Roderick Samson Mabomba
Roderick Samson Mabomba (September 25, 1948 – June 7, 2001) was an important library leader in Malawi. He worked hard to make Information Science not only an important subject to study in Malawi but also to bring libraries to the attention of the Malawi government. He spoke at numerous conferences, presenting his papers to show the world a view of libraries from Africa, giving them a voice.
Education
St. Patrick's Secondary School.[1]
College of Librarianship, Aberystwyth, Wales (1968–1970).[2]
University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Wales (1984–1985). MLib.[3]
Career
Library Assistant, Chancellor College University Library (1968)[4]
Assistant Librarian, University of Malawi (1971–1975)[5]
Chief Librarian, British Council of Malawi (1975–1978)[6]
National Librarian, National Library Service of Malawi (1978–2001)[7]
Awards and Leadership
1999 International Librarian of the Year[8]
Founding member and President (1976–1978) of the Malawi Library Association[9]
Publications[10]
“Libraries in Malawi” Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science 17, 1975, pp. 1–55
“The Role of National Information Transfer” ESCRBICA Journal, 4, 1979, pp. 21–28
A Manual for Small Libraries in Malawi, 1981.
“The Development of Librarianship in the Third World: A View from Africa” Inspel 1987, 21:4, pp. 181–203
“Youth and Libraries, An African Experience”, paper, Fourth Conference of National Librarians of Southern Africa, Bisho, South Africa, 1989.
“The Role of Librarians in Combating Illiteracy, The Africa Perspective”, paper, National Symposium on Year of Reader, Cape Town, South Africa, 1990.
“The Relationship between National Libraries and the Development of School and Public Libraries”, paper, Conference of National Librarians of Southern Africa, Mmabatho, 1990.
“Improving Access to Information in Rural Africa, The Rural Library Experiment in Malawi”, paper, IFLA, Conference, Barcelona, 1993.
Notes
- Mwiyeriwa, Steve S. (2001). “Roderick Samson Mabomba”. Library Association Record. 103:10, p. 628.
- Wilhite, Jeffrey M., Todd J. Kosmerick and Laurie Scrivener (2000). International Biographical Directory Of National Archivists, Documentalists, and Librarians. 2nd ed. The Scarecrow Press Inc., Lanham, MD.
- Wilhite, Jeffrey M., Todd J. Kosmerick and Laurie Scrivener (2000). International Biographical Directory Of National Archivists, Documentalists, and Librarians. 2nd ed. The Scarecrow Press Inc., Lanham, MD.
- Mwiyeriwa, Steve S. (2001). “Roderick Samson Mabomba”. Library Association Record. 103:10, p. 628.
- Mwiyeriwa, Steve S. (2001). “Roderick Samson Mabomba”. Library Association Record. 103:10, p. 628.
- Mwiyeriwa, Steve S. (2001). “Roderick Samson Mabomba”. Library Association Record. 103:10, p. 628.
- Wilhite, Jeffrey M., Todd J. Kosmerick and Laurie Scrivener (2000). International Biographical Directory Of National Archivists, Documentalists, and Librarians. 2nd ed. The Scarecrow Press Inc., Lanham, MD.
- Mwiyeriwa, Steve S. (2001). “Roderick Samson Mabomba”. Library Association Record. 103:10, p. 628.
- Wilhite, Jeffrey M., Todd J. Kosmerick and Laurie Scrivener (2000). International Biographical Directory Of National Archivists, Documentalists, and Librarians. 2nd ed. The Scarecrow Press Inc., Lanham, MD.
- Wilhite, Jeffrey M., Todd J. Kosmerick and Laurie Scrivener (2000). International Biographical Directory Of National Archivists, Documentalists, and Librarians. 2nd ed. The Scarecrow Press Inc., Lanham, MD.
References
- Mabomba, Roderick Samson (1987) “The Development of Librarianship in the Third World: A View from Africa.” Inspel. 21:4, p. 181-203. This was an article that Mabomba wrote about the development of Africa, focusing on Malawi.
- . Mwiyeriwa, Steve S. (2001). “Roderick Samson Mabomba”. Library Association Record. 103:10, p. 628. An obituary written by a friend and fellow librarian about Mr. Mabomba’s life.
- . Wilhite, Jeffrey M., Todd J. Kosmerick and Laurie Scrivener (2000). International Biographical Directory Of National Archivists, Documentalists, and Librarians. 2nd ed. The Scarecrow Press Inc., Lanham, MD. This is where I found out about Roderick Samson Mabomba. He was listed in this book under Malawi as the National Librarian for the Malawi National Library Service. It listed his publications and other aspects of his career.