eReadiness of public university libraries in Malawi with special reference to the use of mobile phones in the provision of library and information services.

Doctor of Philosophy in Information Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.It was observed that public university libraries in Malawi were failing to adequately serve their clients due to, among others, inadequate ICT infrastructure and and and limited opening hours. The use of mobile phones in the provision of library and information services was viewed as an alternative solution to this challenge. This study was, therefore, undertaken to investigate the eReadiness of public university libraries in Malawi to use mobile phones in the provision of library and information services. The study addressed the following questions: What is the level of preparedness of public university libraries in Malawi in terms of ICT infrastructure, policy framework and human capacity for the adoption and use of mobile phones in providing library and information services? What electronic information resources and services are currently available in public university libraries in Malawi that can potentially be adopted and used through mobile phones? What is the current status of providing and accessing library and information services through mobile phones in public university libraries in Malawi? What are the attitudes of library staff, academic staff and students towards the potential use of mobile phones in providing and accessing library and information services? What factors influence the adoption and use of mobile phones by library staff, students and academic staff in providing and accessing library and information services? The study was underpinned by two theories: Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and Technology, Organization, and Environment (TOE) Framework. The study used the pragmatic paradigm, mixed methodology and case study design to understand the research phenomenon. The population of the study comprised students, academic staff, university/college librarians and ICT Directors. The samples of the population studied were 370 students, 255 academic staff, 5 university/college librarians and 5 ICT Directors. Qualitative data was collected through interviews from university/college librarians and ICT Directors while quantitative data was collected from students and academic staff using questionnaires. Qualitative data was analysed using Nvivo whilst quantitative data was analysed using IBM SPSS Software version 23. Findings of the study reveal that libraries surveyed had most of the ICT infrastructure necessary for offering library and information services through mobile phones. Students and academic staff possessed mobile phones which they could use to access information services offered by the libraries. Moreover, the mobile telecommunications network was pervasive in the country making the delivery and access to library services through mobile phones easier. However, ICT policies were not available whilst human resources and requisite skills were inadequate to provide effective library and information services through the use of mobile phones. The results further revealed that institutions surveyed had e-resources such as OPAC, e-books, e-journals, and repositories of local content that could be implemented through mobile phones. Findings also revealed that COM Library had fully implemented library and information services offered through mobile phones but MZUNI, KCN, The Polytechnic and LUANAR were all planning either to introduce or fully implement these services. The attitudes of library staff, academic staff and students towards the potential use of mobile phones in providing and accessing library and information services were largely positive. Network quality, service costs, and response times were factors that influenced the use of mobile phones in providing library and information services. The overall conclusion from this study was that public university libraries in Malawi were generally e-ready to offer library and information services through mobile phones notwithstanding certain infrastructure and skills issues that must be addressed. Consequently, the study recommended that public university libraries in Malawi that had not implemented the delivery of library services through mobile phones should speed up their implementation. The study further recommended that infrastructure and skills issues that were discovered should be addressed to ensure effective operations of library and information services provided through mobile phones. The researcher recommends that a much broader study covering all students in the four public universities in order to provide a holistic picture of the eReadiness of public university libraries in Malawi to offer library and information services through mobile phones

Mobile reading habit in the digital era: a case study of Under Graduate Students, Tripura, India

