White Ribbon Alliance

On Thursday, March 27, The White Ribbon Alliance For Safe Motherhood of Tanzania celebrated its annual event in Dar es Salaam. Unfortunately, there was very little press coverage. I was able to locate Jiang Alipo's report titled "Maternal mortality rates remain high" in the Daily News.

I soldiered on however because I wanted to know more about a family traveling from the UK staying at the same lodging facility, Swiss Garden Hotel. Julia (grand mother), Alison (daughter) and Harriet (grand daughter) were coming back to their roots. Their story can be found in the BBC story, Celebrating 50 by raising awareness of Africa's highest killer. It turns out that the younger Harriet is "part of a project to teach Tanzanian midwives how to film and edit their own stories in the hope of raising awareness of the biggest killer in Africa" (six million babies a year are stillborn or die in the first week of life).

The project, Birth Aid is supported by Engine Room, a community-based media center in Somerset, England. The outcome is a participatory video titled "Play Your Part", which earned a Commendation from One World Media Awards 2007 "for an outstanding and unique contribution to the communication of sustainable development and human rights".

Other sources: TANZANIA: Maternal deaths on the rise

Zimbabweans queue up to vote

Let's put aside the US presidential election and shift our attention to the present elections in Zimbabwe.

"People in Zimbabwe are voting in an election that will decide whether President Robert Mugabe, in power since 1980, wins a sixth term in office." Read more ...

Long Day

Sandwiching the visit to TLSB mid-afternoon, Fred and I spent the morning and later afternoon tabulating workshop evaluations, preparing workshop participation certificates and meeting with Sydney Msonde to discuss re-design of the library web presence. Sydney is assistant librarian for Information & Communications Technology (ICT). In addition, Mboni Ruzegea, Head of Reader Services reminded me that I "owed" her some time to discuss the development of a blog. It's a done deal! I meet with her first thing Friday morning at 8am. Siku njema!

Visiting Tanzania Library Service Board

Today, Fred and I were warmly received by Dr. Alli Mcharazo, Director General of the Tanzania Library Service Board (TLSB) in downtown Dar es Salaam. TLSB is an amalgam of seventeen regional, eleven district and two divisional libraries spread throughout the country.

The central headquarters in Dar is also home of the National Central Library. The library was a beehive of activity today, with few seats available for readers to kick back and read. Students from nearby primary and secondary schools are daily patrons. Dr. Mcharazo documented our visit with a news story and pictures. TLSB is in the process of implementing Libero Library Management System. Alli is a man on the go! What is the next project? You guessed it, an internet café. Alli is past director of the Muhimbili University of Health & Allied Sciences Medical Library.

Violent storm slams Dar es Salaam

I was not kidding about the storm yesterday. Here is the opening paragraph of a story on the front page of a local newspaper ... "HEAVY rains accompanied by strong winds pounded Dar es Salaam's Mbagala area on Wednesday afternoon, ripping roofs from at least 115 houses, including four classrooms at Nzasa ..." read more

Customer Service Workshop

The big push since Easter was to finish the preparation work for the customer service workshop, which was presented today using Microsoft Office PowerPoint. The workshop was presented in two separate sessions, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Each presentation lasted two hours. Fred and I also designed workshop evaluation forms for both biomedical literature searching and customer service workshops.

The early oral feedback was positive. Nevertheless, we won't know for certain until we compile the results. Fred and I are also taking advantage of the opportunity to discuss the design of anonymous assessment instruments as well as the importance of feedback. The surprise here is that the staff wants us to share the results of evaluations. They want to know how we did and we are obliging them as they want to see the entire process unfold. In addition, the comments from the evaluation forms are helping us formulate recommendations on various issues, including an on-going training program for new and existing staff.

One concern today was the potential loss of power because of strong rains accompanied by thunder and lightning. The rainy season is in full swing in Dar es Salaam.

Extended Long Weekend

Thursday, March 20, marks the beginning of an extended long weekend in Tanzania. March 20 is set aside for the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The term for the holiday is Mawlid. The day is a public holiday in Tanzania and most institutions are closed for business including Muhimbili University of Health & Allied Sciences (MUHAS).

