Two societies: Duality,contradictions…and integration: A progress report on South Africa

This paper examines the extent to which the South African Library and Information Science (LIS) agenda maps to the national agenda for the reconstruction and development of the country, which is geared to the elimination of poverty and inequality. The nation has been described as comprising two societies: the one modern and well developed, the other characterised by masses of people living in dire poverty. The mandate of LIS in South Africa includes supporting and stimulating the technological and information development of all communities and providing effective LIS education to meet this goal. The government has embraced the concept of the Information Society, emphasising the link between economic growth and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and has pointed to the need for information literacy education. We present a critique of the fit between LIS policies and practices (including the curriculum) and the needs of an emerging democracy and its development goals, challenged by the duality of globalisation and marginalisation.     

Exploring the information seeking behavior of Greek graduate students: A case study set in the University of Macedonia

This paper explores information ethics (IE) education within LIS (Library and Information Studies/Science) schools in Africa to investigate the following: (i) the extent to which IE is necessary; (ii) who should offer IE and why; (iii) who should be taught IE (and at what level); (iv) how long IE education should take; and (v) what should be included in an IE course. This was accomplished through a literature review and a case study conducted via email with purposely selected LIS experts from around Africa. Overwhelmingly, the LIS experts agreed that information ethics should be offered by LIS departments in courses that account for the multidisciplinary nature of the subject and that it should be made available to all students at all levels. The content should be objective and outcomes-based or outcomes-driven. The challenges and opportunities enumerated in this study could potentially be used to set the agenda for further research and professional engagement.     

Information ethics education in Africa. Where do we stand?

This paper explores information ethics (IE) education within LIS (Library and Information Studies/Science) schools in Africa to investigate the following: (i) the extent to which IE is necessary; (ii) who should offer IE and why; (iii) who should be taught IE (and at what level); (iv) how long IE education should take; and (v) what should be included in an IE course. This was accomplished through a literature review and a case study conducted via email with purposely selected LIS experts from around Africa. Overwhelmingly, the LIS experts agreed that information ethics should be offered by LIS departments in courses that account for the multidisciplinary nature of the subject and that it should be made available to all students at all levels. The content should be objective and outcomes-based or outcomes-driven. The challenges and opportunities enumerated in this study could potentially be used to set the agenda for further research and professional engagement.     

Prevalence of methodological transparency in the use of mixed methods research in library and information science research in South Africa and Nigeria, 2009–2015

Methodological transparency facilitates rigorous, trustworthy, and reliable mixed methods research (MMR). Because divergent views on the conceptualization of mixed methods can create confusion for researchers, methodological transparency can help researchers to replicate methods in other studies and attract them to mixed methods research. Many studies have been conducted to assess the utilization of mixed methods research in several disciplines, but few in library and information science (LIS) have studied how authors describe the methods used. This study investigated the clarity and detail provided about methodology in mixed methods research articles in LIS, focusing on South Africa and Nigeria. Content analysis was used to assess 104 doctoral theses, of which 10 used mixed methods. Results suggest that methodological transparency in MMR research is underrepresented in LIS. This study contributes to the discussion on how LIS can enhance the quality of mixed methods research studies by underscoring the importance of methodological transparency in such studies. Researchers and LIS educators can use the gaps identified by this study to use and report mixed methods appropriately in future research.     

Knowledge and skills for the digital era academic library

Technology has altered the traditional academic library beyond recognition. These dramatic changes have impacted significantly on the knowledge and skills requirements for LIS professionals practising in this environment. While there have been studies in other parts of the world which have investigated the knowledge and skills requirements for the digital era academic library environment, to date no comprehensive study has ‘drilled’ down into this area in the South African context. This paper reports on a preliminary study which is part of a wider study aimed at developing a comprehensive skills statement which would provide an objective framework against which professional LIS practitioners in the modern academic library environment in South Africa may both measure their existing competencies and also identify the need for further skills acquisition. The research question guiding this preliminary investigation was: What key knowledge and skills are required for LIS professionals to effectively and efficiently practise in a digital era academic library in South Africa? The triangulated findings (using content analysis of job advertisements and semi-structured interviews) from this preliminary investigation are used to ascertain an initial picture of key knowledge and skills sets required for LIS professionals in this environment. These preliminary findings also proved useful in teasing out some of the parameters for the wider study targeting the development of a comprehensive skills statement for higher education libraries in South Africa. The study reported here has relevance for the academic library context in other parts of the world as well.     

