The Commonwealth Professional Fellowship (CPF) is a programme of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in association with the British Council. The Fellowship is aimed at providing a professional development opportunity for mid-career professionals from Commonwealth developing countries in diverse disciplines. Fellows who take part in this programme spend a period of one to three months in the United Kingdom to keep abreast of current trends and developments, and receive training in appropriate fields

Atta-Obeng, H.

Garuba, A.

Osaniyi, L.

English

Middlesex University Research Repository

Commonwealth Professional FellowshipThe Wealth of Experience and Lessons LearnedLanre Osaniyi,1 Abdul Rahman Garuba2 and Hager Attah-Obeng3The   Commonwealth   Professional   Fellowship    (CPF)    is    a    programme    of    theCommonwealth Scholarship  Commission  in  association  with  the  British  Council.  TheFellowship is aimed at providing a professional development  opportunity  for  mid-careerprofessionals from Commonwealth developing countries  in  diverse  disciplines.  Fellowswho take part in this programme spend a period of  one  to  three  months  in  the  UnitedKingdom to keep abreast of current  trends  and  developments,  and  receive  training  inappropriate fields. Selection is based on the  evaluation  of  submissions  by  participantsabout:• the extent to which the Fellowship programme will ensure the transfer of skills relevantto the needs of institutions in the Commonwealth developing country;• the catalytic effect of the Fellowship within the developing country concerned and thebenefit to the host organisation or institution in the UK.The news of our selection to participate in the 2009/2010  CPF  sparked  in  us  someexpectations from the  programme,  which  we  translated  into  the  following  guidingobjectives:• To observe at first hand how a modern library is run.• To learn skills that are becoming increasingly important in modern libraries.• To improve our appreciation of the management of e-resources, and promotionstrategies for teaching, learning and research.• To develop leadership skills at library and institutional or organisational levels.• To observe and learn from successful library-service models.• To interact with fellow professionals in the UK and develop valuable networks andlinkages.Travel to the UKWe arrived in early January 2010 from Nigeria and Ghana in  West  Africa  to  the  most  adverseweather conditions we have ever experienced. The winter period in UK this year has been widelyacknowledged as the most severe in recent decades. Our immediate reaction to the winter, beingour first experience, can be compared to the experience of a live toad dropped into a basin of hotwater – as one might imagine, the toad would attempt to jump out of the basin instantly!We did not jump out of the winter because of our resolve to take advantage  of  the  opportunitiesoffered by  the  Fellowship,  but  the  weather  conditions  were  overwhelming.  The  sight  of  thecountryside from Stansted airport (where the British Airways flight had been diverted  as  a  resultof the bad conditions at Heathrow) to London, was something to behold.  Whole  streets  and  theterrain around the Kensington Gardens and Kingsbury area (where two of us were to  stay)  werespectacularly white, and we  immediately  tagged  London  a  ‘white  city’.  Interestingly,  we  laterdiscovered that a part of London is in fact called the White City.Nevertheless we arrived to a  warm  welcome  from  Anna  Jablkowska  of  Middlesex  University,who, together  with  a  representative  of  the  British  Council,  had  been  assigned  by  our  hostinstitution to receive us at the airport. Anna’s commitment, supportive role, and hospitality on  ourarrival and throughout the Fellowship period remains remarkable in our memory, and it  was  oneof the significant ingredients for the success of our stay in the UK.Professional experienceWe arrived at Middlesex University on 9  January  full  of  expectations  and  ready  to  learn  newknowledge and skills, and to  pick  up  any  professional  culture  of  value  to  us.  We  came  intocontact with our mentor, Alan Hopkinson, for the first time. His initial concern was to interact  witheach of us to  determine  our  areas  of  specific  interest  and  focus.  This  was  to  guide  him  inmapping general and specific programmes for each of the three  of  us  and  to  arrange  visits  toother relevant institutions or organisations in the UK where we could receive unique or  additionalexperience.We spent the first week undergoing an induction programme  with  new  students,  registering  asstaff/students at Middlesex University, securing  ID  cards  and  sign-in  identification  for  networkaccess,  and  to  become  acquainted  with  the  sections  and  staff  members  of   the   LearningResources Service.Our programme during the fellowship included the following activities.In-house Library Staff Development Programme:LSDP  is  a  monthly  professional  skills-development  programme  of  the  Learning   ResourcesService, Middlesex University, in which the best practices  of  different  aspects  of  libraryoperations and services are highlighted. The programme offers  a  unique  opportunity  fordiscussions and the synthesis of ideas about professional trends and development issuesand challenges. It is therefore an opportunity to gain the latest professional knowledge  aswell as serving as an induction programme  for  new  professional  staff.  