Resource sharing is considered to be one of the most important pillars of library service, because no single library can meet all the needs of its users. Libraries have always cooperated to meet the increasing demands of users by sharing their resources. In the past few decades, the need to establish library consortia emerged more strongly as libraries began to take advantage of technology to improve access to information and service delivery. There has been a notable increase in the formation of library consortia on the African continent. South Africa has taken the lead both in the amount of established consortia and the number of member libraries within them. This development accompanied the implementation of common library systems in consortia, where a single system is adopted by all member libraries. In the Southern African region, the library system called INNOPAC/Millennium Pac has already been adopted by consortia and libraries in Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The recently-established Lesotho Library Consortium (LELICO) also recognized the need for a comprehensive investigation to identify a common system that will effectively meet the needs of its member libraries. The purpose of this study was to analyze the successes and limitations of the INNOPAC library system operating in consortia and libraries in the Southern African region, in order to assess its suitability for LELICO. The study focused on two South African consortia (The Gauteng and Environs Library Consortium – GAELIC, and The Free State Library and Information Consortium - FRELICO), two university libraries (Namibia and Zimbabwe) and one agricultural college library (Botswana) in the Southern African region that use the system. A special emphasis was the criteria of assessment that would apply to a small, multi-type consortium in a developing country like Lesotho. Data was collected through a literature search, questionnaires, interviews, site visits, and analysis of policy and institutional documents. The target groups of the study were the library managers, system managers, and library professionals of selected GAELIC and FRELICO libraries, and the system managers of the three selected libraries in the region. The study found that the INNOPAC library system is performing satisfactorily in the chosen consortia and libraries, and that it has a positive impact on them. It performed to a high standard in all the key areas, and this may be attributed to keeping abreast of the latest developments in the library world, and offering a range of services that meet the needs of libraries. The study found further that the INNOPAC library system contributed towards increased productivity, improved customer services, and better decision making in the two consortia. However, direct access to members’ holdings was restricted by a decentralized server model adopted by these consortia. This and other lessons shaped a proposal for the implementation and management of the INNOPAC library system in LELICO. A proposed model recommends a central server as a more cost-effective management solution. The model also explains the mode of operation by member libraries and the coordinated structures that would implement and manage the INNOPAC library system, adapted to the specific requirements of a small, multi-type consortium in a developing country like Lesotho. Given its successful performance in consortia and libraries across Southern African countries, the study recommends further research into the advantages and challenges of INNOPAC for wider regional library cooperation. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Information Science / unrestricted

<p>Извршено је моделирање и имплементација софтверског система за циркулацију који&nbsp;омогућава праћење коришћења библиотечког&nbsp;фонда на нивоу конзорцијума библиотека.&nbsp;Коришћен је методолошки приступ&nbsp;унифицирани процес развоја система. У&nbsp;моделирању архитектуре коришћени су дизајн&nbsp;патерни, а модел је приказан у UML 2.0&nbsp;нотацији. Систем је имплементиран у&nbsp;програмском језику Java.</p><p>У оквиру система развијен је подсистем за&nbsp;клијент/сервер комуникацију који омогућава&nbsp;транспарентну комуникацију клијента и&nbsp;сервера у односу на транспортни протокол&nbsp;које се користи. Подсистем има патерн&nbsp;оријентисану софтверску архитектуру која је заснована на комбинацији неколико дизајн патерна. Његовом интеграцијом у софтверски систем БИСИС омогућен је рад система у различитим мрежним окружењима.</p><p>Такође, подсистем је искоришћен и за комуникацију са другим библиотекама. У оквиру подсистема имплементиран је NCIP протокол чиме је омогућена размена података са библиотекама које користе различите библиотечке софтверске системе. Подсистем омогућава једнообразан начин комуникације клијентске апликације, било са сервером своје библиотеке или серверима других библиотека. Имплементиран је и NCIP сервис који служи за приступ подацима по NCIP протоколу од стране других библиотека.</p> / <p>Izvršeno je modeliranje i implementacija softverskog sistema za cirkulaciju koji&nbsp;omogućava praćenje korišćenja bibliotečkog&nbsp;fonda na nivou konzorcijuma biblioteka.&nbsp;Korišćen je metodološki pristup&nbsp;unificirani proces razvoja sistema. U&nbsp;modeliranju arhitekture korišćeni su dizajn&nbsp;paterni, a model je prikazan u UML 2.0&nbsp;notaciji. Sistem je implementiran u&nbsp;programskom jeziku Java.</p><p>U okviru sistema razvijen je podsistem za&nbsp;klijent/server komunikaciju koji omogućava&nbsp;transparentnu komunikaciju klijenta i&nbsp;servera u odnosu na transportni protokol&nbsp;koje se koristi. Podsistem ima patern&nbsp;orijentisanu softversku arhitekturu koja je zasnovana na kombinaciji nekoliko dizajn paterna. NJegovom integracijom u softverski sistem BISIS omogućen je rad sistema u različitim mrežnim okruženjima.</p><p>Takođe, podsistem je iskorišćen i za komunikaciju sa drugim bibliotekama. U okviru podsistema implementiran je NCIP protokol čime je omogućena razmena podataka sa bibliotekama koje koriste različite bibliotečke softverske sisteme. Podsistem omogućava jednoobrazan način komunikacije klijentske aplikacije, bilo sa serverom svoje biblioteke ili serverima drugih biblioteka. Implementiran je i NCIP servis koji služi za pristup podacima po NCIP protokolu od strane drugih biblioteka.</p> / <p> Modeling and implementation of circulation software system with support for direct consortial borrowing has been done. Unified software development process is used. Software architecture modeling is done using design patterns and it is shown in UML 2.0 notation. System implementation is realized in programming language Java. Subsystem for client/server communication is developed as part of circulation system. Subsystem enables transparent communication between client and server in accordance with used transport protocol. Software architecture of this subsystem is pattern oriented and it is based on combination of several design patterns. By integrating subsystem into system BISIS, it is allowed operation of system in different network environments. Also, subsystem is used for communication with other libraries. NCIP protocol is implemented inside the subsystem by which exchange data with different library software systems is enabled. Subsystem provides unique way of communication between client application and server, no matter whether it is its own library server or servers of other libraries. NICP service used by other libraries to access data according to NICP protocol is implemented, as well.</p>

No description available.

