma

in Library science program that was run as a Distance learning program but has since been closed down; due to the

country’s policy of running such Diploma programs.

3.4 LISE in Jimma University (JU)

Jimma University (JU) is a public higher educational institution; established in December 1999 by the amalgamation

of Jimma College of Agriculture (founded in 1952) and Jimma Institute of Health Sciences (established in 1983). It

is located at 352 km southwest of Addis Ababa at Jimma town with an area of about 409 hectares with four

campuses that include: Jimma University main campus, Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary

Medicine, College of Business and Economics and KitoFurdisa (Jimma University Institute of Technology). The

campuses host the University top management, College of Public Health and Medical Sciences, College of Natural

Sciences, College of Social Sciences and Law, Institute of Education and Professional Development Studies and

School of Graduate Studies. Of the Colleges, College of Natural Sciences houses the Department of Information

Science. Being a comprehensive public higher education institution, it is engaged in teaching, research and provision

of service to the society embedded in line with its innovative Community Based Education philosophy (CBE). It is

committed to providing outstanding undergraduate, graduate and continuing professional education and training

programs that enables its diverse student body to attain fullest potential intellectually, ethically, morally and

socially. It equips them with critical, analytical and imaginative skills; they need to face in real life challenges and

play an active role in the development efforts of the country. It is also entrusted with advancement of research and

scholarly undertakings that will address current and future development problems/needs of the society through

creative, preservative, disseminative and application of knowledge and information [21] & [22].



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The Information Science Department of Jimma University was founded in 2005/2006 academic year and it

runs an undergraduate Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Science and postgraduate Masters of Information

Science Degree; with specializations in Electronic and Digital resource Management and Information and

Knowledge Management degrees. The Information Science Department of Jimma University, Ethiopia, evolved as a

child of necessity to alleviate the country’s lack of skilled professional librarians and information specialists for the

provision of libraries or information centers (i.e, in the public libraries, academic libraries, special libraries, research

libraries, government/organizations/agencies libraries, college and school libraries, archives, museums, etc.) in

Ethiopia. The Department was established when the existence of the professional LIS education in the country was

at a break for nearly a decade after Addis Ababa University’s termination of the Library and Information Science

program. It evolved, when the country is implementing the mass educational sector development programs. With the

priceless support of the Jimma University, the profession has gained momentum and is flourishing. The graduates of

the department are playing a leading role in the Information Science professional departments of the tertiary

institutions in the country; in course delivery.

It is backed by its objectives of producing new graduates to satisfy the scarce skilled human power of the

country and pay a concern to insufficient emphasis on information resource centers, services and its sciences, which

would have played a great role in the country’s academic revolution. The challenge also, is to both broaden

educational horizons and to sharpen skills that will be important as the student matures as a professional and

alleviate the country’s skilled human resource in the sector.

The realization of the gap created in the absence of library and information science discipline at the tertiary

level of education; that was based on the fact that there was unavailability of information professionals in the

Ethiopian market as well as the LIS program itself in the country’s Universities, gave rise to Jimma University

fulfillment of her mandate to solve societal problem of lack of library and information science professionals by

establishing the Department of Information Science. The growth and development of information providers in the

country that were neglected, led to lack of attention to School library development and lately even to the decline;

despite the introduction of Mass Education Policy that advocates learner and resources based education for primary,

secondary and tertiary level education [23].

Jimma University Department of Information Science first task of its establishment was to create the

curricula for the new degree program, building on the models available in other Universities in the world with the

like-named degrees, but holding on to the goals set by curriculum review report in Addis Ababa University in 1988.

When the Department of Information Science started in 2005/2006, the name was “Department of Library and

Information Science”. By 2006/2007 session the name was changed to ‘Department of Information Studies” and in

2008/2009 it was changed again to “Department of Information Science”. The instability in the nomenclature had

historical antecedents that arose from the term ‘library’ on the part of the students; who were reserved on the term

based on societal insensitivity towards the profession. But this issue has long been resolved with the present

Department’s name as “Department of Information Science”.

Its first Faculty was Faculty of Natural and Information Science from 2005-2009 but moved to the then

College of Engineering and Technology in October 2009, which is now known as Jimma Institute of Technology. Its

movement followed the Business Process Reengineering (BPR) program undertaken by the Jimma University. In the

redesigning processes, the Faculty of Natural and Information Science was discontinued and the Department of

Information Science was moved to College of Natural Sciences in September 2011. The first Head of Department

(HOD) is Mr. Getachew Bayissa an Assistant Professor with one expatriate, Dr. Lawrence Abraham Gojeh an

Associate Professor from Nigeria; with Mr. Kedir Mohammed a graduate assistant, a secretary (Mrs Firenesh

Kumsa) and an office staff (Mrs Yaunesh Tereke) in 2005/2006 academic session. Today it has staff strength of

about 20 staff. The Department, which started in 2005, has graduated over 300 students in the three year degree

program. The first batch graduated in 2008 academic year, while 20 of the 24 students in the first batch of the

masters degree in the specialization areas of Electronic and Digital Resource Management and Information and

Knowledge Management graduated in 2013. The program enrollment is in the increase in Jimma University today.



