Bibliography: leaves 497-531. / This study examines the need for and value of a theory of knowledge for library and information science that would account for the 'Ways in which given philosophical assumptions lead to certain modes of professional practice and styles of academic research. Since given theoretical standpoints influence the nature of library practice and tend to structure the way in which library and information science research is conducted, this investigation focuses on an analysis of the fundamental conceptions of knowledge, information, truth and reality in the context of the unique complex of functions of this profession. The main method applied in this study is a representative consultation and review of the literatures of library and information science, and of a few cognate or classical fields of study. A special focus is the examination and analysis of the writings of more than 40 selected library and information science theorists, as well as those of non-librarians. The inductively-derived results of this examination are reflected in analytical typologies. The holistic intellectual tradition that underlies the presumed continuities and commonalities in the typologies is developed as a framework for developing suitable criteria to establish and evaluate an appropriate epistemological position for library and information science. An epistemological position called holistic perspectivism is proposed as one which satisfies the postulated criteria. A graphic model of this position is explained as a means of demonstrating the application of holistic perspectivism in given areas of the knowledge-transfer role of library and information science.

Findings from health research ought to play a role in informing health policy formulation. Over the years much health research has been conducted both in developing and developed countries. However, little is known on how health research has informed health policy formulation. The study sought to review health research findings at the University of Malawi’s College of Medicine and Kamuzu College of Nursing and health policies of the Ministry of Health in Malawi, and based on the results, develop a communication and dissemination strategy as indicated by the study objectives. The study focused on exploring the extent of research use in policy formulation by evaluating sampled policies. It established from both researchers and policy makers their views regarding communication of research findings to policy makers, and how the two work together during conceptualisation, carrying out research and disseminating the findings. It sought to identify ways that the translation of research findings into policy formulation could be facilitated. The study is informed by the Knowledge Translation theoretical framework. It adopted the pragmatism philosophical paradigm which advocates for 'what works’. The convergent parallel mixed method strategy was used to gather both qualitative and quantitative data for the study. The population of the study comprised of researchers and academics at the University of Malawi, health research partners in Malawi and directors at the Ministry of Health in Malawi. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through self-administered questionnaires (246 academics and researchers), semi-structured interviews (17 directors from the Ministry of Health and relevant research institutes), a self-administered self-assessment tool (10 purposively selected directors from the Ministry of Health and from research institutes) and a health policy assessment tool. Qualitative data was analysed through content analysis while quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for both descriptive and inferential analysis. The data were supplemented with a search strategy through Scopus. The findings revealed that health researchers rarely interact with policy makers. Health researchers prefer publishing in journals, attending conferences and informally interacting with policy and decision makers. Policy makers rely on the use of Internet, reviews of previous policies, internal evaluations, data from the national statistical office, registries and information centres at the ministries for policy information. However, the study revealed in designing the communication and dissemination strategy based on 'what works’, that researchers work in research groups while policy makers work in technical work groups. The interaction between researchers and policy makers in the technical working groups informs the transfer of health research into policy-making. The study makes contributions to theory, practice and policy formulation. In terms of contribution towards the KTA framework, the study examined forms of formal interaction that may result in the transfer of health research information into policy and practice. The study indicates that formal interaction in the technical expert groups is one of such interactions that would facilitate the use of health research evidence in policy formulation. In terms of practice, the study recommends that there should be deliberate efforts by researchers in the research groups and policy makers at the technical working groups to formally engage each other. In terms of policy formulation, the study recommends that a proper interaction framework needs to be put in place for formal interactions between health researchers working in their research work groups and policy makers in the technical working groups.

