M.Bibl. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Bibl. / Information is an important and powerful resource in the modern society. The so-called information explosion leads to certain manpower issues in the library and information profession. The question arises whether married women with family obligations can contribute to the alleviation of library and information workforce problems? Can other librarians, e.g. post graduate students or librarians reaching retirement age, contribute to the library and information profession on a basis other than that which is traditionally accepted (i.e. working approximately forty hours per week in a library?) To what extent does the university library use this potential workforce? What are the career opportunities for this latent workforce? The following non-traditional career patterns were included in this study: part-time work, flex(i)time, dual appointments, free-lance information brokers. job sharing, librarianship, staff rotation, consultants and Following a literature survey a questionnaire was sent to 22 South African University Librarians. Another questionnaire was sent to 122 non-traditional library and information professionals at nine university libraries. Although the study was limited to only a few university libraries, it was found that the current non-traditional university library workforce consists mainly of part-time employees. The majority are female, married, Afrikaans-speaking, have children at school and have stopped working full-time because of family obligations. The largest percentage (25%) of the respondents are between the ages of 36 and 40 years. Their responsibilities are primarily professional. 50% of the respondents are employed in the Cataloguing Department. Respondents also maintained that they were more productive in their current positions, than when they had been employed full-time. This corresponds with statements made by the employers in the first questionnaire, as well as with those made by several authors in the literature survey.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Technology: Library and Information Studies, Durban University of Technology, 2013 / Academic libraries should lead in the instructional change process by being at the nexus of teaching, learning and research in the university. This study was set in the context of the current higher educational landscape of South Africa. In particular, it focused on the emerging role of the University of Technology (UoT) library to enhance academic success. This was an exploratory study juxtaposed with a literature review pertinent to national and international library integration programmes and practices. Justification for this study stemmed from the current local and international trend for academic libraries to become proactive partners in teaching and learning through academic integration and leadership in promoting the university’s mission and goals. Underpinned by the process learning theoretical framework, the aim of this study was to explore the extent to which academic integration has been adopted by UoT libraries in South Africa. Process learning was chosen by the researcher because it is considered a learner-centred teaching technique for student engagement and it is consistent with the constructivist theory postulated and applicable to UoT libraries. The specific objectives of the survey were to determine: what academic integration programmes are offered by UoT libraries to enhance teaching, learning and research in South Africa; existing information literacy programmes and assessment practices in UoT libraries; what postgraduate/research programmes are offered by the library to academics and students and how they are represented in strategy or policy documents; and the similarities and differences in academic integration programmes in all six UoTs in SA. A mixed methods approach (quantitative and qualitative methodologies) were used to collect data regarding programmes and practices prevalent in UoT libraries across all six UoTs in South Africa. An online questionnaire was administered using SurveyMonkey. Forty-two subject librarians participated in the survey, yielding a sixty- two percent response rate. The objectives of the study were achieved by the identification of the following key academic integration programmes: embedded information literacy programmes; resource collection and development; faculty collaboration and partnerships to promote academic success; research scholarship and open access initiatives; social media networking; and reading and writing programmes. This study found that while academic integration has gained momentum in UoTs in South Africa, greater effort should be made in collaboration with academics in: embedded information literacy and blended learning; open access and scholarship; reading and writing programmes; and collaboration in postgraduate interventions. The findings also revealed that while most libraries internationally have embraced reading and writing programmes, libraries offering reading and writing programmes to enhance academic success are relatively scarce in UoTs in South Africa. It is recommended that the subject librarians engage in academic integration practices by: supporting the curricula and research programmes; improving institutional outcomes; improving collaborations; building intellectual or knowledge centres and providing relevant information to students and staff within a knowledge society.

Academic libraries are not immune to conflict; various important external and internal factors underlie conflict. Change, both external and internal, leads to interpersonal conflict amongst librarians which is caused by differing goals, policies, rules and decisions. Technology has been the major change in the digital era and academic libraries embarking on meeting the needs of the users have to manage change. It is important to understand how change evolves in order to manage it and the faster the change, the more conflict can be expected. The main purpose of this study is to investigate change and conflict in library and information services. The study collected data from two selected academic libraries - Fort Hare and Walter Sisulu. The reason for this choice is that the two libraries are from the Eastern Border region and strategically located to serve the deep rural and poverty-stricken communities. Both libraries are from merged institutions, under-developed and faced with change and conflict. Data was gathered by means of a literature study and face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with six participants in each library: two librarians in senior, two middle management and two librarians occupying lower level positions. Purposive sampling was used to select participants who fit the criteria and who could contribute to the study. The findings reveal that library staff experience stress and conflict because of external and internal factors of change impacting the academic environment. The study generated important findings which are capable of guiding academic library management on how to manage change effectively in the „new‟ electronic environment. The findings show that understanding conflict also equips management with strategies and techniques to manage conflict effectively. This study offers valuable insights into the lived conflict experiences and perceptions of librarians and sheds much light on the role of conflict management in these environments. This study will contribute to the management of conflict in information services in university libraries and will be an innovative application of conflict theory to the library discipline.