Advancing LIS profession : ULIA & CUUL Leaders Advocate for Recognition and Support at UVCF

Dr.Lugya, ULIA President delivering a speech at the forum

During the Vice Chancellors Forum AGM at Kabale University on 17 Feb 25, Libraries in Uganda were given special consideration on the Agenda to make presentation to UVCF. Presentations were well received from ED RENU, EC CUUL and President ULIA. As a noble gesture the VC of Kabale University presented gifts to the presenters!

Key discussions revolved around the pressing issues facing university libraries in Uganda and the need for collective action. The Executive Chairman of the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries (CUUL), Mr. Andrew Ojulong, thanked UVCF for their relentless support for CUUL as a strategic partner in supporting higher education excellence. He also thanked NCHE for ensuring that all Higher Education Institutions in Uganda must subscribe to CUUL as a quality assurance gesture. He also highlighted the role of CUUL in higher education transformation, stressing the provision trending IS stressing the importance of lobbying for government support, including the Ministry of Education and the Office of the President, to take a more active interest in library functions.

The president of the Uganda Library and Information Science Association (ULIA), Dr. Fredrick Lugya presented the challenges of professionals in LIS, pointing out how they have often been undermined and underrepresented, particularly in academic staff recruitment and compensation. It was noted that LIS professionals should be recognized as both academic and science staff, rather than just academic and arts staff because it’s a multidisciplinary profession that supports all types of scientific research methodologies.

Meanwhile, RENU’s Executive Director, Nicholas Bonimpa, shared the organization’s efforts to foster synergy with the digital and technological transformation. He submitted that RENU continues to complement CUUL by providing the enabling infrastructure for access to research content and facilitating capacity-building efforts to adapt to these changes.

We would like to extend our congratulations to the Vice-Chancellor of Busitema University on his election as Chairman of the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum, a well-deserved recognition. His leadership will contribute to advancement of sustainable libraries and inclusion of LIS profession in the national dialogue.