Busitema University to Showcase Connected Library Best Practices in CUUL Research Webinar
Busitema University will take center stage in a forthcoming research webinar organised by the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries (CUUL), where the University Library will share its experience in developing an increasingly connected approach to library and information service delivery.
Scheduled for 28 August 2026 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM East African Time, the online webinar will run under the theme “The Connected Library: Collections, Technology, Spaces, and Human Resources – Lessons from Busitema University.”
The session will be led by Dr. Fredrick Kiwuwa Lugya, University Librarian at Busitema University, with Dr. Isaac Mukungu of Busitema University Library serving as facilitator and Papetra Atim Lanyero of the University of the Sacred Heart, Gulu Library as moderator.
The invitation follows CUUL's practice of identifying institutions and professionals whose approaches to library and information service provision can provide useful lessons for the wider Library and Information Science fraternity. Through the initiative, libraries are given an opportunity to share innovations, experiences and practices that other institutions can learn from and adapt to their own environments.
According to Dr. Isaac Mukungu, CUUL approached Busitema University to share its experience after recognising some of the developments taking place within the University Library. Busitema accepted the invitation and will use the webinar to demonstrate how it has approached collections, technology, spaces and human resources as interconnected parts of modern library service delivery.
Busitema University is expected to be the first institution under this CUUL practice-sharing approach to showcase its experiences and best practices in Library and Information Science service provision.
At the centre of the discussion will be an idea that has increasingly shaped the University's library services: a library is no longer defined only by the books on its shelves or the physical building in which users study. Its effectiveness also depends on how successfully it connects people to information, technology, research support and services wherever they are.
That approach is particularly visible in Busitema University's growing digital library environment.
The Library provides students, lecturers and researchers with access to electronic journals, databases and other scholarly resources, including off-campus access through MyLOFT. This allows authorised users to reach subscribed academic resources even when they are away from the University's physical networks.
The University Library has also strengthened the way users discover information through its digital platforms. Its redesigned website brings together access to the library catalogue, electronic resources, research guides, the Institutional Repository, open-access resources and other research-support services within one digital gateway. The platform is designed to make it easier for users to move between physical collections, electronic journals and research produced within the University.
Beyond providing access to published literature, the Library has also invested in increasing the visibility and preservation of research produced at Busitema University through its institutional repository and open scholarship initiatives.
One of the more recent developments is the Busitema Campus-Based Open Access Journal Network (B-CubeJN), an initiative led by Dr. Fredrick Kiwuwa Lugya that received UGX 50 million from the Busitema University Research and Innovation Fund. The project is intended to establish peer-reviewed open-access journals aligned to different disciplinary areas of the University, creating additional avenues through which researchers can publish and share scholarly work.
The Library has also continued to support researchers in navigating the changing scholarly publishing environment, including providing information on open-access publishing, Article Processing Charge waivers and discounts, citation management, research discovery and other forms of research support.
However, the connected-library approach is not centred on technology alone.
Training users to make meaningful use of digital resources has remained an important part of the Library's work. Students, researchers and staff are supported in areas such as searching electronic databases, accessing scholarly literature, using institutional repository resources, managing references and identifying credible sources for academic work.
The growing interest in Busitema's approach has already extended beyond the University.
In July 2026, a delegation from Gulu University Library visited Busitema University Library for a benchmarking engagement focusing on digital library services, electronic resources, staff management, content development and institutional performance systems. During the visit, Busitema's digital platforms and approaches to managing and promoting electronic resources formed part of the practices shared with the visiting team.
The forthcoming CUUL webinar now provides a wider platform for that experience to be shared with librarians, information professionals and institutions beyond a single benchmarking visit.
For Busitema University Library, the session also provides an opportunity to reflect on what has worked, the lessons learned in serving users across different campuses, and the role of librarians themselves in ensuring that investments in technology and collections translate into meaningful services for students, lecturers and researchers.
By bringing collections, technology, spaces and human resources into one conversation, the webinar is expected to demonstrate that the future of academic libraries lies not in any one system or resource, but in how effectively these different components work together to support teaching, learning and research.
CUUL has invited members of the Library and Information Science fraternity, as well as anyone interested in innovative library services, to participate in the interactive webinar.
The webinar will take place online on Friday, 28 August 2026, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM East African Time.
Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 912 4612 0338
Passcode: 003165
The webinar can be accessed through the Zoom meeting link shared by CUUL.
