This report deals with the first workshop held in the summer of 1997: 3 weeks at Michigan State and 1 week in Washington. These workshops were funded by the USIA Office of Citizen Exchanges and Michigan State University.

Introduction

From July 28 to August 22, MSU and WARA hosted the first workshop of the Internet Connectivity Project. The aims of the workshop were:

To give the 11 participants (2 from Cte d'Ivoire, 3 from Ghana, 5 from Senegal and and 1 South African added on MSU and South African monies) an overview of the important technical skills of connecting to the Internet, with an emphasis on "hands-on" learning of the skills required to use the Internet well. This overview covered the full range of possibilities for communication, instruction, and research on the Internet.

To provide the participants to the workshop with pedagogical supports that could help them to extend what they have learned once back home.

To encourage participants to establish important long term networks of contacts for answering questions, solving problems, and facilitating their own institutional and individual interests via the Internet.

To build a concrete and durable partnership between MSU, H-Net, WARA and the institutions in the different countries involved in the workshop.

To introduce the guests to American studies with special emphasis on the development of the American economy and Constitutional system.

Planning

The recruitment of the participants to the workshop was carried out through several steps, including the identification of the most suitable institutions in the targeted countries and the pre-selection of a list of people to invite. The local WARC committees and the USIS representatives in the different countries provided invaluable contribution in this process. After the compilation and analysis of background information, the 11 librarians, academics, and archivists mentioned above (for more details, see Appendix 1).

After analysis of the background information on the individuals and the resources available at MSU, a program was prepared by Mary Duff-Silverman, instructor for the Internet Seminar, and David Bailey, professor of history responsible for the American Studies Seminar. Two notebooks of materials for these activities were prepared for each participant. Guest lecturers from MSU and other institutions were invited to participate.

Implementation at MSU

The time at MSU was divided into several different activities: 1, Internet training sessions coupled with special computer-related sessions; 2, an American studies seminar correlated with educational excursions; and 3, roundtables which brought together issues of connectivity and African studies.

Internet training sessions. Weekday mornings were devoted to the Internet sessions, divided about equally between computer work and special sessions designed to show examples of Internet applications in the library and teaching. Special meetings were arranged between MSU staff and some of the guests according to their area of interests (for more details on the program of the Internet training sessions see Appendix 2).

These sessions gave the participants an overview of the technical skills necessary for successful use of the Internet and provided training in specific pedagogical and research uses of the Internet. The participants learned the use of computer equipment to access databases. They were trained to design and develop WWW sites. The sessions on electronic mail and mailing lists provided them with the skills to manage and distribute information both locally and globally. The special sessions devoted to the concrete use of the Internet in library and teaching allowed participants to acquire key techniques to be trainers once back at their home institutions.

The seminar in American studies was organized for two hours each afternoon and coupled with excursions to selected sites in Michigan. The different themes were introduced by David Bailey with the support of guest lecturers from MSU and other institutions. The first week was devoted to the discussion of the emergence of the capitalist world with special emphasis on the American system. The guests also visited the Michigan Library and Historical Center and the State Archives in Lansing.

Week two focused on the development of 19th century capitalism. Participants discussed the Constitution of the US, the role of the government in US capitalism, the development of the transportation system, and the migration of labor. A trip to Dearborn, to visit Greenfield Village, which portrays US society in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the Henry Ford Museum, gave a concrete illustration of the evolution of US economy.

In week three, the workshop discussed the capitalism and democracy with special emphasis on reform and unionization. The group visited an Oldsmobile plant in Lansing for demonstration of the factory system and the automobile assembly line (for further details about the American studies seminars see Appendix 3.)

The roundtables allowed fruitful exchange of viewpoints between MSU staff from the library, the computer center and African Studies Center and the participants to the workshop. David Wiley, Director of the African Studies Center, gave a presentation on the "State of the African Studies in the United States". He identified domains for future collaboration between MSU and the different institutions involved in the workshop and explored with them the opportunities offered. The WARA/WARC meeting chaired by Jeanne M. Toungara, professor of history at Howard University and David Robinson, professor of history at MSU, focused on the evaluation of the level of connectivity in each of the countries represented and discussed follow-up to the workshop. Sheilla Desert, law librarian at the University of Pittsburgh, gave a lecture on "The Internet and legal issues".

