Bibliography: leaves 207-224 / Abstracts and keywords following the Appendices / This thesis evaluates Ethiopian higher learning institutes’ digital libraries (DLs) for their usability
and usefulness. The outcome contributes knowledge by helping to propel development efforts;
satisfy DL stakeholders; provide information and fill information gaps; serve as cross-reference
for academicians and researchers in the discipline; make decisions and solve managerial issues in
DLs of the developing world; and provide scientific interests and merits for the advancement of
information systems.
When undertaking usability and usefulness evaluation research in DLs, there is no agreed-upon
established conceptual framework that guides researchers in the developing world. Therefore, the
overall objective of this research is to propose a framework for DL evaluation that fits into the
context of developing countries. As the study is concerned with users’ internal attributes, the
interpretive research paradigm is applied. A qualitative research approach is employed and a case study research design is followed. Multiple data-collection techniques, namely semi-structured
interviews (17 respondents), open-ended questionnaires (17 respondents) and observations (4
observations) are employed. The study encompasses four public university DLs in Ethiopia.
The participants have a positive perception of all attributes of usability. Most of the attributes of
usefulness are also perceived positively, except coverage. The major challenges encountered by
participants are network accessibility, interruption and speed, and access restrictions imposed on
some DL content. DL benefits include easy access to the DL content, enhanced teaching and
research, lower cost and easy sharing of contents. The expectations of users are ensuring resource
availability and sustainability, overcoming the absence of user feedback and federated search
problems, and improving network infrastructure and speed.
The interaction triptych framework (ITF), which is used in the current study, is a well-known
framework that is commonly implemented by researchers. However, since it does not incorporate
the contextual situation of developing countries, ITF has some limitations. Therefore, based on the
output of this empirical research and considering the usability and usefulness themes of ITF and
its relationships with other socio-technical and contextual themes, a contextual DL evaluation
framework is proposed. The proposed framework emphasises the social, institutional and
contextual aspects of DLs. The proposed framework has six DL components, namely: DL user;
content and collection; system and technology; services and support; user interface; and context.
The proposed framework is called a digital library components interaction evaluation framework. / Lo mqondo uhlaziya imitapo yolwazi yedijithali (i-DLs) yezikhungo zokufunda ephezulu zase-Ethiopia
ngokusebenziseka kwazo nokuba wusizo. Umphumela unikela ngolwazi ngokusiza ukuhambisa imizamo
yentuthuko; ukwanelisa ababambiqhaza be-DL; ukuhlinzeka ngolwazi nokugcwalisa izikhala zolwazi;
ukusebenza okubhekiswe kukho kwezifundiswa nabaphenyi emkhakheni; yenza izinqumo futhi ixazulule
izingqinamba zokuphatha kuma-DL wezwe elisathuthuka; futhi unikeze izintshisekelo zesayensi kanye
nokufaneleka ekuthuthukisweni kwezinhlelo zolwazi.
Lapho wenza ucwaningo lokusebenziseka neliwusizo okuhlaziya kuma-DL, akukho luhlaka lomqondo
okuvunyelwene ngalo oluhola abacwaningi ezweni elisathuthuka. Ngakho-ke, inhloso ephelele yalolu
cwaningo ukuphakamisa uhlaka lokuhlaziya kwe-DL oluhambisana nomongo wamazwe asathuthuka.
Njengoba ucwaningo luphathelene nezimpawu zangaphakathi zabasebenzisi, inqubo yocwaningo
ehumushekayo iyasetshenziswa. Indlela yokucwaninga esezingeni elifanele iyasetshenziswa bese
kulandelwa ukwakheka kocwaningo lwesifundo. Kusetshenziswa amasu amaningi wokuqoqa
imininingwane, njengezingxoxo ezihlelwe kahle (abaphenduli abayi-17), imibuzo evulekile (abaphenduli
abayi-17) kanye nokubhekwayo (okubhekwayo oku-4). Lolu cwaningo luhlanganisa ama-DL amane
wemfundo ephakeme yomphakathi wase-Ethiopia.
Abahlanganyeli banombono omuhle wazo zonke izici zokusebenziseka. Iningi lezimpawu eziwusizo
zibonwa kahle futhi, ngaphandle kokumbozwa. Izinselela ezinkulu ababambiqhaza abahlangabezana ngazo
ukufinyeleleka kwenethiwekhi, ukuphazamiseka nejubane, nemikhawulo yokufinyelela ebekiwe kokunye
okuqukethwe kwe-DL. Izinzuzo ze-DL zifaka ukufinyelela okulula kokuqukethwe kwe-DL, ukufundiswa
okuthuthukisiwe nocwaningo, izindleko eziphansi nokwabelana okulula kokuqukethwe. Okulindelwe
abasebenzisi ukuqinisekisa ukutholakala kwezinsiza nokusimama, ukunqoba ukungabi bikho
kwempendulo yomsebenzisi nezinkinga zokusesha ezihlanganisiwe, nokwenza ngcono ingqalasizinda
yenethiwekhi nejubane.
