M.Inf.

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MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies / See the attached abstract below

Bibliography: pages 77-81. / An investigation was undertaken to establish whether it was possible to assume that information technology has had an influence of the skills levels in the jobs of cataloguers. The research was conducted in two parts: the literature survey and the empirical investigation. The survey of literature was done on the literature from the United States of America (USA), from the United Kingdom (UK) and also from limited South African resource. The overseas literature was related to the situation in South Africa. The empirical investigation was confined to the academic libraries in the Western Cape region of South Africa. For the empirical investigation a mail questionnaire was constructed and sent to respondents in order to determine whether information technology was indeed affecting the skills of cataloguers in the academic libraries. 'The analysis of data obtained from the results of the questionnaire indicated that there was no sign of a negative influence in the skills levels of cataloguers in Western Cape Africa. Indeed, it seemed was apparent from the analysis of data that cataloguers find information technology to be a positive influence on their skills and on enhancing their status.

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.

D. Litt. et Phil. / The drastic reduction of funds allocated annually to public libraries has caused a serious shortage of financial and other resources. At the same time, various policy documents published in recent years emphasise the importance of public libraries for the development of South African society as a whole. Public libraries will therefore have to adapt and extend their services to cater for the needs of the communities they serve and to take their rightful place in the development of these communities. Using members of the local communities as voluntary workers is a proposed solution to the problem of providing extended services and remaining within budgetary limits. Research on designing an effective programme for using voluntary workers in public libraries was therefore imperative. The research was undertaken, firstly, on the basis of an intensive literature study and, secondly, by conducting an empirical study by means of structured interviews with a number of librarians in public libraries. The interviews were conducted after completion of the literature study. The purpose of the interviews was to determine whether the use of voluntary workers according to the proposed programme was supported by librarians in the public library sector. The opinions of respondents were subsequently analysed and objections to the use of voluntary workers were identified. The predetermined guidelines set on the basis of the literature study were followed to eliminate these objections. It was found that none of the objections to the use of voluntary workers could be sustained if the guidelines on designing and implementing a voluntary workers' programme were followed. Every possible resource was utilised to design a structured programme for recruiting potential voluntary workers from different communities and using them for rendering essential and extended services. The guidelines indicated that public library management should, first of all, determine the relevance of using voluntary workers by means of internal and external needs analyses. Should it be found that the aid of voluntary workers is relevant for rendering various services, a co-ordinator should be appointed to design and implement the voluntary workers' programme. It is suggested that the programme should be developed and implemented as follows,The co-ordinator, as the manager of the programme, will be responsible for compiling a policy, procedures, recruitment and selection strategies, a training schedule and a budget. These tasks may be delegated to other staff members so that they could play a role in training, supervising, motivating, evaluating and giving recognition to voluntary workers. Finally, the co-ordinator should evaluate the effectiveness of the programme on the basis of data gathered from supervisors, voluntary workers and relevant community members. The report on the findings should then be made available to all roleplayers. The programme should subsequently be adapted and improved according to the findings published in this report. The researcher therefore recommends that voluntary workers should be recruited on the basis of the structured voluntary workers' programme and used for rendering essential and extended services.

M.Inf. / The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) is an integrated, coherent socioeconomic policy framework that seeks to mobilise all people and resources towards the final eradication of apartheid and the building of a democratic, non-racial and non-sexist future. It is clearly indicated in this policy document that the government is serious about the delivery of services to all people in South Africa. However, mention of library services is made only casually in the document, with libraries and information never being referred to in the same context. Information workers generally are nevertheless convinced that there are many areas in which library and information services can make a significant contribution to the success of the RDP. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the public library, with specific reference to the Randfontein Public Library, can make a contribution to the success of the RDP of South Africa. Data collection methods used included a study of literature and personal interviews with role players. During the analysis phase a brief overview was given of the South African history. The influence of this on the development of public libraries was researched, with special emphasis on the impact of the historical policy of separate development on libraries. It was found that, in the pre democratic era (before the 1994 elections), the Randfontein Public Library had indeed been influenced by apartheid laws, which resulted in inferior library services being provided to the previously disadvantaged groups in Randfontein. A chronological description of the transformation process within the library and information profession, including the guidelines of the national policy document, was given. It was found that information workers generally were aware of their responsibility towards the development of the previously disadvantaged groups, but that they lacked implementation guidelines. A demographic analysis of the Randfontein Magisterial District and a situation analysis of current Randfontein Public Library services were made to determine whether it was possible to make a contribution to the RDP. To determine the services that should be rendered by the Randfontein Public Library typical public library objectives in relation to RDP objectives were investigated. Both sets of objectives place high priority on development and therefore it was concluded that specific functions were to be performed to reach the identified development objectives. A distinction was made between primary and secondary functions. For the purpose of this study primary functions were defined as those performed to contribute towards RDP objectives, while secondary functions were deemed as those complementing the afore mentioned. In conclusion it was found that the Randfontein Public Library can make a contribution towards the actualisation of the RDP through prioritising primary functions and establishing links with organisations and individuals in the Randfontein community.