Purpose: The study was carried out with an aim to understand the mobile reading behaviour among the millennials of the state of Tripura. Methodology: The questionnaire having 35 questions was administered to 120 under graduate students of different departments from Govt. Degree College, Khumulwng and Ramakrishna Mahavidyalay. Out of 120 students, 82 have responded from Govt. Degree College, Khumulwng and the response rate is 68%. Out of 120 students, 80 have responded from Ramakrishna Mahavidyalay and the response rate is 66.66%. Results: The study revealed that highest number of respondents from Govt. Degree College, Khumulwng belongs to Female 53 (64.63%) and from Ramkrishna Mahavidyalaya belongs to male category 64 (80.00%). maximum respondents from both the colleges belong to rural area. Maximum respondents from both the colleges use phone for 1-3 and 3 -5 hours in a day. From Govt. Degree College, Khumulwng maximum respondents 67 (81.71%) use of phone for reading and Ramakrishna Mahavidyalaya maximu respondents (68.75%) use of phone for reading. From Govt. Degree College, Khumulwng maximum respondents 45 (54.88%) read daily 30-60 minutes in their phone and Ramkrishna Mahavidyalaya maximum respondents 35 (43.75%) are daily 30-60 minutes reading in their phone. Maximum respondents from both the colleges read news in their phones. Maximum respondents accepted the fact that they read more after they have become mobile readers. Maximum respondents look for word meanings in their phones, uses dictionary app and prefer English language for mobile reading. From Govt Degree College, Khumulwng 43.9% respondents are aware of E-book and from Ramakrishna Mahavidyalaya respondents 76.25% are aware of E-book. From Govt. Degree College, Khumulwng 58.54% respondents have never used any E-book and from Ramkrishna Mahavidyalaya 65% respondents have never used any E-book followed by 35% used E-book. Maximum respondents from both the colleges want E- book services from their respected libraries. Implications: The knowledge acquired through this study should contribute to better understanding of the phenomena of reading habits, mobile reading habits and attitude towards it in Tripura

Validating Technology-Organization Environment (TOE) framework in web 2.0 adoption in supply chain management

The second stage of Internet revolution has started with Web 2.0, which allows users to generate and develop the content without code. Web 2.0 not only change the way individual use internet but also tremendously transformed business activities. The primary aims of this study are (a) to validate the TOE framework in understanding Web 2.0 adoption in an organizational context, and (b) measuring the importance of each variable from the different industry perspective. This study developed a conceptual model based on the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework. A Webbased structured questionnaire was developed to collect primary data. With three months effort, this study managed to get 205 respondents from Malaysian manufacturing and service industry. Multiple regression and Dominance analysis were applied to understand the effect of the TOE framework on Web 2.0 adoption and predicting the importance of each factor form different industries perspective respectively. Multiple regression results confirmed that all the factors are important for Web 2.0 adoption, however, the technological characteristic is the most important determinant for Web 2.0 adoption. Moreover, dominance analysis showed very interesting results that relative advantage is not important for the service industry but top management support is the utmost importance. Similarly, results also indicated that top management support plays important role in Web 2.0 adoption for the fewer experience companies pertaining to internet usage. This study is one of the very few that provides insightful information regarding the effect of the TOE on Web 2.0 adoption in the supply chain management system. This study would be the guideline for the managers of both the manufacturing and service industry in order to implement the Web 2.0 in their supply chain system

A methodological framework for ICT roadmap development for rural areas

The use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) can support sustainable development within societies. ICTs have been supported by governments, private companies, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and individuals. However, technological changes have made most ICT initiatives haphazard due to poor planning. There is no systematic plan on how to deploy services, infrastructure and devices especially in rural areas. For instance, in some cases, computers have been donated to communities in rural areas yet they are not being used, and ICT services have been deployed without the supporting ICT infrastructure. One of the solutions to addressing these ICT challenges is through the use of roadmaps to guide ICT solution implementation. This thesis proposes an ICT roadmap methodological framework to improve ICT roadmap development for rural ICT solutions. A composite methodological approach was employed in this research. This involves the use of qualitative research techniques such as participant observation, design exercises, workshops, focus groups and individual interviews supported by ethnographic studies. The Siyakhula Living Lab in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa was used as the case study. Studies were conducted to identify the current state of ICTs in rural areas, the future of ICTs and overview of roadmap developments. Rural users in South Africa, ICT experts in Europe and Africa, government officials and academic institutions were engaged to understand the current ICT planning, developments and needs. The author found that there are variations in individual ICT services required by rural users but, most ICT services in need fall mainly in the areas of health, education, entrepreneurship, agriculture and employment creation for rural people. These services require ICT devices and infrastructure which include computer peripherals, mobile phones, radios, televisions and wireless infrastructure, mobile infrastructure, satellites and broadcasting infrastructure respectively. It was found that the common future ICT projections expected in rural areas include: growth of mobile usage, social networking, increase internet services and localization of services. The roadmap framework is built based on the current state of ICTs, trends in ICTs, future technological projections and the plans currently been initiated in African continent. The ICT roadmap methodological focuses on how roadmaps could accommodate infrastructure, services and ICT devices to reach rural people. This should help rural users to be able to access public services within their respective communities using available ICT devices. ICT stakeholders could use the designed framework to improve the ICT roadmap development process for rural ICT users in Africa

