Introducing Aluka: A networked digital library from and about Africa
There is a growing interest around the world in understanding all aspects of the development of Africa and its peoples. At present it is extremely difficult for scholars and students, within Africa and elsewhere, to access valuable scholarly content and digital collections needed for research. Aluka, introduced at the JSTOR Participants' Meeting during ALA Midwinter in January, is an international, collaborative, not-for-profit effort building a networked digital library of scholarly resources from and about Africa. We envision that Aluka may increase the accessibility of important collections from Africa much like JSTOR has for scholarly journal backfiles.
The name "Aluka" is derived from a Zulu word meaning "to weave", reflecting Aluka's mission to connect resources and scholars from around the world. Aluka will not be just a database of content. Instead, Aluka will serve the scholarly community by tapping into the unprecedented capacity of the web to connect those who hold African collections with those who want to use them. Through a collaborative effort that will depend both on contributed collections and on local capacity building, Aluka will provide the technological and organizational platform that will focus the collective efforts of the scholarly community in a way that benefits all.
To demonstrate the potential of this new collaborative model, JSTOR is pleased to offer participating libraries and publishers a free preview of Aluka. (All participants with IP access may visit Aluka's website directly through June 30. Participants without IP authentication may contact Aluka User Services at user_services@aluka.org for access). The initial content area available for preview is focused on African Plants. This set of digital materials now has over 280,000 objects available in twenty-one collections, including plant specimens, photographs, art, reference works, and archival records of historical expeditions to Africa. The materials in the African Plants content area were contributed by over fifty herbaria, museums, botanical gardens, and universities in Africa, Europe, and the U.S. The content will be of interest not only to botanists, but also to students and scholars in many related academic disciplines, including ecology, ethnobotany, history, biology, anthropology, economic development, and environmental studies.
In viewing Aluka, we hope you will not focus solely on the value of the African Plants, but consider the potential impact of this networked approach concept and how it might be used to develop collections in a wide variety of disciplines. Aluka is already developing two additional content areas: Struggles for Freedom in Southern Africa, and African Cultural Heritage Sites and Landscapes; and will make that content available as the preview period progresses.
JSTOR is pleased to provide all participants with access to Aluka, and we encourage you to explore the exciting new material available through this initiative. For more information, please contact Javanica Curry, Assistant Director for Library Relations, at javanica.curry@aluka.org.
Users at participating instiutions may try out the free Aluka preview now! For participants who access JSTOR through a password, please contact user_services@aluka.org for access to Aluka.