The use of information and communication technologies in public libraries in South Africa as tools for bridging the digital divide: the case of the Kempton Park public library

ABSTRACT

The information and knowledge society has resulted in the exponential growth of information and communication technologies (ICTs), thus creating a gap between those who use ICTs and those who do not; hence the emergence of the term “digital divide” in the 1990s. One of the milestones of South Africa’s National Development Plan, a policy that charts the country’s development up until 2030, is to ensure that high-speed broadband internet is universally available at competitive prices. Notwithstanding the importance of ICTs in public libraries, the provision of such is still taking place on a limited scale in South Africa. This article investigates the use of ICTs in public libraries in South Africa as a tool in bridging the digital divide. It also examines the inequalities in access and use and suggests ways in which ICTs may be used to reduce the digital divide. A qualitative research methodology was adopted. In order for public libraries to function as an important tool in bridging the digital divide, there is a need to standardize the provision of public library services with regard to the digital divide.     

More Than Just a Student Voice: Facilitating Student Leadership Development Through the Library Student Liaison Program

This article explores how the library-student liaison program at Eastern Washington University (EWU) Libraries has evolved into an opportunity for students to develop leadership skills. Originally designed to foster better communication between the EWU Libraries and students enrolled at the university, we recognized that the process of achieving established goals for the program provided a vehicle for students' leadership-skill development. To facilitate the leadership process, librarians employed the Social Change Model. Designed specifically for college students, this model engages the student to develop individual capacities to strengthen group activities that foster positive changes in the community and society.     

Creating Better Learners Through Learning Science: A Sample of Methods

This article proposes the incorporation of learning science into the programming and operation of public libraries. Learning science, a multidisciplinary field spanning cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, economics, anthropology, and linguistics, has identified proven methods for enhancing learning at any age. The article highlights some of the tools and insights that are most relevant to libraries in their role as centers for informal learning.     

基于Usage Metrics的中文学术论文用户平台偏好和兴趣偏好比较研究

研究中文学术论文用户使用模式有助于分析使用规律,为应用决策提供依据。本文以八个学科被CSSCI或CSCD收录的61本开放获取期刊发表于2014—2015年的学术论文为样本,以期刊官网和信息集成平台上的使用数据为来源,采用Usage Metrics的方法,从用户平台偏好和用户兴趣偏好两方面比较中文学术论文的用户使用模式。研究发现:①期刊官网与信息集成平台的用户平台偏好存在差异。一是从学科视角看,用户整体上倾向于使用期刊官网而不是信息集成平台获取所需论文,而社会科学的信息集成平台篇均下载次数均大于自然科学。二是从期刊视角看,社会科学用户比自然科学用户更倾向于使用信息集成平台获取所需论文;与信息集成平台相比,期刊官网的用户下载数据呈现更为明显的“两级分化”现象;期刊官网下载次数与信息集成平台下载次数整体上的相关性较低。②期刊官网与信息集成平台的用户兴趣偏好存在差异。每本期刊官网和信息集成平台下载次数前20%的学术论文的Jaccard相似系数较低;在所列举的图书馆、情报与文献学中,期刊官网与信息集成平台的用户关注主题不同。图7。表5。参考文献37。     

民国时期中美图书馆交流史序说:研究综述、理论基础与历史分期

民国时期的中美图书馆交流史不仅是理解中国图书馆与图书馆学缘起的重要议题,在回应图书馆领域史学研究的“双重困境”方面,也具有其特殊的价值。梳理民国时期中美图书馆交流史的相关文献和研究主题发现,本课题难点在于庞杂的线索、社群与诸多政治、经济因素的介入等。由此,本研究吸收“世界体系理论”“书籍交流圈”等跨学科的思想和方法,提出一个由宏观、中观和微观三个层次组成的理论视角,并阐述这一理论视角如何转化为具体的研究方法,以提高学界对民国时期中美图书馆交流史研究的整体理解和把控能力。研究发现,“专业交往”到“文化外交”的视角渐变是民国时期中美图书馆交流的核心轴线,以此可以将这段历史分为四个时期,帮助我们把握不同时期的交往脉络、主要成就和基本特点。表1。参考文献73。     

Intercultural Communication and the Central States Region

This reflection essay describes the Central States Region as an area rich in intercultural communication. González describes Mexican American migrant farmworker organizing as an intercultural activity since the union activists attempted to influence both Mexican heritage and European heritage audiences. González also describes the many interculturalists working in the Midwest who influenced his early research.     

On the same page: Improving the connection between public services units in academic libraries

Communication quality between public service units in academic libraries can make the difference between mediocre and exceptional service. If units do not communicate well, patrons may receive inaccurate information and experience short-term frustration, leading to long-term damage to the library's reputation. Poor communication creates adverse effects on employees through decreased productivity, negative work culture, and low morale. This article explores the importance of quality communication through a review of the literature and a case study at one academic library. The authors share practical communication improvement strategies for libraries of every size and fiscal ability.     

“I thought I’d have more trouble with white people!”: Exploring racial microaggressions between West African immigrants and African Americans

Racial tensions continue in 21st-century United States through the communication of racial microaggressions. We are interested in the communication of racial microaggressions directed towards West African immigrants by people with whom they expected to be allied, African Americans. Sixteen people who identified as West African immigrants were interviewed about communication struggles with African Americans in this qualitative, interpretive analysis. Owen’s thematic analysis was employed to analyze interview data. Results suggest the communicative impact of racial microaggressions on recipients is far-reaching and consequential. Narratives illustrate microaggressive communication occurs daily through invalidating, dismissive lines of questioning as well as targeted name calling and pejorative dialogue.     

Investigating the quality of interactions and public engagement around scientific papers on Twitter

This study explores science communication on Twitter by investigating a sample of tweets referring to academic papers in five different scientific fields. The specifications of science communicators on Twitter, the characteristics of those who initiate actions (by tweeting), the extent and quality of reactions (retweeting), individual and group interactions, and the distribution of tweets across types of engagement in the process of science communication (i.e., dissemination, consultation, and evaluation) were explored. A broad array of actors is involved in the communication of science on Twitter, with individual citizens and individual researchers playing an important role. In principle, this is promising for creating direct interaction, which can be difficult through more traditional mass media. The vast majority of communication activities regarding academic papers is undigested dissemination with almost no sign of debate, contestation, or collective reflection. Another general finding of this study is that bot accounts play a major role in the science communication landscape on Twitter.     

Bibliometric approximation of a scientific specialty by combining key sources,title words,authors and references

Bibliometric methods for the analysis of highly specialized subjects are increasingly investigated and debated. Information and assessments well-focused at the specialty level can help make important decisions in research and innovation policy. This paper presents a novel method to approximate the specialty to which a given publication record belongs. The method partially combines sets of key values for four publication data fields: source, title, authors and references. The approach is founded in concepts defining research disciplines and scholarly communication, and in empirically observed regularities in publication data. The resulting specialty approximation consists of publications associated to the investigated publication record via key values for at least three of the four data fields. This paper describes the method and illustrates it with an application to publication records of individual scientists. The illustration also successfully tests the focus of the specialty approximation in terms of its ability to connect and help identify peers. Potential tracks for further investigation include analyses involving other kinds of specialized publication records, studies for a broader range of specialties, and exploration of the potential for diverse applications in research and research policy context.