Knowledge sharing strategies in university libraries of Malawi.

Doctor of Philosophy in Information Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2018.This study was carried out to examine the strategies of knowledge sharing in University libraries of Malawi. Four public universities were studied namely: University of Malawi (UNIMA), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Mzuzu University (MZUNI), and Malawi University of Science and technology (MUST). The study addressed the following research questions: (1) What types of knowledge is generated or acquired by university libraries in Malawi? (2) What is the rationale for knowledge creation and sharing by university libraries in Malawi? (3) What mechanisms and infrastructure are used for knowledge sharing in university libraries in Malawi? (4) What are the factors influencing knowledge sharing in university libraries in Malawi? (5) What is the attitude of librarians towards knowledge sharing in university libraries in Malawi? in addition (6) What framework is needed for effective knowledge sharing in university libraries in Malawi? The Social Capital Theory (SCT) (Nahapiet and Ghoshal, 1998) complemented by Ajzen and Fishbein‘s (2000) theory of reasoned action (TRA), and Nonaka and Takeuchi’s (1995) knowledge conversion theory underpinned the study. Pragmatism ontology which supports mixed methods epistemology was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. A survey within case study research designs and self-administered questionnaires were used. Interviews, observations and document review were used to validate the results from the survey questionnaire. The target population of the study consisted of all library staff (professional and paraprofessional) with a qualification in Library and Information Science (LIS), working in public universities. A census of the entire university library staff population was reached for study. Reliability and validity of instruments were achieved using triangulation, factor analysis; adapting research instruments from previous related studies which surpassed the minimum threshold of 0.70 for Cronbach alpha values; and a reliability test using Cronbach’s alpha (a coefficient of reliability or consistency) which was used to determine how well a set of items measures a single unidimensional latent construct. Quantitative data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0 to generate descriptive and inferential statistics; while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The study revealed that knowledge generation and acquisition of tacit and explicit type was common in the university libraries. Knowledge generation was due to endless research reports, procedure manual handbooks, circulation statistics, policy documents, curriculum documents, rules and regulations, bibliographies and indexes, workshops and conference proceedings and their reports, emails and memos, and the codification of the same in the case of explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge generation on the other hand, was through staff socialisation, formal and informal interactions such as during tea breaks, and regular staff meetings. The study also found out that the rationale for knowledge generation and acquisition by staff was for their capacity to improve the delivery of library services and innovations. It was also established that staff were happy to share their knowledge with others outside the organisation through paper presentations at conferences and documents. The results indicated that library staff were intrinsically motivated to share their knowledge, suggesting that they were not motivated by organisational rewards for knowledge sharing. However, the said knowledge was not codified. The study recommended that university libraries management should put in place a policy aimed at documenting, codifying and storing in databases tacit and explicit knowledge generated and acquired by staff in university libraries. The study concluded that staff did not use mentoring, improved documentation of existing knowledge, storytelling and Communities of Practice for knowledge sharing. The findings of the study also revealed a presence of Information and Communication Technology infrastructure tools like computers connected to the internet, and fixed phones that were mainly used for internal communication. Despite the presence of such Information and Communication Technology infrastructure, institutions depended on face-to-face communication to enhance social ties and collaboration between and among the workers. The study recommended that top library managers put in place a formal mechanism and Information and Communication Technology infrastructure solely for knowledge sharing. The study found out that there was lack of trust among staff, inflexible structures, budget constraints and lack of policy framework for knowledge management. The findings revealed that lack of knowledge management policies resulted in provision of inadequate budgets for organising knowledge sharing forums. This affected rewarding of staff to motivate them to share knowledge between and among themselves. The study recommended that university libraries management should establish decentralised or horizontal organisational structures and empower co-workers to freely share personal knowledge and concerns, which in turn would enhance trust and openness in organisations thereby promoting active knowledge sharing among employees. The study also recommended an overall Knowledge Management policy that would lead to university management allocating resources for Knowledge management activities. The researcher further recommends a broader study be conducted of all university staff to determine the strategies, practices and challenges of knowledge sharing in universities. The study also recommends a comprehensive study of all private universities as well as public and private organisations, to investigate their knowledge sharing strategies, practices and to compare the findings

