09 Sep 2014

Residents of Moiyabana in the Central District have been encouraged to utilise the village reading room in order to improve their lives.

Production manager with the Bamangwato Concessions Limited (BCL) Mine, Mr Boikanyo Mokubung made the appeal during a Sesigo Programme launch in Moiyabana recently. 

Mr Mokubung said libraries were information centres that provided access to information on a wide range of subjects that any individual could use  to improve their life. He explained that people were now living in an era characterised by rapid technological developments of high speed access to information.

Thus, he said, communities could not be left out when libraries, computers and the Internet were mentioned because they were crucial for the wellbeing of educational institutions, business committees, families and individuals.

“We understand that communication and information are at the very heart of the educational process because access to digital tools, applications and networks continues to grow worldwide hence ICTs are a diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, create, disseminate, store and manage information,” he noted.

The mine chief stressed the fact that the residents should utilise the reading room worth of library materials, computers and the Internet to acquire knowledge on how to facilitate efficient execution of business activities or even how to market an existing business. 

However, he cautioned the residents that libraries were not only for the benefit of school going children, rather for all members of the public.

He said: “This village reading room is open to all; not civil servants or students only. I therefore want to call upon everyone to embrace ICTs as they are the future to all economies.”

Nevertheless, Mr Mokubung commended the Serowe Public Library for spreading its wings across the nation ensuring that all the necessary resources are in place especially to the remote areas where access to such facilities is not easy. 

For her part, the head of Public Libraries Division, Ms Chinnana Selolwane, said in the past libraries were only resourced with books but as technology emerged where the use of ICTs bridged the divide it was worthy for them to close the gap such that everyone could gain access to a wealth of knowledge online.

Ms Selolwane explained that Botswana was one of the African countries blessed with free access to the Internet and computer service in libraries.

She was optimistic that the reading room would help improve in the performance of this year’s school results in Moiyabana; hence compete with other schools in the region. Ms Mosadimotho Kgaimena, testified that information communication technologies played a pivotal role in libraries such that they create the fastest and easiest communication between parties. 

She said she was a BOCODOL student and had experienced difficulties since BOCODOL is a distance learning institution.

“I had to travel to Serowe Library for ITC services to compile my assignment, which was expensive for me,” she said expressing gratitude that she would now cut costs as the facility was near and had all the technologies of life today. ENDS