This study aimed to investigate into knowledge sharing as a mechanism for managing knowledge in the City of Cape Town public libraries, Western Cape, South Africa. The study sought to achieve the following objectives: To find out the extent to which knowledge sharing takes place in the City of Cape Town public libraries; To establish how knowledge is shared between the less experienced and the more experienced librarians; To explore the influence of knowledge sharing on service delivery in the City of Cape Town public libraries; To identify and discuss the impediments to knowledge sharing the City of Cape Town public libraries; The findings of the study would provide insight useful in addressing the challenges that confront public libraries as far as knowledge sharing and is concerned. This study would assist to maintain the best practices of knowledge sharing in the City of Cape Town public libraries.This study would also help the City of Cape Town policy makers and library management to come up with knowledge‐sharing/ knowledge management intervention measures from an informed point of view.

M.Inf. / As more publishers become involved in electronic publishing, information centres need to respond to the challenges of accommodating electronic journals in their collections, as electronic journals are becoming increasingly important to research. In this research the role of the electronic journal within the scholarly communication process is examined. The role played by information providers and information centres in facilitating access to particular content in electronic journals is also studied. Partnerships that are developing between publishers, secondary publishers and information centres are traced. The importance of the publisher in quality control is emphasized. The peer review process is identified as fundamental to the scholarly communication process. The research methods employed were to carry out a literature study and to examine methods of access to electronic journals on the WWW. The Websites of publishers, secondary publishers and information centres were examined, in order to discover how they simplify access to electronic journal content for end-users. A workflow model was devised to serve as a guideline in assisting information specialists in their management of e-journals. The important challenge facing the information specialist is to provide a value added electronic journal service. This can be achieved through producing indexes and abstracts and providing an evaluation of the different sources

The development of any country is regarded as the function of the availability, organisation and utilization of its resources. Information has come to be widely recognised as a resource as valuable as other resources of matter, energy and human skill. This recognition is evident through the attention given by the countries in the developed areas of the world to the collection, organisation and utilization of information. The result, as one can witness now, is the establishment and maintenance in these countries of advanced library and information services, where sophisticated technology (e.g. computers and other electronic devices) is being applied. Since developing countries like Iraq, with which we are especially concerned, are undergoing a development process and almost all of them have been adopting a planning procedure as an instrument of policy in their own development, the availability, organisation and utilization of information is essential for them. The only way to meet this is by ensuring the availability of efficient infrastructures that perform the functions of collecting, organising and retrieving information on a nationwide basis. Therefore developing countries need to: recognise information as an essential component in the individuals, and society1development, question the deficient and fragmented state of their library and information services, recognise the deficiencies of these services and take the measures necessary for their development. This study demonstrates the value of information in development, reviews the activities concerned with collecting, organising and retrieving information, questions the present state of library and information services in developing countries with special reference to Iraq, highlights their deficiencies and the, factors contributingýto these deficiencies, and provides guidelines for solution. This study was based on an extensive literature survey, personal interviews, visits and on-site observations.

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

M.A. / This thesis summarises research into the feasibility and subsequent implementation of a subscription based online and electronic information resource centre for the South African wine and brandy industry. A business case was compiled and accepted by key decision makers in the industry. The information resource centre was established under a recognised industry body to ensure equal access to all the role-players in the industry. The benefits of a centralised industry information resource centre have been demonstrated to result in: ► Reduced information acquisition cost ► No unnecessary duplication of high cost items, such as market analysis reports ► Improved and accelerated dissemination of information within the local industry through the use of a full electronic distribution strategy ► A point of contact for information for all role-players in the local industry and not just those organisations or institutions which have large research and marketing budgets ► A consistent and a unified database of local and international holdings within the local industry.

The purpose of this study is to understand the technical and social considerations of implementing business to business processes integration. In order to do so, a study was undertaken of two processes used by a local vehicle manufacturer to integrate their operations with those of their suppliers. Structuration theory was used to situate the findings. It was found that technology is a powerful enabler, but can also constrain human agency in terms of process execution. Competitive advantage, identified as the main driver for business to business process integration, is enabled by technological and process structures, but can only be maintained by enabling human agency. / Dissertation (MPhil(Informatics))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Informatics / MPhil / unrestricted