A inserção da biblioteca universitária na sociedade contemporânea: uma investigação nos serviços prestados por um Sistema de Bibliotecas

It brings up discussions about the reflexes affected in a University Library System in the light of social transformations. It aims to identify whether or not the university library is inserted and adapting to contemporary society, reflecting on its role in providing information services, and the functions that can be attributed to it, especially with the adherence to digital resources. It discusses the main characteristics of contemporaneity and their interference in university libraries, highlighting the services that can be performed. Methodologically, the study is characterized as qualitative, in the form of a case study, with the use of interviews with the library system manager, also using documentary and bibliographic research. From the results, it can be concluded that the Library System analyzed in this study has been adapting to current trends, offering diversified services, from personalized and face-to-face service to training and attendance services in a digital environment. Therefore, it was found the expansion of services, considering the needs of users, as well as the potential arising from the incorporation of digital technologies in library practices. This finding addresses one of the dimensions of contemporary society, the focus on service delivery. Indeed, it appears that the university library is inserted and adapting to this new context, although the educational function is the most prevalent, and the sophistication of services - in accordance with international trends - still manifests itself as an incipient process.Trae discusiones sobre los reflejos afectados en un Sistema de Bibliotecas Universitarias a la luz de las transformaciones sociales. Su objetivo es identificar si la biblioteca universitaria está insertada o no y se está adaptando a la sociedad contemporánea, reflexionando sobre su papel en la prestación de servicios de información y las funciones que se le pueden atribuir, especialmente con la adhesión a los recursos digitales. Discute las principales características de la contemporaneidad y su interferencia en las bibliotecas universitarias, destacando los servicios que se pueden realizar. Metodológicamente, el estudio se caracteriza por ser cualitativo, en forma de estudio de caso, con el uso de entrevistas con el administrador del sistema de la biblioteca, también utilizando investigación documental y bibliográfica. A partir de los resultados, se puede concluir que el Sistema de Bibliotecas analizado en este estudio se ha estado adaptando a las tendencias actuales, ofreciendo servicios diversificados, desde servicios personalizados y presenciales hasta servicios de capacitación y asistencia en un entorno digital. Por lo tanto, se encontró la expansión de los servicios, considerando las necesidades de los usuarios, así como el potencial derivado de la incorporación de tecnologías digitales en las prácticas de la biblioteca. Este hallazgo aborda una de las dimensiones de la sociedad contemporánea, el enfoque en la prestación de servicios. De hecho, parece que la biblioteca de la universidad se inserta y se adapta a este nuevo contexto, aunque la función educativa es la más frecuente y la sofisticación de los servicios, de acuerdo con las tendencias internacionales, todavía se manifiesta como un proceso incipiente.Traz à baila discussões acerca dos reflexos acometidos em um sistema de bibliotecas universitárias à luz das transformações sociais. Objetiva identificar se a biblioteca universitária está ou não inserida e adequando-se à sociedade contemporânea, refletindo acerca de seu papel na prestação de serviços de informação, e as funções que lhe podem ser atribuídas, sobretudo com a adesão aos recursos digitais. Discorre sobre as principais características da contemporaneidade e suas interferências nas bibliotecas universitárias, destacando os serviços que podem ser realizados. Metodologicamente, o estudo caracteriza-se como qualitativo, na forma de um estudo de caso, com o uso de entrevista ao gestor do Sistema de Bibliotecas, utilizando-se, também, da pesquisa documental e bibliográfica. A partir dos resultados, concluiu-se que o Sistema de Bibliotecas analisado neste estudo vem se adequando às tendências atuais, oferecendo serviços diversificados, desde atendimento personalizado e presencial a serviços de capacitação e atendimento em ambiente digital. Portanto, constatou-se a ampliação dos serviços, considerando as necessidades dos usuários, assim como as potencialidades oriundas a partir da incorporação das tecnologias digitais nas práticas bibliotecárias. Essa constatação atende a uma das dimensões da sociedade contemporânea, o foco na prestação de serviços. Com efeito, aferiu-se que a biblioteca universitária está inserida e se adequando a esse novo contexto, embora a função educativa seja a que mais prevaleça, e a sofisticação dos serviços - em conformidade com tendências internacionais - ainda manifeste-se como um processo incipiente

