As the YMCA chief librarian, I head the institute library, with responsibility for the development, control, and management of all the library and information services of the institute. I am accountable and responsible for overseeing library operations, staff operations, planning, the acquisition of up-to-date information resources, and developing and implementing library programs that meet the needs of users at all levels, both students and staff. I ensure information literacy is promoted among students and teaching staff by designing instructional sessions on how to effectively search for and use information resources. I ensure effective supervision of library staff at both campuses, Wandegeya and Buwambo.
Preparing budgets, ensuring that the budget targets are met and resources allocation is properly done, ensuring the services are provided in an efficient and effective manner and managing the available library resources. Additionally, I advocate for library programs by communicating and promoting opportunities to management. Lastly I ensure that all the available services are made accessible to all users.
Open Access is accessing academic research output publicly online without financial or legal barriers. With Open Access, anyone can access, use, and download the research output. These include repositories, books, journals, educational resources, and open source software.
Open Science promotes transparency, collaboration, and accessibility in scientific research. It involves sharing research data and findings openly with the public. Open Science enhances the value of open access by promoting open research practices that generate more data for reuse. It’s on Open Access and Open Science that Open Scholarship builds by emphasizing the importance of transparency, reproducibility, and engagement with the research community.
Open Scholarship advocates for openness in all scholarly activities, from teaching materials to research output. It emphasizes inclusivity by making educational resources freely available to a diverse audience. It additionally promotes free online sharing of information and encourages collaboration practices among scholars across different disciplines.
In the workshop, I expect to gain an in-depth understanding of open scholarship and how to go about it. To understand how DataCite works and how I can benefit from it. Expand knowledge on how to effectively manage the institution's research output in the institutional repository. Acquire knowledge on how to improve accessibility and usability of research outputs in our institutions. To learn more about the best practices of open access and gain knowledge on the best practices of data sharing and collaboration, as well as data management.
As I gain knowledge on the different aspects of DataCite and Open Scholarship, I expect to network with different individuals and establish new connections and ideas that will not only benefit me as an individual but also boost research visibility in my institution.