图书馆学情报学中的电子政务研究

为探索电子政务研究与图书馆学情报学的关系,调查我国图书馆学情报学专业硕士与博士培养单位电子政务相关研究方向的设置情况,并对我国图书馆学情报学核心期刊中电子政务的相关论文进行文献计量分析。主要分析论文的作者和机构、基金资助、研究热点与主题分布情况,发现电子政务是图书馆学情报学的重要研究领域。目前,作为交叉学科领域的电子政务研究主题正呈现出学科分化的趋势;今后,图书馆学情报学专业的电子政务研究应当更加聚焦于本专业的核心研究课题。     

韩国图书情报学教育简史

[目的/意义] 考察韩国图书情报学教育历史,有利于把握其发展特点和建设规律。[方法/过程] 通过阅读国内外与韩国图书情报教育相关的文献,凝练出韩国图书情报教育的发展规律,进而得出韩国图书情报教育的未来发展趋势。[结果/结论] 韩国早期的图书馆学教育主要由教育培训机构施行,基本延续了美国图书馆学教育的模式。20世纪80年代中期以后,图书情报教育进入高学历繁荣阶段,课程设置与研究领域向外扩展,社会需求量大于人才培养量,毕业生更愿意到图书馆就业,图书情报学教育走上繁荣与稳定发展之路。     

Archival orthodoxy of post-custodial realities for digital records in South Africa

Some public entities in South Africa have implemented digital records systems over a period of 20 years. In terms of the South African archival legal framework, there is a need for such entities to transfer the records into archival custody. However, there is consensus among researchers that there is no infrastructure to ingest digital records into archival custody in South Africa. Furthermore, some public entities have migrated from one system to another since implementation and there is a possibility that records might have been lost during migration. This study demonstrates through literature review the unconscious archival orthodoxy of post-custodial realities in South Africa. The study recommends that public entities should apply for exemption from archival legislation in order to develop an interim solution for the preservation of digital records. The National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (NARSSA) is also encouraged to develop a policy on distributed custody to allow government entities to create interim solutions for preserving digital records. Both public entities and NARSSA should invest in capacity development, including training and provision of sustainable infrastructure required to preserve digital records. It is hoped that this study will influence policy-making with regard to custody of digital records.     

Cartographies of research designs in library information science research in Nigeria and South Africa, 2009–2015

Research designs are key to the research process and the production of knowledge that supports performance and development. The appropriateness of the methodologies used in research has implications for the trustworthiness and validity of the outcomes of research and practice. The research designs used in library information science (LIS) research in Nigeria and South Africa between 2009 and 2015 were investigated. The objective was to map out the contours of the research designs that are utilised in LIS, particularly to keep the profession abreast of the trends in the field and the patterns in research designs used. Qualitative content analysis was used to examine 104 PhD dissertations, using six taxonomies to categorise research designs used in the two countries. Positivist epistemologies and quantitative methodologies predominated research in LIS. A handful of studies used basic mixed method research designs. Questionnaires and interviews were commonly used for data collection, but the triangulation of methods was not prevalent. The value of this study lies in that it will lead to the accumulation of knowledge of research designs and provide a baseline for studies on methodological practices.     

To talk or not to talk? From Telkom to Hellkom: A critical reflection on the current telecommunication policy in South Africa from a social justice perspective

With the development of new information and communication technologies, the right to communicate assumes new dimensions, since it is almost impossible to fully participate in the globalized world without access to modern information and communication technologies. South Africa held its first democratic elections in 1994 and has subsequently returned to the international arena. Its citizens should rightly expect to be able to participate in all that this return offers, not only politically, but also economically and socially. Telecommunications are vital to making such participation possible. In recognition of this fact, the newly elected government developed policies and enacted legislation to ensure that the telecommunications sector, and specifically the sole fixed line service provider Telkom, provides South African citizens affordable access to the telecommunications infrastructure whilst providing acceptable levels of service. However, rather than meeting its obligation to the government and the people of South Africa, Telkom has misused its monopoly. The social injustice that this situation creates is critically examined against the background of the right to communicate based on Rawls' principles of social justice and Sen's capability approach.     

LIS curriculum in French-speaking West Africa in the age of ICTs: The case of Benin and Senegal

LIS training programme in Africa date from early independence period. In French-speaking West African area, few countries have an LIS school. The existing schools have been created in partnership with either an international organization or a northern country. The curriculum delivered is not always updated as in developed countries. The main objective of this article is to measure the gap between LIS curriculum as actually delivered in developed and developing countries in the age of the information and communication technologies (ICTs). A couple of schools were chosen—English and French-speaking area—from Northern America and Western Europe; their curriculum served as basis for evaluating those in West African French-speaking countries. The conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that LIS curriculum in Africa has changed less since the schools’ first creation and ICTs are not present as in Western countries. This trend brings out the problem of the curriculum pertinence and the competitiveness of the graduate students in the international employment market.     