We  participatedduring  the  period  of  our   fellowship   and   gained   fresh   insights   into   systems   andbibliographic   services,   the   management   of   electronic   resources,    and    collectiondevelopment and liaison.Seminars and Workshops at Middlesex University:We attended information-literacy and English language literacy workshops.  The  purpose  of  theinformation literacy workshop was to introduce library resources to  new  students  and  toteach them how to derive maximum benefits from the  use  of  different  library  resources.The English Language Literacy Scheme (ELLS) is for new students for  whom  English  isnot a mother tongue. Both workshops were interactive, with practical sessions. Apart fromthe  insight  we  gained  from  the  rich  content  of  the  workshops   as   participants,   themethodology and manner of the presentations provide a unique experience  that  is  worthreplicating in teaching information literacy programmes.Organised Talks:Several training sessions in the form of talks and discussions were arranged for us, with  differentlibrary  staff  having  responsibility  for  key  tasks  and  projects.  These  included  severalsessions with the library systems manager, who is responsible for the management of theback-end operations of Horizon (the library management system in use at  the  MiddlesexUniversity), the Eprints (software used for the research repository), and the deployment ofsoftware  and  tools  for  the  management  of  e-resources  such  as  ATHENS,  EZproxy,Serials  Solution  and  Shibboleth.  This  information,  and  related  discussions,  about  e-resources management tools was very  significant  in  our  desire  to  learn  new  ways  topromote and deploy e-resources for teaching and research.The  management  of  the  research  repository  was  another  key  area  where   we   hadstimulating discussions on procedures for its  implementation,  content  management  andmaintenance. Research repository has become a popular feature  in  higher  education  inthe UK, as we observed from visits to several higher-education  institutions.  We  hope  todraw on the experience gained to provide the required  impetus  for  more  active  work  inthis new area of information service in our home institutions.During a session on inter-library loans, we learnt of the use of Winchill software  for  inter-library loans and of  the  value  of  Zetoc,  which  provide  access  to  the  British  Library’selectronic table  of  contents  of  about  20,000  current  journals  and  16,500  conferenceproceedings per year.Study Visits and Tour of Libraries:We embarked on organised study visits, both as a group and individually,  to  several  libraries  inand outside London: the University of East London, Dockland;  the  Bodleian  Library  andBalliol  College,  Oxford;  the  London  School  of  Economics;   Kings   College,   London;University  College  London;  the  British  Library;  the  University  of  Salford;   CambridgeUniversity; Bournemouth University; Royal Holloway University; and the Tate Gallery  andArchives. Our visit to these  different  libraries  helped  us  to  assess  and  appreciate  theadaptation of similar technology in a variety of locations and at  different  levels  of  libraryservice practice. Notable observations arising from our visits to these libraries include:•  The  changing  character  of  libraries  and  collections.  While  attention  is  shifting  fromcollection to connection in many  of  the  libraries  we  visited,  libraries  like  the  BodleianLibrary  and  the  British  Library  still  regard  their  vast  and  monumental  collections  astreasure.• The standard practice of arranging libraries into group and private study  zones,  or  silentand social study zones,  was  noticeable.  This  is  contrary  to  the  traditional  practice  ofregarding the library as a completely quiet area that is still  prevalent  in  most  libraries  inWest Africa.•  The  popular  use  of  the  Radio-Frequency  Identification  (RFID)  technology  in  all  thelibraries, which improves customer service for library circulation,  creating  labour  savingsand an enjoyable experience for both patrons and staff.• The concept of self-service and extending library opening hours to 24/7.• Closer  integration  of  library  information  service  provision  with  information-technologydepartments  and  classroom-learning  experience.  