This study explored the users' perception of the service quality and value of the libraries of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) and Ashesi University College (AUC). Concepts like value, impact, quality, academic library service quality formed the conceptual framework of the study. The study is a comparative case study that solicited information from the perspectives of students, faculty and library staff. Open and closeended questions were adopted to gather data from 185 and 147 third year students of GIJ and AUC respectively. All library staff and 15 faculty staff each from the two institutions were interviewed to augment the responses from the students. Statistical Package for Social Science was used to analyse the closed-ended questions and descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to present the data analysis. Data from the interviews and open-ended questions were analysed qualitatively. Findings from the study showed that the libraries were used more frequently by students than by faculty staff. The perceptions of the quality of library staff services were found to be satisfactory in both libraries. The library environment and information resources were considered adequate by AUC library users, whereas they were considered as inadequate and poor at GIJ. In all, it was found that the quality of services and the value users derived from AUC exceeds that at GIJ. The most valued aspects of the libraries were the library collections, and the friendliness and willingness of library staff to assist users. It was also found that users derived a number of benefits from using the libraries, but the libraries had no specific guidelines for measuring their value. In the past, value had been determined by the use of the library resources and success stories of users. The study considered the nature of library value and made recommendations for improving library services.

Includes bibliographical references. / This dissertation reports on an exploratory investigation into the implementation of an enterprise content management system for the Stellenbosch University, one of four higher education institutions in the Western Cape, South Africa. The primary focus of this study was to conduct a needs-analysis of how the University could effectively address the website and portal information needs of its users through the implementation of a content management system. This study sought to understand the current perspectives and information needs of users of the university's corporate website, as well as the staff and student portals, and to propose ways in which the University can manage its content assets to address these needs. More specifically, the question asked was: How Stellenbosch University could address the information needs of its users by implementing a content management system?

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / The concepts of open access and scholarly publishing are still gaining momentum in Africa, especially South Africa. Increasingly, institutional repositories are being planned and developed by universities throughout the world especially in the first world countries, which have taken the lead. Institutional repositories have developed because of changes in scholarly communication where journal prices are high and libraries are finding it difficult to subscribe to them. Communication technology in the form of the internet brought a solution to the problem. Researchers, authors and libraries now advocate for the open access model of scholarly communication. This study explores the developments associated with the establishment and implementation of an Institutional Repository at UCT.

This study examined the role of school library in teaching and learning and sought to establish the relationship between the use of school library resources and teaching and learning in basic schools in Ghana. The study was conducted in Achimota Basic School (ABS), using the case study methods of interviews, observation, focus group discussions and document analysis. The findings revealed that students and teachers appreciate the presence and function of the school library acknowledging it as fundamental in every educational system especially at the basic school level. The findings also revealed that students and teachers actually used the library resources in site of the fact that one of the challenges facing the library was the inadequacy of its stock. It is hoped that the findings of the study will persuade the Ministry of Education and the Government of Ghana to reconsider the role of school libraries in basic schools. Recommendations are made toward improving school libraries in general and the Achimota Basic School Library in particular.

Research Data Management (RDM) is one of the top trends in academic libraries. Academic libraries are faced with the challenge of implementing RDM services. Libraries that are not yet offering support for research data may be at the stage of developing RDM services. The main objective of this study was to identify the experiences of one institution, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), in the introduction and implementation of RDM services with the intention of informing other SA HEIs about their offerings and experiences. The Digital Curation Centre (DCC) Lifecycle Model was used to guide the investigation in this study. The model helped to achieve the study's sub-objectives, which were: to establish to what extent RDM services have been adopted at CPUT, to identify experiences of librarians, and to make recommendations for successful implementation of RDM services. This is a qualitative case study in which data were collected through document analysis and interviews. The study found that CPUT Libraries offer data management planning assistance, storage and management of data, and guidance and training in support of RDM. The experiences of CPUT in the introduction and implementation of RDM that the study highlighted are the crucial role played by library management, the development of staff skills, the challenge of librarian workloads and attitudes, and researcher reluctance to engage with RDM and institutional partnerships. The study recommends among other things: piloting of the RDM project; continuous advocacy for RDM; reaching out to the research community for needs assessments and to provide necessary RDM training; implementation of RDM policy; and institutional, national and international partnerships.

