By Elton Mwidu
Uganda Christian University (UCU) has launched Library & Writing Week at the Ham Mukasa Library. The programme runs from 27 to 31 October and is organised by the UCU Library and the Writing Centre in partnership with the 27th Guild Government under the theme “Your Responsible Use of AI.”
The week features free late library registration, a book display of new and rare collections, writing coaching, AI ethics workshops, faculty visits, e-resource training, dissertation e-submission clinics and an AI debate scheduled for Friday at 2pm in the Learning Commons.
The team has met the Law Society to introduce LexisNexis, a legal research database, and to run sessions on handling reading material and the bindery section. Tuesday’s programme moves to the School of Business to introduce Scopus, a bibliographic citation database, and on that same day, the library staff and writing centre will lead community worship.
Wednesday and Thursday will see visits to the Faculties of Education and Engineering, Design and Technology, respectively. Mr Nathan Kaye, the library week coordinator says that they intend to visit every faculty before the week ends.
The library is promoting specialist resources for different disciplines, including the medical learning platform Osmosis and other discipline-specific databases to support medical students.
Management says access to these resources will boost research quality for masters and PhD programmes. The university is expanding support for open-access publishing through partnerships and waiver schemes to help researchers publish in reputable journals, with publishers named by management including Taylor & Francis and leading academic presses.
“Students should appreciate the value of the library; it signifies civilisation, knowledge and intellectual growth,” said David Bukenya, University Librarian. “This programme will help you write better with technology with AI as a companion, not a shortcut.” Bukenya added.
Martin Kajubi, head of the UCU Writing Centre, described the week as a campus-wide support drive. “Writing Week is an opportunity for students to see that no writing challenge is so hard to tackle — from first to final year. The Writing Centre is a student support office with trained peer coaches, not a club,” he said.
Practical incentives include late registration and a temporary waiver of library charges of up to 50% for eligible users. Organisers will also gather feedback from students across UCU campuses in Kampala, Mbale, Kabaale, Kagando and Arua to shape follow-up services and longer-term training.
The AI debate on Friday will convene students and faculty to weigh the benefits, risks and policy implications of generative AI in learning and assessment.
