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

Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Library and Information Science Honours at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 1991. / The underlying problem in this study is to look into the career preferences of library science students as related to university and public libraries. Career preferences will be judged by various factors which include the students' needs, professional education and social background. Prospective librarians, of course, have career preferences but should be reminded of the profound transformation of the public library in South Africa due to political and social-economic factors.

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.

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Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Dit is vir enige openbare biblioteek wat sy doelstellings suksesvol wil bereik absoluut noodsaaklik om die mens as die belangrikste hulpbron in die ondememing doeltreffend te bestuur en optimaal te benut. Openbare biblioteke in Suid-Afrika ondervind egter sedert die veranderende politieke bestel in 1994, groat druk om 'n leidende rol in die gemeenskap te speel ten opsigte van opleiding en ontwikkeling aan die jeug, volwasse onderwys te ondersteun en aktief by gemeenskapsontwikkelingsprojekte betrokke te raak. Die openbare biblioteek het verder die verantwoordelikheid om inligting aan die gemeenskap te verskaf met die oog op besluitneming en suksesvolle gemeenskapsontwikkeling. Hierdie klemverskuiwing in die openbare biblioteek se doelstellings moet verder bestuur, en ten uitvoer gebring word te midde van 'n moeilike finansiele klimaat, 'n uitgebreide gebruikerskorps met veranderende gebruikersbehoeftes en tegnologiese uitdagings. Ten einde hierdie uitdagings aan die openbare biblioteek te bestuur, is dit noodsaaklik dat die menslike hulpbron so goed moontlik benut sal word volgens sy kundigheid en vermoens. Die werknemer bevind homself in drie omgewings in sy werkplek naamlik die taakinhoudomgewing, die taakverbandomgewi ng en die eksteme omgewing. I hierdie omgewings waarbinne die werknemer sy taak moet verrig is daar ' verskeidenheid faktore aanwesig wat sy prestasie en dus sy benutting kan bei'nvloed. Die teorie onderliggend aan menslikehulpbronbenutti ng is bestudeer en 'n ge·inte-greerde model vir menslikehulpbronbenutting is ontwikkel, waarop 'n empiriese studie gevolg het om die faktore te identifiseer wat menslikehulpbronbenutting in openbare biblioteke in Suid-Afrika kan be'invloed. Uit die empiriese ondersoek is vier faktore ge'identifiseer wat menslikehulpbron­ benutting in die openbare biblioteek kan be'invloed naamlik: • die algemene houding van die werknemer teenoor sy taak en die openbare biblioteekberoep • opleiding en ontwikkeling van werknemers • inligtingtegnologie • loopbaanbestuur Slegs die eerste faktor in die ondersoek het positief na vore getree, terwyl die ander drie negatief gepresteer het. Ten einde openbare biblioteekbestuur in staat te stel om hierdie leemtes, wat deur middel van hierdie faktore ge'identifiseer word reg te stel word 'n geintegreerde menslikehulpbronbenuttingsmodel voorgestel. Hierdie model bestaan uit verskillende komponente wat volgens behoefte van die biblioteek ge'implementeer kan word. / It is absolutely essential, for any public library that wishes to attain its objectives successfully, to manage human beings as its most important resource efficiently and to utilise them optimally.Since the change in the political dispensation in 1994, however, public libraries in South Africa experience mounting pressure to play a leading role in respect of education and the development of youth, to support adult education and engage positively in community development projects. A further responsibility of the public library is to supply information to the community to assist decision making and successful community development. To complicate matters, this shift in emphasis in the public library's objectives has to be managed and brought to fruition under the following conditions: a difficult financial climate, an extended corps of users with changing requirements, and technological challenges. To manage these challenges to the public library, it is essential that human resources be utilised as well as possible in accordance with their expertise and abilities. Employees find themselves in three environments, namely the job content environment, the job context environment and the external environment. A variety of factors which can influence the performance, and therefore the utilisation of employees are present in these environments in which they have to fulfiltheir task.The theory underlying the utilisation of human resources has been studied and an integrated model for human resource utilisation has been developed. This was followed by an empirical study to identify the factors which influence the utilisation of human resources in public libraries in South Africa. From the empirical investigation four factors were identified which can influence the utilisation of human resources in public libraries, namely: • the general attitude of the employee to the task and the profession of public librarianship • training and development of employees • information technology • career management Only the first factor emerged positively from the study, while the other three performed negatively. To enable public library management to remedy the deficiencies identified with the help of these factors, an integrated human resources utilisation model is proposed. This model consists of various components which can be implemented according to the needs of the specific library. / Informations Sciences / D.Litt. et Phil. (Inligtingkunde)