The world has changed rapidly due to advances in technology. This changing environment has affected the way the libraries are managed. Some public library managers run libraries with little or no management experience. These managers might well struggle to perform their duties effectively and efficiently due to the lack of the necessary skills such as human resources management, conflict management, communication, problem solving and leadership skills needed for the job. This study aimed at finding out the practices which constrained and enabled the management of four City of Cape Town public libraries. The study further looked at ways to improve the management practices in areas where they were doing well and also how to address some of the challenges that were faced by the managers. This was a qualitative study which included four library managers and four assistant librarians based in four City of Cape Town libraries situated in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in trying to find out what those practices were. The theory of practice architectures was used to look into these practices. The NVivo computer application was used in the analysis of the results and this helped in identifying the themes in accordance with what the research question and sub-questions required. Practices constraining the managing of the sampled public libraries were found to be: inadequate provision of resources and infrastructure, staffing issues, poor communication and weak conflict management. Practices enabling the management of these public libraries were: staff training and development, providing opportunities for teamwork, following library policies and plans, and commitment to meeting the needs of the communities served. Some of the recommendations made are that the City of Cape Town libraries should look into increasing funding for these libraries so that they can buy more stock for the clients, offer more training for all the employees, support both employees who want to pursue further studies at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and increase staffing. The study has introduced a new way of looking into practices affecting public library management and that is in terms of the sayings, doings and relatings in the practice architectures model.

The changing academic and technological environment coupled with evolving research practices have greatly impacted the role played by academic libraries within the institutions they serve. This has sparked a global concern amongst academic libraries to re-evaluate their services as a means to aligning themselves to this new environment. As a result, academic libraries are transforming themselves and bringing about new services, particularly focussing on how they can enhance research output by providing support to researchers. Given this context, this study seeks to ascertain the extent of research support by University of Eswatini (UNESWA) Libraries for masters and PhD students at UNESWA. To address this objective, the following critical questions were generated: What are the current services being provided by UNESWA Libraries to support masters and PhD students at the University of Eswatini?; What are the library research needs of masters and PhD students at UNESWA?; To what extent are these needs being met by UNESWA Libraries?; and, If there are library research needs of masters and PhD students at UNESWA that are not being met by UNESWA Libraries, what research support services need to be put in place to address this deficiency? Schoombee's (2014) research lifecycle adapted for library research support was used as a supporting theoretical framework to guide the study. The study adopted a convergent parallel mixed methods approach within a pragmatism paradigm and a case study design. Academic staff members and librarians at UNESWA were purposively sampled whilst a census was conducted for all masters and PhD students at UNESWA. Data was collected using a structured paper-based questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and qualitative data was analysed thematically (by content analysis). The study concludes, inter alia, that despite the various library research support services provided by UNESWA Libraries for masters and PhD students, an expanded suite of research support services to more fully meet UNESWA's masters and PhD students' library research needs, is required. The study recommends that UNESWA Libraries should utilise available technologies and incorporate additional research support services that speak to the research needs of digital age masters and PhD students.

This study endeavoured to establish what influences students to undertake library and information studies. Are prospective students of library and information studies choosing their course and future occupation for the same sorts of reasons as in the past? Are prospective students well informed about their future occupation when they choose a course of study? What is the relative importance of some of the factors influencing their choice? Do metropolitan, regional and isolated students have the same understanding and expectations of their course and future occupation? A study of first year undergraduate students of library and information studies at three universities sought to provide answers to these questions. A quantitative and qualitative comparison of first year undergraduate students of Library and Information Studies at the University of Canberra and a random group from the same University was also undertaken in order to provide some comparative data. The findings showed that reasons for choosing library and information studies have generally not changed as much as one might expect. An interest in books and reading still ranks as a relatively important factor in students' choice, though there is some evidence of an increased interest in career and employment issues. Library and information studies students without an occupational background in the discipline generally have a hazy picture of what is involved in their future occupation and this lack of knowledge is compounded where students are located in regional or isolated areas. Generally most library and information studies respondents expressed a desire to enter 'traditional' workplaces in libraries rather than entering the broader information management field.