Online information access on mobile devices is increasing as a result of the growth in the use of Internet-enabled handheld (or pocket-size) devices. The combined influence of recent enabling technologies such as Web 2.0, mobile app stores and improved wireless networks have driven the increase in online applications that allow users to access various types of information on mobile devices regardless of time and location. Examples of such applications (usually shortened to app) include: social media, such as FacebookTM App and TwitterTM App, banking applications such as (Standard Bank South Africa)TM Mobile Banking App and First National Bank (FNB) BankingTM App, and news application such as news 24TM App and BBCTM News App. Online businesses involved in buying, selling and business transaction processing activities via the Internet have exploited the opportunity to extend electronic commerce (e-commerce) initiatives into mobile commerce (m-commerce). Online businesses that interact with end user customers implement business to consumer (B2C) m-commerce applications that enable customers to access and browse product catalogue information on mobile devices, anytime, anywhere. Customers accessing electronic product catalogue information on a mobile device face a number of challenges such as a long list of products presented on a small screen and a longer information download time. These challenges mainly originate from the limiting and dynamic nature of the mobile apps operating environment, for example, dynamic location, bandwidth fluctuations and, diverse and limited device features, collectively referred to as context. The goal of this research was to design and implement a context-aware model that can be incorporated into an m-commerce application in order to improve the presentation of product catalogue information on m-commerce storefronts. The motivation for selecting product catalogue is prompted by literature which indicates that improved presentation of information in m-commerce (and e-commerce) applications has a positive impact on usability of the websites. Usable m-commerce (and e-commerce) websites improve efficiency in consumer behaviour that impacts sales, profits and business growth. The context-aware model aimed at collecting context information within the user environment and utilising it to determine optimal retrieval and presentation of product catalogue in m-commerce. An integrated logical context sensor and Mathematical algorithms were implemented in the context-aware model. The integrated logical context sensor was responsible for the collection of different types of predetermined context information such as device specification or capabilities, connection bandwidth, location and time of the day as well as the user profile. The algorithms transformed the collected context information into usable formats and enabled optimal retrieval and presentation of product catalogue data on a specific mobile device. Open-source implementation tools were utilised to implement components of the model including: HTML5, PhP, JavaScript and MySQL database. The context-aware model was incorporated into an existing m-commerce application. Two user evaluation studies were conducted during the course of the research. The first evaluation was to evaluate the accuracy of information collected by the context sensor component of the model. This survey was conducted with a sample of 30 users from different countries across the world. In-between the context sensor and main evaluation surveys, a pilot study was conducted with a sample of 19 users with great experience in mobile application development and use from SAP Next Business and Technology, Africa. Finally an overall user evaluation study was conducted with a sample of 30 users from a remote area called Kgautswane in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The results obtained indicate that the context-aware model was able to determine accurate context information in real-time and effectively determine how much product information should be retrieved and how the information should be presented on a mobile device interface. Two main contributions emerged from the research, first the research contributed to the field of mobile Human Computer Interaction. During the research, techniques of evaluating and improving usability of mobile applications were demonstrated. Secondly, the research made a significant contribution to the upcoming field of context-aware computing. The research brought clarity with regard to context-aware computing which is lacking in existing, current research despite the field’s proven impact of improving usability of applications. Researchers can utilise contributions made in this research to develop further techniques and usable context-aware solutions.

Environmental science is a growing field that draws data from a broad range of disciplines. These data represent the intellectual and financial efforts of countless individuals and institutions and are invaluable for continued research on the environment. This thesis details three case studies that center on providing users with improved access to environmental data and suggest an information model. Users will be better served by environmental information systems that provide detail on the strengths and limitations of data in archives, and that give direct access to individual measurements accompanied by metadata. Metadata provides the required, essential summary of the applicability of data. The first case study describes the creation of a prototype metadata system CODIS (the Continental and Oceanographic Information System). It examines the creation of an effective database organization for a multidisciplinary information system and the generation of conventions and techniques to assemble and structure multidisciplinary data. These conventions included the requirement for input using previously prepared lists and the development of parallel data structures between disciplines to facilitate data entry and searching. This improved database organization was demonstrated to decrease the time needed for data entry while reducing error rates in the entered data. Data in CODIS are appraised for reliability using discipline-specific protocols. The protocols are based on a dichotomous, decision tree format accompanied by detailed guidelines. The output from the appraisal process is a non-hierarchical assessment based on a five-point scale and comments from appraisers. These products inform users about the reliability of the included data. The protocols were examined for repeatability and replication between appraisals. The outputs from the appraisal processes were demonstrated to be comparable to peer review. Contextual evaluation, developed in the second case study, provides insight into the potential applicability of data in databases. The NCIS (National Contaminants Information System) study examines the development of a system to create contextual metadata to be stored with archival data. Contextual evaluation is carried out by examining and documenting each step in the experimental process. This study entailed developing a set of protocols for the assessment, and creating educational tools to ensure their effective implementation. NCIS groups datasets as either experiments or surveys, with only experiments being evaluated for context. It was necessary to develop a unified organizational scheme to classify diverse research and monitoring activities into defined categories. The process was reviewed and a refined version is currently in use across Canada in the implementation of NCIS. The case study highlighted difficulties associated with the division into experiments and surveys. The third case study examines the censoring of data, a practice that involves reporting values as unknown or undetected when their existence is known. This study of the British Columbia, Ministry of Environment’s Environmental Management System (EMS) examines the limitations placed on secondary users and metadata systems by storing censored data in archives. It includes a survey of current practices in environmental analytical laboratories and investigates the statistical tools used to remediate censored data. The case study concludes that censoring of data severely limits the secondary use of otherwise high-quality data. A gap-analysis of the studied systems leads to a set of recommendations and responsibilities that highlight the critical insights derived from the case studies and emphasize shared responsibility by all partners in the data-to-decision process. The thesis then presents a three-tiered conceptual model for a general environmental information system. In order to facilitate this task three new information elements are proposed and defined: datasets, infosets and metasets. It is anticipated that this work may serve to influence the direction of environmental data management practices by providing a model for future environmental information systems. / Graduate

