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ACTEA Librarians eNews #7, June 2003
The mission of ACTEA is to promote quality evangelical theological education
in Africa by providing supporting services, facilitating academic recognition,
and fostering continental and inter-continental cooperation.
Greetings fellow Librarians/Information workers,
This year is really flying by! Time flies when your are having fun, and I am
sure that this is the case with each one of you.
In this issue read about:
- ACTEA Librarians eNews available on the Web
- Training for Librarians in Nairobi, 11-16th August 2003
- WEA Theological Resources CD
- Database of Theological Theses on Africa
- Feed the Minds Library Grants
- Phyllis Masso's Column
- Letters from our Readers
- Needed - Librarian for Theological College of Zimbabwe
- Free Library Automation Advisory Service
Did you know that ACTEA Librarians eNews is available on on Web, including
all back issues?
Check it out at:
www.theoledafrica.org/ACTEA/LibrarianServices/eNews
The French edition of ACTEA Librarians eNews, called BIBLICO, is also
available.
By popular demand, the Christian Association of Librarians in Africa (CALA)
- Kenya is once again offering training for theological librarians. The
dates are 11-16 August, 2003.
In the mornings, instruction in cataloguing, classification and serials
management will be offered to those with little or no library training.
Simultaneously, more advanced librarians will be learning such things as
basics of distance learning, web-page design, basics of MARC (international
cataloguing standards) and cooperative cataloguing for serials, theses and
Africana.
In the afternoons both groups will come together to learn basic computer
maintenance, making the most of MS Word and Excel for serials management,
research paths, marketing your library, budgeting, preparing for library
automation, basic internet searching of full-text journals using the INASP
and PERI grants. On Saturday there will be a field trip to one of the many
libraries in Nairobi.
The cost is 7,000 ksh ($100) for day scholars; 4,000 ksh ($60) for CALA
members. For those needing accommodation at the Daystar hostel, the cost
will be 10,000 ksh ($145); 7,000 ksh ($60) for CALA members.
Special offer from "Evangelical Review of Theology" to attendees: add 3,000
ksh ($40) to any of the above prices and get the complete full text of ERT
on CD (searchable by Logos software which is included) from 1977 up to 2002.
This CD also includes many other resources (WEF Theological Commission
books) e.g., Faith and Church Study Units Books edited by Donald A Carson,
Task Force book edited by P.G. Schotenboer, Outreach and Identity series,
other WEF books, Bibles (GNB, ASV, KJV, Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese,
Arabic, etc.). Also included are useful reference works such as the "History
of the Christian Church" by Philip Schaff.
Your contact person for the workshop is Phyllis Masso:
cala-kenya@jpmasso.com
If you are interesed in presenting one of the classes at the workshop,
please send your CV with pertinent experience noted, along with an abstract
of your presentation. Send by e-mail before 30th June 2003.
The Theological Resource Library CD published by the Theological Commission
of the World Evangelical Alliance, described above, is again available for
sale. This CD contains the full text of "Evangelical Review of Theology" up
to October 2002, all the WEA Theological Commission books and monographs,
several other WEA publications and a number of Bibles and other resources.
After a period when it was sold out, it is now available again at a cost of
US$40 plus $5 shipping.
Please supply full mailing address and send your orders to:
WEA TC Publications, 17 Disraeli Street, Indooroopilly, Queensland,
Australia 4068
e-mail: dparker@pacific.net.au
The ACTEA eNews of August 2001 and ACTEA Librarian's eNews no. 2 announced
that the Theological and Christian Education Commission of AEA (the
Association of Evangelicals in Africa) had embarked on a project of
compiling a list of theses and dissertations at the Masters and Doctoral
levels.
A database of the African theses collected so far will soon be ready for
distribution. it will be in an MS Access file which is 1.3MB in size. For
those who do not have MS Access, the data can be made available in MS Word
or WordPerfect if requested. Approximately 750 theses have been listed so
far. However, there are far more out there to be added!
Graham Naude (Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary) would like to thank
all those who have so willingly helped with the collection of data and who
have waited patiently for the compilation. If you have any further data to
add please forward it to Graham at
naude@iway.na
You can write to Graham at the above address for a copy of the MS Access
/Word/ WordPerfect file. Please specify which file you would like.
Graham is aware of errors in the database, but he would not mind you
alerting him to others!
Feed the Minds (FTM) makes two types of library grants - small grants (under
250 British pounds) which are used for replenishing a library, and larger
grants (over 250 British pounds) which are used to meet some special
purpose, such as the introduction of a new course or replacement of books
after some catastrophe. There is no maximum amount, but a grant is unlikely
to exceed 2,000 British pounds.