Universities in the new millennium find themselves in a knowledge-driven economy that is challenging them to produce a qualified and adaptable work force if they are to contribute to societal development. Owing to the structural change in the economy, entrepreneurs require high level scientists, professionals and technicians who not only have the capability to create and support innovations by adapting knowledge to local use but also people with managerial and lifelong learning skills. Such are they who can accelerate changes and make organizations more productive and efficient in the services they render. Consequently, universities in Sub-Saharan Africa are challenged to transform learning so as to produce graduates who have both knowledge and competencies. Such a system will create a balance between university education and the changing labour market. Satisfying these new educational demands are only possible through research and unhindered access to global information resources. Paradoxically, some private university libraries, because of limited funding, find themselves fiscally constrained in the provision of unhindered access to global stores of information particularly at a time of exponential growth both in number and cost of information resources. This had led libraries to re-examine resource sharing as a viable option to meeting the new demands placed on universities. It is for the reasons above that this study examines the practice, problems and prospects of resource-sharing in selected Seventh-day Adventist university libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It examines scientifically the causes of poor sharing practices that are unique to each library, the situational and environmental factors that can enhance resource sharing. It provides also research-based information that will help to determine the best ways by which each library can have greater access to information resources. There are proposals for resolving the problems, and there are recommendations for dealing with the matter on a more permanent basis. The study advances resource-sharing model called Consortium of Adventist University Libraries in Africa (CAULA) as a resource sharing network for Seventh-day Adventist libraries in Africa. The organizational structure for CAULA are outlined and discussed. The proposed cooperation is not only sustainable but also structured to provide efficiency and greater regional cooperation of SDA libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa. / Information Science / DLITT ET PHIL (INF SCIENCE)

Library automation is approaching its 90th birthday (deduced from Pace, 2009:1), and many librarians no longer remember the inefficiencies of the manual systems that were previously in place. For some, however, automation has not gone nearly far enough. In this second decade of the new millennium some libraries in Lesotho face multiple challenges in automating their services while libraries internationally are staying relevant by rapidly adapting their services to address the needs and demands of the clients. It was anticipated that full library automation is a prerequisite for delivering 21st-century library services and the researcher embarked on a process to establish whether libraries belonging to the Lesotho Library Consortium (LELICO) have automated to the extent where they will be able to provide the services that are currently in demand. The purpose of this study was to analysewhether full library automation is indeed a prerequisite for libraries to offer the services required in the current millennium. The study focused on LELICO member libraries. Benchmarking was done with selected South African academic libraries. Data were collected by means of interviews with all respondents, namely, LELICO member libraries, librarians from South African libraries and with international system vendors operating from South Africa. The study found that LELICO member libraries are indeed lagging behindin terms of service provision. LELICO member libraries do not appear to understand; which library services are possible when state-of-the-art technology is fully implemented. The study found furthermore that the laggard status is caused by factors such as a lack of funding, too few professional staff and ineffective support from management. These and other findings helped formulate recommendations that would underpin a renewal strategy for LELICO. The proposed recommendations include that LELICO should deliver a more meaningful service to its current members. LELICO member libraries should be using technology more effectively in their operations and good relationship between a system vendor and its clients should be seen as an asset that should be maintained.LELICO should be playing a key role in making change a reality. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

Universities in the new millennium find themselves in a knowledge-driven economy that is challenging them to produce a qualified and adaptable work force if they are to contribute to societal development. Owing to the structural change in the economy, entrepreneurs require high level scientists, professionals and technicians who not only have the capability to create and support innovations by adapting knowledge to local use but also people with managerial and lifelong learning skills. Such are they who can accelerate changes and make organizations more productive and efficient in the services they render. Consequently, universities in Sub-Saharan Africa are challenged to transform learning so as to produce graduates who have both knowledge and competencies. Such a system will create a balance between university education and the changing labour market. Satisfying these new educational demands are only possible through research and unhindered access to global information resources. Paradoxically, some private university libraries, because of limited funding, find themselves fiscally constrained in the provision of unhindered access to global stores of information particularly at a time of exponential growth both in number and cost of information resources. This had led libraries to re-examine resource sharing as a viable option to meeting the new demands placed on universities. It is for the reasons above that this study examines the practice, problems and prospects of resource-sharing in selected Seventh-day Adventist university libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It examines scientifically the causes of poor sharing practices that are unique to each library, the situational and environmental factors that can enhance resource sharing. It provides also research-based information that will help to determine the best ways by which each library can have greater access to information resources. There are proposals for resolving the problems, and there are recommendations for dealing with the matter on a more permanent basis. The study advances resource-sharing model called Consortium of Adventist University Libraries in Africa (CAULA) as a resource sharing network for Seventh-day Adventist libraries in Africa. The organizational structure for CAULA are outlined and discussed. The proposed cooperation is not only sustainable but also structured to provide efficiency and greater regional cooperation of SDA libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa. / Information Science / DLITT ET PHIL (INF SCIENCE)