GABORONE, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- School libraries in Botswana need data connection to make the transition to open access, a senior lecturer at the University of Botswana said Saturday.
Speaking at the 2017 International School Libraries Day celebration in Francistown, some 430km northeast of the capital, Gaborone, Boemo Jorosi said e-learning and related approaches are key tools to reviving the culture of reading.
International School Libraries Day was initiated in 1999 and originally celebrated in most parts of the world on the fourth Monday in October.
"Libraries are an important part of the community and now need to be digitalized following the advent of electronic infrastructure and connectivity," said Jorosi.
Jorosi said libraries provide the bridge between digital content and the end-user.
According to Jorosi, digital libraries will provide pathways through the internet jungle.
"School libraries should develop a dynamic interaction with ICTs, building electronic information management systems and creating digital services for their users," he said.
Last year, Botswana commenced construction of a blueprint service oriented enterprise architecture system aimed at modernizing information communication technology in the public service.
The blueprint, estimated to cost 8.9 million U.S. dollars, will take three years to develop and is based on the principles of developing a service oriented e-government system to replace the fragmented information systems developed by different ministries within the government.
