Challenges of Preserving Information Resources in Library Archives and Information Centres in Africa during Natural Disasters

Abstract

One of the natural occurrences that have brought the focus and attention of the whole world to a standstill in natural disaster.Natural disasters occur suddenly and unexpectedly and are always associated with destructive consequences to nature,whether human or environment.They cause significant physical damages to life and sometimes cause permanent change to natural environment,causing great losses and unpleasantness of whatever kind.However,the preservation of information resources is necessary in library archives and information centre in order to keep the cultural heritage and protect them for national planning,decision making and management of economy.Based on this need,the government of today in Africa must provide finance to the information centres,make policies to favour preservation of resources,train manpower for effective handling of information resources,make policies that will favour preservative programmes for disaster control,adequate infrastructures,create maintentance culture,sensitise people in case of disaster,control and protect the qualities of materials used for storing the information .It is imperative that our leaders in Africa are up-to-date planning and prevention to be able to curtail disaster whenever they occur