With Paul Hunt, Vice-Provost for Academic Computing, and Cliff Haka, Director of the MSU libraries, the participants discussed the impact of the Internet on today's university and how the Internet can help to enhance the quality of teaching in African universities by allowing access to recent publications and to databases. The meeting also was an opportunity to discuss the positive effects of the Internet in the development of democracy and the challenges for developing countries who wish to participate in the global exchange of information.

Implementation in Washington

The Ralph Bunche International Affairs Center of Howard University, in its role as headquarters of WARA, hosted the 11 participants from August 16 to 22. The week in Washington concentrated on current applications of electronic data preservation and information at major US-based data collection centers. This week was a necessary complement to the portion of the workshop held at MSU. The activities in Washington consisted of round tables, demonstration of techniques of electronic data preservation, and visits to area data collections.

At Howard the participants had discussions and demonstrations with Mohamed Mekkawi of the Founders Library and with Dr. Battle, the Director of the Moorland-Spingarn Library. They engaged in debates on the importance of librarians in the promotion of democracy and civil society with Howard University faculty and librarians; they heard lectures from political scientists Alvin Thornton, Mae King, and Lorenzo Morris. They met with specialists from US agencies who are now actively pursuing Internet connectivity programs in West Africa.

At a concluding panel on "Democracy and Technology: What Role Do I Play?", the visitors engaged in discussion on information collection, dissemination and use with Sybil Moses, Professor of Library and Information Science at The Catholic University, and John Mack, Director of the Leland Initiative and International Communications and Information Policy at the Department of State.

The visits to area data collection centers put the visitors in direct contact with specialists in the information process. Marietta Harper gave an introduction to the Library of Congress, including the National Digital Library, the On-Line Thomas System for congressional staff, and the Handbook of Latin American Studies on CD-ROM.

Mayda Riopedre at the Smithsonian Institution described the special collections on North America and means of disseminating documents, while Martin Kalfatovic showed how ethnographers and technicians had collaborated to produce web pages used by researchers around the world. Janet Stanley of the National Museum of African Art described the Art Index Project funded by the Getty Foundation.

The National Archives II at College Park introduced the participants to the Center for Electronic Records and the NARA Internet Access program; this was hosted by Walter Hill and Kenneth Heger. Steve Dorsey of the National Demonstration Laboratory of the Academy for Educational Development demonstrated uses of distance learning programs, including a current pilot project in Ghana for K-12 teachers. Some member of the group were able to discuss distance learning with officials at the University College of Maryland (for more details on the Washington program see Appendix 4)

Follow Up

The Internet Connectivity Project will continue with its second training workshop at MSU, Howard and Washington for the summer of 1998. We are also seeking USIA support, in the form of another proposal to the Office of Citizen Exchanges, to bring in key players from Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa for the 1998 event and another workshop in 1999. We are exploring a variety of opportunities for funding to continue and strengthen connectivity, communication, teaching and research both in West Africa, through WARA and WARC, and in Africa as a whole, through cooperation with the Association of African Universities and CODESRIA (the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa). Project staff will be visiting West Africa early in 1998 to work on recruitment for the 1998 workshop, conduct training sessions, and measure the progress of connectivity, especially in the areas of higher education. MSU continues to provide very significant financial as well as technical support for the activities.

In order to provide the 1997 participants with ongoing communication, an electronic discussion list (AFRLINK) has been established through H-Net. This is a first step toward the creation of H-WestAfrica, which is intended as a forum of discussion among students, teachers, scholars, officials and others about important themes related to West Africa. H-Net already maintains one regional electronic Network, H-SAfrica for southern Africa, and a number of other African Studies Networks. These electronic Networks and the discussion lists that they sponsor have had great success in enhancing the quality and quantity of communication in higher education among Africanists in Africa, the United States and across the globe.

Ghana

Angelina Lili Armah is principal library assistant at the Balme library, University of Legon, in charge of the CD-ROM and document delivery services. She is also involved in the training of graduate students and other users of the CD-ROM. Ms Armah earned a postgraduate diploma in library studies in 1996. She got her first degree in librarianship at the University of Legon in 1987.

John Edu Korsah is assistant librarian at the University of Cape Coast. He earned a graduate diploma in Library Studies in 1991 and a certificate in Archives Administration in 1986 at the University of Legon.