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According to the [24] survey report on stakeholders and professionals in Ethiopia before launching the

undergraduate degree program in 2005, which reveals the difference between the various levels of need in

information-based personnel. That it covers requirements at the general education and specialized technician level to

professional engineers and information specialists. The report cataloged a considerable detail of knowledge base

and skill that the Department of Library and Information Science would prefer their graduates to have. They

clustered as: librarians, systems/business analysts, database administrators, computer support specialists, network

specialists, telecommunications analysts, and internet specialists.

The undergraduate professional degree curriculum centered on how the artifacts of human knowledge are

structured, organized, managed, evaluated, and made accessible. The university believes that Information Science

(IS) and newly emerging related fields must be taught together since the technical, humanistic, social, and

behavioral aspects of Information Science are interrelated. An understanding of users must guide information

systems design, just as knowledge of technical possibilities and constraints must shape user services. The history,

policy, and economic contexts of information creation and dissemination are also essential elements for the

curriculum of the department.

After Jimma University’s establishment of the Information Science Department; other Universities in

Ethiopia followed suit by establishing their own Library and Information Science Departments that were

transformed to Information Science Departments. Such Universities included Adama University in 2006 but closed

after graduating one set of its students of the Department. There is the Haramaya University in 2007, Mekelle

University in 2010, Gondar University in 2010, Asosa University in 2011 and Bule Hora in 2013 respectively.

Taking their roots from the Jimma University (JU) bold step in launching the LIS discipline and devoting its

resources from within and with external collaborations, partnership and assistance allows the program to face the

challenges that its counterparts have not but started from a proper footing.

Reference [25] on tracing the history of LIS education in Ethiopia compared Jimma and Haramaya

Universities LIS programs and concluded that they demonstrate the transition from a traditional, closed model of

librarianship to the contemporary, open model and the changes in programs’ names from Library Science to

Information Science. Internationalization of the programs, incorporation of Information and Communication

Technologies (ICT) related courses, and information literacy programs are enhancing the transformation of LIS

education. Of course, Jimma University counterparts are using the products (ex-graduates) of the Department of

Information Science of Jimma University, who are now serving as lecturers in these programs and in other

information technology and Computer Science programs in the country’s Universities, preparatory schools and high

schools.

3.4.1 Objectives of LISE in Jimma University

The objectives of the Department of Information Science in Jimma University are to provide qualified, skilled and

competent professionals that would address the qualified human resource needs of the country's education policy

and fulfill the scarce personnel market in the profile; boost professionals learning, teaching, research and services in

the area; prepare information professionals to have a client-centered perspective to be able to design or adapt

information products and services that are responsive to user needs, rather than trying to adapt users to the services;

provide professional education for a wide variety of service and management careers in libraries, information

agencies, the information industry, and in business, industry, government, research, and similar environments where

information is a vital resource. Providing a curriculum that is based on present and probable future characteristics of

information professions, emphasizing the essential knowledge, skill, and professional attitude needed by beginning

professionals in these fields; produce qualified information specialists or librarians with adequate theoretical

knowledge and practical skills in applications of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), create the

curricula that will provide the profession of Information Science with graduates clustering as librarians,

systems/business analysts, database administrators, computer support specialists, network specialists,

telecommunications analysts, and Internet and web specialists.



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The curriculum builds into it the principles and philosophy of Jimma University Community -based

Education (CBE) [26] & [27]. The Department currently has two programs that include: i. three years professional

Bachelor’s degree in Information Science; and ii. two years Master of Information Science degree; with

specialization in “Information and Knowledge Management” and “Electronic and Digital Resource Management”.

The Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Science program produces skilled professional librarians

and information specialists that can plan, design, develop, organize, and manage modern and traditional information

resource centers/libraries/agencies in the country. Understand the relationship among society, people, organizations,

and technology and identify the implications for managing and using information technology in the information

resource centers and information agencies through management skills, critical thinking, problem solving, decision-

making and appropriate for the workplace. Assume a leadership role in traditional and interdisciplinary research and

scholarship that address information issues. Educate within and for a rapidly changing technological world and

understand how technology is reshaping and affecting information resource centers/agencies and the profession.

Students are prepared to understand the interactions between social factors and information environments. Create

understanding of the historical, social, cultural, educational, political, and economic dimensions of information on

information resource centers and agencies. Create understanding of the role of information technologies, services

and organizations in globalization. Teach and foster professional attitudes and information service philosophy and

involve in the development activities of the community and community organizations.

The curriculum of the program is organized in the context of library and information science; human-

interaction; information generation, information organization, information access and information dissemination. It

offers basic general knowledge of the field of Information Science with opportunities to specialize in particular areas

of the field in preparation for a variety of career opportunities/outcomes. The following are some examples of career

for the Graduates: Information specialist, Chief Information Officer, Information Expert, Information Broker,

Information Retrieval Specialist, Information Subject Specialist, Archivist, and Knowledge Manager/Organizer,

Professional Librarian (Virtual Librarian or Web Librarian or Traditional Librarian), Information Resource

Centers/Organizations manager, Record Manager, Information System Manager, Data Miner, Database Designer,

Web designer, Indexer and abstracter, Intellectual Property Adviser, School Resource Media Specialist, Competitive

Intelligence Professional, Teacher, Researcher and Information Scientist.

The curriculum provides not only a list of courses or modules offered in a program, but it also gives

information on content, purpose, method, time/duration, trainers and location or situation of a program or course -

all of which are essential in a successful dispensation of manpower training and development in LIS discipline. In

fact, the traditional concept of a library is being redefined in the program from a place to access paper records or

books to one that also houses the most advanced electronic resources, including the Internet, digital libraries, and

remote access to a wide range of information sources. Consequently, librarians, often called information

professionals, increasingly combine traditional duties with tasks involving quickly changing technology. Thus the

program houses necessary technology-based software and hardware technologies for theoretical and practical skills

of learners.

The categories of courses offered in the three year undergraduate degree program of Jimama University

Department of Information Science include core or major courses = 74 credits, Supportive Courses = 27 credits and

Common Courses = 15 credits; that total to 116 credits in the program. The list of Core or major courses offered are

26 and they are: Introduction to Information Science, Information Sources and Services, Information Literacy,

Reference Resources and Services, Information and Society, Collection Development and Management, Human

Information and Communication Behavior, Knowledge Organization and Management I, Government and Legal

Information Sources and Services, Multimedia Application and Development, Internet Programming, Knowledge

Organization and Management II, Information Storage and Retrieval Systems, Research Methods and Evaluation,

Indexing and Abstracting, Advanced Web Application and Management, Scholarly Communication, Records

Management, Student Research Project, Automation of Library and Information Systems, Digital Libraries,



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Management of Information Resource Centers, Archives and Museum Management, Information Policy and

Intellectual Property, Health Information Sources and Services and Information Marketing.

The list of supportive courses is 9 that include: Introduction to Computer Science, Introduction to Statistics,

Discrete Mathematics, System Analysis and Design, Windows Programming, System Administration and Network

Management, Data Communications and Networking, Fundamentals of Database and Fundamentals of

Programming. While the list of common courses is 5, and they include: Applied Mathematics, Community Based

Training Program (CBTP) I, Community Based Training Program (CBTP) II, Sophomore English and General

Psychology. It is pertinent to know that the undergraduate curriculum used in Jimma University has been

harmonized after the reviewed curriculum workshop conducted by the Ministry of Education in 2008 and held at

Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. The curriculum also is modularized and put to use since 2011/2012

academic year.

However, the undergraduate program at its inception had a professional practice curriculum, which allowed

the graduating class to go for three months professional practice experience in any type of library or information

center of their choice in the country. The students were assessed at their work environments by their local

supervisors and reports sent to the Department at Jimma University. The assessment was aside of the Departmental

assessor who was expected to visit and assess the students while practicing. This program has since been stopped

due to the financial implication.

But with the partnership and goodwill of the United States Embassy in Ethiopia and the Economic

Commission for Africa (ECA), the Department receives Fulbright scholars assigned to deliver lectures to the

postgraduate students of the department, workshops organized and delivered in the Department by invited specialists

of the US Embassy. Donations of teaching facilities such as computers, books, etc. were that assistance received and

used by the Department towards the sustainability of the program. On the other hand, the ECA used to receive

allocation of practicing librarians or information specialist-in-training for their practical training. At some instances,

employments were granted to some of the graduates from the Department.

3.4.2 Need assessment studies

It is pertinent to know that the Department of Information Science of Jimma University was not launched without a

need assessment study from the stakeholders comprising academic libraries, public libraries, ministries libraries and

non-governmental libraries on the need to run the program. With the positive response, the listening Jimma

University Senate approved the launching in 2005. In 2007 another need assessment study was conducted to

determine the acceptability of the graduates by yet the stakeholders who accepted the initial launching of the LIS

program. The response was also positive, which guaranteed about 27 out of the 34 graduates to be offered teaching

appointments by the Ethiopia Ministry of Education in Universities and colleges in the country. The demands for

postgraduate program in the Department of Information Science were not without rationales from studies again on

the need for qualified and experienced information professionals to provide effective and efficient leadership in

information services in various organizations.

Reference [23] in their study on enhancing public officers’ quality service delivery stated that most library

staff in the public sector libraries in Ethiopia (i.e. Universities, National library, public/Governmental/Ministry

libraries, special, college and school) had diploma in library science, they were para-professionals, they were placed

at the lower level of the public service and mostly were not involved in policy decision making of their

organizations. The study concluded that there was the need for the provision of experienced library staff to enhance

public service delivery.

Reference [28] in their assessment of undergraduate students’ library use and services opined that the

major important reasons that students were unable to get information fully to meet their needs was that, the staff of

library (information providers) hardly had techniques of information provision due to lack of experience and

professional capacity.



