From Germany to South Africa: A Librarian's Journey to Bring New Skills Home
How can a university library stay ahead of the curve in the digital age? This question drove Ms. Glorias Asiimwe, the Faculty of Health Sciences Librarian at Busitema University, on two exciting international trips in 2025 to find practical answers.
Benchmarking Excellence in Germany
In late May and early June, Ms. Asiimwe joined a group of Ugandan medical librarians on a professional study tour to Germany, partially supported by BI-International. The delegation visited the prestigious Münster University, one of the largest in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia region.
The goal was to discover new perspectives and bring back world-class ideas for our own library. Ms. Asiimwe was particularly inspired by several innovative services she observed. These include:
- A "Library of Things": Lending out more than just books—think tech equipment, scientific tools, and other resources to support hands-on learning and research.
- AI in Literature Searches: Using Artificial Intelligence to help students and faculty navigate vast amounts of academic information more efficiently and effectively.
- Research Data Management (RDM): Establishing dedicated services to help researchers organize, store, and preserve their valuable data.
Hands-On Learning in South Africa
Building directly on the insights from Germany, Ms. Asiimwe travelled to South Africa in August to attend a hands-on international training workshop on Research Data Management. The program was organized by the University of Witwatersrand (WITS), the University of South Africa (UNISA), and Hasselt University.
This wasn't just a theoretical course; it was a practical, skills-based immersion. Ms. Asiimwe gained direct experience in:
- Creating Data Management Plans (DMPs), which are essential for successful research grants.
- Developing an institutional data repository—a secure digital home for Busitema's research data.
- The crucial processes of data cleaning and creating metadata to make datasets easy to find and use.
Bringing Innovation to Busitema
The knowledge gained from these tours is not just for a report; it's being actively used to transform our library services. Ms. Asiimwe has already begun planning to kick-start a Research Data Management service at the Busitema University Library. This initiative will provide crucial support to our researchers, ensuring their work meets international standards and is preserved for the future.
These journeys underscore the library's commitment to innovation and continuous learning. By connecting with global leaders, we are ensuring that Busitema University’s students, faculty, and researchers have access to the most modern and supportive library services possible.
Stay tuned for more updates as we turn these exciting ideas into reality!