Supporting the information needs of entrepreneurs in South Africa

This is a post-print/preprint of an article published by Emerald in Library Review, VOL. 58(8): 569-580, available: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/00242530910987064.Purpose - The Library Business Corners (LBC) service for entrepreneurs in the Western Cape of South Africa uses public libraries as a channel for information and expertise. It is a 'grass roots', community-driven, approach which has been adopted elsewhere in South Africa. Similar services have appeared addressing the same, or similar, groups of users, often concentrating on the use of information and communication technology. Design/methodology/approach - Developing an effective service for entrepreneurs depends critically on the quality of staff and their contacts. The opportunities and problems of the LBCs' approach are identified and a response to the emergence of similar services is considered. The 'balanced score card' model is used to explore the vision and strategy of the present services and the potential contribution of information literacy. Findings - Financial support for LBC work is scarce and unlikely to increase. The challenge is to create a sustainable service by the LBC team as points of presence, using the existing or reduced financial base. Concentration on increasing capacity at the point of delivery of information through knowledge of the business environment and information literacy is essential. Originality/value - The paper describes the first application of the 'balanced score card' technique to a public library business information service in South Africa

Are pre-compiled citation indexes of peer-reviewed journals an adequate control for research quality? A case study of library and information science

Looks at the South African Department of Education’s new recommendations for the evaluation of higher education research in South Africa, and examines two primary aspects: the use of pre-compiled journal lists from overseas, and the apparent reliance on peer review as a guarantee of quality. Pointing out that these are tried and tested standards of quality, the authors argue that there are nonetheless disciplinary differences between experimental sciences – such as physics or chemistry – and other disciplines that make these measures difficult to apply across the spectrum. They present an analysis of library and information science publications in the chosen lists and point to the weakness of the selection of titles in this discipline. In addition, there are extra difficulties for scientists from South Africa and the developing world in securing publication in premier international library and information science journals. The authors conclude by calling for the employment of other, additional evaluation measures in an integrated system

Issues related to the adoption of e-books in academic libraries: a literature review

While e-journals have successfully be integrated into library collections, the same cannot be said about e-books. In this paper, the obstacles to e-book adoption in academic libraries is discussed using a review of the English-language literature published over the period 2007 to 2013. Issues identified are the changing roles of libraries in the digital age; collection development strategies; complex e-book purchase models offered to libraries; questions of copyright, licensing and digital rights management; format considerations; and availability of hardware and software on which to read e-books. Libraries continue to face these challenges today

A review of the Knowledge Management Centre: conducted for the Economic and Human Development Department, City of Cape Town

Following a study of the resources and services of the Knowledge Management Centre (KMC) of the Economic and Human Development Department (EHD) and a survey of a sample of users and potential users, the conclusion is that the KMC is NOT operating in a Knowledge Management mode; it is operating as a small special library, in a demand-driven mode (page 7). Interviews with the sample of users indicate that a Knowledge Management mode of operation would be more appropriate for supporting the work of the EHD (page 9). It is proposed that the two mutually supportive KM initiatives of leveraging information content and the development and utilisation of knowledge communities should form the core of the EHD's KM strategy (page 13). A set of integrated actions are recommended to implement a Knowledge Management Programme and capacitate the KMC at the EHD (pages 15-18). A job description for a post of Knowledge Officer is provided (pages 19-20)

Research Data Management (RDM) Capabilities at the University of Ghana, Legon

The purpose of this study was to assess Research Data Management (RDM) capabilities at the University of Ghana (UG). The study focused on four key capability elements: policy framework, technological infrastructure, skills and knowledge, and support services. It explored the extent to which RDM is embedded in research practices at UG and provides insight into the preparedness of UG to develop RDM. A qualitative case study method was adopted for the study and data was gathered using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The instrument for the assessment was informed by the Collaborative Assessment for Research Data Infrastructure and Objectives (CARDIO) Matrix tool and respondents were drawn from the Library, IT department, Research Office and senior researchers. The results of the study show that RDM at UG is currently underdeveloped but with immense potential for growth. Though there is no formal RDM infrastructure in place, RDM is considered an essential research integrity issue. Capabilities were generally found to be limited, uncoordinated and not officially instituted. The study recommends that a clear and comprehensive policy framework for RDM should be developed to articulate RDM aspirations and express management’s commitment. It also recommends that research support staff should be supported to build their capacity for RDM promotion and support

The use of the intranet of the Durban University of Technology Library as a knowledge management tool