Gifty Hanson is lecturer at the Department of Library and Archival Studies (DLAS), University of Legon, Ghana. Ms Hanson earned a MPhil in Library Studies at Legon in 1996. She obtained an MA in information management at Thames Valley University, London, in 1994. Ms Hanson also has a background on agriculture and education.

Cte d'Ivoire

Niamkey Jacques Adom has been the head of the Department of Biochemistry at the National University since December of 1995. He was recently named Director of the Office for Scientific and Technic Cooperation at the Ministry of Higher Education. Mr. Adom earned a postgraduate diploma in biochemistry at Osaka University, Japan in 1993. He received his doctorate in Molecular Biology at the University of Paris XI in 1990.

Kouapa Assale is deputy chief librarian of the library of CIRES (Centre Ivoirien de Recherches Economiques et Sociales), University of Cocody. Mr. Kouapa manages the circulation, processing and computerizing division of CIRES. He graduated from the Ecole des Bibliothcaires, Archivistes et Documentalistes (EBAD, Universit Cheikh Anta Diop or UCAD of Dakar, Senegal) in 1980.

Senegal

Awa Ba Cisse is archivist at the National Archives of Senegal. She is in charge of studies and outreach programs and coordinator of the relations between the National Archives and the regional archival centers. Ms Ba earned a degree in archival studies from EBAD in 1985.

Awa Diouf Cisse is the librarian in charge of defining and implementing the documentary policy of the faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University Gaston Berger in Saint-Louis. Ms. Diouf graduated from EBAD in 1988.

Jean Pierre Benoit Idrissa Diouf is Deputy Librarian at the Documentation and Information Center of CODESRIA (Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa). Mr. Diouf graduated from EBAD in 1986 and since then has attended many workshop and training sessions on connectivity.

Olivier Sagna is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Documentation of EBAD, University Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD). Mr. Sagna earned a Diplme Suprieur en Sciences de l'Information et de la Documentation at INTD/CINAM Paris and a a doctorate in history from the University Paris XII in 1986. Mr Sagna was responsible of the project "Enseignement de l'information documentaire" funded by UNESCO and other agencies from 1990 to 1994.

Waly Ndiaye is manager of new technology, administrator of a web server, in charge of RTC connections, and the training of trainers at the Association des Universits Partiellement ou Entirement en Langue Franaise (AUPELF). Mr. Ndiaye earned a Diplme Suprieur en Sciences de la Communication and an MA in sociology.

South Africa

Manikam Moodley is a university librarian at the University of Durban Westville in Durban. Mr. Moodley earned Master's degrees in History, Library Science and Education.

Laboratory Sessions

Introduction to the Internet and overview of Internet tools
Electronic Mail
Electronic mailing lists
Introduction to the World Wide Web
Searching the Internet
Using File Transfert Protocol, uploading and downloading useful software programs and files from the Internet
Teaching with the World Wide Web
Creating a web page
Text and graphics for Web Pages
Multimedia on the WWW
Special sessions

Demonstration of online cataloguing
Tour of CD-Rom resources of MSU library
Tour of MSU computer lab
Television Demonstration of Distance Education technology and presentation of MSU Instructional Television.
Integration of computer technology in the class room
Library use of the WWW
Tour of MSU special collections
Use of flatbed scanner to prepare text and graphics for web pages
Creating images for the WWW

Roundtable discussions

The impact of the Internet on today's University
Legal issues on the inernet African Studies in the US
WARA/WARC and the follow up of the workshop

Lectures

Trade in three dimensions. Pero Dagbovie, history doctorate candidate at MSU.
Ecology and economic growth. Mike Kennedy, MSU instructor in economic history.
The colonial society.
The constitution and capitalism.
Government and capitalism: corporations.
Technology and innovation. Ken Boyer, MSU professor.
Migration and labor.
Reform and capitalism. Walter Adams, MSU Distinguished Professor of Economics.
Workers: organized labor. Lisa Fine, MSU professor.
The reality of the factory system.
Problems of capitalism in the late industrial era
Excursions

Trip to Michigan Library and Historical Center and the State archives at Lansing
Trip to Greenfield village and the Henry Ford Museum
Trip to an auto parts assembling line of an Oldsmobile plant in Lansing

Roundtable Discussions

US constitution
Multicultural politics African leadership
Democratization and technology
Visit to Collections

The Smithsonian Institution
African Art Museum, Smithsonian
National Archives
Moorland Spingarn Library, Howard University
Library of Congress
Academy for Educational Development