Archive - Historical Material

The national currency of the Republic of Malawi, the Kwacha, has gone through several devaluations from 1981. This has negatively affected not only the business sector in the country but also interlending and document supply in the University of Malawi Library. In addition, the cash budget system has made the library a victim of budget cuts, in turn making the ordering of photocopies from the British Library Lending Division (BLLD) and others within the region impossible.

Conversely, information technology in the University Library has promoted CD searches by users, promoting awareness of literature beyond the walls of the library. Much of this literature cannot be accessed in any library in the country. Because of the ongoing currency devaluations and the cash budget system, interlending and document supply are being stifled as photocopies of unavailable material cannot be obtained from libraries abroad.

What should be done to save or promote interlending and document supply in less developed countries with ailing economies like that of Malawi? What should be the role of developed countries? In the absence of help, what strategies should libraries and documentation centres in less developed countries take? These are the questions that this paper addresses.