E-government iImplementation and adoption: the case study of Botswana Government

ABSTRACT The advancements in the ICT and internet technologies challenge governments to engage in the electronic transformation of public services and information provision to citizens. The capability to reach citizens in the physical world via e-government platform and render a citizen-centric public sector has increasingly become vital. Thus, spending more resources to promote and ensure that all members of society are included in the entire spectrum of information society and more actively access government online is a critical aspect in establishing a successful e-government project. Every e-government programme requires a clear idea of the proposed benefits to citizens, the challenges to overcome and the level of institutional reform that has to take place for e- government to be a success in a given context. E-government strategy is fundamental to transforming and modernising the public sector through identification of key influential elements or strategy factors and ways of interacting with citizens. It is therefore apparent that governments must first understand variables that influence citizens’ adoption of e-government in order to take them into account when developing and delivering services online. Botswana has recently embarked on e-government implementation initiatives that started with the e-readiness assessment conducted in 2004, followed by enactment of the National ICT policy of 2007 and the approval of the e-government strategy approved in 2012 for dedicated implementation in the 2014 financial year. Significant developments have taken place around national and international connectivity including initiatives that offer connectivity to citizens such as the I- partnership, community run Nteletsa projects, post office run tele-centres and Sesigo projects that have been deployed on a wider Botswana. In spite of these remarkable initiatives there is no change management strategy in place and evidence to suggest that citizens cluster groups, government employees, key influential citizens’ stakeholders and other local government administrative governing structures at district levels have been appropriately informed, consulted, engaged and participated in the design, development and implementation initiatives. This position has contributed largely to low e-readiness indices for Botswana, low PC, Internet and broadband penetration levels, which do not commensurate with levels of connectivity initiatives already in place and operational. The strategy development, which is the viability business plan for the entire project has been initiated and concluded without the appropriate input of citizens, employees and local government structures at the districts. Considering that that e-government is new and narrowly researched in Botswana. There is non existing research on both the impact of strategy factors to e-government implementation success and citizens’ involvement and participation in the e-government design and implementation through to adoption and continual use. This study therefore explores and investigates empirically the key e-government strategy influential success elements and the how citizens’ involvement and participation in e-government development can be secured, supported and facilitated towards adoption and continual future use. This culminates in the proposal of both theoretically supported and empirically validated e-government strategy framework and citizen centric conceptual model. The study is crucial as it aims understand how can influences upon success in e-government project be better understood and citizens’ stakeholder adoption of e-government enhanced to facilitate successful development of e-government in Botswana and is also timely as it comes at the time when Botswana has not yet implemented her e-government strategy, hence factors identified are critical to both strategy re-alignment and design of the citizens’ involvement and participation change management strategy to support both implementation and citizens’ adoption of e-government in Botswana. The study utilises the mixed methods research, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods to address the research question and triangulated data collection approaches used to select survey sample for two questionnaire sets carried on opinion holders within government and non government structures and ordinary citizens, use of observations on operating tele-centres, interviews with key e-government strategic stakeholders and document analysis which included e-government policies and related documentations as well as extensive review of e-government published literature including applied implementation and citizens adoption experiences of developing and developed countries. In the analysis of data the multiple regression analysis has been utilised and multivariate analysis performed to ensure linearity, normality and collinearity. The linear regression has been used to test the hypothesis through the Analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique. Keywords E-government, strategy critical success factors, key influential elements, citizen centric conceptual model, strategy framework, Botswana.Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST)Botswana Embass