To obtain more information contact:
The Administrator
Feed the Minds Book Service
Albany House, 67 Sydenham Road, GUILDFORD, Surrey, GU1 3RY, UK
e-mail: headoffice@feedtheminds.org
Phone (044) 1483 888580
Website: www.feedtheminds.org
I am assuming that most of you already know that FTM sends requesting
colleges a catalogue of books from which to choose! A wonderful service.
Phyllis is largely responsible for organising the very successful workshops
held in Kenya - the one being held in August is taking shape under her
capable direction.
Phyllis writes, "Charles Nandain from Nairobi International School of
Theology in Nairobi and Daniel Ruheni from Daystar University will be
representing the Christian Association of Librarians in Africa (CALA)-Kenya
at the US conference of the Association of Christian Librarians (ACL) in
June. They will stay for an additional 3 weeks to learn from observation at
the Wheaton College Library and Billy Graham Centre, thanks to the
generosity of the missionary arm of the organisation.
"Charles Nandain, secretary of CALA, has been elected as the new Kenya
Library Association chairman and is looking forward to reviatalising the
organisation. CALA's assistant secretary, Caroline Ndemaka, was elected
assistant editor. Other Christians who are not part of CALA are also on the
new executive. We are very happy that Christians will be taking such an
active role in our professional organisation."
Jeanette Harris, the Librarian from Cornerstone Christian College (Cape
Town, South Africa), writes:
"In 1995 the Cape Evangelical Bible Institute moved from its original
building in Athlone to a building in Plumstead that had housed a
convalescent home, and was renamed Cornerstone Christian College. I was
asked to write an article for our Wynberg Anglican parish magazine to inform
the churches in our parish of the benefits of having this college in our
midst. My visit to the college not only resulted in an article, but in my
being, seven years later, the Librarian-in-charge. A very intriguing
position for a trainted nurse and midwife - librarian in a building that was
previously a hospital! Initially i was asked to take over for a year (1998)
whilst the librarian was on sabbatical. When whe resigned in 2000 I took
over her post which eventually moved from being a half-day to full day.
"I'm a solo librarian, assited after lectures by students who have campus
employment. This means continually training people, and, in the beginning,
teaching them as I was learning myself. The learning curve has been
enormous, but very interesting. Fortunately local librarians have been a
source of continual input and encouragement. Being married to a theologian
has meant constant exposure to theological books, so much of the material I
deal with here is familiar territory. Althought the job is not without
stresses and problems at times, it is wonderul to be able to work in the
area of one's passion - books! - and to be paid for it. Interaction with
postmodern young people is continually challenging for one who was a
teenager in the swinging 60s. I've had to manage a period of great change in
that our students now do degrees in conjunction with Stellenbosch
University, so the library has had to be upgraded accordingly.
"I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm far better at being a librarian than I
was at being a nurse!"
Rob Goodwin, Interim Vice Principal (Academic) of the Theological College of
Zimbabwe (Bulawayo), writes:
"... Despite the economic and political challenges facing the College (both
students and faculty) the College continues to develop and expand. Our
current goal is to introduce an MA programme to complement our current B.A.
and B.A. Honours degrees.
"In order to do this successfully, however, we will need an MA level
librarian. Our purpose in writing is to ask whether you may know of anyone
who may be willing to give a few years of their life to serve the community
here at TCZ in Bulawayo.
"We are in the process of training a Head Librarian of our own, but need
someone to come into the system with effect from January 2004 in order to
fill the gap for perhaps up to 5 years."
Please contact Rob if you are interested or know of somone who might be
interested.
robswork@telconet.co.zw
Phyllis Masso offers one-day workshops to teach the basics of MARC (the
international standard used for computerising your card catalogue), using a
booklet distrubuted by the Library of Congress. She also teachers how to do
copy cagaloguing using the well-liked ITS for Windows software and its CDs
which contain hundreds of thousands of properly catalogued books (sample
software is available to librarianes for 30-day trial). Phyllis is happy to
teach staff, faculty and even students in library school.
If you would like advice on purchasing library automation software, Phyllis
can recommed, help you decide, and facilitate purchasing of software and
other peripherals for library automation, such as barcode readers, and
barcodes. If you would like, Phyllis can send you a short paper she has
written which will help you select a program and another paper on things you
should do before automating.
contact Phyllis at: phyllism@jpmasso.com
Remember Phyllis is also your contact for the August Librarians' Training
Institute in Kenya - however, note the different e-mail address for queries
about the Training Institute - cala-kenya@jpmasso.com
Well, friends, that is all for now.
God bless and continue being a blessing to your respective colleges as you
serve the Lord through your work and minstry!
David Fitz-Patrick
Editor, ACTEA Librarians eNews
Librarian, Bible Institute of South Africa
dfitz@new.co.za
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