On semilocal modules and rings

It is well-known that a ring Ris semiperfect if and only if _RR (orR_R ) is a supplemented module. Considering weak supplementsinstead of supplements we show that weakly supplemented modules Mare semilocal (i.e.M/Rad(M) is semisimple) and that R is a semilocal ring if and only if _RR (orR_R ) is weakly supplemented. In this context the notion of finite hollow dimension (or finite dual Goldie dimension) of modules is of interest and yields a natural interpretation of the Camps-Dicks characterization of semilocal rings. Finitely generated modules are weakly supplemented if and only if they have finite hollow dimension (or are semilocal).