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MA (Information Science))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Information Science / unrestricted

Submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science, Faculty of Arts, University of Zululand, 2004. / Modern legislative functions demand that legislator's access, exploit and use information for effective decision making on a regular basis. It is increasingly assumed that legislative functions in a democratic country are becoming more complex as the electorate's political consciousness and knowledge of their rights and responsibilities is dramatically changing and transforming. During parliamentary sessions information is used for a variety of purposes. These include: preparation for speeches, participation in parliamentary debates, maintenance of formal and informal conversation with colleagues and constituents about matters of mutual concern, and to be able to contribute towards the legislative processes. It is also noted that during recess periods information is needed to communicate with constituents on a variety of issues. Parliamentary libraries are formal institutions whose specific functions are to provide information services to parliamentarians. Currently they provide a variety of services to parliamentarians such as searching and retrieval of information on request, pro-active information packages on specific topics, research assistance and photo-copying services. In some parliamentary libraries searching facilities to conduct electronic searches are part of the services rendered. Based on their close proximity to the parliament environment, it could be assumed that the libraries would be heavily utilised by the parliamentarians. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The aim of the study was to determine the extent to which various information sources, services and systems are used by parliamentarians to access information. The role of parliamentary libraries within the parliamentary information provision sector was also investigated. Similarly, the efficienc\ of these services in satisfying the information needs of their clientele was also to be established. Specific attention was given to the utilization of electronic information sources, especially the Internet. It was assumed that unsatisfactory educational background of the majority of the current parliamentarians impedes their ability to access information sources. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods that involved largely surveys by use of questionnaires were used. Informal interviews and observation were also used to collect data for the study. Data was collected from the parliamentarians, both on a national and a provincial level, as well as from the parliamentary librarians. Two questionnaires were designed, one for the parliamentarians and a separate one for the librarians. Informal interviews with staff from the Library of Parliament, Cape Town were held to supplement information gained from the questionnaire. An observation schedule was used to capture information relating to the conditions at the Library of Parliament, Cape Town. The questionnaire for the parliamentarians was distributed to all parliamentarians on address lists provided by the parliaments, or those available on the Internet. Seven hundred and sixty questionnaires were mailed to parliamentarians and 167 were returned, giving a return rate of 23%. It was recognized that a low response rate is common on related studies reported in the literature. The low response rate, in our view, did not obscure the validity of the results obtained from the study. The questionnaire for the Parliamentary Libraries was mailed to all ten of the parliamentary libraries and a 100% response rate was obtained. The major findings of the stud} were that South African parliamentarians indeed had the same incessant need for information as their counterparts in other countries. A variety of information needs were expressed, many of which could be directly related to the portfolio or committee to which the parliamentarian was attached. Three major information needs however emerged i.e. the need for information on governance, politics and provincial issues, as well as safety and security. It was found that the respondents used various information sources, services and systems to satisfy their information needs. The strongest preferences were expressed for printed materials; however utilization of electronic sources were strongly supported. In respect of using electronic sources a number of problems were highlighted by the respondents. Both formal and informal information services and systems were utilized a lot less than anticipated. However, a close relationship was found between the level of education of the parliamentarian and the variety of sources used. For example, the higher the educational levels attained the wider the variety of sources used. It was interesting to note that only a small discrepancy was found between the preference to receive information in a printed or an electronic format. The oral medium, which is a prevalent medium within the African continent, was the least preferred. The respondents notably preferred to took for the information themselves, but a large group also used an intermediary close to them, i.e. their Personal Assistants to do their information searches for them. Information sources utilized were mainly sources personally available to the parliamentarian. A large group also used their computers to search for information. Parliamentary libraries, even though they provide a variety of traditional and pro-active information services were not utilized optimally. This trend was reiterated by some of the librarians who mentioned that they were severely under-utilized even during parliamentary sessions. With the exception of the Library of Parliament, Cape Town, parliamentary libraries at provincial level are new developments, and as thus still busy establishing themselves as role-players in the information provision sector. The success of their activities varies from library to library, from being well-utilized units, to being severely-underutilized. Problems identified in this regard are the marketing of services and products and user-education. The majority of the libraries are moving progressively towards the utilization and the provision of electronic information sources for parliamentarians. Recommendations included an aggressive and effective marketing strategy to keep parliamentarians informed on the latest available products and services. In this respect, the electronic medium should be used optimally, either through the Intranet or the Internet. Innovative ways and means of user education should also be investigated. It is also recommended that the parliamentary Libraries develop a niche area for themselves in respect of the provision of electronic information services. Parliamentarians do not have the time, nor the expertise, to spend on doing fruitless searches. Particular attention should be given to the role of the Personal Assistant in the information seeking. Similarly, parliamentarians need to be educated about the advantages of using a skilled information-seeking intermediary instead of an unskilled person. Attention should be given to educating parliamentarians about the various information sources available to them, both within the parliamentary libraries, as well is in the country. Once again the parliamentary libraries could see this as a niche area for service delivery.