The ‘Nimbe Adedipe Library has received sets of updated version of The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library (TEEAL), making FUNAAB to be the first University in Nigeria to have the updated version (1993-2013). TEEAL is a searchable, offline, digital library which contains mainly agriculturally-focused reference journals, as well as coverage in related subject areas. The TEEAL Project is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with additional placement support for eligible institutions being provided by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA). The collection is updated annually and the non-profit digital library contains a growing number of prestigious full-text journals from leading publishers such as Elsevier; Taylor and Francis. Interested members of the University community can access TEEAL from their various offices by logging on to teeal.library.unaab.edu.eg, by creating a user’s account or visiting the University library for further details.

In a related development, the Information Training and Outreach Centre for Africa (ITOCA), in collaboration with Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University has announced the 2015 TEEAL Research Paper Competition for postgraduate students in food production, food security, rural development and agricultural and food policy. The competition, which is for postgraduate students from six eligible African countries (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda), would enable winners obtain TEEAL for their institutions as well as prize money. Interested students are encouraged to visithttp://www.itoca.orgor email itoca@itoca.org for more information. Deadline for registration is May 30, 2015. ITOCA is a capacity building organisation aimed at enhancing information and communications technology (ICT) skills for African librarians, information specialists, scientists, researchers and students in Sub-Sahara Africa. Preparations are also in top gear for a new AGORA online course on Moddle. The course, which is to be delivered in English, will be covered in four weeks from May to June, 2015. Interested participants are advised to visit the AGORA and Research4Life websites, for more information.