The e-Government evaluation challenge: A South African Batho Pele-aligned service quality approach

Over the past decade, governments have embarked on major Information and Communication Technology (ICT) investments in an attempt to take advantage of the benefits of the internet in extending the channels by which services are provided to their respective citizenries. With the increasing reliance on ICTs, one of the challenges facing public sector managers is how to evaluate the success or effectiveness of their ICT investments. Given the citizen-focused objectives of governments, service quality approaches offer a suitable frame for evaluating ICT effectiveness. This paper therefore extends current e-Service quality research into the e-Government domain. The paper reports on the development of a multi-item instrument for evaluating the e-Service quality constructs of an e-Government website in South Africa. The development of this instrument also takes into account the service delivery principles which have been adopted by the South African government viz. the Batho Pele program. The study shows that there are six service quality dimensions applicable in e-Government evaluation, viz. website design, navigation, communication, site aesthetics, information quality, and security. The generic instrument allows practitioners to modify and utilise it according to their needs.     

Foreword

With the development of new information and communication technologies, the right to communicate assumes new dimensions, since it is almost impossible to fully participate in the globalized world without access to modern information and communication technologies. South Africa held its first democratic elections in 1994 and has subsequently returned to the international arena. Its citizens should rightly expect to be able to participate in all that this return offers, not only politically, but also economically and socially. Telecommunications are vital to making such participation possible. In recognition of this fact, the newly elected government developed policies and enacted legislation to ensure that the telecommunications sector, and specifically the sole fixed line service provider Telkom, provides South African citizens affordable access to the telecommunications infrastructure whilst providing acceptable levels of service. However, rather than meeting its obligation to the government and the people of South Africa, Telkom has misused its monopoly. The social injustice that this situation creates is critically examined against the background of the right to communicate based on Rawls' principles of social justice and Sen's capability approach.     

Report of the UNESCO “Training the Trainers in Information Literacy” (“TTT”) Workshop Ankara,Turkey, September 3–5, 2008

The purpose of this article is to explore the use of mixed methods research (MMR) in articles published in library and information science (LIS) journals in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 2004 to 2008. A mixed methods research framework provided in the methodological literature is used to determine how this method was practiced within the LIS scientific community in SSA. Six hundred and eighty five articles published in nine peer-reviewed LIS journals in SAA were reviewed, finding the dominant research methods in these journals to be survey designs and historical research. The use of MMR was limited: 48 out of 685 articles used the mixed methods approaches that were identified in the methodological literature. A paradigm shift and a change of mindset are recommended for LIS researchers in SSA so that they may exploit the advantages offered by mixed methods research in conducting their studies.     

Mapping mixed methods research in library and information science journals in Sub-Saharan Africa 2004–2008

The purpose of this article is to explore the use of mixed methods research (MMR) in articles published in library and information science (LIS) journals in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 2004 to 2008. A mixed methods research framework provided in the methodological literature is used to determine how this method was practiced within the LIS scientific community in SSA. Six hundred and eighty five articles published in nine peer-reviewed LIS journals in SAA were reviewed, finding the dominant research methods in these journals to be survey designs and historical research. The use of MMR was limited: 48 out of 685 articles used the mixed methods approaches that were identified in the methodological literature. A paradigm shift and a change of mindset are recommended for LIS researchers in SSA so that they may exploit the advantages offered by mixed methods research in conducting their studies.     

走向二十一世纪的韩国互联网——韩国互联网高速成长原因及初步结果

本文提供了大量韩国互联网发展状况的最新资料 ,详细分析了韩国政府的网络开放政策 ,指出该政策是促使韩国互联网技术迅猛发展、经济高速发展及全国网络意识觉醒的主要动因。     

Knowledge structure of library and information science in South Korea

This article analyzes the knowledge structure of library and information science (LIS) in South Korea based on analysis of the theories presented in scholarly research articles. A content analysis of 654 LIS articles that appeared in two major journals since 1970 revealed overall theory use in LIS, such as growth and distribution of theory use by subfield, origin of theory, degree of theory use, and development of theory. The 654 articles analyzed used about eighty theories. The largest percentage of theories originated in LIS, followed by social science, sciences, and humanities. The degree of theory use indicates 2.10 in the 5 point ratio scale of the “Five Degrees of Theory Use Model.” The proposed theory use model provides an analytical tool to delineate degrees of theory use in LIS. In short, the results of knowledge structure analysis in LIS research show that LIS in South Korea needs much more development in various fields.     

Meeting the Information Needs of Battered Women:

Wde assault is an important social problem that needs to be addressed by librarians and library and information science (LIS) re:;earchers concerned with the way in which battered women search for information. This paper reports on two studies in which the social1 service network is viewed as a type of information system and which question the effectiveness of community responses to the information needs of battered women. The results of these studies suggest several ways in which LIS professionals can better assist three client groups: individual battered women, social service providers, and public policy or decision makers.