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Article
Publication date: 1 April 1994

PAUL STURGES

There are increasing numbers of experiments (in countries as diverse as Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Benin, Senegal, Botswana and Zimbabwe) with informal community information services…

188

Abstract

There are increasing numbers of experiments (in countries as diverse as Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Benin, Senegal, Botswana and Zimbabwe) with informal community information services dealing with health, hygiene, child care, cultivation, stock‐rearing, trades, crafts and repair work, in the way in which surveys show that citizens require. Conventionally published material is in very short supply and seldom has relevant content. Extension services, and sometimes libraries, in local communities make use of such materials as are available, whether printed in leaflet, pamphlet, newspaper, poster or flipchart form, or deliver information orally, on tape, filmstrip, or in the form of song, story or dramatic presentation. Preliminary investigations show that the mechanisms for obtaining appropriate information to repackage for this type of use, and the capacity to carry out the repackaging exercise, are poorly developed in most of Africa. The official publications, reports, planning and policy documents from non‐governmental organisations, development agencies, aid and charitable organisations and research centres, which contain this information, are poorly represented in the holdings of national library systems, research collections or government agencies. Equally significantly, such institutions are not oriented in the dynamic way required to permit an effective repackaging exercise. There are, however, a few examples of appropriate arrangements for the acquisition, repackaging and distribution process which are cited as partial models of the way this work might be done.

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Journal of Documentation, vol. 50 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

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Article
Publication date: 5 September 2017

Ncamsile Nombulelo Dlamini and Maritha Snyman

Access to appropriate scholarly information can play a positive role in the development of African countries. Institutional repositories (IRs) have the potential to enhance access…

1234

Abstract

Purpose

Access to appropriate scholarly information can play a positive role in the development of African countries. Institutional repositories (IRs) have the potential to enhance access and sharing of research-based information generated in Africa. Developing IRs is a consequence of the internet’s fundamental influence on the availability and distribution of scholarly information. IRs were instituted to optimise open access of scholarly information that can be freely distributed on the internet. The perception is that the IRs are not embraced in Africa as a valuable tool as the case is in other regions of the world. Research carried over to explore the reasons for the perceived little development and exploitation of IRs in Africa is limited. The purpose of this paper is to report on a survey that attempted to identify the obstacles and challenges regarding IRs in African academic institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

A webometric approach and online semi-structured questionnaires filled in by IR managers or people responsible for IR management were used to collect data for this study. Responses were received from 26 respondents.

Findings

The major obstacles were identified as inadequate funding or financial support, lack of support from institutional management and lack of awareness of IRs at institutional management level.

Research limitations/implications

The study selected only IR managers or people responsible for IR management and administration in different African academic institutions with existing IRs as respondents. Other people in these institutions might have valuable knowledge about issues regarding the IRs in their institutions from whom no data were collected.

Originality/value

Based on the findings, the paper recommends strategies on how African academic institutions could increase the number of IRs and improve the utilisation of IRs in the continent.

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Library Review, vol. 66 no. 6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

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Article
Publication date: 1 December 1999

L.O. Aina and K. Moahi

Reports a survey of 86 organisations which have a strong information component, in Botswana, with the objective of determining the types of information‐related activities they…

463

Abstract

Reports a survey of 86 organisations which have a strong information component, in Botswana, with the objective of determining the types of information‐related activities they perform. The study also aimed to ascertain the possibility of employing librarians trained at the University of Botswana. The findings revealed that a number of the organisations’ information‐related activities could be handled by librarians; however, the organisations seem to prefer computer scientists, information scientists and accountants. The study concluded that the department should revamp the curriculum in such a way that it will enable the products to function effectively in these organisations.