Fred and I spent most of the day with the past director of the MUHAS Library, Dr. Alli Mcharazo. Alli took us on a vehicular tour of the city as well as the University of Dar es Salaam. We had lunch at his house and met his family. Alli drove us back to hotel to meet with the current director Rehema Chande-Mallya to discuss aspects of the customer service workshop in a library setting planned for Wednesday, March 26.

Friday, March 21, is Good Friday, another public holiday in Tanzania. Actually, Easter holiday spans Friday, March 21, through Monday, March 24. We're taking advantage of the holiday to see other parts of the country. Fred is going east to Zanzibar to meet up with a friend who works in a clinic in Mombasa, Kenya. I, on the other hand, am going west on a safari to Mikumi National Park with three Dartmouth College colleagues who are associated with the seven year DarDar Study at MUHAS, which is designed to reduce morbidity and mortality from HIV-associated tuberculosis.

Fordham von Reyn, principal investigator for the study organized the safari through Kearsley Travel & Tours. Also joining the safari were Ellen Rennard, friend of Ford and Wendy Wieland-Alter, Laboratory Technician who is also associated with the project. Our driver/guide was Issa Juma Nyamgosa. Both Fred and I are coming back to Dar on Sunday, March 23, to finish preparing for customer service workshop scheduled for Wednesday, March 26. On Monday, March 24, we dine with Vice Chancellor of MUHAS Dr. Kisali Pallangyo.

First Workshop: Beyond PubMed

Today Fred and I presented our first workshop on biomedical literature searching. The workshop, called Beyond PubMed focused on selected resources for biomedical literature searching on the Web.

We knew from earlier fact finding discussions that staff were interested in searching e-books. Fred started with a demonstration of how to search and browse the NCBI Bookshelf made available from the US National Institutes of Health. We then concentrated on selected journal online services that are available by arrangement with INASP (International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications) for free or very low cost online access to the biomedical and health journal literature. INASP was established by the International Council for Science (ICSU) in 1992, as a direct response to a study on how to meet the information needs of scientists in the developing world. INASP operated within the legal entity of ICSU until 2003, and was formalized as an Interdisciplinary Body of ICSU in 2005. INASP has been a limited company in the United Kingdom since 2003 and was registered as a charity in 2004.

The other sources covered included PubMed Central, African Journals Online, Blackwell Publishing and JSTOR. We also covered Google Scholar and Annual Reviews.

A selected list of journals available online was also provided. The network was slow but stable and we experienced no loss of electric power. The workshop was held in the library's 16 computer classroom equipped with a portable video projector. Eight library staff participated and the discussion was keen. The need for knowledge and contact with other institutions of higher learning is palpable.

Information Desk or Reference Desk

Today's key topic was the Information Desk. It is located near the entrance/exit as I mentioned in an earlier post. In this area there are three computers for searching and a small collection of reference books, which are generally appropriate for answering questions quickly such as facts, statistics and definitions. The story does not stop here.

In another area of the library, not visible from the Information Desk is the Special Reserve Collection. The books located behind this desk mirror the reserve function that one would find in any North American academic library. Materials located here are in high demand for course work. At Muhimbili, they do not leave the building and circulation is completed using a manual system. Two other collections are in close proximity to Special Reserve: theses and dissertations and the reference collection.

The theses and dissertations seem to be in the appropriate location as they represent the academic achievement of the University and need to be preserved and supervised. The reference collection on the other hand is orphaned as some of the more current titles are located near the Information Desk. It is likely that Fred and I will make a recommendation that the entire reference collection be evaluated using defined criteria in order to form a single reference collection near the Information Desk making it fully visible and accessible to readers and staff. Depending on the criteria, parts of the reference collection might need to move to the circulating collection, special reserve or other titles simply discarded.

Fred and I also met with Mboni Ruzegea, Head of Reader Services Department. Mboni is very interested in using blog software as a tool to improve the library's web presence. We have lunch with her tomorrow. I am sure before we leave; MUHAS Library will have a blog to develop.

MUHAS Library Project Photo Album

I've create a photo album for the MUHAS Library staff development project. I am using the Google product Picasa to upload and share photos. I've also created a link to the album on the right sidebar under Links as MUHAS Album. Enjoy!

First day at MUHAS Library

Fred and I spent a wonderful and productive first day at the Muhimbili Medical Library. We are within walking distance of the University but Rehema Chande-Mallya, the library's director insisted on driving us this morning.

