The implementation, monitoring and management of an effective legal deposit system for South Africa

The aim of this study is to explore the issues surrounding the implementation, monitoring and management of legal deposit in South Africa. Legal deposit is a statutory obligation which requires that a producer of any type of publication which is available to the public, be it a commercial, public or private organisation or an individual, deposit one or more copies of the publication with a recognised national institution. The Legal Deposit Act of 1997 governs the deposit of publications in South Africa. Section 8 of the Legal Deposit Act makes provision for the constitution of a Legal Deposit Committee to oversee the implementation of the Act. This Committee, which consists of a broad spectrum of role players, expressed a need for an investigation into the many issues and questions relating to the provision of publications subject to legal deposit as required by the Legal Deposit Act. Although the Legal Deposit Act, at the time of its promulgation in 1998, was one of the first in the world to make provision for the deposit of electronic publications, this study focuses mainly on the legal deposit of books as this was identified by the Committee as an area of immediate and critical concern. The study begins with a comprehensive literature study to obtain sufficient theoretical information on legal deposit and of the problems and issues surrounding the subject internationally and in South Africa. - An overview of elements and issues covered in legal deposit legislation provides the background against which the investigation into the state of legal deposit and its implementation is undertaken. With the aim of contextualising South African legislative issues, a comparative study of legislation in the United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia and South Africa is also undertaken. -A discussion of the stages and activities involved in legal deposit, the need for monitoring and enforcement procedures and the external and internal factors that influence the way in which legal deposit is implemented in a country, provides an overall understanding of the legal deposit process -The implementation of legal deposit also depends on the committed participation of various role players. The individual roles and needs of these stakeholders in the legal deposit process are identified. The empirical investigation was conducted in two stages. The first phase of the study involved a survey to explore the attitudes, opinions and actions of publishers and legal deposit libraries, as the two main role players, to determine how these factors affect the successful implementation of legal deposit in South Africa. This forms the bulk of the study. The second phase of the study consisted of a feasibility study to determine the state of compliance with legal deposit in the country The outcomes of the empirical study were used to identify gaps and weaknesses in the current legal deposit system. This formed the basis to make recommendations for the improvement of procedures, methods and services. Areas critical to the successful implementation of a legal deposit system are highlighted. The study concludes with a view to the future. The importance of implementing a sustainable system of legal deposit on which the development of an effective system for the legal deposit of electronic publications can be built, is stressed.Thesis (DPhil(Information Science))--University of Pretoria, 2008.Information ScienceDPhilunrestricte

The use of social media in teaching a campus-wide information literacy course

It is crucial for university students to become information literate in order to succeed in their studies; even more so in the current social media environment. Educators need to become part of this social world in order to ensure that their teaching stays relevant. This article reports on a project undertaken at the University of Pretoria with the aim of introducing social media to the campus-wide Information Literacy (IL) course offered. A research project was launched in which the IL course was assessed and new ways of presenting the current material were developed. This involved repackaging the course content and developing a toolkit with built-in activities for students. Interactive class exercises to ensure student engagement aimed at acquainting students with various social media tools and encourage academic networking and cooperation were introduced. It is believed that this new approach in presenting and teaching the IL course will not only have long-term benefits for students in their on-going studies, but will impact on their future work-lives as well.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_mousaion.htmlhttp://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=20129am201

An investigation into the feasibility of using a participatory research approach in determining the information needs of a group of Coloured women in Eersterust

The primary aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of using a participatory research approach as a method for determining information needs. Participatory research is a qualitative research methodology that challenges the principles and practices of objective, detached, quantitative research approaches in the social sciences. Three main trends converged to contribute to the emergence of the practice of participatory research namely: dissatisfaction in the development arena with the planning of projects without the involvement of the people themselves; the work of adult educators from which evolved a methodology in which learners gained control over their own learning processes; and the disenchantment of social scientists with traditional positivist research methods that distance researchers from the realities and social environment of the subjects of their research. Dissatisfaction with the use of quantitative methods and techniques, similar to that in the social sciences, occurred in information needs research, which resulted in a call for the development of an alternative set of premises and assumptions. This effected a move away from a view of information use from a system-oriented perspective, towards the use of qualitative methods focusing on the users themselves in determining their information needs. Both Coloureds and women in South Africa have been exposed to hardship and discrimination over many years. A literature review indicated that the planned participatory research project with Coloured women from Eersterust would be feasible. It became apparent that no studies on the information needs of Coloureds in South Africa had been done, and very little research was done dealing with the information needs of women. The literature on participatory research furthermore clearly indicated that the concept had become familiar in a diversity of settings and disciplines outside that of development. For the purposes of this study with women, it was also of significant interest to note the many similarities between participatory research and feminist research. With the practical implementation of the project, the pre-requisites and underlying principles of participatory research were strictly adhered to. Information needs that were identified during the course of the project were compared to needs identified in other similar South African studies. The active involvement of the women in the research project resulted in the identification of reliable and relevant information needs. These results can serve as an example for the increasing use of qualitative techniques in determining information needs, and affirm that participatory research methods can be a valuable alternative in the area of information needs research.Dissertation (MIS (Information Science))--University of Pretoria, 2007.Information Scienceunrestricte

