Guest librarian at NAI

The Guest librarian programme is at the moment not active.

The future of the scholarship
The institute will not announce a Guest Librarian programme for the next coming years. If the programme is announced again it will be available on this website.

No applications submitted now can be considered!

The purpose of the programme
The purpose of an African Guest Librarian Programme is to provide a specially selected social science librarian with hands-on experience and the opportunity for competence development. The programme also intends building networks between the Nordic Africa Institute Library and academic/research libraries in Africa. Moreover, this programme aims to facilitate the exchange of skills and ideas for mutual benefit. The Nordic Africa Institute Library organised an African Guest Librarian Programme for 2007 and 2008. For 2009 the programme is cancelled.

Programme
The programme consists of the following activities:

• Study visits to relevant libraries in the Uppsala – Stockholm area.
• Hands-on work experience, provided by way of participation in daily routines in keeping with one’s profile.
• Working on the content of the link collection “A Guide to Africa on the Internet”.
• Attending the monthly user-education sessions for students.
• Engaging in an exchange of skills and ideas.

Duration
The duration of the African Guest Librarian Programme is 4-6 weeks, preferably in the period from September to November.

Who can apply?
The African Guest Librarian Programme is aimed at young professional librarians. The candidate must be less than 40 years old, working in an African academic or research library with a social science focus. Applicants must have an undergraduate degree, at least 3 years of working experience in an academic/research library, basic IT skills, and a working knowledge of English. Applications must include a completed application form, a current CV, and a reference from the employer.

The following will be taken into account in the selection process:

• Objectives stated in the application.
• Type of library and library subject focus.

The selection committee consists of representatives from the Nordic Africa Institute and the IFLA ALP programme.      

The scholarship and facilities
The African Guest Librarian Programme includes:

• A return air ticket (economy class).
• Accommodation.
• A subsistence allowance of 250 SEK (Swedish kronor) per day (approximately 30 USD).
• A shared office and access to a computer.
• The programme covers expenses for study visits in the Uppsala–Stockholm area.

Report
The recipient must submit a detailed report to the institute at the end of the stay. The report must be approximately 2000 words in length and written in English.

Training
In addition to the introductions to the various sections and activities mentioned under Programme above, there are several other areas that might be of interest to a guest librarian.

User education and information literacy:
The Nordic Africa Institute Library offers monthly introductory courses to users on using the library and its resources. The library also takes part in an informal user education network in Uppsala. User education at the library means offering training to students, researchers and the public on independent library use and making the most of library resources in a particular field. Training may include the following:

• Attending courses offered at the library.
• Gaining a better understanding of, discussing and evaluating the potential of user education for the home library.
• Attending any general or specially tailored library tour that is followed by a discussion.

Information processing:
Each year, the Nordic Africa Institute Library processes about 2 200 items and indexes around 400 articles/chapters. Training may include:

• Indexing of (English) literature.
• Indexing of articles
• Minor cataloguing in the local ALEPH system
• Registration work.

Acquisitions:
The Nordic Africa Institute library acquires literature through various agents and publishers, and also by way of donations. Training may include:

• Working with various vendor lists for selecting literature.
• Identifying duplicates in Uppsala/Sweden.
• Identifying relevant agents/publishers in own country.