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Mann Library Launches LanTEEAL,

Improving Access to Scientific Literature in Developing Countries

 

Zimbabwe’s Africa University was the venue for the recent launch of LanTEEAL. The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library (TEEAL) is a system developed by Mann Library to make more than a hundred important agricultural journals available on CDs to low-income countries. Now Mann has condensed ten years (1993-2003) of journal literature—that’s 1.8 million pages, valued at about $1 million in subscription fees—onto one external drive that can be uploaded to a server and used by researchers and students directly from their computers over a local area network (called LanTEEAL).

Deputy Vice Chancellor and Professor Mphuru, in his introductory remarks at the launch, which included twenty-five librarians and researchers from around Zimbabwe, expressed pride in Africa University’s growing collaboration with Cornell and Mann Library. In 2004 Africa University participated in a nine-country user evaluation of TEEAL, and the university was also selected to test pilot LanTEEAL earlier this spring.

LanTEEAL “comes at a very good time in view of the large group of funded postgraduate students in agriculture who are expected in August,” said Professor Mphuru, referring to the university’s plans to introduce several Ph.D. programs in agriculture this summer. “As such, one is now able to do a full literature review from a PC anywhere in the university network. It is our hope that this development will further boost the quality of the students produced by the institution, as the library is speeding up the provision of quality up-to-date information.

Mr. Munasirei, a lecturer in the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, echoed those sentiments. He said the fact that the CDs were always locked in the multimedia room was inconvenient because sometimes he works during weekends, when the library is closed. With LanTEEAL, he added, “Committed students and lecturers will now excel in their work.” “I am not an easy person to convince,” said Mr. Mupanda, another lecturer, “but LanTEEAL features leave me convinced beyond any doubt whatsoever—it is really a must for all universities in the world.”

For more information about TEEAL and LanTEEAL, visit the Web site or read Susan Lang’s article about LanTEEAL in the July 14, 2005, issue of the Cornell Chronicle.

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