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Dit is vir enige openbare biblioteek wat sy doelstellings suksesvol wil bereik absoluut noodsaaklik om die mens as die belangrikste hulpbron in die ondememing doeltreffend te bestuur en optimaal te benut. Openbare biblioteke in Suid-Afrika ondervind egter sedert die veranderende politieke bestel in 1994, groat druk om 'n leidende rol in die gemeenskap te speel ten opsigte van opleiding en ontwikkeling aan die jeug, volwasse onderwys te ondersteun en aktief by gemeenskapsontwikkelingsprojekte betrokke te raak. Die openbare biblioteek het verder die verantwoordelikheid om inligting aan die gemeenskap te verskaf met die oog op besluitneming en suksesvolle gemeenskapsontwikkeling. Hierdie klemverskuiwing in die openbare biblioteek se doelstellings moet verder bestuur, en ten uitvoer gebring word te midde van 'n moeilike finansiele klimaat, 'n uitgebreide gebruikerskorps met veranderende gebruikersbehoeftes en tegnologiese uitdagings. Ten einde hierdie uitdagings aan die openbare biblioteek te bestuur, is dit noodsaaklik dat die menslike hulpbron so goed moontlik benut sal word volgens sy kundigheid en vermoens. Die werknemer bevind homself in drie omgewings in sy werkplek naamlik die taakinhoudomgewing, die taakverbandomgewi ng en die eksteme omgewing. I hierdie omgewings waarbinne die werknemer sy taak moet verrig is daar ' verskeidenheid faktore aanwesig wat sy prestasie en dus sy benutting kan bei'nvloed. Die teorie onderliggend aan menslikehulpbronbenutti ng is bestudeer en 'n ge·inte-greerde model vir menslikehulpbronbenutting is ontwikkel, waarop 'n empiriese studie gevolg het om die faktore te identifiseer wat menslikehulpbronbenutting in openbare biblioteke in Suid-Afrika kan be'invloed. Uit die empiriese ondersoek is vier faktore ge'identifiseer wat menslikehulpbron­ benutting in die openbare biblioteek kan be'invloed naamlik: • die algemene houding van die werknemer teenoor sy taak en die openbare biblioteekberoep • opleiding en ontwikkeling van werknemers • inligtingtegnologie • loopbaanbestuur Slegs die eerste faktor in die ondersoek het positief na vore getree, terwyl die ander drie negatief gepresteer het. Ten einde openbare biblioteekbestuur in staat te stel om hierdie leemtes, wat deur middel van hierdie faktore ge'identifiseer word reg te stel word 'n geintegreerde menslikehulpbronbenuttingsmodel voorgestel. Hierdie model bestaan uit verskillende komponente wat volgens behoefte van die biblioteek ge'implementeer kan word. / It is absolutely essential, for any public library that wishes to attain its objectives successfully, to manage human beings as its most important resource efficiently and to utilise them optimally.Since the change in the political dispensation in 1994, however, public libraries in South Africa experience mounting pressure to play a leading role in respect of education and the development of youth, to support adult education and engage positively in community development projects. A further responsibility of the public library is to supply information to the community to assist decision making and successful community development. To complicate matters, this shift in emphasis in the public library's objectives has to be managed and brought to fruition under the following conditions: a difficult financial climate, an extended corps of users with changing requirements, and technological challenges. To manage these challenges to the public library, it is essential that human resources be utilised as well as possible in accordance with their expertise and abilities. Employees find themselves in three environments, namely the job content environment, the job context environment and the external environment. A variety of factors which can influence the performance, and therefore the utilisation of employees are present in these environments in which they have to fulfiltheir task.The theory underlying the utilisation of human resources has been studied and an integrated model for human resource utilisation has been developed. This was followed by an empirical study to identify the factors which influence the utilisation of human resources in public libraries in South Africa. From the empirical investigation four factors were identified which can influence the utilisation of human resources in public libraries, namely: • the general attitude of the employee to the task and the profession of public librarianship • training and development of employees • information technology • career management Only the first factor emerged positively from the study, while the other three performed negatively. To enable public library management to remedy the deficiencies identified with the help of these factors, an integrated human resources utilisation model is proposed. This model consists of various components which can be implemented according to the needs of the specific library. / Informations Sciences / D.Litt. et Phil. (Inligtingkunde)