FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 3, 2003
CONTACT: Dan Roland (800) 552-4770
BY: Dan Roland

ESU partnership with Nigerian library schools enters fourth year – EMPORIA, KS

The School of Library and Information Management (SLIM), Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas, welcomes four visiting faculty members for the month of September from three universities in Nigeria as part of its ongoing Nigeria Project. The project which is funded by a 3 year-grant from the U.S. State Department was originally scheduled to end in June 2003, but is now in its 4th and final year after a one year extension.

The exchange visitors being hosted by SLIM this month include Professor Matthew Ajibero, who is University Librarian at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. Formerly at Bayero University, Kano, Professor Ajibero serves as coordinator of the project in Nigeria and previously visited SLIM in the spring of 2001. The others are Mallam Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, assistant professor at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria; and Mallam Sani Gwarzo and Mr. Ezra Gbaje who are assistant professors and information technology lab managers at Bayero University, Kano and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria respectively.

The Nigeria Project has had a significant impact the past three years on the international component of the Master of Library Science degree program curriculum at Emporia State. All students are required to take at least one class that addresses the international nature of the information society. According to SLIM faculty member Dr. John Agada, Nigeria Project Director, “the cross-cultural interactions facilitated by the project have enriched our curricula, enabling better appreciation among faculty and students alike, for the challenges of providing access to, managing and regulating information resources, such as the Internet in a global and multicultural society.”

The project has also been instrumental in the establishment of information technology laboratories in the three Nigerian schools, thanks to the donation of used computers by SLIM. The visiting faculty members undertake technology training at SLIM and incorporate what they learn from SLIM classes and visits to U.S. public, academic, and special libraries, especially electronic information services, into the Master of Library Science programs in their schools.

The School of Library and Information Management extends an invitation to the community to attend two presentations about the Nigeria Project. On Thursday, September 11, Professors Ajibero and Musa will present on “The Impact of the Emporia-Nigeria Project on Library Education in Nigeria.” The presentation will take place at 2:30 p.m. in the Flinthills Room of the Memorial Union. On Thursday, September 25, Professors Gwarzo and Gbaje will present on “Starting and Managing Information Technology Labs in Nigerian Library Schools: A Case Study of the Nigeria Project.” The presentation will take place during the noon hour in room 319F of the William Allen White Library.

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