Busitema Takes Connected Library Experience to CUUL Research Webinar
Busitema University Library on 28 August 2026 shared its experience of building a connected library with members of the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries (CUUL) during an online research webinar focused on how collections, technology, physical spaces and people can work together to strengthen university library services.
Led by University Librarian Dr. Fredrick Kiwuwa Lugya, the session drew lessons from Busitema’s seven-campus library system, while Dr. Isaac Mukungu, Campus Librarian at Nagongera Campus, took participants through the library’s online services. The webinar was held under the theme “The Connected Library: Collections, Technology, Spaces, and Human Resources – Lessons from Busitema University.”
At the centre of Busitema’s experience was a simple idea that technology is only one part of a connected library. Dr. Lugya acknowledged campus librarians, Graduate Fellows and other staff whose work supports services across the University, presenting the progress shared during the webinar as a collective effort.
That work is guided by the Library’s strategic plan, staff performance agreements and daily timesheets. Rather than serving only as records of activity, the information generated helps the Library track achievements, prepare reports and provide evidence when engaging stakeholders or seeking support for areas that need further attention.
Participants were also given a closer look at the digital side of the Library when Dr. Mukungu took them through its website. He moved through the catalogue, electronic resources, course guides, campus opening hours, news and other services available to users online.
The catalogue brings together print and electronic materials, while course guides organise resources around courses, subjects and topics. Library instruction, information-literacy support, document delivery and access to electronic resources were among the other services discussed.
Among the services that attracted attention was Ask a Librarian, Busitema University Library’s AI-supported chat-reference service, which allows users to seek research and library assistance remotely.
The Library has also relied on open-source technologies where possible. Its website is built on Drupal, but the discussion around technology repeatedly returned to the people required to manage it. As systems change, Dr. Lugya said, “staff must also be supported to acquire the skills needed to work with them”.
That need for continuous retooling was one of the challenges raised during the webinar. Busitema’s approach has included understanding where staff need support, creating opportunities for further learning and drawing on expertise from other professionals when librarians do not have all the skills required for a particular service. Technical, systems and administrative staff therefore become part of the wider support behind the Library’s work.
The same focus on people extends to Graduate Fellows, who come from different backgrounds and contribute to library activities while building professional experience. Their role prompted discussion on career progression, tuition support, contracts, recognition and the importance of listening to the challenges they encounter.
Dr. Lugya also spoke about efforts to create better opportunities for Graduate Fellows through grant-supported arrangements. In some cases, grants cover about 80 per cent of their support, with the University meeting the balance. He stressed that the bigger issue is ensuring that the experience also gives them room to learn, grow and move forward professionally.
Connection, as presented during the webinar, also reaches beyond the University community. Dr. Isaac Mukungu revisited Busitema’s 2025 Open Access Week celebrations as an example of taking university knowledge beyond campus. The activities brought students and researchers together with farmers and community members from Busia and Tororo to share knowledge, discuss practical challenges and explore possible university-based solutions. Some of those experiences were later captured through success stories, preserving lessons from the engagement for a wider audience.
Physical library space remains part of the same conversation. Discussion rooms, open areas and quiet reading spaces were among the examples raised as libraries respond to users who may need very different environments for individual study, group work and collaboration.
The webinar left participants with a practical picture of what it takes to keep a modern library useful and connected. Beyond the digital platforms, Busitema’s experience showed the value of investing in staff, creating spaces that respond to users, strengthening access to resources and keeping services closely linked to the needs of students, researchers and communities.
The interest in further benchmarking also suggested that the conversation is likely to continue beyond the webinar, with institutions looking to learn from one another as library services keep evolving.
