WINDHOEK: Minister of Education Dr Abraham Iyambo inaugurated the fourth Namibia Library and Information Council (NLIC) in the capital on Wednesday.
The NLIC is tasked with informing and advising policy-makers on the situation regarding library and information services in Namibia. Its mandate covers library and information services within the school system, in communities, the national library and other libraries within agencies and government ministries.
The council was established in April 2001, and current Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration Elia Kaiyamo served as NLIC Chairperson since its inception in 2001.
He has now been replaced by Ellen Nahmila, who is the Head Librarian at the University of Namibia (UNAM).
The new members of the NLIC, who will serve in their positions from 2012 to 2015, are Polytechnic of Namibia Chief Librarian Judy Grobler; Executive Director of the National Council for Higher Education Secretariat, Mocks Shivute; Director of Print Media Affairs in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology Tjiuai Kaambo; final-year Marketing Management student at the Polytechnic of Namibia David Paulus and Sarah Negumbo, who is the project manager of the Electronic Documents and Records Management System (EDRMS) which falls under the Office of the Prime Minister.
Other members include Kenneth Howes, who has been an NLIC member and the treasurer since the council’s inception; knowledge management expert Matthew Gowaseb; Director of National Libraries and Archives Services (NLAS) in the Ministry of Education Veno Kauaria; Senior Education Officer Michael Skinny and Under-Secretary of Lifelong Learning in the Ministry of Education, Claudia Tjikuaa.
The remaining NLIC members are National Library Chief Librarian Charles Namoloh; National Archives of Namibia Chief Archivist Werner Hillebrecht, and Okahandja Constituency Councillor Steve Boois.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new council, which took place at the Ministry of Education Resource Centre here, Iyambo said he wants to see vitality and exuberance in the council.
“I don’t want to see a dead council and I don’t want to see people who are members of the council who look tired,” the minister stated.
He went on to say that their responsibilities in line with the law used to appoint them are to mainly do two things.
“One is to advise the Minister of Education and the other is to investigate why things are not happening in some regions regarding libraries and archives,” Iyambo said.
Meanwhile, Kauaria announced that the Windhoek public library which has been undergoing renovations for the past three-and-a-half years, will open its doors in September.