a multi-disciplinary, multi-lingual approach to african information resources retrieval ruby a....
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![Page 1: A Multi-Disciplinary, Multi-Lingual Approach to African Information Resources Retrieval Ruby A. Bell-Gam UCLA Presented at LOEX-of-the-West Conference](https://reader036.vdocuments.site/reader036/viewer/2022070416/56649d5f5503460f94a3ecca/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
A Multi-Disciplinary, Multi-Lingual Approach to African Information Resources Retrieval
Ruby A. Bell-Gam UCLA
Presented at LOEX-of-the-West ConferenceUNLV, Nevada, June 4-6, 2008
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African Studies at UCLA Many academic disciplines and
programs
MAAS & MAAS/MPHBA minorBA African Langs. Afr. Langs. &
Cultures Africa specialization at all degree levelsInterdisciplinary research
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Various levels of library users
UndergradsGrad studentsFacultyVisitors
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Africa spans a vast geographic area
11,724,000 sq. miles (cf. USA 3,676,486 sq. miles, incl. Alaska & Hawaii)
5,000 miles north-south4,600 miles west-east
Source: Encyclopeadia Britannica Online (accessed May 16, 2008)
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Example of Peters Projection
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Africa is rich in languages
Over 1,000 distinct African languages
Linguistic legacy of European colonization
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A few major African languages:Arabic, Swahili, Yoruba, Zulu, Hausa, Amharic, Tigrinya, Luo, Pula, Wolof, Afrikaans, Bamana, Igbo, Berber, creoles and pidgins
Important European languages:English, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Spanish
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African information landscape Materials published worldwide--
colonial legacy; emigration; geopolitics Primary sources held worldwide Bibliographic control and reference
tools largely print-dependent Tools are often separated by language Not enough librarians (incl. tech
services) to meet user needs
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Introducing possibilities
the librarymaterialspersonnelspace
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Language Material Types Official docs.: pre-colonial to current Political movements archives; ephemera Literature and language, incl. dictionaries Artworks, photographs Film, video, music, recorded speech Manuscripts, diaries, travelogues Maps, Atlases, Gazetteers Surveys, data sets, statistics, Newspapers, magazines, interviews
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Information retrieval strategies
Identify relevant languages (and keywords) based on:
Users’ current information needsUsers’ language proficiencies
Ethnologue can help:
http://www.ethnologue.com/
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Geographic scopeContinent-wide and/or diasporaCountry, sub-region, city/town
Historical context and variant names;e.g., Republic of Benin & Dahomey, or Benin City, Benin Kingdom, Edo
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Names of persons—authors, political leaders, historical figures—and their variant forms
Names of ethnic groups and their geographic location(s)
Ethnologue and HRAF (or eHRAF)
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Conclusion
Keeping it simple, despite complexity
Once you’re done,it’s only just beginning…