University students in Zimbabwe lack immediate access to accurate health information. There is lack of explicit and integrated structures for disseminating health information to students in Zimbabwe. This inductive study proposes a needs-based, integrated information dissemination framework for promoting health amongst students at the National University and Science and Technology (NUST). The study assessed the health information needs of students and evaluated existing health information dissemination methods at NUST in developing a framework for disseminating health information. The study is informed by the Salutogenetic Theory of health which culminated into an integrated theoretical framework that combines information dissemination and behaviour change theories. A case study strategy was used to gather data within the pragmatic paradigm of grounded constructivism. The population comprised of undergraduate students, the Dean of Students, the Student Counsellor, and the Nursing Sister. Within-method triangulation with complementary data gathering instruments was used to improve reliability of data. Questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions were used to gather data. A sample of 426 students and 3 members of staff participated in the study. Qualitative and quantitative content analysis was used to determine the confounding factors that informed the design of the framework. The data was supplemented with health information dissemination principles and procedures drawn from literature. The findings reveal that students need health information on a wide range of health topics. Students prefer mobile electronic media, workshops, qualified health professionals, and peers for their health needs. There are significant gaps between the strategies that are being used by NUST to disseminate health information and the health information needs of the students. The university is using traditional information dissemination media and channels that are not in line with the needs of the students. NUST needs to use more interactive and ICT based information dissemination methods. There is also a need for staff recruitment, training and infrastructural development. The proposed framework emphasizes the need for integration of activities, a viable policy, health information literacy training and the use of a mix of persuasion techniques.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how library web sites are used in delivering information literacy to a diversity of users in five selected universities in South Africa. Drawing from the Association of College and Research Libraries’ information literacy framework for higher education, the study sought to establish how information literacy content is designed into curricula and delivered. It further established tools that are used to deliver information literacy via library websites, strategies that are adopted in managing the process as well as the assessment tools used to test students’ learning of information literacy. Ultimately the study established the challenges librarians encounter when developing information literacy curriculum/content and using technologies on their web sites. This was done to improve the current practice of information literacy programme delivery at the University of Namibia libraries. The study was guided by Constructivism paradigm and the framework for Information Literacy Competency for higher education. The study employed a qualitative approach in which research participants were purposely selected. While a checklist was used to collect data from the library websites, interviews were used to collect data from librarians who are information literacy coordinators in their institutions. The study found that information literacy content encompasses the ability to identify an information need, locate, evaluate, use and manage information legally and ethically. Academic libraries used various strategies to inculcate information literacy skills among others includes Libguides, YouTube, videos, presentations in PDF and Microsoft Words, blog, Ask a Librarian and live Chat with a Librarian. Technologies such as Camtasia, Articulate software for videos, games, audios, quizzes creation, and Libguides are often used to develop and deliver information literacy content through library web-pages. Challenges that were highlighted by the librarians include inability to identify appropriate technologies to use and in most cases, librarians depend on IT personnel for assistance. The study will be useful to libraries which are in the process of developing online tutorials; it has potential to help librarians to identify appropriate technologies and processes involved to effectively develop tutorials that will eventually transform library websites into educational and learning platforms.

Includes bibliographical references. / The premise from which this research project begins is that public libraries particularly in the developing world, are unable to fully finance their services and thus should seek alternative sources of funding. This project attempts to identify sustainable funding options for the Kenya National Library Services (KNLS) with specific reference to user fees for library services. In order to put the study into perspective, an outline of library history in Kenya is presented together with an overview of social, economic, technological, and social factors which influence the provision of library and information services. The literature review traces the origin of the user fee debate and summarises the arguments for and against fees in libraries. It also attempts to determine whether economic theory could present a theoretical perspective in reconciling the divergent views. The review shows that the issue of charging for library services is hotly contested within the LIS profession and that there is no easy solution. The position of the public libraries within the African continent is contextualised by briefly detailing prevailing conditions, particularly the pressures brought to bear in library budgets during difficult economic periods. An overview of user fee policy in Kenya and the current position of library funding and income generation in South Africa are presented.

Providing research support services is an important role and function of an academic library. Nationally and internationally, academic institutions are under pressure to improve the quality and quantity of their research outputs. An important aspect in developing a research culture is the provision of effective research support services. As a young research institution, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) invests a lot of time, energy and resources in supporting the development of a research culture. A significant aim of research support services is the progression of emerging researchers to established researchers. CPUT Libraries wishes to play an active role in this regard by providing research support specifically to emerging researchers. The provision of effective research support services however requires services that are aligned with researchers’ unique research support expectations. Without a clear understanding of the unique research support expectations of its researchers, the library will not be able to fulfil an effective research support function. This study obtained a renewed understanding of emerging researchers’ support needs through using a mixed methods approach and a case study research design, focusing on CPUT’s Education Faculty. Emerging researchers’ support needs were determined through a self-administered online questionnaire consisting of open- and close-ended questions. The research life cycle guided the design of the questionnaire. Online questionnaires were sent to all 37 emerging researchers employed in the Education Faculty. A total of 21 responses was received. Data about the perceptions of a group of four librarians and the Education Faculty’s research coordinator about emerging researchers’ most important support expectations were collected through a semi-structured focus group interview and an individual interview respectively. Data collected via the three data collection methods were triangulated to compare the differences and similarities in what was considered emerging researchers’ most important research support expectations. The triangulation of the data led to the creation of a list of the most important research support services that should be provided for emerging researchers at CPUT’s Faculty of Education. The results showed that researchers as well as research support providers regard information provision services as libraries’ most important research support function. Recommendations by the researcher include the active marketing of libraries’ research support services, personalised researcher training, closer cooperation between institutional research support providers and using the research cycle as framework when designing and promoting library research support services. Through the collection of data and the literature reviewed, this study reached an improved understanding of the research support expectations of emerging researchers at CPUT’s Faculty of Education.