Using the balanced scorecard to facilitate strategic management at an academic information service

This article reports on the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard model for facilitating strategic management at the Academic Information Service (academic library) of the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Robert Kaplan and David Norton developed the concept of the Balanced Scorecard in the early 1990s for motivating and measuring business performance. This management methodology is seen as an excellent vehicle for implementing organisational transformation measures in the Academic Information Service. The article starts by giving a short theoretical introduction to the concept of the Balanced Scorecard, followed by an outline of the implementation of the Scorecard on both the strategic and operational levels. It concludes by examining the ways in which the Balanced Scorecard is currently being used to facilitate the strategic management process at the Academic Information Service.http://www.reference-global.com/loi/libram201

Gebruik van grappe en raaisels in 'n leesbevorderingsprojek : 'n loodsstudie in die Wes- en Oos-Kaap

This article documents a reading and writing promotion project amongst learners attending under-privileged schools with Afrikaans as medium of instruction in the West and Eastern Cape. The premise of this study was that reading and writing should be fun and that books created for children should be reader centred. Learners were asked to take part in a voluntary writing competition which entailed writing down a joke or a riddle. These were selected and compiled in an economically produced booklet that the learners could buy at a nominal price. Feedback from both the learners and teachers at participating schools revealed the booklet to be a great success. Two main factors that contributed to this success were: participation, i.e. the fact that the readers were part of the project which empowered them and fostered a sense of self-worth; and the fact that they could identify with the book in terms of the language used and the circumstances portrayed in the book. The popularity of the book in terms of sales showed that even children with very little money will buy books that interest them. As this was a pilot project, the long-term advantages of the project cannot be predicted. However, the immediate effect of the project was visibly positive and could provide guidelines for the planning of similar reading promotion projects in the future.http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=20129http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_mousaion.htmlam201

Reader and context : a reception study of Afrikaans romance readers

Hierdie artikel wys op die winste van ander literatuurstudiebenaderings as teksanalise. Na ’n kort opsomming van navorsingsperspektiewe wat op die omgang van die leser met die teks fokus, word die opset en bevindinge van ’n leserstudie onder Afrikaanse lesers van romanses beskryf. ’n Vergelyking met ander studies oor dieselfde genre dui op ooreenkomste, soos dat die genre lesers help om aan die werklikheid te ontsnap en ontvlug, maar ook op verrassende verskille. Ten spyte van die patriargale omgewing waarin die Afrikaanse romanseleser lewe, word dit – anders as in ander studies – verswyg as rede vir ontvlugting. Die studie wys op die noue verbintenis tussen teks, leser en konteks wanneer die Afrikaanse romanselesers ontvlugting van misdaad as die werklikheid waarvan hulle wil ontvlug, aandui.This article highlights the gains of approaches other than that of text analysis to the study of literature. The romance is a literary genre that developed in Western culture mainly in English speaking countries. Romantic love is the essence of romantic fi ction and romances focus primarily on the love and romantic relationship between a man and a woman and have optimistic and emotionally satisfying endings. Until quite recently the idea of reading a romance often evoked derision, and there was a general assumption that the novels were read by less educated and less sophisticated women. However, romance publishing is big business in the West and also in South Africa and the question thus arises as to why this genre is singled out for ridicule. This article, which is based on a readership study of Afrikaans readers of romance novels, seeks to understand this phenomenon. After a short overview of research perspectives that focus on the association of the reader with the text, the context and results of the readership study are discussed. The study was undertaken on behalf of a South African publishing house and focuses on the demography of Afrikaansspeaking romance readers, their overall reading practices and the reasons for reading romances. The investigation was loosely based on Radway’s seminal study on readers of romances as discussed in her book Reading the Romance (1983). Questionnaires were included in a consignment of romances sent to members of romance book clubs. The questionnaires included, inter alia, the questions of why the respondents read romances and why these novels are preferred, or are felt to be “better” to read, than other books. One of the main themes that emerged from the responses was the women’s need to escape from the unsatisfactory realities of everyday life. This corresponds directly with results obtained from other studies of the genre. However, a surprising difference with existing studies also emerged when the responses regarding what respondents were escaping from were analysed. In spite of the patriarchal environment in which Afrikaans speaking women in South Africa fi nd themselves, this was not, as was predominant in other studies, mentioned as a reason/factor from which to escape. Instead, the South African women overwhelmingly indicated that they read romance novels to escape from the realities of rampant crime and violence touching upon their everyday lives. The main contribution of this readership study therefore, in which Afrikaans romance readers indicate that through their reading of romance novels they manage to escape from an unsatisfactory, crime-ridden reality, is that it clearly shows the close relationship between reader, text and sociohistorical realities. It furthermore demonstrates that literature can also be studied for the role it plays in the life of the reader and how the reader, by means of romance texts, may cope with such contexts and/or realities.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_akgees.htm

