Lilongwe University of Library and Natural Resources (LUANAR) Library has a special collection of publications on Malawi or by Malawians. The collection is popularly known as “Malawiana.” Malawiana are rare publications in the sense that they may not be available anywhere else and are sought after by library users. They are stored in a special area on shelves or in pamphlet boxes and are used only in the library in an enclosed area as they are vulnerable to theft or damage. Amongst the publications are ones on aquaculture and fisheries science information; most are in pamphlet boxes and only accessible in the LUANAR. The library embarked on a project to scan these Malawiana publications. The goal was to scan about 300 aquaculture and fisheries grey literature documents within one year and make them available first on the intranet before they were accessible online through platforms such as Aquatic Commons (AC) and African Digital Library Support Network (DLSN). The project used DSpace open source software to create a digital library collection. The project, which received initial funding from IAMSLIC, has assisted in exposing the rare publications to wider usage apart from preserving and conserving them. The paper describes the project’s benefits, challenges and way forward.