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Reference [29] in their need assessment study of stakeholders (i.e Government and Non-Government

organizations in Ethiopia) on graduates of Department of Information Studies adduced that libraries and information

centers in Ethiopia’ organizations; lack adequate professional librarians with qualifications of library and

information science profession; that these organizations in Ethiopia are in dire need of professional librarians now

for their libraries.

Also, in a nationwide unpublished but sponsored study on the launching of a Post Graduate program in the

Department of Information Science in Jimma University in 2011, revealed that the stakeholders that comprise,

information professionals, Chief executives of organizations (Government and Non-Governmental bodies in

Ethiopia), Heads of libraries in organizations, Heads of Departments where library and Information Science degree

programs are run and students of Information Science Department did not only indicated their interest for the

launching of the Post Graduate program but went further to rank the four programs suggested in their instruments

[30]. The four programs, whose ranking were very close to one another to show the desires for the program

launching were: Msc. in Information and Knowledge Management, Msc. in Electronic and Digital Resource

Management, Msc. in Information Management, and Msc. in Information and Library Science). However, the

Department of Information Science picked the most/highest ranked two programs and launched them in 2011/2012

academic year and they are: “MSc. (Electronic and Digital Resource Management)” and MSc. (Information and

Knowledge Management)”.

The Masters degrees of Information Science Department of Jimma University, with specializations in

“Information and Knowledge Management and Electronic and Digital Resource Management” prepare students to

address the practical needs of government and nongovernmental organizations’ libraries or information centers as

they go about collecting, organizing, storing, retrieving and disseminating information through employing the new

information technologies and the economic systems [31]. The information professionals of today must discharge

their duties in a hybrid environment, which deals with traditional print documents as well as electronic and digital

documents. Reference [32] referred to this as the “true interdisciplinary environment” for the information science

program. The programs are not only academic, professional but are both hybrids, which include teaching and

training environments. They are based on problem solving and managerial skills to make electronic and digital

information management a reality in the Library and Information Science education programs and also based on

evidence-based and insight-based [30].

The masters programs are to develop the right and high caliber personnel capable of managing electronic

and digital libraries and information centers of varied scope and nature. The general structure of the program

consists of core courses, required courses, elective courses and bridging courses. A candidate must register and take

the prescribed four core courses of the Department of Information Science approved for the postgraduate programs.

The nine required courses for graduation in the specialized Master’s degree in Electronic and Digital Resource

Management. These courses include graduate seminar, internship, Developmental Team Training Program (DTTP)

and Master’s Thesis. Others include two elective courses that are needed for graduation in the specialized Master’s

degree in Electronic and Digital Resource Management.

Students without Library and Information Science background will take bridging or make-up courses from the

followings: Fundamentals of Database, Fundamentals of Programming, Data Communications and Networking,

System Administration and Network Management, Windows Programming, System Analysis and Design,

Information Sources and Services, Information Literacy, Internet programming, Knowledge Organization and

Management.

As for M.Sc. in Information and Knowledge Management program profile, a candidate must register and

take the prescribed four core courses of the Department of Information Science approved for the postgraduate

programs. The nine required courses for graduation in the specialized Master’s degree in Information and

Knowledge Management. These courses include graduate seminar, internship, Developmental Team Training

Program (DTTP) and Master’s Thesis. Others include two elective courses that are needed for graduation in the

specialized Master’s degree in Electronic and Digital Resource Management. Students without Library and



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Information Science background will take bridging or make-up courses from the followings: Fundamentals of

Database, Fundamentals of Programming, Data Communications and Networking, System Administration and

Network Management, Windows Programming, System Analysis and Design, Information Sources and Services,

Information Literacy, Internet programming, Knowledge Organization and Management.

The entry requirement is same for both programs and is open to graduates of Jimma University and other

Universities approved by Senate of Jimma University. Preference could be given to candidates with Information

Science, Information Studies, Library and Information science, Information Systems, mathematics, health,

agriculture, law and having passed an entrance examination by the Department of information science; a cumulative

Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.00 or higher; candidate must be supported by at least two letters of

recommendation from appropriate body or faculties. Such letters of recommendations should preferably come from

instructors or employers and other conditions as obtained by Jimma University for graduate programs. International

candidates will be excluded from the entrance examination but must submit their motivation letter for seeking

admission into the program.

Libraries or information centers are essential organs for education, information, enlightenment, recreation

and research. They are also, integral part of Government organizations and Non-Governmental organizations. They

are known for generating, collecting, organizing, storage and disseminating of up-to-date, accurate, unbiased and

relevant information in print or non-print formats in order to motivate and satisfy the information and knowledge

needs of the society at large. Some of the unique profiles for M.Sc in Electronic and digital resource management

graduates include knowledge, practical skills, professionalism, problem solving, scientific skills and communication

skills through: general and specific subjects’ knowledge that can serve as the foundation for Information Science;

being equipped and qualified with the practical skills of various types of information resources, systems and

services; being equipped and qualified with the social skills and responsibilities of theories, principles, processes and

techniques of organization, storage, retrieval, dissemination and utilization of all forms of information; being

equipped and qualified with the scientific skills of theories, practices and principles of information systems analysis,

design, development and management; being equipped and qualified with the professionalism of designing,

programming, implementing and evaluation of various information systems and multimedia resources including the

Internet and their management; being equipped and qualified with the knowledge of computers and communication

systems, including, network design, development, implementation and management; being equipped and qualified

with the basic principles of ICT in information processing techniques.

