Abstract:
Libraries in Africa are a product of the underdevelopment of the continent. To
understand the current state of libraries in Africa it is important to appreciate the
broader ramifications of global machinations and, in particular, the impact of
globalization on the African continent. Rather than concentrate on libraries per se
the paper attempt to demonstrate how globalization has diminished prospects for
human development in Africa. The paper expounds on inequalities that have
emanated from the integration of world economies but focuses on how adoption
of ICT has failed to make meaningful contributions to uplift the social and
economic circumstances of the majority of the population in Africa. In the same
light diffusion of ICT in libraries has only produced half measures, at best. In
many instances it has been a flop.