This paper reports an investigation of the use of the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Library intranet as a knowledge management (KM) tool. The general objectives of the investigation were to establish what KM practices are used in the library of DUT; establish if and how the staff of this academic library employ the intranet as a tool for KM; identify the characteristics of a KM tool that could assist the management of the library; assess DUT Library’s intranet (Microsoft SharePoint) against the characteristics of a KM tool. The specific objective was to ascertain the extent to which it is being used for KM and to develop an understanding of the factors that contribute or could contribute to the adoption of it for KM. The target population for this study was DUT professional library staff. The study employed a qualitative approach in its research design. Data were collected from the staff by means of a self-administered questionnaire, a focus group interview with a sample of key informants, and by consulting usage statistics of the SharePoint application.http://sajlis.journals.ac.zaam201

Continuing professional development opportunities in information and communication technology for academic librarians at the Durban University of Technology

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a vital tool for maintaining the skills and expertise of staff, especially with regard to the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). There is little information available about the involvement of librarians in South Africa with CPD: this study focused on academic librarians at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Library, seeking their attitudes towards CPD and its provision. It employed a qualitative approach in its research design. Questionnaires were utilised to collect information from twenty-five academic librarians. Follow-up interviews were conducted with five respondents. The overall study indicated that, although the respondents were aware of the importance of CPD and the impact of ICT on library resources and services, not all of them kept abreast of CPD activities within their field. The respondents believed that the institutions and the professional body, the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA), should work together to encourage and promote CPD activities. By encouraging CPD activities within the Library and Information Science (LIS) sector, the quality of librarianship and service delivery within the LIS would improve. Half of the respondents agreed about the importance of CPD becoming compulsory within the LIS profession and 55% of respondents considered that LIASA had a potentially important role to play in promoting CPD. However, in separate interviews, several respondents expressed doubt about the capacity of LIASA to fulfil this role.http://sajlis.journals.ac.zaam2019Information Scienc

Research data management (RDM) capabilities at the University of Ghana, Legon

The purpose of this study was to assess Research Data Management (RDM) capabilities at the University of Ghana (UG). The study focused on four key capability elements: policy framework, technological infrastructure, skills and knowledge, and support services. It explored the extent to which RDM is embedded in research practices at UG and provides insight into the preparedness of UG to develop RDM. A qualitative case study method was adopted for the study and data was gathered using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The instrument for the assessment was informed by the Collaborative Assessment for Research Data Infrastructure and Objectives (CARDIO) Matrix tool and respondents were drawn from the Library, IT department, Research Office and senior researchers. The results of the study show that RDM at UG is currently underdeveloped but with immense potential for growth. Though there is no formal RDM infrastructure in place, RDM is considered an essential research integrity issue. Capabilities were generally found to be limited, uncoordinated and not officially instituted. The study recommends that a clear and comprehensive policy framework for RDM should be developed to articulate RDM aspirations and express management’s commitment. It also recommends that research support staff should be supported to build their capacity for RDM promotion and support.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/2258?am2019Information Scienc

Enhancing information research and learning skills through e-learning : the case of Monash University Library

This paper focuses on the use of e-learning technologies for the purposes of enhancing information research and learning skills (IRLS) at Monash University Library. The objective of the research was to establish how Monash University Library integrates its vast resources and services through the medium of e-learning; what role Librarians and Learning Skills Advisers play in teaching and learning through e-learning; what measures were used to assess the effectiveness of e-learning in IRLS; what challenges Librarians and Learning Skills Advisers encountered in creating e-learning content for IRLS; and lastly, what the strengths and limitations of e-learning in the provision of IRLS are. The qualitative method was used as a research design and the population group consisted of Subject Librarians and Learning Skills Advisers from the Australian and South African campuses of Monash University. A questionnaire was used as the method of data collection.http://sajlis.journals.ac.za/pubam2016Information Scienc

Two-photon state selection and angular momentum polarization probed by velocity map imaging: Application to H atom photofragment angular distributions from the photodissociation of two-photon state selected HCl and HBr

A formalism for calculating the angular momentum polarization of an atom or a molecule following two-photon excitation of a J-selected state is presented. This formalism is used to interpret the H atom photofragment angular distributions from single-photon dissociation of two-photon rovibronically state selected HCl and HBr prepared via a Q-branch transition. By comparison of the angular distributions measured using the velocity map imaging technique with the theoretical model it is shown that single-photon dissociation of two-photon prepared states can be used for pathway identification, allowing for the identification of the virtual state symmetry in the two-photon absorption and/or the symmetry of the dissociative state. It is also shown that under conditions of excitation with circularly polarized light, or for excitation via non-Q-branch transitions with linearly polarized light the angular momentum polarization is independent of the dynamics of the two-photon transition and analytically computable.©2004 American Institute of Physics