The specific graduate profile for the Masters of information science in Information and Knowledge

Management program that include knowledge, practical skills, professionalism, problem solving, scientific skills

and communication skills through: general and specific subjects’ knowledge that can serve as the foundation for

Information Science; being equipped and qualified with the practical skills of various types of information

resources, systems and services; being equipped and qualified with the social skills and responsibilities of theories,

principles, processes and techniques of organization, storage, retrieval, dissemination and utilization of all forms of

information; being equipped and qualified with the scientific skills of theories, practices and principles of

information systems analysis, design, development and management; being equipped and qualified with the

professionalism of designing, programming, implementing and evaluation of various information systems and

multimedia resources including the Internet and their management; being equipped and qualified with the

knowledge of computers and communication systems, including, network design, development, implementation and

management and being equipped and qualified with the basic principles of ICT in information processing

techniques.

The professional profile of graduates are having major skills and competencies that would include values,

attitudes, professionalism, problem solving skills, Leadership and team skills, information management and lifelong

learning skills with managerial and entrepreneurial skills: to analyze, design, develop, implement and manage ICT

based information systems, services and solutions (organization and retrieval of information resources); to generate

and produce tangible and useable information services and products; to manage information resource centers and



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agencies system development projects; to provide information system/technology consultancy services; to create and

develop practical projects related to information resources and services; some of the practical and unique skills

would include Leadership and team skills, information management and lifelong learning skills with managerial and

entrepreneurial skills in careers such as: librarians, information specialists, information educators and researchers in

universities, teacher, archivists and curators in museums, community information expert, information broker, virtual

librarian and web librarian.

3.5 LISE in Adama University

Adama Science and Technology University (formerly known as Nazareth Technical College, Nazareth College of

Technical Teachers Education, and Adama University) is a university with branches in Adama city and a branch in

Asella, and Debre Zeyit cities, Oromia Region, Ethiopia and also in Addis Ababa (Winget campus). Established in

September 1993, Adama Science and Technology University was the first institute in Ethiopia to offer degree

programs for technical teachers. Formerly it was known as Nazareth Technical College and Nazareth College of

Technical Teachers Education. The university adopted the name Adama University on July 9, 2005. Five years later,

the university once again changed its name to Adama Science and Technology University (ASTU). Currently, the

university is located in two different towns-in Adama, the main campus, and Asella, home to the two different

campuses hosting the School of Agriculture and School of Health Sciences, respectively.

In 2007, the university started the Department of Library and Information Science with a curriculum that

was harmonized later in 2008 in the country. But the program was short lived after graduating the first batch of its

students in 2010 and the program was phased out in in the same year 2010. This was said to be due to administrative

arrangement of the University. And starting from 2011, the university moved towards her new phase of

transformation that is befitting to the country context [33].

3.6 LISE in Haramaya University

Haramaya University (formerly known as Alemaya University) is one of the oldest universities in Ethiopia. It is

located 5 km from Alemaya, a town in the Misraq Hararghe Zone, about 17 kilometers from the city of Harar and 40

kilometers from Dire Dawa. The university was founded with the help of Oklahoma State University (OSU),

accepting its first students in 1954, and the new campus was opened in January 1958 by Emperor Haile Selassie.

OSU's participation set a record for American technical assistance programs, with 60 professionals supporting this

project at one time, but due to the lack of qualified educators this required a commitment to his endeavor from the

University for several years; this degree of commitment was due to the personal support of the former OSU

president, (Henry G. Bennett), Haramaya University was promoted from a college within Addis Ababa

University on May 27, 1985 to an independent university. For many years the university had been limited to only an

agricultural curriculum, but in 1996 the university was given permission to open other faculties and departments.

The foundation of the College of Computing and Informatics was thus based on the above premises. In its

original intention “computing” refers to statistics while “informatics” is for computer sciences fields. The college

was established in April 2008 by bringing together the three departments- Computer Science, Management

Information Systems and Information Studies, that were established under the Faculty of Business and Economics.

Soon after the establishment of the college, the curricula for the departments of Information Systems and

Statistics were prepared and got approved by the university senate. Hearing the approval of the curriculum of the

Bachelor of Science in Statistics, all the students who were already admitted to the Department of Applied

Mathematics and Statistics under the then Faculty of Education requested the university management and transferred

to the Department of Statistics that was newly established under CCI. The first batch of the B. Sc in Information

Systems was, however, admitted in the next academic year. The college then opened further B. Sc programs in

Information Technology and Software Engineering based on the need assessments made at national level [34].