The  once  clear  distinction  betweenknowledge transfer in the classroom and information service provision in libraries is fadingaway.  Library–classroom  linkages  are  getting  stronger.  The  closer  integration  of  thelibrary and the information-technology department, and total merger in a few instances,  isa welcome development but, in our view, this portends great leadership challenges to  thelibrary.• The prevalence of research repositories in all higher-education institutions in the UK.  Theuse  of  Free  and  Open  Software  Systems  (FOSS)  to  manage  repositories  is  also  acommon feature. This has great potential, but is  yet  to  be  fully  exploited  in  libraries  indeveloping countries, partly because of a lack of technical skills.Discussion of our library visits would be incomplete  without  special  mention  of  the  twoweeks of enriching and rewarding experiences we had at the University of East London inDockland. It was a period of detailed discussion on digital  repositories,  the  managementof e-resources, the East London Theatre  Archive  project,  and  learning  from  the  UEL’sexperience of library management systems replacement and evaluation processes.CILIP Meetings and ILIG Informal Meeting:We consider the opportunity to attend meetings of CILIP a unique one. The fellowship offered theunique and exciting opportunity not only to attend these meetings  but  also  to  share  ourprofessional experience at  an  ILIG  ‘Informal’.  We  attended  two  evening  seminars  on‘London Transport’ and ‘Health Information Delivery in East and Central  Africa’.  We  alsoattended a library-management-software exhibition organised  by  CILIP,  which  providedan overview of many of the library programs being offered in the UK today.Visits to related professional agencies and bodies:These included a meeting with the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium and a  visit  andmeeting at the headquarters of the International Network for  the  Availability  of  ScientificPublication (INASP) in Oxford.The development and operation of a consortium of the magnitude of SUPC is  exemplary.With its wide scope, covering  books,  journal  subscriptions,  e-books,  consumables  andequipment including computers, the benefit to members is huge. The SUPC  serves  as  amodel   library   consortium   to   learn   from,   and   its   approach   and   operations    arecommendable for developing countries.Getting to know the scope and operations of INASP, particularly  the  relationships  that  itmaintains with partner and network countries, was quite revealing. Our  visit  also  offeredan opportunity to learn about, and take advantage of, the  full  range  of  e-resources  thatare made available free to libraries in low-income countries.Enquiry desk Services:The  opportunity  we  had  to  work  at  the  enquiry  desks  of  the  Learning  Resources  Service,Middlesex University, and at the University of East London library provided us with insightinto the common problems that students encounter in the use  of  these  libraries,  and,  tosome extent, the attitude of students towards these  libraries’  philosophy  of  self-service.For example, casual observation showed that students enjoy their experience  with  theseself-service systems. Many more students appeared to check books  in  and  out  throughthe RFID than approached the desk for the same service. However, there were  instancesof students requesting assistance to use facilities  such  as  the  scanner  and  the  OPACwithin the same  period.  The  issue  of  self-service  in  UK  libraries  is  interesting  to  usbecause it is contrary to the standard practice in our home institutions  where  virtually  alllibrary services are still staff-mediated. Furthermore, not many libraries would be willing torisk shortening the life-span of their treasured facilities or equipment  as  a  result  of  theirbeing handled by mostly inexperienced and unskilled users.4.0.      Cultural and Other Experiences.Our experience during this fellowship supports the common saying that experience is  thebest teacher. What we have read from books and heard from other people  about  the  UKcannot in any way compare to what we have experienced:• The metropolitan nature of the city of London with its attractions and compelling  offeringsof fun. The complex transport system, including the road and underground rail systems, isoverwhelming to a new visitor; it is no strange experience to see visitors attempting to findtheir way around. Signage is at times difficult to understand at  first  glance,  though  mostLondoners are very helpful. The auto-driven Dockland Light Rail (DLR) system is a delightto ride in. The array of shops and restaurants  on  virtually  all  the  streets,  with  a  pastryaroma everywhere, can become an allure to over-eating!• The magnificent and historic Victorian architecture in Central London  is  captivating.  