Innovation

Web visibility and impact of the National libraries in SubSaharan Africa

Omwoyo Bosire Onyancha — 2013-11-15

National libraries (NLs) play an important role not only in the preservation of the national heritage but also in the provision of information to a country’s population. It is therefore very important that, with the emergence of information and communication technologies such as the Internet, the libraries are not rendered useless. The paper explores the status of the libraries on the Web in terms of their visibility, impact and linkages by investigating their search traffic statistics using the Alexa search tool. Results indicate that almost half of the NLs in sub-Saharan Africa do not have their own websites; although the high impact and top search queries were subject/issue-oriented, some of the search queries were not subject-specific; and majority of the in-links emanated from Wikis as well as library-oriented websites. The study concludes that national libraries in sub-Saharan Africa are not widely visible on the Web while their impact on the Web is minimal. The use of social networking sites as a means of improving the Web visibility and impact of the libraries is recommended.

Innovation, no.45, December 2012

Preserving, developing and promoting indigenous languages: things South African librarians can do

Peter Lor — 2013-11-15

Many of the world’s approximately 7000 languages face extinction. While librarians are concerned with how they can serve users speaking indigenous languages and seek materials in indigenous languages as means or tools for reaching out and ensuring the relevance of their services to communities, linguists and language policy experts are concerned with issues of language preservation and development. Their emphasis is on the languages, which are also of interest to scholars and professionals in a variety of other fields. This article asks how libraries can contribute to the preservation, development and promotion of indigenous languages. On the basis of literature from various fields an attempt is made to construct a holistic conceptual framework for reflection by LIS professionals. Some examples from South African projects are given to illustrate the possible roles of LIS in the preservation, development and promotion of indigenous languages.

Innovation, no.45, December 2012

Barriers to and opportunities for provision and dissemination of information on sexuality and reproductive health to girls in secondary schools in Kenya

Monica W Rukwaro — 2013-11-15

This paper discusses factors affecting the provision of information on sexuality and reproductive health to girls in secondary schools in Kenya. The factors include lack of enforcement of national guidelines to educate the girls effectively on sexuality and reproductive health, lack of appropriate information sources, social-cultural norms and poverty, negative influence of mass media and internet, early onset of menarche, lack of coordination of reproductive health information provision, intergenerational sex, among others. Girls are singled out for discussion in this paper because they are more vulnerable to reproductive health problems than boys are because of their reproductive anatomy and physiology. A girl is also more susceptible to some STIs than an adult woman because her body lacks antibodies that could protect her against them and they also are unassertive to claim safety during sexual activity. Girls are also at a greater risk of sexual violation such as incest and harmful traditional practices such as forced child marriage and they also lack legal redress in cases of sexual abuse. Access to reproductive health information is restricted due to social-cultural norms which restrict a girl’s movement which impedes her access to available information. This paper also discusses suggestions that could be implemented in order to overcome the challenges that impede effective dissemination of information on sexuality and reproductive health. These suggestions include drawing up of national guidelines on sexuality and reproductive health education; training and equipping teachers, parents and peer counsellors with knowledge and skills on reproductive health, having appropriate reproductive health information disseminated through the mass media, libraries and health clinics; and efficient coordination of reproductive health provision, among others.

Innovation, no.45 December 2012

Contextualising the LIS curriculum in the Department of Information Science at Unisa through Africanisation: challenges, prospects and opportunities

Luyanda Dube — 2013-11-15

Unisa as an institution claims in its mission statement to be the African university in service of humanity. Expectedly, this should reflect in its institutional culture, curricula and library holdings and practices. Despite the commitment, literature has revealed that generally academic institutions in Africa still demonstrate hegemonic practices from the colonial past. Amongst other things, this has resulted largely in institutions offering academic curricula that have not been contextualised or aligned with African realities. In this light, this article seeks to determine the extent to which the curricula in the Department of Information Science at Unisa have been aligned according to the dictates of the current milieu. The qualitative approach was considered appropriate for this study because it focuses on observing events from the perspectives of those who are involved and is aimed at understanding the attitude, behaviour and opinions of those individuals (Powell and Connaway 2004). A basic interpretive qualitative research design was used for this study. Data was collected through interviews and document analysis. The data were inductively analysed and the findings are presented and discussed using references to the literature that informed the study. The results show that in the Department there is no clarity on what Africanisation means, involves and implies, and what its exact parameters are. This article recommends that if Unisa as an institution underscores the importance of being an African university, there is a need to give strategic direction and leadership on the understanding and implementation of the concept of Africanisation.

Innovation, No.45, December 2012

Leading the way: the managerial skills of library managers in South African university libraries

Praversh Sukram — 2013-11-15

This study was undertaken in 2008 to determine the managerial skills of library managers in university libraries in South Africa. South African universities have experienced a large number of changes since 1994 which have inevitably affected the libraries of these universities. Library managers have been faced with a number of challenges. The study surveyed library managers and a selfadministered questionnaire was used to gather data. Of the 124 library managers 86 responded yielding a response rate of 69.4%. A crucial finding of the study was that more than half the library managers in university libraries had received management training. The library managers had performed various core managerial activates to a varying degree. The study therefore recommended that the principles of change management and leadership competencies should be work-shopped to all library managers.

Innovation, no.45, December 2012

The staff training and development initiatives at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) libraries

Janine Lockhart — 2013-11-15

Library staff training and development is a crucial element in ensuring positive user experiences within libraries. A staff component consistently exposed to relevant training and development interventions should not be underestimated. This paper will explore the processes and methods used at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology Libraries (CPUT Libraries) to ensure that its staff has well planned and relevant learning opportunities and interventions. An overview of skills development in South Africa as well as policies, guidelines and procedures that inform the process will be discussed. The paper further unpacks a holistic staff development approach, namely, a three year special skills plan, a performance management process including development needs, annual training plan and implementation. Collaboration and partnerships between various stakeholders are crucial for the success and effectiveness of the implementation process, viz, university human resources learning and development (HR L&D) department, Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC), Cape Library Consortium (CALICO) and accredited training providers. The paper will also discuss some return on investment (ROI) strategies. This article will give specific examples of how these staff training interventions link to positive user experiences.

Innovation, no.45, December 2012

The information needs of adult Type 2 diabetic patients at Addington Hospital, Durban

Praba Naidoo — 2013-11-15

This study was based on a Master’s dissertation which investigated the information needs and information seeking behaviour of Type 2 diabetic patients at Addington Hospital in Durban. Longo’s 2010, Health Information Model provided the conceptual framework for the study. The study adopted a qualitative approach to survey the patients. A population of 74 adult patients with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes were individually interviewed. The results of the study reveal that the patients were prompted to look for information when a problem occurred, or when they wanted to treat a diabetes related problem. The patients’ reasons for seeking information were health related, to enable them to make better lifestyle choices and manage the side effects of diabetes. The study concluded that the patients relied heavily on the information provided by the doctor and they were satisfied with how the doctor conveyed the information to them. The study makes recommendations that could assist the patients satisfy their information need to health information relating to their chronic illness.

Innovation, no.45, December 2012