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UGANDA COUNTRY REPORT 2004 - 2006 Charles Batambuze IntroductionThe period under review was a very successful period for the Uganda Library and Information Association. Policy and Legislation DialoguesThe Uganda Library and Information Association made inputs into Uganda’s Freedom of Access to Information Act which was operationalized recently in April 2006. The association sent two representatives who appeared before the Parliamentary Sessional Committee on Presidential and Foreign Affairs who were spearheading public consultations regarding the law. ULIA has planned a major session to discuss the implications of the Act on the practice of LIS in Uganda which will take place in August 2006. Parliament passed the Copyright Act 2005, which is an important legislation that has far reaching implications on the LIS profession. ULIA is following up key issues in the act that relate to traditional fair use and a major dialogue on any other unforeseen implications of the act on the profession to inform our advocacy plan. Since 2000, ULIA has engaged the Ministry of Education and Sports to develop a policy on school libraries. The Ministry recognizes the role of libraries in improving the quality of education and in enhancing the chances of Uganda achieving the EFA goals. Passing the library policy is one of the key goals that the ministry has set itself to do. Tremendous progress has been made with regards to a draft school library development policy. It now remains for the Minister of Education and Sports to assent to the policy. ULIA is planning several advocacy actions to ensure that the policy is favorably approved by the Minister. Africa Copyright ArenaULIA organized a multidisciplinary conference under the theme “copyright and access to information” whose objective was to promote an equitable copyright environment that permits wide access to information. The conference attracted 139 participants from Africa and beyond. The event which was supported by IFLA ALP, Commonwealth of Learning and Universal Knowledge Systems SA resulted into the establishment of an organization, the African Access to Knowledge Alliance that will among other things spearhead research and advocacy in the area of IPR as they relate to access to Information. Literacy OutreachULIA with support from the National Book Trust of Uganda (NABOTU), East African Book Development Association and Sida continues to run a robust literacy development programme especially in the area of reading skills for children, teaching reading skills for teachers and enhancement of professional skills for librarians. In addition, the programme extends donations of interesting children’s story books to schools to enable them maintain reading on a sustainable basis. Sida renewed funding for the programme for another five years expiring in 2011. TrainingIn line with the mission of providing highly qualified LIS manpower, the East African School of Library and Information Science Makerere University introduced a course leading to the award of a PhD in Information Science. The library school also has a new Director Dr. Elisam Magara who will serve a five year term. A new development was that Makerere University abolished non degree programmes and ultimately all certificate and diploma LIS courses have been affected. ULIA is exploring new possibilities for meeting the market demand for this critical level of LIS practitioners. ULIA will debate the possibilities and ways of ensuring standards in education of LIS at its meeting in August. Participation in Regional and International AffairsThe association has continued its membership to IFLA. ULIA members sit on several IFLA Committees including: Management of Library Associations Section (MLAS), Copyright and other Legal Matters (CLM), Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE), Africa Section and IFLA Journal Editorial Committee. ULIA has continued to support the work of the Common Wealth Library Association (COMLA) and SCECSAL. Credits: We would like to say thank you to all our development partners and collaborators including SIDA, EABDA, NABOTU, IFLA, COMLA, INASP, National Library of Uganda, Open Society Institute, Commonwealth of Learning and the East African School of Library and Information Science and all corporate partners for the support. ConclusionULIA now looks to the future with hope. We are determined to integrate the LIS profession into the African Information Society. We do hope that the next two years will lead the profession to better heights with more careful planning and visionary approach. Thank you.
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