Realizing the fact that the acute shortage of skilled information personnel is the main stumbling block in the development of modern information systems and services in the developing world, various donor agencies have been sponsoring candidates from the Third World countries for higher studies and research in the West over the years. However, such efforts in a way failed to meet the stated objective, because the training programmes that these candidates pursued in the West had little link with the prevailing situation and problems in the Third World countries, and, moreover, there was a trend among these candidates to stay away from their home countries in quest of better opportunities.
In an attempt to find alternative ways of developing manpower in Information Science and Technology, UNESCO and IDRC came up with the idea of establishing regional programs, with the idea of establishing regional programs, which would help the region develop indigenous manpower trained to meet the specific needs of the region. SISA is such a regional training program in Information Science and Technology.
Information Science (M.Sc.IS) degree. The curriculum, which was drawn by a team of experts from around the globe, reflects the interdisciplinary nature of Information Science and covers the range of knowledge in depth. It has been designed such that the graduates are able to apply what they have learnt to developing and managing information systems and to developing and managing information systems and services in different areas of development in Africa. As a result, the theses produced by the students have been well appreciated by internationally distinguished scholars in the field, who were invited here at the School as external examiners. So far, 29 students from eight eastern and southern African countries have graduated from SISA.
In addition to the recurrent operations budget provided to it by the University, SISA has received and continues to receive substantial funding from IDRC, mainly for the acquisitions of equipment and teaching materials, the employment of expatriate teaching staff and for the development of its own local staff. It now occupies a two-story building, located in a spacious and green compound on the main campus of the University, all by itself.
There were only five faculty members-one expatriate staff and four local staff members-to begin with. SISA was fortunate have had Prof. A. Neelameghan, a renowned information professional, on its faculty since the start of the M.Sc.I.S. program. The presence of Prof. Neelameghan, who left the School at the end of the 1993/94 academic year, has helped SISA to build its high academic standard and also formulate its future development program. There have been significant additions to the staff over the past four years. Presently, the faculty consists of two expatriate and eight local staff members, including one graduate assistant. The support staff has also increased from none in 1990 to seven, including three secretarial staff. Few additional positions, viz. an administrator, two secretaries, one bibliographic laboratory assistant, one computer laboratory supervisor, and one office machines operator, have already been approved by the University and will be filled up shortly.
SISA has a long-term staff development plan, as part of which three would-be faculty members underwent higher education programs abroad in 1985-one obtained a PHD and the others, the Master of Information Science degree. One of the assistant lecturers is presently in the second year of SISA's in the second year of SISA's academic program, while the other has joined this year. Two new lecturers have been appointed this year, with the understanding that they would be sent abroad to undertake PHD studies within a year.
SISA started its program with a well-designed computer laboratory, consisting of an adequate number of microcomputers, networked as well-designed computer laboratory, consisting of an adequate number of microcomputers networked as well as stand-alones, and a wide range of peripherals and software packages to support the teaching and research programs. Constant efforts have been made to acquire additional state-of-the-art computer hardware and peripherals as well as new or latest version of the existing software packages. The School is also well equipped with such instructional technology as overhead projectors, computer display panels, and white boards. A Bibliographic laboratory, with a collection of such materials as commercial and other databases on CD-ROM, simulation retrieval software packages, and textbooks, has recently been opened for use by the students and faculty of the School. SISA has also, so far, been providing, free of charge, services in configuration, installation and setting up of microcomputer systems to other units/individuals of the University. Presently, its other services are limited to photocopying, fax, etc., but is planning to start a desktop publishing service in the near future.
There is an International Advisory Committee on SISA (IACS), constituted by experts drawn from various countries and fields, which among other things, is designated to explore the ways and means of making SISA continually relevant and contribute effectively to all facets of African development. IACS was twice scheduled to hold its first meeting in the last two years, but, regrettably, did not take place for various reasons. It is now tentatively scheduled for May 1995.
It is a matter of pride for AAU to have been selected for hosting the Secretariat of the Consortium of African Schools of Information Science (CASIS). SISA is among the four founding members of CASIS, whose main objective is to facilitate and coordinate the efforts of the different schools of information studies/sciences in the continent, leading to the promotion and advancement of information science and its use for development. The process of setting up CASIS and its secretariat is well under way and it is expected to start functioning soon.
SISA is committed to its goal-developing adequately trained manpower in the field of Information studies and providing support in making optimum use of Information Science and Technology in the socio-economic development of the sub-region as well as the continent at large.
-------------------------------------------------- Country 1992 1993 1994 Total -------------------------------------------------- Ethiopia 6 4 4 14 Kenya 1 1 - 2 Malawi - 2 - 2 Sudan 1 - 1 2 Swaziland 1 - - 1 Tanzania 1 - 2 3 Uganda 1 - 1 2 Zambia 1 - 2 3 -------------------------------------------------- Total 12 7 10 29 --------------------------------------------------SISA has been maintaining its regional status by selecting candidates from different eastern and southern African countries for admission to its southern Africa countries for admission to its course. The two current batches of students, first and second year (1993/94 and 1994/95), are represented by eighteen Ethiopians, five Tanzanians, three Sudanese, two Kenyans, two Zambians, one Ugandan and one Zimbabwean.
