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The study aims to draw lessons from other countries and propose a framework for developing smart libraries in transformation in South Africa. The framework will be useful to policymakers and scholars in library and information science.

This study used a qualitative approach based on a systematic literature review and the researchers’ experience concerning the transformation of smart libraries in South Africa. The researchers selected databases to access full-text, abstract or full-text linking facilities. The researchers generated the study’s literature review using keywords derived from themes. The keywords used include “smart libraries,” “functions of smart libraries” and “smart library infrastructure,” based on the objectives of the study.

The findings reveal that developing smart libraries in South Africa is feasible, but all stakeholders must cooperate and collaborate to create smart libraries. The findings of this study show that South Africa can draw lessons from other countries on the way forward in developing smart libraries. The results indicate that lack of funding, digital infrastructure and technical skills are among the factors inhibiting the development of smart libraries.

The issue of smart libraries has become a key on the agenda on a global scale, and South Africa is no exception to such developments. This study proposes a framework for developing smart libraries based on lessons learned within and outside South Africa.

The study aims to assess the views of archives and records management (ARM) professionals in Eswatini about massive open online courses (MOOCs). The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of MOOCs as open gateways for ongoing learning opportunities to scholars, institutions and academics across the globe. It explores the challenges of providing MOOCs in a developing country such as Eswatini.

The study was anchored on the interpretive research paradigm and adopted a qualitative research methodology. The study used maximum variation sampling to identify individuals that would constitute the research sample. The rationale behind this sampling is to obtain participants with a shared experience within a phenomenon but who have some demographic variance.

The findings revealed that there was lack of awareness of the potential of MOOCs in revolutionizing the delivery of ARM courses in Eswatini. The findings support the need for higher education institutions in Eswatini to adopt MOOCs to deliver ARM courses. The study revealed that access to internet connectivity was among the key inhibitors undermining the adaptation of MOOCs for the delivery of ARM courses in Eswatini.

The novelty of the study is that it brings into the limelight the factors that impede the adaptation of MOOCs for the delivery of ARM courses in Eswatini. It brings into focus the challenges encountered by ARM institutions in Eswatini in moving towards a MOOC-centric mode of course delivery.

Academic libraries’ response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic might be an opportunity to reassert and reemphasise their roles in the national disaster management matrix. The purpose of this study is to review the responses of academic libraries in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. The global outbreak of COVID-19 has precipitated a challenge amongst all institutions, communities and libraries as evidenced by the growing lockdowns, deaths and shocking statistics of infections. This has triggered a fundamental need to rethink how libraries can establish innovative ways to continue providing services to users.

This study adopted the interpretive research paradigm to review the situation in South Africa in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used an analysis of secondary sources, the activities that took place and personal experience to answer the research questions.

The analysis showed that academic libraries and publishers have risen to the occasion, offering more free content and curating personalised collections so that citizens can have uninterrupted access to content and learning. The digital libraries in South Africa are considered vital alleyways to high-quality e-books, journals and educational content, including open educational resources. Digital library services have enabled academic libraries in South Africa to excel in providing online services, therefore ensuring that learning, research and teaching continued.

This study, using Habermas’s idea of the public sphere as a fundamental theoretical framework, notes that when the physical space is closed, it is necessary for academic libraries in South Africa to make use of the digital space. This study will contribute to the corpus of knowledge relating to South African digital libraries’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the review of several journal articles on the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and how it impacts students’ motivation to continue with their studies or to drop out of their academic program, this study aims to review the literature on the impact of ICTs on student motivation at a university.

This paper is based on a systematic literature review steered by the PRISMA guidelines. This paper uses both Durban University of Technology subscription-based and publicly available papers. The research articles examined were published between 2018 and 2023 in Scopus, Web of Science and ScienceDirect.

Reviewed literature bespeaks that ICTs can increase student motivation by enhancing interactive, engaging and individualized learning. Digital technologies that engage students and offer a more engaging learning environment include instructional apps, online simulations and multimedia content. Using ICTs may be useful in lowering university dropout rates.

The systematic review yielded valuable insights for both academic research and real-world applications in education regarding the Durban University of Technology. The study offers a comprehensive analysis of the nexus between ICTs and student motivation.

The paper explores library cooperation in Zimbabwe and gathers views from librarians on the need for a library consortium model to underpin national development. This study aims to investigate the development of library consortia in Zimbabwe and then propose a model that will both accelerate their development and support the country’s national development agenda.

The paper opted for an investigative study using a multi-method research design. Data on existing library consortia, namely, Zimbabwe University Library Consortium (ZULC) and College and Research Library Consortium (CARLC), were collected through questionnaires and interviews. The data were complemented by documentary analysis including primary sources of information, for example, annual reports and brochures. Data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively.

The paper provides empirical insights on how ZULC and CARLC are transforming the provision of library services in several ways, for example, providing for the dynamic needs of users and strategizing on overcoming rising costs of scholarly content through resource sharing. The proposed model effectively elevates the fundamental library consortium principles of cooperation and sharing onto the national development stage, and it is novel and pioneering. The gestures and general remarks made recently by Zimbabwe Library Association and some ZULC members about national development and ZIMASSET are given rigorous and scholarly expression in this model.

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalisability beyond Zimbabwe. It is therefore imperative for researchers to test the proposed propositions further.

