The objective of this paper is to survey what type of information and documentation on women exists in Lesotho; to examine where and how it is accumulated, disseminated and used; to assess the strengths and weaknesses of those methods in practise, and then to determine strategies on how an adequate documentation system may be developed and be fitted into the existing national, regional and international documentation infrastructure.

It will be noted that the beginning of the UN Decade for Women in 1975 marks the point of departure for this survey. The period is so marked because it prominently opened a debate on women issues; it stimulated research and gave birth to various associations/organisations, all of which generated massive literature as well as introducing vigorous communication on the subject.

Some academic libraries in Zaire were established and sustained during the colonial period, mainly by missionaries. Before Zaire was granted independence in 1960, three important academic institutions of higher education were known and had libraries. These were: Grand Seminaire de Majidi, Université Lovanium and Université Officielle du Congo.

This school trained candidates for priesthood in the Catholic Church. In 1953, its library had 19,500 volumes for teachers and 4,500 for students reading philosophy and theology. Access to the teachers’ collection was restricted unless particular students had special permission to enter the library. (Tete Wersey 1983) mentioned that the library had a general catalogue on fiches with 4 clear sections: (a) Africa; (b) Sciences; (c) Biographies and (d) Africans’ Biographies.