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The question of low productivity in Botswana is a cause of concern and a study has been carried out into perceptions about productivity in a sample of academic and public librarians. The main barriers to productivity were a lack of: job satisfaction, technological facilities and employee empowerment, together with poor management, working environment, relationship among staff, and inefficient use of human and material resources. The authors suggest that a serious culture change is required which would involve modifying both management and employees attitudes towards work, behaviour and commitment.

Presents the main findings of the study recently conducted by the author: “On‐the‐job training: a tool for professionalism and productivity” (a case study of Botswana National Library Service), which was carried out in order to explore and identify on‐the‐job training (OJT) needs for library staff. The instrument used was an open‐ended questionnaire followed by interviews to eliminate ambiguities. Questionnaires were coded after data collection. This procedure was found to be more appropriate as participants were free to express opinions without being influenced by available choices. Data were analysed by using the MINI TAB computer program. A total of 64 library users and 64 library staff (31 professionals and 33 diploma holders) were surveyed. The main OJT training needs were identified as: information technology, job orientation, customer service/public relations, marketing/publicity, refresher courses and managerial skills.

Advancement in Information and communication technologies (ICTs) has revolutionised Library and Information Science (LIS) education and libraries. Both theory and practice have been transformed completely. LIS education programmes have become highly competitive and must be market-driven and technology-oriented. At the same time, academic libraries have been transformed and have become dynamic. Fostering a close collaboration between LIS educators and practitioners can multiply their strength and abilities by sharing educational resources and theoretical and practical knowledge. This paper aims to present the findings of a study carried out to investigate the current status of collaboration among LIS educators and library practitioners at the University of Botswana.

Data were collected using self-administered structured questionnaires from both LIS educators at the Department of Library and Information Studies (DLIS) and practicing librarians working at the University of Botswana Library (UBL). To follow-up some of the issues, an interview was carried out with a subject librarian and a focus group discussion method was used to discuss some of the challenges from the findings.

The major collaborative activities from the DLIS staff were identified as the following: creating awareness of library resources and promoting library usage among students, facilitating library material selection and inviting librarians as guest lecturers to teach in the classroom. The main collaborative activities from practicing librarians were found to be the following: delivering information literacy instruction, providing professional/practical experience to students and information sharing with the DLIS teaching staff. The major challenges were identified as the following: different cultures of educators and librarians, lack of need to collaborate and lack of formal policy at the department and the university level.

The UBL has 51 library staff members. All the librarians were not included in this research study, only senior librarians and library management were involved in the study. No theoretical framework was used to carry out the study. The questionnaire was designed based on the general literature in the field of professional collaboration among faculty and educators in the information profession. The follow-up interview and focus group discussion were conducted to address the collaborative activities and challenges that were acknowledged by at least 50 per cent of the participants. Issues with less than 50 per cent responses were considered insignificant to follow-up. Follow-up interview was conducted only with one subject librarian. As all subject librarians have the same job profile and undertake the similar activities, it was assumed that one subject librarian can represent others.

This research paper contributes to the body of literature. It may be useful for other LIS schools and libraries that work in similar environments, and it also opens up avenues for further research on this topical issue.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how libraries and information centres can play a key role in national development through strategic working partnerships with government and other stakeholders.

The paper is based on literature review and practical examples.

The paper finds that Botswana Government has formulated Maitlamo policy for the development of public libraries and through this policy partnerships have been established by the African comprehensive HIV/AIDS partnerships through the Sesigo project. Another partnership has been between parastatal organisations such as Botswana Technology Centre and Botswana National Library Services.

The paper suggests the potential areas of partnerships that include community development, youth development, music and sports, cultural activities and indigenous knowledge.

The purpose of thi s paper is to describe how libraries are under increasing pressure to become learning organisations for better knowledge management and to cultivate a culture of continuing learning to cope with both current and future changes in the organisations in which they exist.

Literature review and authors” experiences in academic libraries in east and southern Africa.

Learning organisations” role includes knowledge creation, sharing and dissemination and the ability to effectively operate in an increasingly digital environment.

Academic libraries are undergoing tremendous transformations due in part to new technologies, customer expectations, competitive pressures, evolving knowledge‐intensive organisations, and the changing roles of librarians. Academic libraries can be considered as learning organisations involved in intensive generation of knowledge and must operate competitively in order to satisfy customer needs and be able to deal with the challenges and opportunities of the digital environment.

Academic libraries have long been acknowledged as the heart of the institution in which they reside. As a result, they are confronted with challenges and opportunities in the digital environment which they must fully understand as learning organisations in order to redefine and effectively perform their roles.