The paper includes implications for the development of a library consortia model to underpin national development in Zimbabwe. The existing academic sector library consortium still excludes other types of libraries from participating in resource sharing and promoting access to information on a national development scale. The proposed library consortium model providing for nation-wide access to information is critical in realising national development goals in Zimbabwe. Currently, academic library consortia are contributing immensely through supporting learning, teaching and research in their respective institutions. Such benefits can also be extended to all institutions through a national library consortium to support development in Zimbabwe.

This paper fulfils an identified need to study how the development of a nation-wide library consortium model can be realised. There is relatively little researched information on library cooperation and library consortia and national development in Southern Africa with specific reference to Zimbabwe. The paper seeks to close the gap by providing information on library cooperation and library consortia and national development in Zimbabwe.

Knowledge sharing for evidence-based climate change adaptation is key to reducing vulnerabilities. The disastrous effects of the recent tropical cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe’s eastern highlands, whereby lives and livelihoods were destroyed, calls for fundamental rethinking on how knowledge sharing can be useful in reducing vulnerabilities. This study aims to examine how knowledge sharing practices among selected climate action organisations can support positive results in evidence-based climate change adaptation in Zimbabwe and recommends a strategy to enhance knowledge sharing for evidence-based climate change adaptation.

The researcher opted for a qualitative research methodology, and interviews were conducted with research participants to get in-depth information. The target population for the research is drawn from three climate change organisations in Zimbabwe. These participants were chosen because of their direct involvement in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Purposive sampling was used because it was considered an easy and informal method to reach the target population. The responses were coded and readied for analysis. Categories for analysis were also determined and described. The next section focuses on the presentation and interpretation of the responses.

The study found out that even though there is evidence of knowledge sharing in the selected organisations, there was a need for a strategy that integrates the efforts of all climate action organisation to realise successful climate change adaptation. Successful climate change adaptation requires an integrative force in the form of a strategy that supports knowledge sharing. The strategy breaks the silo mode of operation by bringing together all stakeholders through knowledge sharing.

The research study was unique to the Zimbabwean climate change and adaptation context and only a purposive sampling of participants representing three climate change action was feasible.

The proposed model will enhance knowledge sharing among climate change and adaptation organisations in Zimbabwe. It will transform knowledge management practices among climate change organisations in Zimbabwe.

The study recommends a knowledge sharing strategy that can be useful in supporting climate change adaptation. The model will support decision-making by providing access to shareable information on climate change. The proposed knowledge sharing strategy integrates the efforts of all stakeholders, including communities, government and academia, among many. The study proposes an original model for climate change adaptation for Zimbabwe.

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on factors that contribute to the successful development and use of the mobile digital library (DL). This aim will be achieved by reviewing selected journal articles on mobile DLs' successful development and use. This paper argues that the concept of DLs is evolving because of the dynamic nature of knowledge and technological developments in the infosphere.

A systematic literature search of journal article factors that contribute to the successful development and use of the mobile DL was accomplished by searching the following databases: Emerald insight, Science directory and Google Scholar. The systematic review was conducted following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. This study applied Rogers's (1965) Diffusion of innovation theory to unpack the attributes of innovation to unpack contextual factors shaping African conceptions of mobile libraries (m-libraries). The studies reviewed were published from 2016 to 2021. This paper is based on a systematic literature review. This paper uses publicly available literature on the theme of DLs concerning m-libraries. Among the search terms used for the study were: “digital libraries”, “Africa and digital libraries”, “electronic libraries”, “information communication technologies”, “access to information” and “mobile digital libraries”.

Reviewed literature indicates that myriad factors can contribute positively or negatively to the successful development and use of the mobile DL. These factors include the degree of staff awareness and understanding of the potential of mobile technologies in enhancing the provision of library services, the availability of relevant digital content, library staff and users’ level of digital and information literacy competencies to navigate digital platforms, user friendliness of DL platforms, material and financial support to access m-libraries, power supply and access to internet connectivity.

The results from this study will generate knowledge and insight into the factors that affect the development and optimal use of mobile DLs to enhance and widen access to scholarly databases irrespective of time and space. This study will make recommendations that will enable South African policymakers to make informed decisions relating to the factors affecting the development and usage of mobile DLs for enhanced learning, teaching and education.

Given the growing number of scholarly publications on mobile DLs, this study seeks to discover how such technologies can help enhance learning, teaching and research in higher education. This study’s findings will provide a scientific basis for policymakers and researchers with evidence-based knowledge that raises the value of mobile DLs. It was discovered that if the identified factors are handled well, users can easily access tools, such as databases, electronic journals and online reference tools, and this could improve the quality of teaching and learning.

The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) is radically transforming the roles and responsibilities of librarians in different types of libraries. This calls for a fundamental rethink in order to retool the competencies and skills of librarians to ensure that they deliver efficient services to patrons who have diverse and dynamic information needs. The digital era provides librarians with an opportunity to reprofile their competencies and reinvent themselves in order to remain relevant. This chapter documents continuous professional development by librarians in the industry 4.0 era. A literature review was done to unpack how libraries are dealing with the impact of the 4IR. The findings revealed that the libraries are affected by the seismic technological changes that are arise from the 4th industrial revolution and librarians should develop their skills to be able to remain relevant in the industry 4.0 era.