Haramaya University developed a baccalaureate degree curriculum program entitled Information Science in

2007 under the Faculty of Computing and Informatics. The curriculum developed was the harmonized in 2008 in the



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country. However, the Master of Information Science program curriculum was developed based on the models

available in other Universities in the world with the like-named degrees. It has 36/37 credit hours program that can

be completed in two years, of which the first year is for course work and the second year is for Master’s Thesis. The

program will enable students, throughout their career, to stay intellectually and professionally nimble and become

true leaders in the information field. It features a broad-based curriculum emphasizing both the practical

wherewithal to help students prepare for specific areas of professional interest while giving them the theoretical

underpinnings necessary to make the program/education one for their career and not just for their first job.

Therefore, after completing the program, students will gain: integrated understanding of central underlying concepts,

theories, processes, models and research with a focus on the people who use the information services, systems, and

resources we create and organize; appreciation of the varied roles, contexts, settings and values in which information

work takes place and the inter-relationships among them; principled comprehension of important issues and terms

and the ability to learn more about these and professional skills and experiences important for the information and

knowledge society.

The professional profile for the Masters of Science in Information Science degree, graduates will

incorporate the knowledge, skills, ethical foundations and social responsibilities of the information professions into

professional practice. Specifically, graduates will be able to: draw effectively upon the values, principles, knowledge

and history of information science (library and information science) and other related disciplines; apply the

principles of the information life cycle (selection, organization, dissemination and preservation); advance the

intelligent and ethical applications of information technologies; apply the principles of strategic management to

various functions, processes and systems in information environments; promote the ideals of scholarly

communication and open access; formulate and design information policies and strategies in the information

environments; understand and apply research in information science, library and information science; and

demonstrate a commitment to the advancement of the information professions through lifelong learning.

The graduate profile of the program will afford students with effective change agents in the information

field in Ethiopia. They will have general and perceptive technical skills that ensure multidisciplinary competence in

the field. Graduates of the MSc in information Science will have general skills and knowledge in: identifying key

issues and trends in information science; applying tools, techniques and theories of information science in

information resources, services and systems; identifying, collecting, organizing, storing, managing, evaluating and

disseminating scientific information at different levels and contexts; developing and using ICT tools and techniques

to package, repackage and communicate scientific information services and products for different audiences;

analyzing, formulating and implementing of information/ICT policies and strategies at organizational and national

levels; analyzing and applying scientific and scholarly communication systems; leading information and knowledge

centers in the dynamic information environment; learning by doing while conducting a research for their Master

thesis.

The curriculum of the Master of Information Science program is organized in the context of library and information

science, ICTs and equally on the life cycle of information. The graduates will have in-depth knowledge about the

field of Information Science with opportunities to work in different areas of the field in preparation for a variety of

career opportunities/outcomes. The following are some examples of careers for the Graduates: Chief Information

Officer (CIO)/ Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO); Professional Librarian (Digital Librarian, Web Librarian or

Electronic Librarian); Information Resource Centers Manager; Information Retrieval Specialist; Information Subject

Specialist ; Knowledge Manager; Information Policy Adviser; Lecturer; and Researcher.

The course structure includes: core courses, ICTs/supportive, general and elective courses. The core

courses are organized around the life cycle of information. This organizing framework examines the life cycle of

knowledge, leading from creation and publication of information through evaluation, selection, organization,

retrieval, access and use in the creation of new knowledge. This framework serves two important purposes. It

provides an overall conceptual and theoretical structure which acts as a foundation for later coursework and

experiences, and it organizes the core curriculum in terms of order and coherence of courses and topics. Beyond the



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required core courses, students have the option of crafting a program of study specific to their interests and career

goals. Students are required to take two elective courses and end up with a Master Thesis in their second year of

study in the program [35].

3.7 LISE in Mekelle University

Mekelle University is found at the town of Mekelle in Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia , at a distance of 783

Kilometers from the Ethiopian capital. The merger the two former colleges: Mekelle Business College and Mekelle

University College established the University in May 2000 by the Government of Ethiopia (Council of Ministers,

Regulations No. 61/1999 of Article 3) as an autonomous higher education institution. It presently has seven

colleges: Business and Economics, Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Law and Governance, Social

Sciences and Languages, Veterinary Medicine, Natural and Computational Sciences and Health Sciences; and eight

institutes: Institute of Pedagogical Sciences, Institute of Paleo-environment and Heritage Conservation, Ethiopian

Institute of Technology-Mekelle, Institute of Water and Environment, Institute of Climate and Society, Institute of

Gender, Environment and Development Studies, and Institute of Geo-Information and Earth Observation Sciences.

However, the College of Natural and Computational Sciences which was established in 2001, houses the

Department of Library and Information Science.

In 2010, Mekelle University under the College of Natural and Computational Sciences started the B.Sc. in

Library and Information Science, with the objective of producing qualified Library and information specialists with

adequate theoretical knowledge and practical skills in applications of modern Library and Information Science is

found to be a strategic asset that will bring about significant development and changes in Ethiopia economy, politics,

education, and other national sectors. The Library and Information Science Department envisions a society where all

individuals, regardless of location, economic status, language, age, or any other factor, are able to freely and easily

access, retrieve, and use information and knowledge to empower them to live a full productive life. It currently runs

a modularized curriculum that has been harmonized in the country [36].