Uhlaka lokusebenzisana lwe-triptych (ITF), olusetshenziswa ocwaningweni lwamanje, uhlaka olwaziwa
kakhulu olusetshenziswa ngokuvamile ngabaphenyi. Kodwa-ke, njengoba lungafaki isimo somongo
samazwe asathuthuka, i-ITF inemikhawulo ethile. Ngakho-ke, ngokuya ngokukhishwa kwalolu cwaningo
olunamandla kanye nokubheka ukusebenziseka nosizo lwezindikimba ze-ITF kanye nobudlelwano bayo
nezinye izingqikithi zomphakathi nezobuchwepheshe nezingqikithi zomongo, kuhlongozwa uhlaka lokuhlaziya lomongo lwe-DL. Uhlaka oluhlongozwayo lugcizelela izici zenhlalo, zesikhungo nezingqikithi
zomongo zama-DL. Uhlaka oluhlongozwayo lunezingxenye eziyisithupha ze-DL, okuyilezi: Umsebenzisi
we-DL; okuqukethwe neqoqo; uhlelo nobuchwepheshe; izinsizakalo nokwesekwa; isikhombimsebenzisi
somsebenzisi nomongo. Uhlaka oluhlongozwayo lubizwa ngohlaka lokuhlaziya kokusebenzisana
kokuqukethwe komtapo wolwazi wedijithali. / Hierdie proefskrif evalueer Ethiopië se hoër leerinstellings se digitale biblioteke (DBe) ten opsigte
van hulle bruikbaarheid en nuttigheid. Die uitkoms dra by tot kennis wat kan help om die
ontwikkelingspogings aan te dryf; om belanghebbers van digitale biblioteke tevrede te hou; om
inligting te verskaf en inligtingsgapings te vul; deur te dien as kruisverwysing vir akademici en
navorsers in die vakgebied; om besluite te neem en bestuursaangeleenthede in digitale biblioteke
van die ontwikkelende wêreld op te los; en om wetenskaplike belange en meriete vir die
bevordering van inligtingstelsels te voorsien.
Wanneer bruikbaarheids- en nuttigheidsevalueringsnavorsing in digitale biblioteke onderneem
word, is daar geen ooreengekome, gevestigde raamwerk wat leiding aan navorsers in die
ontwikkelende wêreld kan gee nie. Die algehele doelwit van hierdie navorsing was derhalwe om
’n raamwerk vir die evaluaering van digitale biblioteke voor te stel wat in die konteks van
ontwikkelende lande pas. Omdat die studie gemoeid is met gebruikers se interne eienskappe, is die
vertolkende paradigma gebruik. ’n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is gebruik en ’n
gevallestudie-navorsingsontwerp is gevolg. Veelvuldige data-insamelingstegnieke, naamlik
semigestruktureerde onderhoude (17 respondente), oop vraelyste (17 respondente) en
waarnemings (vier waarnemigs), is ingespan. Die studie sluit vier openbare universiteite se digitale
biblioteke in Ethiopië in.
Die deelnemers het ’n positiewe persepsie van al die eienskappe van bruikbaarheid. Die meeste
van die eienskappe van nuttigheid word ook as positief waargeneem, met die uitsluiting van
voorsiening. Die grootste uitdagings wat die deelnemers ervaar het, was
netwerktoeganklikheid, -onderbrekings en -spoed en die toegangbeperkings wat sommige digitale
biblioteke oplê. Voordele van digitale biblioteke sluit die volgende in: toegang tot
digitalebiblioteekinhoud; beter onderrig en navorsing; laer koste; en die maklike deel van inhoud
met ander. Die verwagtings van gebruikers verseker hulpbronbeskikbaarheid en -volhoubaarheid,
en om die afwesigheid van gebruikersterugvoer en gefedereerde soekprobleme en die verbetering
van netwerkinfrastruktuur en -spoed te oorkom.
Die interaksietriptiekraamwerk (ITF) wat in hierdie studie gebruik is, is ’n bekende raamwerk wat
algemeen deur navorsers geïmplementeer word. Omdat dit egter nie die kontekstuele situasie van
ontwikkelende lande inkorporeer nie, het ITF sekere beperkings. Gebaseer op die uitset van hierdie
empiriese navorsing en met die inagneming van die bruikbaarheids- en nuttigheidstemas van ITF
en sy verhouding met ander sosio-tegniese en kontekstuele temas, word ’n kontekstuele
digitalebiblioteekraamwerk derhalwe voorgestel. Die voorgestelde raamwerk beklemtoon die
sosiale, institusionele en kontekstuele aspekte van digitale biblioteke. Die voorgestelde raamwerk
het ses digitalebiblioteekkomponente, naamlik: digitalebiblioteekgebruiker; inhoud en insameling;
stelsel en tegnologie; dienste en ondersteuning; gebruikerkoppelvlak; en konteks. Die voorgestelde
raamwerk word ’n interaksie-evalueringsraamwerk vir digitalebiblioteekkomponente genoem. / School of Computing / D. Phil. (Information Systems)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/27456 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Newayneh, Ketsela Gilats |
| Contributors | Lotriet, H. H. (Hugo H.), Ssemugabi, Samuel |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (xvi, 247 leaves; tables, charts (some color)), application/pdf |
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