WARC Library Assessment Report, 9/29/07
Submitted by Jeremy Kenyon, SLIS, Indiana University

Summary:

With a commitment to change when necessary, WARC's library will continue to grow more valuable to researchers in Africa and abroad. There are no fundamental problems with the WARC library that would be an obstacle to growth. Currently the collections, the level of technology, the physical environment, and the user services provided meet at least a basic level of expectation for usability. Strengths include the personal attentiveness of the staff, the speed and performance of the computer network, the accessibility of the resources, the depth of the Africana collections, and the clean, quiet, and research-oriented workspace. Weaknesses include the organization of the materials, the physical capacity for growth, and the lack of a printer/copier in the library.

Through attentiveness and careful planning, there is every reason to believe the WARC library will continue to improve. Efforts will have to be made to continue to elicit donations, provide additional support to Adama's longer-term projects through internships (both the WARC library internship and local internships with EBAD students), and inquire from users about improvements. Libraries are often most effective when they strike a balance between user needs and library capabilities.

Collection Development:
WARC collections can be split into two categories: those relating to the African continent and those that are related to the African Diaspora, with a fairly large contingent of books directly focused on the United States. Also, there are a number of theses and dissertations from nearby universities, and a collection of journals on a variety of topics.

WARC library's collections have remarkable utility considering their size. In the African section, there are a number of foundational and essential works for any Africana collection. The unique materials located in the theses and dissertations section provides an added value to these, but unfortunately, they are limited in number. One of the strengths of the collection is its relative currency. There are a number of books published within the last decade, which is terrific, considering that WARC relies heavily on donations for acquiring materials.

The African Diaspora/Americana section makes up a large percentage of the collection. This section appears to meet many of the needs of local students and scholars doing research on African-American literature specifically, and English literature in general. This was easily the most frequented and used collection during June and July. However, when compared to the African collection, this section is dated and there is an appreciable lack of new scholarship. This may not be a problem if WARC prioritizes the African collection over the Diaspora/Americana collection for its users.
The serials collection has great potential and certain sets of journals are heavily used. However, journals have always been difficult for users to browse for information, hence the creation of periodical databases. The Google Scholar project (http://scholar.google.com) may offer WARC a free avenue for searching for articles in specific journals, without having to browse each issue individually. Of course, the addition of JSTOR to the library's resources has opened an incredibly valuable resource of full-text periodical literature that makes journal collection less of a priority. JSTOR is also heavily sought after by the researchers, particularly the Senegalese and African researchers (most Americans already have access through their university from any Internet terminal).

Yet there were a number of instances during the summer in which students were not entirely satisfied with the extent of the collection. In particular, an expansion on materials relating to Senegal and Dakar seems pertinent. Also, materials on Islam in West Africa, of which WARC has many materials already, should remain a priority for collecting. And while there is a necessary and logical focus on Senegal, there should also be a concerted effort to expand materials on West Africa as a whole. While many researchers were at WARC this summer because of research on Senegal, WARC's regional mission should be mirrored in the collection if possible. A survey may be a valuable way of inquiring into the needs of the users as well as receiving information about future collection development priorities.

Finally, there are a fair number of books relating to the American West, including anthologies of life in Montana, pictorial works on landscapes of the West, and American Indians. I did not encounter anyone looking for these materials during my two months, and their placement in the corners and bottom shelves of the library seemed to suggest that they were not sought after either. A library does not have to own material just for the sake of owning it and thus, these should be removed if they are not of use or interest to WARC's users. Again, if donations are coming in which will expand the collection, then these non-essential works should be weeded out to accommodate the new materials. Perhaps there are other institutions in Dakar that would have need of them.