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Library Management, vol. 20 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

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Publication date: 12 July 2016

Miriam Green

Ever since this area of scholarship has been developed in the West, what has generally been taught, researched and written about in the organisation/management field have been…

Abstract

Ever since this area of scholarship has been developed in the West, what has generally been taught, researched and written about in the organisation/management field have been primarily English and North American theories about and practices in organisations. This focus has also been adopted by scholars and teachers all over the world, so that mainstream organisation/management scholarship is generally synonymous with western systems. However organisation and management, though not necessarily described in those terms, have existed in all societies through their economic, social and political arrangements, regardless of period, types of activity and stages of technological development.

It is here proposed to examine some African traditional societies in terms of their economic, social and political systems and compare them with mainstream Anglo-Saxon theories and practices. The main focus of this study will be on questions of accountability. Areas to be investigated are the assumptions underlying theories and practices in both types of societies; the systems in practice; their advantages and disadvantages and crucially whether western approaches have anything to learn from these traditional systems, now diminished in power and scope but still very much present in many parts of Africa. The converse question might also be put – can those traditional systems still extant benefit from Anglo-Saxon models of organisation and management?

There are difficulties with such a project. Differences in time, space, culture, size, economic activity and technology must make for problems for researchers. There are then the problems faced by any researcher in terms of their ‘habitus’ or ‘situatedness’ and the need for awareness of their own potential influences on their research. How much more problematic might this prove when examining very different cultures and attempting to make comparisons between their social systems in different time spans, different locations and in entirely different global political and economic contexts?

British social anthropologists, studying traditional societies during the colonial period, had the additional difficulties of being part of (or seen as part of) an occupying colonial administration. Normal difficulties concerning problems with information given to researchers by informants were compounded by this political context in which a great deal of scholarship about traditional societies was produced. This has been discussed over the decades by social anthropologists and sociologists, and will be addressed in this chapter, as at least some of the information used is from that period.

However, despite the difficulties, there is value in such comparisons and in heightening awareness of issues such as accountability in non-western systems as compared with questions of accountability in western institutions. This is relevant for those teaching organisation and management studies – not least to students from other parts of the world, and for practitioners who might gain some advantage from considering different systems and practices, and possibly also gain more insight into their own situations.

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Accountability and Social Responsibility: International Perspectives
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-384-9

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Article
Publication date: 9 November 2015

Robert Detmering, Anna Marie Johnson, Claudene Sproles, Samantha McClellan and Rosalinda Hernandez Linares

This paper aims to provide an introductory overview and selected annotated bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy across all library…

5395

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an introductory overview and selected annotated bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy across all library types.

Design/methodology/approach

It introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2014.

Findings

It provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

Originality/value

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 43 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

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Article
Publication date: 11 October 2020

Tessa Withorn, Joanna Messer Kimmitt, Carolyn Caffrey, Anthony Andora, Cristina Springfield, Dana Ospina, Maggie Clarke, George Martinez, Amalia Castañeda, Aric Haas and Wendolyn Vermeer

This paper aims to present recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography…

8925

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering various library types, study populations and research contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations, reports and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2019.

Findings

The paper provides a brief description of all 370 sources and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

Originality/value

The information may be used by librarians, researchers and anyone interested as a quick and comprehensive reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 48 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

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Article
Publication date: 14 September 2012

Neema Florence Mosha and Paul Manda

This paper aims to investigate the level of HIV/AIDS information among undergraduate students at two university colleges in Tanzania, and its role in changing risky sexual…

980

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the level of HIV/AIDS information among undergraduate students at two university colleges in Tanzania, and its role in changing risky sexual behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 151 undergraduate students from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College and Moshi University College of Cooperative and Business Studies were surveyed by means of a questionnaire.

Findings

Of respondents 86 per cent were aware of the pandemic and its modes of transmission. The main sources of information were books, journals, magazines, television, internet, DVD/CD, radio and research reports. A total of 32 per cent reported having tested for HIV/AIDS; 40 per cent use condoms during sexual intercourse. Among condom users 63 per cent used them consistently. Factors hindering the use of HIV/AIDS information include the time spent on studies, the unavailability of the information, and the religious, cultural and family background of respondents.

Research limitations/implications

In a country with over 30 university and university colleges, generalization is not possible on the basis of research restricted to a small number.

