THE COPPERBELT UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
The Copperbelt University (CBU) Library system comprises the Main Library and Dag Hammarskjöld Library/ American Corner in Kitwe and the School of Medicine Library in Ndola. The Library focuses on meeting the learning, teaching, and research needs of the University by developing and sustaining a comprehensive, appropriate and up-to-date collection of information and knowledge resources. The Library and its branches have a collection of over 65,000 volumes, with an average growth of about 1,000 volumes per annum. Significantly, the collection includes a wide range of journals and electronic resources covering most of the taught subjects in the University. Members of the Copperbelt university community use any of the Branch Libraries.
Vision and Mission Statement for the Library
The Mission Statement of the Library is:
To meet the learning, teaching and research needs of the University, by developing comprehensive, appropriate and up-to-date collection of information and knowledge resources.
The Library’s Vision is:
“To be the most modern, the most reliable, and the most preferred academic information service in Zambia”.
The CBU Library has automated most of its operations and services. Automated services include the main Library Catalogue (Online Public Access Catalogue – OPAC) and provide access to full-text online publications and other electronic media.
Further, the Library has specialized collections like the Special Collections; Medical Collection; Dag Hammarskjöld Institute collection; and the Short Loan collection. Essentially, Special Collections is the research wing of the Library that stocks University publications, theses, Government documents and local publications (Zambiana collection); while the Short-Loan Collection stocks recommended publications on very high demand.
In addition to information resources, the Library has a Bindery and Printing Unit that provides binding and printing services. The Library is currently engaged in efforts aimed at improving its Information Technology (IT) base so that users can easily access the wide range of information sources.
The Library is driven by a quest to offer a wealth of informational and scholarly resources appropriate to the academic, research programs, and services of the University. The Library’s mission is to make its resources available and useful to the entire university community and the Zambian people and to sustain and preserve a comprehensive collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations.