ETHIOPIA: Electronic library system for universities

In an effort to expand the reach of the currently limited reference materials available to Ethiopian university students and academics, the Ministry of Education is finalising preparations to launch a nationwide electronic library system, reports EthioPlanet.

The soon-to-be-launched electronic library system will station its database, which will comprise all available books and other reference records from government universities, in Addis Ababa. All of the country's 21 state run universities will then be linked to the database.

Presenting a nine months performance report to parliament late last month, Education Minister Demeke Mekonnen said installation, inspection and other support for the system will be provided by independent companies for three years. The education ministry says setbacks, such as a lack of adequate copies of books and even absence of essential books in some university, will be eased as all the books university offer students will be a click away.
Full report on the EthioPlanet site