IED Library, Dar es Salaam

The Institute for Educational Development (IED), Dar es Salaam, East Africa library started operations in January 2007 when the first cohort of Masters of Education students were registered. Previously the library was operating in a small room and had in its collection reports and a few volumes of books mostly from IED Pakistan to facilitate professional development programmes. Since the beginning of January 2007, the library has experienced steady growth in its collection and currently has over 3,000 volumes chosen from all subjects in which the University offers courses, mostly in education, research and policy issues.

The IED EA library is being built on the platform of harnessing the use of technology to enhance learning and teaching; as a result it has been building a steady collection of e-resources both internally and through collaborative efforts. Through the local university consortium (CORTUL), the library benefits from the PERI on-line resources freely. The library also subscribes to e-databases like EBSCOHOST and has a password protected access for faculty to all online resources from the University of Calgary through a partnership arrangement.

Information literacy training is a significant function of the library. The exercise is formally organized and remains continuous. The library houses a Technology Enhanced Learning Centre (TELC) equipped with computers, TV's, video & audio players and DVD. A computer lab with over 30 PCs connected to the internet is available to users. This arrangement facilitates access to e-resources for all users.