Thestreets are well laid out, with good and clean roads and visible evidence of a maintenanceculture with work always going on.• The prevalence of recreation and green parks adds to the beauty  of  the  city  of  London.There are a variety of museums and tourist attractions.• The  uninterrupted  power  and  water  supply  is  remarkable  to  us,  even  though  someLondoners tried to inform us that it is not always the case.• The diversity of people from different parts of the world is easily noticeable in the UK.• The reading culture, particularly among adults and  the  elderly,  as  demonstrated  in  thetube trains is inspiring, though the same observation cannot be made of the youth.• The freedom of smoking and frequency of encountering cigarette smoking on the street issomething we deplored.• The opportunity to travel to Oxford and  Manchester  on  study  visits  also  offered  us  anopportunity to explore popular landmarks in those two cities. In addition, we  visited  otherplaces  of  interest  such  as  the  national  heritage  site  in  Lacock  village,  Stonehenge,Warwick Castle, and the historic town of Stratford on Avon.Benefits and Effects of the FellowshipThe CPF programme contributed immensely in exposing to us new knowledge  and  professionaltrends, introducing new library service concepts and new technologies and tools for  efficient  andeffective information resources management capable of engendering improved customer service,labour savings and an enjoyable experience for both library patron and staff.It has provided the opportunity for us to build capacity and fill gaps in our professional  education,and has promoted the development of networks and new linkages and friends. This  is  importantbecause relationships have become  ‘social  capital’  that  can  no  longer  be  ignored.  We  havedeveloped ‘intra and inter networks’ – with other  fellows  from  Nigeria,  Ghana  and  Kenya,  andwith individuals in institutions in the UK. This has  the  potential  of  expanding  our  individual  networth and scope of influence.The effect of these benefits has left us in a situation comparable to that of a man confronted  witheating an elephant. The question arises, ‘Where  do  we  start?’  Our  response  to  this  is,  ‘Startanywhere.’ Therefore, on our return to our home institutions, we plan to start by taking  small  butprogressive steps in areas such as these:•           Library staff development  programmes  and  information-literacy  programmes  totransfer  the  knowledge  we   have   gained   to   colleagues   at   institutional   level   andprofessional association level.•           Local adaptation  of  many  of  the  useful  learning  materials  and  documents  onresource promotion provided by the libraries we visited.•           To advocate  and  promote  the  key  selling  points  of  consortia  like  that  of  theSouthern Universities Purchasing Consortium among institutions of higher learning in  ourareas of influence.•           To commence the development of a research repository, taking advantage of  freeand open software.ConclusionWe can conclude without doubt that the fellowship programme has been a  hugelyrewarding and enriching experience.  It  has  given  us  the  most  exceptional  andexciting moments of our careers. The programme enabled us to  meet  people  wenever thought we would, and to learn new things.At the end of the fellowship, we took deep a breath, relaxed  and  reminisced  overour experience with our mentor, Alan Hopkinson. We identified the key ingredientsthat contributed to the success of the programme: a good  travel  and  programmeplan; a comfortable and friendly atmosphere in  at  least  two  of  the  three  rentedaccommodation in London; excellent and timely support and information  from  theBritish  Council  and  the  Commonwealth  Fellowships  Secretariat;  and  the  vastnetwork of our mentor which enabled us to have a wide variety of experiences.However, the variety of experiences  we  have  had  has  left  us  bombarded  withmany new things that we needed to know and learn about but  which  had  little  orno  time  to  explore  in  detail.  This,  we  believe,  will  provide  us   with   learningchallenges to pursue further when we return to our home institutions.Note on the Contributors:1.  Lanre  Osaniyi  (lanre1256@hotmail.com)  is  Principal   Librarian,   Redeemer’s   University,Redemption City, Nigeria.2. Abdul Rahman Garuba  (ramgarb@yahoo.com)  is  Systems  Librarian,  University  of  Benin,Benin, Nigeria.3. Hagar  Obeng-Attah  (hagatta2000@yahoo.com)  is  a  College  Librarian,  Kwame  NkrumahUniversity of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

Commonwealth Professional Fellowship: the wealth of experience and lessons learned.

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Commonwealth Professional Fellowship: the wealth of experience and lessons learned.

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