3.8 LISE in University of Gondar

The University of Gondar, until 2003 known as the Gondar College of Medical Sciences, is the oldest medical

school in Ethiopia. Established as the Public Health College in 1954, it is located in Gondar, the former capital of

Ethiopia. As of 2010, the university offers about 42 undergraduate and 17 postgraduate programs. but now the

University offers 54 undergraduate and 64 postgraduate. These are organized under the College of Medicine and

Health Sciences, College of Business and Economics, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, College of

Social Sciences and Humanities, and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Faculty of Agriculture, and three schools

(School of Law, School of Technology and School of Education. The College of Natural and Computational

Sciences, formerly called Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences, was established in 2004, when the College of

Medical Science was changed to the level of University. The department of Information Science is one of the

departments in the college that was established in in 2011 and currently running a modularized curriculum that has

been harmonized in the country [37].

3.9 LISE in Asossa University

The University was established in 2011 and committed to the advancement of teaching learning activities, need

based research and community service. It is located at about 675 km north west of Addis Ababa at Asossa town

which is the capital city of Benishngul Gumuz Regional State. The University started its function with five faculties

and seventeen departments by admitting the first batch of 1043, regular students that were assigned to these five

Faculties. Namely:- Engineering and Technology, Natural and Computational Sciences, Agriculture and Natural

Resource, Business and Economics, and Social Sciences and Humanity faculties [38]. The department of

Information Science is in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology and established in 2011 and currently runs a

modularized curriculum that has been harmonized in the country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondar



www.ijars.in


3.10 LISE in Bule Hora University

Bule Hora is one of the woredas (local Government Araeas) in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It was part of former

Hagere Mariam woreda what was separated for Bule Hora, The University which was established in 2013 is named

after Bule Hora and is also under construction [39]. However, at its temporary site, it houses the Department of

Information Science under the College of Computing and Informatics. It currently also, runs a modularized

curriculum that has been harmonized in the country.

4. Challenges and issues of LISE in Ethiopia

4.1 Sustainability of LISE

LIS as a discipline has no boundaries on just training professionals at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the

country. It should include short-term staff development and training programs to not only upgrade the educational

status of the existing library routines staff but also preparing them for career in librarianship and information

specialization. Such curriculums will not only sustain LIS discipline in the country but also fill the gap of its non-

existence anywhere in the country. The career positions that can benefit from such curriculums will include: record

officers, typists, library attendants, clerical assistants, library assistants, assistant library officers, library officers and

librarians.

The career development will provide certificates to graduates at every stage of their completion of

programs. The certificates should warrant staff development and training, promotions, salary increase and

allowances, incentives and motivation, job satisfaction and competencies, career and professional progression and

recognition as well as professional association membership. It will also retain the most needed staff in the

organization for organizational achievement and avoid attrition or turnover pattern. Knowledge is dynamic and

library and information services in work environments are full of innovations and creativity that needs constant

update in not only the areas of information and communication technologies but also the human psychology, social

services and the economics and politics of the profession.

4.2 Lack of a professional and scholarly journal or newsletter

A professional and scholarly journal or newsletter in the LIS profession in the country will go a long way to not only

promoting the profession but also a learning tool for all professionals as well as well-wishers of the most needed

profession. This then requires that the Information Science Departments in the country should as a matter of urgency

launch a professional journal being a medium for academics to communicate their research findings for the increase

of information and knowledge dissemination for teaching, learning and research processes of the professionals. It is

not only staff of LIS schools but a professional journal and newsletter nationally.

4.3 Lack of Doctoral degree program

The number of academic institutions offering the undergraduate and postgraduate degree program in Information

Science in Ethiopia has no University in her Department of Information Science that offer a postgraduate program at

Doctoral degree level. With the two specialization programs at Masters’ degree levels (i.e. Information and

Knowledge Management and Electronic and Digital Resource Management at Jimma University Department of

Information Science) as well as the Haramaya master’s program; operating without a PhD program in the country

will bread a situation where brain drain of qualified staff or candidates moving out of the country in search of

education and not turning back to serve the country. This could be due to the commitments they may enter into with

their sponsors within or outside the country. This situation does not only affect the individual candidates but the

libraries/information centers and the Library and Information Science discipline in the country that require the cream

of qualified and experienced professionals to come back to serve the country at their professional capacity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Districts_of_Ethiopia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oromia_Region

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia



www.ijars.in


4.4 Stakeholders support

Stakeholders in the country that include governmental and non-governmental organizations are on the other hand

striving to have higher level administrators and managers in the LIS profession but to no avail due to the non-

availability. In Ethiopia, for example, there is the mass education for tertiary, secondary, primary and kindergarten.

