Building Science Information Fluency in African Universities: How Libraries and Researchers are Benefiting from Improved Access to Science Scholarship

Abstract

The knowledge gap between rich and poor must be bridged if poverty is to be reduced. Access to information is an essential component in strengthening local teaching and research, improving local medical and agricultural practices, and empowering local experts to find solutions to local health, environmental, social, economic, and food issues, and supporting government officials to make informed decisions and formulate sound policies (5Aguolu 1997; WHO 2006). The recent revolutions in information and communication technology (ICT) have opened up an opportunity for addressing information poverty (Katikireddi 2004). As this paper demonstrates, thanks to initiatives such as TEEAL, AGORA, HINARI and most recently OARE, which provide free or low-cost journals to developing countries, information poverty is no longer the challenge it used to be.