Continuity and change in West African librarianship : revisiting Mary Niles Maack’s research in Senegal and the region

Abstract

Mary Niles Maack's 1978 dissertation on the history of libraries in Senegal constitutes a landmark contribution to the historiography of librarianship in Africa and to international librarianship. In this article Maack's dissertation, her 1981 book-length adaptation of it, and her subsequent writings about West African library development are first situated in the political-economic, professional, and scholarly context of the late 1970s, before the dissertation is evaluated in terms of her sources and methodology. Her key theme of continuity and change, her analysis of the French colonial heritage and postcolonial French efforts to preserve influence in West Africa, and the wider relevance of the study are discussed. Maack's book was well received. Her work provided raw material for various other authors as well as for five subsequent journal articles by Maack herself. An attempt is made to answer the question, What might a dissertation on library and information science development in a francophone African country such as Senegal cover today? It is suggested that the precolonial heritage, political-economic factors, information technology, development aid, and renewal of the library profession in Africa would require more attention. However, it would not be easy for a PhD student today to match Maack's scholarship.