Using mobile technologies for social media based library services at the University of Development Studies Library, Ghana

Libraries all over the world are utilizing the latest Information and Communication Technologies to assist in their objective of providing clients with effective and efficient services, as well as timely access to needed information. The implementation of social media and the use of mobile technologies for service delivery are trends that have, however, not yet been fully embraced by academic libraries in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This article reports on a study aimed at investigating the possibility of using mobile technologies to implement social media based services to graduate students at the University for Development Studies Library in Ghana. This article provides a short overview of the various technologies and services available, discusses the opportunities and challenges for implementing such services at the University Library, and provides a number of recommendations to support this goal.http://idv.sagepub.comhb201

The implementation of an innovative continuous assessment model for an Information Science undergraduate class : possible information ethical considerations

In order to stay relevant in the current technological environment together with the associated changing expectations and demands of students, new approaches in teaching, learning and assessment are needed. Traditional systems are increasingly seen as being too rigid, which has resulted in a growing focus on the idea of blended learning, a term that describes learning activities that combine face-to-face teaching with technology. As new information specialists prepare to enter the work force they must be taught not only the relevant information skills, but they also need to develop and refine their own individual sense of ethics, especially with regard to the ethical use of information and technology. This article discusses the development of a new blended model for a first year Information Science module comprising a variety of theory and practical activities, using various technologies, and underpinned by basic information ethical considerations. The article provides an overview of the rationale for undertaking the project, discusses the blended learning approach, and concludes by highlighting some of the positive outcomes experienced.http://www.ajol.info/index.php/innovationam201

Participatory communication for local government in South Africa : a study of the Kungwini local municipality

Participatory communication, focusing on the active involvement of the people in all stages of development projects, is crucial for sustainable development. South Africa acknowledges the importance of following a participatory communication approach for development, and policies and strategies both on national as well as local government level support this resolve. This article discusses a study which aimed at ascertaining to what extent local government follows accepted participatory communication principles and practices to communicate with the community. The investigation focused on the Kungwini Local Municipality. Interviews with relevant role players were conducted, meetings between themunicipality and the community were observed, and documents used by the municipality to communicate with the community were studied. Results indicate that the participatory communication approach is appreciated as being critical for development at local government level and is being successfully applied by the local municipality. Some challenges for further practical implementation of participatory communication were identified, and recommendations for addressing them are offered

The use of social networking tools for innovative service delivery at the University of Pretoria library

Social networking tools are impacting on the scholarly and research activities of staff and students in the academic environment. The university library has an important part to play in supporting these endeavours and a Web 2.0/Library 2.0 strategy has been in place in the University of Pretoria Library for a number of years. This article discusses the first phase of a collaborative project between the University Library and the Department of Information Science which was initiated with the aim of monitoring the introduction and use of social networking products and services by the reference librarians. Valuable information was obtained on the range of products implemented as well as problems accompanying this; which led to renewed strategies for addressing the shortcomings. The article concludes with recommendations for future implementation of relevant products and services