The purpose of this thesis is to research Axiell media's Biblio application in public libraries in Sweden. The aim is to see the perspective and opinions of librarians who work with the application to better understand how public libraries have handled the Biblio app. Additionally the current COVID-19 situation that was ongoing when the thesis was written was also picked up as part of the research to see how electronic media is used as an alternative during a time where going to the library was discouraged.Access as a concept is the theory. It was used to better understand how the application is used to give users the best possible access to electronic media. Specifically the dimension of access found in Penchansky & Thomas (1981) and Saurman (2016). We have utilized five of them. The method chosen was semi-structured interviews. These interviews were done through a digital platform with five libraries. The results were then analysed and viewed through the different dimensions of access. The result showed that the libraries had picked up the Biblio app through an already existing collaboration with Axiell media (former Elib). And that the application has gotten better with time, but there are concerns both with the application itself, but also how to tackle the difficulties some users experience. Not all people are used to digital technology.

Det här arbetet försöker utveckla delar av Lena Skoglunds undersökning vid Göteborgs stadsbibliotek 1987, främst de användarkategorier baserade på besöksändamål som hon använde. Syftet är att studera vilken roll ett stadsbibliotek spelar för teknisk, naturvetenskaplig och ekonomisk informationsförsörjning. De fragor som stäils är: 1. Var söker man information?, 2. För vilka ändamål söker man information? och 3. Hur vill man att biblioteket ska vara uppbyggt med tanke på 1. och 2. I samband med 1. agnas viss uppmärksamhet åt människors kunskaper om bibliotek. Undersökningen är kvalitativ till sin karaktär eftersom avsikten har varit att upptäcka mönster och variation i biblioteksanvändningen. Kärnan utgörs av intervjuer med besökare pA Ulricehamns stadsbibliotek (= huvudbiblioteket). Användarintervjuerna tyder på att stadsbiblioteket föredras framför filialerna. De ändamål användarna har med besöken hänger samman med nytta, nyfikenhet, hobby, arbete, sjalvstudier, studier och olika medicinska frågor. De intervjuade betonar främst pedagogiska och kvalitativa aspekter när det gäller satsningar pA olika medier. Önskemal om satsningar på speciella ämnen inskränker sig oftast till egna intresseområden.

The purpose of this study was to observe how young children– infants between 4-11 months – respond to early literacy programs and establish if they are given the opportunity to show and express their feelings of experiencing a shared moment with other children and adults; this considered to be most important for their literacy development. Can one assert that they feel involved in the library and in the program? The study also wants to find out if it is possible to say that the infants feel a sensation of empowerment as a result of their participating, and how they, in that case, show it. To find out, five observations were accomplished in a library setting with rhymes and songs for infants and toddlers. As a complement, a group interview was conducted with five care-givers who accompanied their little ones at the program. Lloyd's and Olsson's (2017) theoretical frame of embodiment and embodied practices has been used, and also Stern's (1985) theory of the child's subject self. A qualitative analysis was made of the transcript of the interview, with the purpose of establishing certain themes and patterns as a method to understand if the adults could relate to the concepts. The results show that the children in a very corporeal way participated in the programs and showed their feelings of empowerment in obvious ways, and that the adults were aware of the importance of the body and corporeal activity asa working base for establishing early literacy.

The image of the librarian has been a fascination to information professionals for many years. The way that newspapers portray librarians is part of creating that image and may have an impact on the way people think about librarians. The aim of this thesis is to illustrate how librarians are being portrayed in Swedish newspapers and in this way contribute to increased knowledge about these images. The research questions are: How are librarians being portrayed in the studied articles? In what contexts are librarians mentioned? What positions do the participants in the examined discussions hold? Which discourses can be identified? Discourse analysis was chosen as theory and method. The material studied consisted of 72 articles published in 2017 in four major daily newspapers in Sweden: Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet, Aftonbladet and Expressen. Four discourses were identified: Discourse about librarians and books; Discourse about librarians and censorship; Discourse about librarians being a vulnerable group and Discourse about librarians being important to society. The conclusion drawn from this study is that the way librarians are being portrayed, as a person or as a professional, is varied. In some statements the librarian is depicted as an old hushing lady and in others as a political activist. The contexts in which librarians were mentioned also varies, with only two articles having librarians as the main topic. Other topics covered were, for example, book reviews and violence in libraries. The subject position that stands for most of the statements, turned out to be persons that do not belong to the library and information profession.