Developing a national library consortium in Zimbabwe : lessons learnt from other co

This article examines the main lessons learnt from other countries to aid in accelerating the development of library consortia in Zimbabwe. The study explored the development of library consortia in southern Africa, other parts of Africa and countries outside Africa. The study used a survey research method as a single research design. The survey design allowed for methodological pluralism. The study sought to generate knowledge on the experiences of other countries in developing library consortia for nationwide access. The main research question driving the study is “What lessons can Zimbabwe learn from the successes and challenges of library consortia in southern Africa and elsewhere to construct a model that will support the country’s national development agenda?” The research sites for this study were academic libraries subscribing to the Zimbabwe University Library Consortium (ZULC) and the College and Research Library Consortia (CARLC). The researcher selected 10 members from the ZULC and five members from the CARLC as research sites. The lessons drawn from other countries were used as the basis for developing a library consortia model for Zimbabwe. Lessons on library consortia developments with regard to experiences, challenges and opportunities have been drawn, and an integrated multifaceted model is suggested for Zimbabwe to develop a national consortium providing for nationwide access. The study recommends that there should be a special investigation into the establishment of the general consortium, involving representatives from public, school, and other special libraries. Developing and consolidating structures for connecting the library consortia are necessary to ensure the effective and successful operationalisation of the federated model.http://www.journals.co.za/content/journal/mousaionhttp://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=2008am2018Information Scienc

Evaluating the Processes and Procedure of Digitalization Workflow

Digitisation is the practice of converting physical information into a digital (computer-readable format), by using digital technologies to modify the existing structure by enhancing the efficiency of an organisational process, foster reliability, and quality. This is a method of incorporating conventional records into a digitised form by eliminating redundancies and limiting the communications chain. This will help to improve accessibility and simplify better information exchange for users. The beginning of a digital revolution in any establishment is to appraise the manual methods with the view to improve and graduate to a user-friendly modern system. Digital workflow is a progressive, reliable arrangement of data, procedures, and responsibilities that make information is more permanent and management easy to access and enable the preservation of crucial data. This research set out to support workflow audit by revealing specific indicators to assist in processes that will enhance digital migration

Library consortia and Zimbabwe's national development agenda : Librarians’ views on constructing a suitable model

The development of library Consortia in Zimbabwe was necessitated by the need to reduce subscription costs and to widen access to electronic resources as well as implement new technologies among academic libraries. The development of Zimbabwe University Library Consortium (ZULC) and College and Research Library Consortium (CARLC) enabled libraries to cooperate and collaborate in building capacity to support teaching, learning and research through access to quality scholarly information. The trajectory of consortia development in Zimbabwe since 2002 has however been characterised by a focus on the academic sector to the exclusion of other types of libraries. The future development of library consortia in Zimbabwe can be better envisioned when correlated with the country’s national development agenda. While not made explicit, this agenda is underpinned by the idea of access to information. This study investigated how the benefits of the existing library consortia can be harnessed to promote the achievement of Zimbabwe’s national development goals. More specifically, it examined the ways that the development paths of ZULC and CARLC can be transformed to support the country’s national development agenda and programmes. This culminated in a model that will accelerate and guide the future development of its library consortia to facilitate a supporting developmental role. The novel aspect of this study is that it seeks to integrate library consortia into the national development plans of a developing country and to extend their benefits as widely as possible. An extensive literature review of the characteristics, models, and development of consortia in selected countries was complemented by an empirical mixed-method component that generated data through interviews, questionnaires, observation, and the analysis of key documents. A special feature of the study is a detailed analysis of the successes and challenges of library consortia in other countries and in the Southern African region to supplement the empirical data that informs the proposed model. The main finding is that a model with a multi-type structure and a National Coordinating Committee is best to transform the development paths of Zimbabwe’s academic library consortia to support the country’s national development agenda. The model’s key elements are finance, structure, governance, functions, and special features.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017.Information SciencePHDUnrestricte

Towards a new paradigm of LIS training for Agricultural Librarians in Zimbabwe: Challenges and Opportunities

_____________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract: Education and training of agricultural librarians is central to the development of an efficien

The conundrum of resource sharing in Zimbabwe:case of academic libraries

Resource sharing has gained impetus among academic libraries as they seek novel and innovative ways to provide for the dynamic and complex needs of users. Zimbabwe is not an exception to the global trend of resource sharing in support of teaching, learning and research as evidenced by the establishment of sector-specific library consortia. This article explores the challenges and opportunities encountered by academic libraries in their endeavour to provide quality services. It will examine how library consortia, namely the Zimbabwe University Library Consortia (ZULC) and the College and Research Libraries of Zimbabwe (CARLC), have been able to provide for the information needs of their users at a time when budgets are low or inadequate and subscription costs to journals remain unaffordable. The article will examine the extent to which library consortia are exploiting information and communication technologies (ICTs) and trendy initiatives, for example Open Access (OA). It will also examine how academic libraries, through resource sharing platforms, have been able to exploit ubiquitous technologies and build on from the traditional interlibrary loan (ILL). The article will recommend a strategy based on a model to strengthen access to scholarship through resource sharing

Library cooperation in Zimbabwe : in search of a suitable model to underpin national development

