Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
2020
Abstract
Literature on libraries in Africa have tended to focus on changing from oral culture to a written one. This article focus on the indigenous knowledge traditions and academic libraries to unveil emerging forms that forge complementarities as a basis for building synergy. The paper support the argument that academic libraries are critical contributors to knowledge generation/production. However, researchers further accords a similar role for Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and its producers. Thus, the IK community becomes a critical player rather than mere beneficiaries of knowledge production. They are essential collaborators in the production of a decolonized, inclusive and functional knowledge system. Building synergy will enable Academic Libraries (AL) validate Indigenous Knowledge and help preserve the cultural heritage of indigenous populations as mandated by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To achieve this synergy of IK and AL systems, this paper argues that there is the need to overcome the challenges such as Validation, Documentation, National Policy, and Intellectual Property Rights that confront the process of establishing synergy. We concluded that, accreditation agencies must enforce existing policies on IK as a prerequisite for academic programmes.