The laboratory started with twenty-three networked and two stand-alone microcomputers, two dot-matrix printers, one laser printer, one scanner, and one plotter, and a number of software packages for word processing (such as WordStar Professional, WordPerfect, and Micrsoft Word), desktop publishing (such as Xerox Ventura and Aldus PageMaker), computer graphics (such as Harvard Graphics, Freelance Plus, Paintshow, and SAS/Graph), statistical operations (such as SAS and SPSS-PC), spreadsheet (such as Lotus 1-2-3), database management and text retrieval operations (such as dBASE, R-bases, Framework III and MicroIsis), project management systems (such as Super project Expert and Harvard Total Project Manager II), and various programming languages (such as Microsoft Basic, Microsoft FORTRAN, Microsoft macro Assembler, Microsoft quck C with Quick Assembler, Turbo Pascal, Turbo prolog and MULISP) and utilities (such as Norton Utilities, PV Tools, LAN assist Plus, etc.). The laboratory is managed by one SISA Faculty member assisted by three other staff members. The laboratory is managed by one SISA Faculty member assisted by three other staff members. the LAN is accessible from each of the two laboratories, classrooms, system manager's office, Dean's office, and the office of each faculty member.
There have been a number of additions in terms of computer hardware, software and peripherals over the past four years. Recently, SISA has acquired three microcomputers one IBM PS/2 Model 80 (386), one Compaq Deskpro/33i (486DX) and one IBM PS/Value Point (486DX2). Two new printers- one laserjet 4 and one HP DeskJet 500C (color printer) have also been acquired recently. A number of newly acquired software packages viz., Lotus 1-2-3-, OS2, Modem Assist, Windows, word for windows, Page Maker, Micrographic Designer, Excel, and Amharic version of word for windows, will greatly assist in the teaching and research programmes of SISA.
Lakshmi Neelameghan Research Fund
Rao and A. Neelameghan. Libra. 42(3); 1992; PP 242-257.
Home-grown object-oriented specialized databases/ by A. Neelameghan. (In: NIT 92: Fifth International Conference on new Information Technology for Library and Information Professionals, Education Media specialists and Technologists. Hong Kong; 30 November 02 December 1992 edited by Ching-Chih Chen. Micro Use Information; 1992) PP 259-284.
Information for small enterprises by A Neelameghan. Bangalore; Sarda Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science; 1992.
Information support for socio-economic development planning: general overview by A. Neelameghan. (In: Information for development. Seminar papers and proceedings. Department of Library and Information for development. Seminar papers and proceedings. Department of Library and Information Studies, University of Papua New Guinea. 1-3 July 1992 compiled by John Evans. University of Papua New Guinea; 1992). PP.5-35.
Libraries and information services in the Third World countries by A. Neelameghan. (In: Libraries and the future: essays on the library in the twenty-first century edited/ by A Neelameghan. (In: Development information:policies and strategies. proceedings of the regional seminar. Kuala Lumpur, Proceedings of the regional seminar. Kuala Lumpur, 26-27 July 1990/edited by A. Neelameghan and Agnes How. Kuala Lumpur; ADIPA; 1991), pp 190-199.
Online database searching and retrieval: strategies, procedures, commands and problems. A brief guide in 3 parts/ compiled by a. Neelameghan. SISA, Addis Ababa University; 1992. (Unpublished report). Public service administrative information systems: general overview/ by A. Neelameghan. (In: Information for development. Seminar papers and proceedings. Department of Library and Information Studies, University of papua New Guinea; 1992).pp 36-54.
Ranganathan: an outstanding philosopher of science/ by G. Bhattacharyya. Library Science. 29(2); 1992; pp. 59-64.
Ranganathan's generalized model of subject structure and models of formation of subject /by A. Neelameghan. (In: Cognitive paradigms in Knowledge organization. Second International ASCII Conference, Madras, 26-28 August, 1992/ edited by A.
Neelameghan and others. Bangalore; Sarda Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science; 1992).pp.269-285.
System interface/search assistance for micro CDS/ISIS by Molal Hunegnaw and A. Neelameghan. (In: NIT '93: Sixth International Conference on new Information Technology for Library and Information Professionals, Education Media specialists and Technologists, Hong Kong 11-13 November 1993 edited by Ching-Chih Chen. Micro Use Information ; 1993), pp. 153-166.
Technology acquisition, technology transfer and information/by A. Neelameghan. (In: Information for development. Seminar papers and proceedings. Department of Library and Information Studies, University of paua new Guinea. 1-3 July 1992 compiled by John Evans. University of Papua New Guinea; 1992). pp.55-90.
Text: retrieval and library management software in India/by G.G Chowdhury and Sudatta Chowdhury. Program. 28(3); 1994; pp. 253-261.