PURPOSE : The paper explores library cooperation in Zimbabwe and gathers views from librarians on the need for a library consortium model to underpin national development. This study aims to investigate the development of library consortia in Zimbabwe and then propose a model that will both accelerate their development and support the country’s national development agenda. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPRAOCH : The paper opted for an investigative study using a multi-method research design. Data on existing library consortia, namely, Zimbabwe University Library Consortium (ZULC) and College and Research Library Consortium (CARLC), were collected through questionnaires and interviews. The data were complemented by documentary analysis including primary sources of information, for example, annual reports and brochures. Data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. FINDINGS : The paper provides empirical insights on how ZULC and CARLC are transforming the provision of library services in several ways, for example, providing for the dynamic needs of users and strategizing on overcoming rising costs of scholarly content through resource sharing. The proposed model effectively elevates the fundamental library consortium principles of cooperation and sharing onto the national development stage, and it is novel and pioneering. The gestures and general remarks made recently by Zimbabwe Library Association and some ZULC members about national development and ZIMASSET are given rigorous and scholarly expression in this model. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS : Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalisability beyond Zimbabwe. It is therefore imperative for researchers to test the proposed propositions further. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS : The paper includes implications for the development of a library consortia model to underpin national development in Zimbabwe. The existing academic sector library consortium still excludes other types of libraries from participating in resource sharing and promoting access to information on a national development scale. The proposed library consortium model providing for nation-wide access to information is critical in realising national development goals in Zimbabwe. Currently, academic library consortia are contributing immensely through supporting learning, teaching and research in their respective institutions. Such benefits can also be extended to all institutions through a national library consortium to support development in Zimbabwe. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : This paper fulfils an identified need to study how the development of a nation-wide library consortium model can be realised. There is relatively little researched information on library cooperation and library consortia and national development in Southern Africa with specific reference to Zimbabwe. The paper seeks to close the gap by providing information on library cooperation and library consortia and national development in Zimbabwe.http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htmhttp://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/elhj2018Information Scienc

IAALD 2013 World Congress Paper Presentations, A-C

IAALD 2013 World Congress Paper Presentations, first presenter last names A-

Agricultural Information Worldwide, vol. 6, 2014

Agricultural Information Worldwide, Volume 6, 2014In this issue: FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK / Jim Morris-Knower (3); Conference Reflections / Antoinette Paris Greider (4). ARTICLES: Keynote Address: The State of Information Literacy Policy: A Global Priority / Sharon Weiner (5); Framing of Climate Change News in Four National Daily Newspapers in Southern Nigeria / Agwu Ekwe Agwu, Chiebonam Justina Amu (11); Access and Use of Information Communication Technologies by Women Staff of Public Extension Service in the North Central Zone of Nigeria / Agwu Ekwe Agwu, Elizabeth Ene Ogbonnah (18); Providing User Preferred Information Resources for a New Faculty of Agriculture, Nnamdi Azikiwe Univeristy, Awka, Nigeria / Chinwe V. Anunobi, Andrew U. Ogbonna (25); Diffusion of Scientific Knowledge in Agriculture: The Case for Africa / Shimelis Assefa, Daniel Gelaw Alemneh, Abebe Rorissa (34); The Use of Social Media in Agricultural Research Workflows in Ghana and Kenya / Justin Chisenga, Richard Kedemi, Joel Sam (48); Towards Mobile Agricultural Information Services in Zimbabwean Libraries: Challenges and Opportunities for Small Sacle Farmers in Utilizing ICTs for Sustainable Food Production / Collence Takaingenhamo Chisita, Thembani Malapela (58); Agriculture and Natural Resource Scientists' Biodiversity Information Needs: Barriers and Facilitators to Use and Access in the U.S. Southeast / Miriam L.E. Steiner Davis, Carol Tenopir, Suzie Allard (66); French Agricultural Research Institute Paves the Way to Open Access: Feedback from CIRAD / Marie-Claude Deboin, Cécile Fovet-Rabot (77); Exploring Relevance of Agro Input Dealers in Disseminating and Communicating of Soil Fertility Management Knowledge: The Case of Siaya and Trans Nzoia Counties, Kenya / T. B. Etyang, J. J. Okello, S. Zingore, P. F. Okoth, F. S. Mairura, A. Mureithi, B. S. Waswa (82); Plantwise Knowledge Bank: Building Sustainable Data and Information Processes to Support Plant Clinics in Kenya / Cambria Finegold, MaryLucy Oronje, Margo C. Leach, Teresia Karanja, Florence Chege, Shaun L.A. Hobbs (96); Innovation in Extension Services for Improved Farmer Access to Agricultural Information in Uganda / Patrick Kasangaki (102); Managing a Web Portal Adapting to New Technologies / Soonho Kim, Kathryn Pace Kincheloe, Yuan Gao, Valdete Berisha (107); Library Outreach to University Farm Staff / Emily MacKenzie, Natalie Waters (114); Enhancing Access to Research in Institutional Repositiories through API / Ryan Miller, Indira Yerramareddy (118); Building Capacity of Smallholder Farmers in Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship Skills in Northern Uganda / Basil Mugonola, Callistus Baliddawa (122); The Data Landscpe of the Coral Triangle / Jeanette Norris (127); Agricultural Information Access Among Smallholder Farmers: Comparative Assessment of Peri-Urban and Rural Settings in Kenya / Dorine Odongo (133); From Local to Global: Launching the New Rangelands West Portals and Database / Jeanne L. Pfander, Barbara S. Hutchinson, Valeria Pesce, Matt Rahr (138); Seed Village Programme: An Innovative Approach for Small Farmers / Dheeraj Singh, M. K. Chaudhary, M. L. Meena, M. M. Roy (143); Transformation of Indian Agricultural Libraries in a Digital and Collaborative Era: A Case Study / Neena Singh, Anil Chikate (147); Collaboration for Impact / Indira Yerramareddy, Luz Marina Alvaré, Katarlah Taylor (157