Physical Environment:
The largest concern in this area is the shelving capacity. Currently, there are enough shelves to hold all the books, but some reorganization is necessary to provide the best browsing experience. With the specter of incoming donations, it is likely that the shelving capacity will have to be upgraded, depending on the amount of new materials coming in. The second room (Diaspora/Americana) is filled to capacity, but the books could be reordered, particularly in "French Literature" corner, which is somewhat disorganized. The back room has the greatest potential for expansion, but there are two problems with this. Shelving cannot be built to the ceiling due to the extraordinary efforts staff and patrons would have to undergo to reach this level. Instead, building two or three shelves higher would be efficient use of this space. It would still require the presence of a small stepladder. In addition, adding a bottom shelf to the main African collection shelves would add more space. In the "office" area of the back room, where the uncataloged materials and other storage spaces are used, there is also room for growth. Currently, there are a number of materials that are not part of the library collections. If space is at a premium, these non-library materials may need to be removed and the space used for more restrictive collections such as the theses and dissertations. In all, the shelving capacity issues will continue to cause problems, but there are some measures that can be taken to alleviate the pressures. On another note, environmental conditions in Dakar are not kind to books, particularly with the amount of dust and sand in the air. Fortunately, the staff has demonstrated careful consideration of this and makes a point of cleaning the library weekly. They should be commended for this effort. It creates an environment where researchers can concentrate fully on their work. User Services and Technology: Circulation services at WARC function quite well. The process of checking material in and out is simple, efficient, and causes little stress or difficulty for the users. The circulation policy can also be as flexible as the librarian decides it needs to be. The process is simple: as a book is checked out, it is written down in a book and when it is returned, that record is checked off. The pen and paper procedures could be seen as outdated, when many other libraries - large and small - use electronic means to manage circulation. Certainly there are areas in which Adama could utilize electronic record-keeping - a list of registered users, for example - but, the maintenance of an electronic circulation system would create more problems than necessary. Unless WARC's usage increases substantially - and there were never any long lines at the circulation desk - there is no immediate need for such as system. Further, the collection is small enough that keeping track of where books are at a given time is only a question of making sure that the collection is organized and checking the shelf to see if they are in or not. Reference services have clear strengths and weaknesses. Adama is a terrific reference librarian in terms of approachability and user interaction. Also, she has learned the collection well, particularly the Diaspora/Americana section, and can satisfy many user demands without searching long for information. Hopefully, the creation of the database at WARC this summer will be able to improve her ability to locate information with which she is less familiar. The need for a searchable, functional library catalog is important. Having a collection of material is essentially useless if there is no means to find anything in it. Thus, we developed an electronic database for the holdings of the WARC library from browsable, but not very searchable, print catalogs. The program used is called "Biblioexpress" and functions as a citation manager (e.g. Procite, Endnote, etc.) does. It is quite simple in terms of features, but does not require much technical support in case of problems and is easy to use for both staff and users alike. One area of future improvement with regard to this catalog will have to be the improvement of subject headings/keywords for each entry in the catalog. Previously, materials were classified according to the title of the book. In the new catalog, they should be given appropriate and different keywords and subjects than the title, thus creating a larger vocabulary with which the users can search. For example, Frederick Cooper's Africa since 1940 should be classified with keywords such as History, Decolonization, 20th century, etc. Also, training in the use of the electronic resources needs to be considered. Adama is in some ways on an island in that she is asked to provide reference services without the opportunities for training that librarians in other places may have. Thus, endeavors, such as the offer by the US Embassy's Information Resource Officer, provide terrific opportunities for her. I provided what instruction I could to her in using some of the less common aspects of JSTOR, including browsing the journal index and advanced keyword searching methods, but further training is always valuable to both her and consequently, the users. Online presence and Internet resources: WARC's library meets one of the common requirements that many students and researchers require of their 21st century library, principally, computers with good internet connectivity. WARC's network connectivity is excellent, and is vital in order to take advantage of JSTOR or any full-text online resource. A common problem with accessing digital information from Africa is network speed. In this area, WARC does not disappoint. An area of improvement might be the addition of a printer/copier in the library. Applying a cost for the use of this resource would not be unusual. And it creates the opportunity for researchers to take their research with them, currently something they can only do through the use of either flash drives (when using JSTOR) or by taking copious notes. Expensive as this may be, adding another computer or two may be worth considering in the long term. There was a demonstrated demand amongst users for more than two computers, particularly during the mid-summer when UCAD students were entering finals, American study abroad students were doing their own research, and independent researchers would come to the library. However, space considerations become an issue here, as well as power consumption levels. Already using the air conditioner, fans, lights, computers, and anything else causes dimming and minor flickering in the library. In terms of the website, the original library website design was quite static and limited in the amount of information one could garner. It was hardly what library professionals like to imagine an "information gateway" can be. With this in mind, the redesigned website should provide much more information about the services, policies, and staff of the library. Further, the site can be viewed as at an initial stage in providing access to the wealth of Africa-related materials available at WARC and online. For example, there are links to JSTOR, African Journals Online (AJOL), the Quarterly Index to African Periodical Literature, and other resources. In all, the site provides a more dynamic experience to researchers than before. Also, there is a link to the Digital Library for International Research (DLIR) catalog, which records the holdings at WARC. This catalog is essential to WARC for two reasons. First, it has the capability to provide the functionality of an online public access catalog, from field-specific searching to cross-linked subject headings that are common in many universities. Second, it is server-based and always accessible. If WARC developed a similar catalog, it would have to be housed somewhere that would be available 24/7. Also, WARC would have to find the expertise to support the technical maintenance of the system and its server. With DLIR managing the background elements of the catalog and its hardware, WARC can focus on making sure the catalog is updated and the records are improved through coordination with DLIR. If this is done, there is no reason why it cannot be a very effective online public-access catalog (OPAC) for WARC.