INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AFRICAN BIBLIOGRAFHY

Abstract

This paper, presented at the 1967 International Conference on African Bibliography in Nairobi, assesses the state of bibliographical services in French-speaking Tropical Africa, with a detailed case study of Senegal. The author finds that while the importance of bibliography is recognized, most countries lack proper national bibliographical services. Key challenges include the absence or inefficiency of legal deposit laws and a shortage of qualified personnel. The document reviews existing retrospective bibliographies for the region and highlights the reliance on European national libraries for bibliographical sources. For Senegal, the report inventories the major libraries and documentation centers involved in bibliographical work (such as IFAN, the National Archives, and the University of Dakar), lists existing and planned bibliographies, and identifies the absence of a true national library and current national bibliography. It concludes with a comprehensive set of proposals for Senegal, including the creation of a national bibliographical commission, the reorganization of legal deposit, the establishment of a national library in Dakar, and a detailed plan for training Senegalese bibliographers abroad to compile both current and retrospective national bibliographies