The first UWI Libraries Network (UWINET) Forum was hosted by the Mona Campus Librarian on March 31, 2009. Librarians from UWI libraries on and off campus were in attendance. Professor Gordon Shirley, Campus Principal and Professor Fay Durrant, Head of the Department of Library and Information Studies addressed the group.
The UWINet comprises all the Libraries within the Campus Community. These are the UWI Library (Focal point), Western Jamaica Campus Library, Department of Library and Information Studies, Education Documentation Centre, SALISES Documentation Centre, Mona School of Business Documentation Centre, Caribbean Child Development Resource Centre, Public Health Documentation Centre, United Theological College of the West Indies Library, Norman Manley Law School, Derrick B. Jelliffe Library (Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute) and Library of the Spoken Word . These Libraries are a sub-network within the National Information System (NATIS) for which the National Library of Jamaica is the focal point.
Key objectives of the UWINet are to :
· Maximize the potential of member units to provide quality online and traditional information resources and services in support of teaching, learning and research on the Campus
· Ensure availability and wide access to information through the use of advances in technology
· Share resources and expertise in a manner that strengthens the capacity of all to deliver quality information services to the university
· Training and development of members in new and emerging areas of library engagement
Group discussions centered around Governance and Financing, Services ( UWINET /NATIS) and Training. Several recommendations were made by each group to develop and strengthen the network for a formal launch in July 2009.