E-Governance: Strategy for Mitigating Non-Inclusion of Citizens in Policy Making in Nigeria

The Nigerian federation that currently has 36 states structure adopted the Weberian Public Administrative system before now as an ideal way of running government, which was characterized with the traditional way of doing things without recourse to the deployment of Information Communication Technology (ICT). Today e-governance is seen as a paradigm shift from the previous way of governance. Research has shown that, the adoption and implementation of e-governance is more likely to bring about effective service delivery, mitigate corruption and ultimately enhance citizens’ participation in governmental affairs. However, it has been argued that infrastructure such as regular electricity power and access to the Internet, in addition to a society with high rate of literacy level are required to effectively implement and realize the potentials of e-governance for improved delivery of services. Due to the difficulties currently experienced, developing nations need to adequately prepare for the implementation of e-governance on the platform of Information Communication Technology (ICT). Hence, this study seeks to examine whether the adoption and implementation of e-governance in the context of Nigeria would mitigate the hitherto non-inclusion of citizens in the formulation and implementation of government policies aimed at enhanced development. To achieve the objective of the study, data were sourced and analyzed majorly by examining government websites of 20 states in the Nigerian federation to ascertain if there are venues for citizens to interact with government in the area of policy making and feedback on government actions, as a way of promoting participatory governance. The study revealed that the adoption and implementation of e-governance in the country is yet to fully take place. This is due to lack of infrastructure, low level of literacy rate and government inability to provide the necessary infrastructure for e-governance to materialize. The paper therefore, recommends among others the need for the Federal Government to involve a sound and clear policy on how to go about the adoption and implementation of egovernance through deliberate effort at increasing budgetary allocation towards infrastructural development and mass education of citizens

The Impact of e-Democracy in Political Stability of Nigeria

The history of the Nigerian electoral process has been hitherto characterized by violence stemming from disputes in election outcomes. For instance, violence erupted across some states in Northern Nigeria when results indicated that a candidate who was popular in that part of the country was losing the election leading to avoidable loss of lives. Beside, this dispute in election outcome lingers for a long time in litigation at the electoral tribunals which distracts effective governance. However, the increasing penetrating use of ICTs in Nigeria is evident in the electoral processes with consequent shift in the behavior of actors in the democratic processes, thus changing the ways Nigerians react to election outcomes. This paper examines the trend in the use ICT in the Nigerian political system and its impact on the stability of the polity. It assesses the role of ICT in recent electoral processes and compares its impact on the outcome of the process in lieu of previous experiences in the Nigeria. Furthermore, the paper also examines the challenges and risks of implementing e-Democracy in Nigeria and its relationship to the economy in the light of the socio-economic situation of the country. The paper adopted qualitative approach in data gathering and analysis. From the findings, the paper observed that e-democracy is largely dependent on the level of ICT adoption, which is still at its lowest ebb in the country. It recognizes the challenges in the provision of ICT infrastructure and argues that appropriate low-cost infrastructure applicable to the Nigerian condition can be made available to implement e-democracy and thus arouse the interest of the populace in governance, increase the number of voters, and enhance transparency, probity and accountability, and participation in governance as well as help stabilize the nascent democrac