Each of these levels of education by standard; ought to be supported with libraries/information centers or resource

centers, for resource exploitation, self-education and life-long learning. With the structure of Ethiopian educational

system for government and non-governmental organizations to include pre-school, primary education, general

secondary education, preparatory secondary, undergraduate programs and postgraduate programs; these structures of

schools and institutions translate to mean the availability of the various educational types of libraries that should be

staffed with professionals with at least a Bachelors’ degree. Higher level degree holders are expected to be

employed to provide higher level administration in each government ministry and zonal education administration,

tertiary educational institutions, non-governmental agencies, special and research libraries, archives and museums,

which are mostly administered without these higher level managers and administrators from the profession. It deems

it necessary for stakeholders to support the departments of information science in the country with their demands for

successful implementation of the programs to provide a mass turn out of graduates in the discipline.

4.5 Lacks of “Dynamic or Kinetic” Professional Association

Most Librarians and Information Specialists in Ethiopia spend their time working in one of the following types of

libraries and information centers (i.e.: public, academic, school, special, archives museums, etc.) in the country.

Some Librarians and Information Specialists will start and operate their own business, with titles: information

brokers, research specialists, knowledge manager, competitive intelligence or independent information professionals

but lacks what I may call “Dynamic or Kinetic” Professional Association. With a “Dynamic or Kinetic” Professional

Association in the country, their activities will be accomplished based on their collective goals and objectives. The

roles of professional associations include promoting professional competencies in organizing conferences,

workshops, seminars, publications in professional journals, newsletters and annual general meetings. By definition,

a professional association is a group of persons or individuals, working in similar organization or activity and facing

similar problems; for example, the American Library Association, Nigerian Library Association, etc. Such

professional associations’ meets and exchange views render services and learn from each other. It exist or develop in

order to provide a range of services to its members, serve as a focus of expertise to external bodies, to represent to

outside organizations; the concerns of her members, provide services to end-users outside their membership, lay

down standards for performance, protect the continuing existence of members, monitor the levels of provision of

services and look after the interests of their own members. While different professional associations have their own

purposes and functions for establishing their associations; generally, they are established to unite persons interested

in their profession, set standards of their operations, safeguard and promote their professional interests, the

establishment and development of the association, watch legislation affecting the association and to assist in the

promotion of such legislation as may be considered necessary for the establishment, regulation and management of

the organization, promote the activities of the association and to do all lawful things as are incidental or conducive

to the attainment of the objectives of the association and the country at large [40].

4.6 Nomenclature of degree awarded and Information Science Departments

Different Universities in Ethiopia offer the librarianship and information science professional degree certificates

with different nomenclatures’ for the graduates of the program. For example, Jimma University graduates of 2008,

2009 and 2010 had the nomenclature of their students’ degree as B.Sc. (Information Studies); Adama University in

2010, had B.Sc. (Information Science) and the then graduates of Addis Ababa University had Bachelor of Library

Science (BLS). However, the issue of nomenclature of the librarianship profession in Ethiopia could be implied that

there is total absence of a professional association. If there is one, then it could be non-functional, not exercising its

roles of publicity through professional conferences, workshops, seminars, publications in professional journals,



www.ijars.in


newsletters and annual general meetings. The nomenclature of degree certificates poses some threat to the students

and on the part of the employers that would find it difficult to distinguish whether the graduates could work in their

operating theatres that include the libraries, information centers, museums, archive centers, etc. due to the change of

nomenclature of degree awarded. This fact goes with the lack of knowledge that the program and curriculum

provided for the students covered a wide variety of service and management careers in libraries, information

agencies, the information industry, and in business, industry, government, research, and similar environments where

information is a vital resource. The curriculum is based on present and probable future characteristics of information

professions, emphasizing the essential knowledge, skill, and professional attitude needed by beginning professionals

in this field. Though the current harmonize LISE in the country affords the graduates with a uniform degree award

with B.Sc (Information Science) and the a uniform departmental naming in the country’s universities as Department

of Information Science” but the issue now remains for the understanding by the stakeholders in the country to

recognize that the pass graduates’ certificates were obtained from accredited LIS programs in the country.

5. Conclusions and Recommendations

The joy of any prospect in life is knowing where one had made mistakes and being ready to accept the known

mistakes put the individual on the proper footing to make amends. LISE in Ethiopia had faced epileptic growth;

where challenges and issues have been raised that would make for better amends for the way forward. The questions

that this paper attempted to answer were on the relationship that exists or co-existed nomenclature of Departments

that “Library Science”, “Information Science” and the hybridized “Library and Information Science”. The paper

discovered the different naming as a historical development of the discipline but the curriculums that existed at

different stages were geared towards the training of qualified professional librarians and information specialists that

will execute their mandates in Ethiopia. Finally, the LIS profession in the country is attaining the right status of a

full-fledged discipline with the recognition and continued increase in the establishment of undergraduate and

postgraduate LIS programs in tertiary institutions in the country. The most demanding and crucial need for LIS

successes over the challenges and issues raised requires an urgent rehabilitation of a professional Association,

soliciting for collaboration and partnerships could be forged among LIS institutions in a country and regionally or

internationally, in areas such as teaching, research, student and staff exchange, conferences, workshops, curriculum

development, publications, research supervision, examination and distance teaching or research. It is essential that

LIS schools meet to network and review progress and discuss how these challenges may be overcome with a

topmost launching of a doctoral degree in the profession.



www.ijars.in


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