University scholars in Kenya have been encouraged to venture into on-line publishing to increase digital learning resources in local higher learning institutions.
While presiding over an Electronic Resources workshop at Egerton University, Dr Karen Metcalf, the marketing executive of Elsevier, an on-line publishing company based in South Africa exemplified the importance and impacts of digital information resources in modern learning skills in higher learning institutions.
She observed that in order for African countries to embrace the fast growing digitally oriented learning methods in higher learning institutions, its scholars must embrace on-line publishing.
Said Dr Metcalf: “One advantage of using on-line information resources is that a learner or researcher has a chance of accessing more sources of information cheaply and conveniently through hyperlinks.”
She observed that African scholars were lagging behind in the on-line publishing industry thus hindering motivation and awareness of plenty of on-line academic materials to African students and researchers.
Elsevier boasts of over 12 million electronic academic articles, 20,000 electronic books and over 5,000 peer reviewed journals that universities all over the world subscribe to.
The workshop organised by the library department, was attended by library members of staff, academic staff and a section of students aimed at popularizing the company’s electronic resources products among the university community.