The study examined the effect the crisis in scholarly communication had on university libraries in South Africa. The crisis in scholarly communication or the 'serials' crisis as it is better known to librarians has affected many academic libraries worldwide. The monopoly commercial publishers have on the academic serial/journal market has resulted in high priced subscriptions and many libraries have simply cancelled subscriptions or limited the purchase of monographs (books) to pay for ongoing journal subscriptions. A study population consisting of 17 university libraries in South Africa was surveyed by means of an online questionnaire to establish how university libraries in South Africa were affected by the crisis in scholarly communication. The research questions underpinning the study examined the cause of the crisis together with its characteristics, the factors that influenced journal cancellations, the effects of open access on journal cancellations, institutional support for open access repositories and the funding of university library budgets. A total of 12 university libraries (representing 70.6%) responded. Telephonic interviews with the Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Directors or Deans of Research at selected universities were conducted to gather supplementary data as well as verifying some points that emanated from some of the responses to the questionnaire. Results were analysed in terms of frequency of responses and graphically displayed in the form of pie charts and tables. Interpretation of the results reveals South African university libraries, like most academic and research libraries world wide, have been adversely affected by the crisis in scholarly communication. On an annual basis university librarians are faced with hard choices in terms of deciding which journals to cancel. In terms of South Africa, open access initiatives are in the early stages of development and as university librarians have not embraced such initiatives, the benefits are not being realised. Thus university libraries in South Africa are dependent on paid-for journal subscriptions. Maintaining these subscriptions will be more and more difficult as a result of the high cost of such subscriptions and the fluctuating rand. To mitigate some of these difficulties experienced university librarians should make a concerted effort to facilitate access to local research by way of institutional repositories and free content available via open access initiatives. Recommendations for university libraries and librarians are made in light of the results of the survey and the literature review. These recommendations relate to the library budget, librarians knowledge of their library collections, librarians administering and maintaining institutional repositories and facilitating access to open access content. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

Organisations require a leadership cohort that can drive transformation from within, if they wish to adapt innovatively towards ensuring sustainable relevance in a volatile and highly competitive global market. The same applies to academic library services that serve the needs of their respective institutions. Yet, as indicated by various studies, little attention is paid to the nature of leadership required to take academic libraries forward in an age where, especially in the South African academic environment, the maxim of “business unusual” holds true. Transformational leadership is described as visionary and adaptive leadership aimed at increasing morale and motivation of staff, with an emphasis on follower development and empowerment towards self-leadership, driving entrepreneurial activities (Goethals, Soreson and Burns 2004b: 1558). The study explores aspects of the nature of transformational leadership, as well as the extent to which transformational leadership behaviours and attributes are perceived as being evident among the middle and senior library staff members at the Rhodes University Library. The Full Range Leadership Model (FRLM) provided the framework for this study, and the Team Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (TMLQ) was adapted and administered (via the Mind Garden Transform Hosting Solution) to all 42 staff members of the Rhodes Library. The data analysis was done based on the collated on the Mind Garden Transform Hosting Solution. Based on the analysis of the data, it was concluded that the RUL leadership team is perceived as being predominantly transformational in nature, but with evidence to suggest that transactional and non-leadership behaviours occur more frequently than are conducive towards innovation. This conclusion is supported by the assessment of the perceptions of leadership outcomes that indicate perceived levels of some ineffectiveness, some dissatisfaction and insufficient extra effort on the side of the leadership team. / Mini Dissertation (MIT)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Information Science / MIT / Unrestricted

Includes bibliography. / Resource centres have been in existence for some 15 years in the most educationally advanced provinces in South Africa and for some six years where most recently established. Little has been written about them and consequently the role they play in secondary schools is not well-known. The present study set out to determine the attitudes of pupils and teachers to the resource centre, and the patterns of use. It was hypothesized that the resource centre would be an integral part of the implementation of the school curriculum; that it would be an indispensable element of individualised learning and that resource-based teaching would be in evidence rather than resource-based learning.