Former Library Graduate Fellow Abubakari Ssemwogerere Featured in Biodiversity Heritage Library’s 20th Anniversary Series
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<p class="text-align-justify MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Former </span><a href="https://library.busitema.ac.ug/"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Busitema University Library</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> Graduate Fellow </span><a href="https://library.busitema.ac.ug/about/graduate-fellow/Ssemwogerere-Abuba… style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Abubakari Ssemwogerere</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> has authored a feature for the </span><a href="https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL)</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> as part of its </span><a href="https://blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/03/celebrating-20-years-of-bh… style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">20th Anniversary series</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> celebrating important collections, people and stories that have contributed to the study of biodiversity.</span><p></p></p>
<p class="text-align-justify MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Published on 11 August 2026, the article, “</span><a href="https://blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/08/pioneers-of-illinois"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Pioneers of Illinois Natural History: Stephen A. Forbes and Charles Robertson</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">,” explores the scientific legacies of two influential figures in </span><a href="https://illinois.edu/"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Illinois</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> natural history and the historical collections that continue to support biodiversity research today.</span><p></p></p>
<p class="text-align-justify MsoNormal"><a href="https://library.busitema.ac.ug/about/graduate-fellow/Ssemwogerere-Abuba… style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Abubakari</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> previously served as a Graduate Fellow at </span><a href="https://www.busitema.ac.ug/"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Busitema University</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> before joining the </span><a href="https://illinois.edu/"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">, where he is currently a Graduate Assistant at the </span><a href="https://www.library.illinois.edu/funkaces/"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Funk ACES</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> and </span><a href="https://www.library.illinois.edu/vex/"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Veterinary Medicine Libraries</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">. He is also pursuing a Master of Science in Library and Information Science at the </span><a href="https://illinois.edu/"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">University of Illinois</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">.</span><p></p></p>
<p class="text-align-justify MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">In the </span><a href="https://blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/08/pioneers-of-illinois"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">BHL feature</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">, </span><a href="https://library.busitema.ac.ug/about/graduate-fellow/Ssemwogerere-Abuba… style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Abubakari</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> traces the contributions of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Alfred_Forbes"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Stephen A. Forbes</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Robertson_(entomologist)"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Charles Robertson</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> to the understanding of ecology, biodiversity and interactions between plants and insects. </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Alfred_Forbes"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Forbes</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">’ research covered areas including fishes, insects, birds and aquatic ecosystems, while </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Robertson_(entomologist)"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Robertson</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> spent decades documenting flowering plants and the insects that visited them.</span><p></p></p>
<p class="text-align-justify MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">The article also draws attention to the importance of preserving historical scientific records and making them accessible to researchers. Materials associated with </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Alfred_Forbes"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Forbes</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Robertson_(entomologist)"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Robertson</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> are among the collections made available through the </span><a href="https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Biodiversity Heritage Library</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">, helping connect earlier scientific observations with present-day research.</span><p></p></p>
<p class="text-align-justify MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">The publication marks another milestone in </span><a href="https://library.busitema.ac.ug/about/graduate-fellow/Ssemwogerere-Abuba… style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Abubakari</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">’s professional and academic journey after his time at </span><a href="https://library.busitema.ac.ug/"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Busitema University Library</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;"> and reflects the opportunities former Graduate Fellows continue to pursue in librarianship, research and higher education internationally.</span><p></p></p>
<p class="text-align-justify MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Readers can explore Abu Ssemwogerere’s full article, “</span><a href="https://blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/author/abubakari-ssemwogerere"><sp… style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Pioneers of Illinois Natural History: Stephen A. Forbes and Charles Robertson</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">,” on the </span><a href="https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/"><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">Biodiversity Heritage Library website</span></a><span style="font-family:"Source Sans 3",sans-serif;font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;">.</span><p></p></p>
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