First on the agenda was meet with Rehema and her senior staff as well as Professor M.J. Temu, Chairperson of the Senate Library Committee to discuss Rehema's proposed two-week agenda and specifics on workshops. It was amazing to walk into someone else's library half way around the world with possible word meaning and language obstacles and hammer out a schedule in less than an hour with individuals I had not previously met or in Fred's case, had not seen in two years. Fred and I wanted to meet with as many library and academic staff as possible in the first week, in order to capture enough information to help drive the content of the biomedical literature searching and customer service workshops.

We were able to meet immediately with Dr. Mhina Chambuso, Director of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) at Muhimbili to discuss the digital publication of the University's Research Bulletin, which contains citations and abstracts of research at Muhimbili. We were able to secure three years worth of word files for a future demonstration/pilot project. Fred and I also met with Sydney Msonde, assistant librarian for ICT as well as a wider staff meeting to garner as much information as possible in order to organize meaningful workshops. The wider meeting was attended by staff from Periodicals & Documentation Dept. (Silas Maganga -- Head, Abeda Kalovya and Julius Magessa); Technical Services Dept. (Salum Saidy -- Head, K.K. Kitwana, C. Mwambungu, Eneah Kamwela); Library Schools/Institutes Dept. (Mary Matary -- Head).

The first wing of the library was built in 1968, the second in 1977 and the third in 2006. Offices are air conditioned but the other parts including stacks and service areas are not and barred windows are open. The bars were installed to eliminate theft of library materials as there is no security system. Outside temperature today in Dar is 93 degrees F and 46% humidity. The forecast for the rest of the week is high 80's and 60% humidity.

The new wing is most impressive with two large rooms to support an information/learning commons and a 24-hour study area. The two areas combined have a capacity to support 250 computers. Unfortunately, the fully air-conditioned space with new lighting and furniture is currently idle because it is not connected to electric power. The time frame for power connection is not known. The current bid price from the electric company is considered too high by the Muhimbili University administration.

The absence of a theft detection system places a strong premium on the "check point" desk, which represents the entrance/exit of the library. No bags are allowed inside the library. Staff rotates in and out during the day to manage that desk, which prevents the full implementation of a nearby information desk.

The MUHAS campus consists of five schools (Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing and Public Health & Social Sciences) and two institutes (Allied Health Sciences and Traditional Medicine) with an academic staff of 300. It is the only public University for health sciences education in Tanzania. Enrollment is approximately 2,500 students, of which 160 are post-graduates.

Surfacing in Dar

I am now in Dar es Salaam with my colleague Fred Pond. Fred and I are getting ready for our debut meeting on Monday, March 17, with the library staff at MUHAS (Muhimbili University of Health & Allied Sciences). Fred and I are spending two weeks at the MUHAS Library to provide training and support.

I've spent the last week living with the family of James Mazigo in Arusha, a city north west of Dar. James is married. His wife is Perus and they have a one year old son whose name is Allan. During the past week my wife Carol and I have visited a Maasai market and feasted on grilled goat (ribs and leg). We also visited leather products factory named Shah Industries where they manufacture excellent goods including chairs, purses, and belts. You name it, they make it! The proprietor of Shah Industries hires the most diverse group of workers I've seen anywhere. He could show hiring managers in other parts of the world a thing or two.

Carol and I also attended church services on Saturday, March 8, as James belongs to Seventh Day Adventist. I had purchased a video projector for his church. Carol and I were the "guests of honor" -- quite a reception. The choir singing was angelic. The sermon was energetic and in Kiswahili. The deal with the projector was that I buy it in the US and they reimburse me for half the cost when I got the projector to them. It did not take me long to realize that the right thing to do when they presented me with my half of the money was to turn around and donate the money back to the church. Well that set off a whole new round of praying. The pastor made some crack about praying for "mzungu" (white people)! Everyone got a chuckle out of it but it was still serious business. One of the elders, Sampson (sp?), accompanied me back to James' house for lunch, more greetings and to learn how to use the projector. The church will use the projector as a teaching tool including classes on HIV/AIDS. In the end, the events of the day were satisfying for everyone. In Kiswahili it could be described as "inashangaza". (Pictures to follow). Wasalam.