Applications of social media and web 2.0 for research support in selected African academic institutions

This study examined the use of Social Media/Web 2.0 for research support and it is guided by three objectives namely: a) to ascertain the uses of social media in academic institutions; b) to identify the challenges associated with social media use for research purposes and c) to provide experiences of social media application in selected African academic institutions. The study makes use of literature analysis in combination with personal and professional work experiences on the use of social media from librarians in four different countries. Institutional experiences of the four librarians showed that it is only Rhodes University Library that uses social media in its library, which is as a result of a formal social media strategy. For the other three universities, University of Education, Winneba Library in Ghana, Makerere University Library in Uganda and the University of Nigeria Library, the use of social media is not encouraging. They use it mostly for communication and interaction with colleagues. It was also discovered that there is no social media strategy available in these university libraries. Based on these findings, the study recommended the implementation of a social media strategy, appointment of social media librarians in these libraries, and continuing professional development of librarians to keep abreast with current trends. Web 2.0/Social Media is a new technology offering new options for African academic librarians in their research support rol

Contextualizing Wilson’s Information Behavior model in Seeking Indigenous Information for HIV prevention among Adolescents in Secondary schools, Uganda

Effective communication of quality health information in emergency situations is critical in curbing the spread of diseases. Health programs promoting both biomedical and indigenous representations in HIV prevention have been found to be more effective than those that ignore lay representations. Nonetheless, there is still limited documentation on indigenous information supporting health choices among adolescents in secondary schools in Uganda. Besides, the information sources from where adolescents seek this information are not clear. This paper presents Wilson’s Information Behavior model as the theoretical anchor used to understand how utilization of Indigenous information can be enhanced among adolescents for improved health choices on HIV prevention. The model was used as part of a doctoral study project to study the problem and propose a research design. The key constructs of the model adopted for the study include; context of information need, person in context, activating mechanism, and information search behavior, information processing and use. These served as the blueprints for enhancing access and use of indigenous information for HIV prevention in a school setting