(Guest blog post from Prince T. Choguya of the Chinhoyi University Library, Zimbabwe. This workshop was part of the eIFL-FOSS Skills and Tools Workshops initiative.)

The tools and skills Evergreen Library Management software was held for the first time in Zimbabwe at Chinhoyi University Library. It was the first ever workshop designed to promote the use of Evergreen Library Management Software in academic libraries in Zimbabwe. The workshop was coordinated under the Zimbabwe Universities Library Consortium (ZULC) by Mr. Prince Choguya, the Systems Librarian for Chinhoyi University. The workshop trainer was Mr. Ephraim Makeke from the Midlands State University in Zimbabwe who has had previous training on Evergreen on an International platform.

Twenty participants attended the workshop, mostly systems librarians at the various universities in Zimbabwe. The participants were housed at the University Hotel which was also responsible for all the meals. Participants arrived on Sunday the 19th of July 2009 a day in advance for the workshop. On the first day of the workshop, the trainer introduced participants to Ubuntu Linux software before proceeding on the presentation. The presentations were done using VMware images, i.e. virtual machines which allow you to interact with a completely separate operating system without affecting the installed operating system in a computer. The trainer went through explaining the basics on Evergreen and a detailed analysis of each and every module. The first day was mainly characterized by installation of Evergreen then data loading.Participants showed great enthusiasm by continuing to ask further questions. Each participant was given a separate desktop to work on so that performance evaluation would be made easier.

The trainer went on to demonstrate the circulation system, cataloguing and classification of records under Evergreen. A comparison of different circulation and cataloguing modules were made as participants were currently using different Library Management systems such as Mandarin, Technopak, and Innopak among others. The day ended on a discussion note as people posed different questions to the trainer and also shared ideas on cataloguing.

The next day was dedicated to bibliographic holdings management. Data entry on the main accounts created was the main activity in the morning. Participants were excited on how easy they could retrieve their stored data. Comparisons of different cataloguing principles and classification schemes were made. Bibliographic management on loans and other circulation concerns was examined.  It was really an informative day as people began to fully grasp the concepts of Library management. Participants had to end a day on a happier note as the coordinator took them out to one of the local tourist attractions in Zimbabwe, the Chinhoyi caves. It is a very exciting tourist destination, participants maneuvered their way through the dark caves and took photos inside the majestic sites. The day was capped on a wining and dining note still at the caves before the university bus arrived around 7pm to take the participants back to the University hotel.

The third day concentrated on major re-caps of all the important issues. Participants asked all hanging questions and the trainer and other knowledgeable participants assisted in the answering of sticking points. A questionnaire was circulated around to gauge user responses, participants’ understanding and the general organization. It was discovered that over 85% of the users were now advocating for the adoption of Evergreen to their Libraries either to manage the entire centre or part of the collections. However, some of the participants explained that it was difficult to introduce Evergreen at their universities as they had already adopted other systems that were running well despite the cost, in their own words they said “we were preaching to the already converted” but however encouraged us to push the idea to local polytechnic colleges as less than 10% of them were automated and the bulk are still using the manual system.

The general remark from all the participants from all the participants was that the workshop was well organized and coordinated and they classified it as a success.

[Additional photos from the event may be seen here.]

Prince T. Choguya
Workshop Coordinator