The purpose of the study was to ascertain the degree of similarity between the expectations for student learning as expressed by faculty, host librarians and students on practica in library and information studies; and the learning outcomes experienced as expressed by students. An attempt was also made to assess the bearing that preparation for and organisation of the practicum might have on learning outcomes. The study thus had four aims: (a) To discover whether the three stakeholders (faculty, host librarians and students) were working towards the same or similar objectives, (b) To ask students what they experienced and learnt in their individual practica, and to compare this with their previously stated expectations, (c) To assess the relationship between preparation by faculty of host librarians and of students, and a successful practicum. (d) To gather information on the importance of aspects of organisation related to practica, such as timing and duration. To meet the purpose and aims of the study five groups of research questions were framed. The first three dealt with the expectations for student learning and learning outcomes in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains, as defined by Krathwohl, Bloom and Masia (1964) in their taxonomy. To meet the third and fouth aims of the study two other groups of research questions were framed which dealt with preparation and organisational aspects of the practicum under study. From these five groups of research questions specific interview schedules were designed, appropriate to each stakeholder interviewed and the inter-related investigations which the study comprised. A qualitative approach was chosen as the basis for carrying out the study. The Department of Library and Information Studies at the Western Australian Institute of Technology (now Curtin University of Technology) was selected as the study site. A sample was drawn to represent each of the stakeholders: the DLIS faculty, the host librarians and two cohorts of students. Student samples represented those undertaking a practicum at the end of their course in 1985 (an end-on practicum) and those undertaking the component mid-course in 1986 (a sandwich practicum). A total of 69 respondents were interviewed which produced 88 separate interviews. Personal interviews which were tape-recorded were conducted with each of the respondents between 19 September 1985 and 8 August 1986. A method of collating and analysing the data collected was devised by the researcher and is presented in Appendix V of this thesis. The following conclusions were reached from the analysis of results. While there was congruence between the expectations held by stakeholders for the learning outcomes of students, there was a lack of congruence between the expectations held by students pre-practicum, and their learning outcomes postpracticum. However, there was no marked difference between the outcomes of the end-on practicum and sandwich practicum students. This implies that the timing of the practicum might not be as important to learning outcomes as the individuals' experiences in their host library.

The school library system is the most valuable facility of the school and an integral part of the educational process and a tool for teaching and learning. This study explored the status and role of secondary school library resource centres in resource-based learning in Iringa and Njombe regions of Tanzania. The role of the secondary school library resource centre in the education process has not fully been prioritized and exploited to support resource-based learning and foster the development of deeper understanding, critical thinking and independent learning through the provision of accessible resources in Tanzania. The problem that this study attempted to investigate was the status and factors influencing the condition of school library resource centres which are essential for resource-based learning and consequently affecting the quality of education that learners receive. Given this problem the study examined the current condition of school library resource centres, factors affecting such conditions, the role of secondary school library resource centres in resource-based learning, and measures which should be taken to curtail the problems that secondary school libraries face. This was done to ascertain whether the practices followed by secondary school library resource centres were in line with the Tanzanian Education (School Library Resource Centre) Regulations of 2002, and to establish what strategies could be adopted to overcome the weaknesses of secondary school library resource centres in Tanzania. The study was informed by the resource-based learning model developed by Manitoba Department of Education and Training. The study used a mixed methods approach and a cross-sectional descriptive survey design. The study involved 140 heads of secondary schools, 36 school librarians, eight District Education Officers for secondary schools, a Zonal Inspector of Schools and a Regional Public Librarian. The types of secondary schools studied included public (community and central government), private, and seminary. The data were collected using questionnaires and semi-structured interview guides. The study found that a majority of secondary schools, 89 (62.1%), had no libraries and of those with libraries, 53 (37.9%), the status regarding infrastructure, staffing, information resources, funding, and services was poor. Such poor conditions are a result of inadequate funding, absence of library committees and collection development policies, failure to implement the education policy and the Education (School Library Resource Centre) Regulations, absence of a national school library resource centres’ policy, standards, and an inspectorate at the Tanzanian Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to coordinate and inspect the school libraries. This study has also found that the secondary school library resource centres were vital in providing adequate and quality resources and professional expertise to enable teachers and learners to effectively use the resources and services to foster critical thinking and lifelong learning. However, their role in the educational process has been hindered by their poor condition and the consequent undermining of resource-based learning.Remedial strategies suggested by the study to address the challenges faced by secondary school library resource centres, included political will and government support in terms of funding, legislation, policy, standards and the establishment of an inspectorate for coordinating and managing secondary school library resource centres in Tanzania. The strategies are reflected in a new model developed for Tanzania. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2014.