Practical implications

Universities should establish partnerships and networks with various stakeholders to ensure access to HIV/AIDS information and to share experiences.

Originality/value

The level of HIV/AIDS information among Tanzanian undergraduates is under‐investigated. This paper helps to fill some of the gaps in the research.

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 64 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

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Article
Publication date: 14 September 2012

Kgomotso H. Moahi

The purpose of this paper is to explore why Africa's indigenous knowledge is not playing a more active and visible role in the knowledge economy and to the roles that academia and…

2692

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore why Africa's indigenous knowledge is not playing a more active and visible role in the knowledge economy and to the roles that academia and librarians must play for it to be so.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper's approach is to combine a literature review and discussion of the issues.

Findings

The importance of indigenous knowledge to development has been established over the years. Calls have been made for African universities to take indigenous knowledge into account in their teaching and research, and to view indigenous knowledge as valuable and as a way of addressing the view of Africa as a consumer of knowledge rather than a generator and contributor of knowledge. However, whilst there have been some initiatives in academia and in libraries to integrate indigenous knowledge into their activities, it has not been enough. The reasons are many and varied and stem largely from the globalizing and unifying nature of the world education system. However, this system does also offer an opportunity for African universities to distinguish themselves as African universities that have something different to offer the world.

Research limitations/implications

The paper focuses on universities and libraries in Africa in general although Africa is a vast continent and there are differences in context.

Practical implications

Universities and libraries should look inward and find creative ways of integrating Western and indigenous knowledge systems in their teaching, research, engagement and information management.

Originality/value

The paper explores concrete ways that academia and libraries can address the matter of integrating indigenous knowledge into their activities to ensure recognition as being distinctively African.

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 1995

Kate Kwafo‐Akoto

In Africa generally, collecting and disseminating socio‐economicgrey literature can be difficult because of the existing unsatisfactorybibliographic control situation and the poor…

477

Abstract

In Africa generally, collecting and disseminating socio‐economic grey literature can be difficult because of the existing unsatisfactory bibliographic control situation and the poor state of the publishing industry. Looks at the socio‐economic grey literature scenario in the Southern African subregion by mentioning the sources of such literature and some of the efforts that have been made to organize it. Discusses the role of the National Institute of Development Research and Documentation (NIR) of the University of Botswana in collecting, publicizing and providing access to the literature in Botswana and the problems that are encountered and the attempted solutions. Concludes that the establishment of a national network of socio‐economic grey literature producers would go a long way towards its effective bibliographic control both within Botswana and the Southern African region as a whole.

Details

Interlending & Document Supply, vol. 23 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-1615

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Article
Publication date: 14 September 2015

Moya Fox and Susannah Micaela Hanlon

The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent of visibility of researchers in African countries, in the Open Access (OA) arena and aims to identify main causes of reduced…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent of visibility of researchers in African countries, in the Open Access (OA) arena and aims to identify main causes of reduced uptake in OA in Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

Extent of visibility is explored by quantitative analysis of institutional repository and OA journals data sets followed by qualitative analysis of OA foundation documents and literature on OA in Africa published mainly between 2003 and 2013.

Findings

Visibility in institutional repositories or OA journals for African researchers remains low. Causes include insufficient educational support for librarians and administrators in required new roles; inability of national, organisational and technological infrastructures to support OA; impracticality of western-based and costly publishing models; and disincentives relating to intellectual property and researcher perceptions. Complex language and literacy issues also inhibit engagement. Recommendations include strong OA advocacy, development of support initiatives, integration of international knowledge for local conditions and vice versa, sensitive preservation of indigenous knowledge and development of mechanisms of funding and research assessment mechanisms, which are economically and technically viable.

Originality/value

Earlier attempts were made to raise awareness about the lack of uptake of OA in Africa. This paper shows that the situation has hardly changed and now requires urgent attention. Otherwise OA will not “become the default method for distributing new peer-reviewed research in every field and country” by 2022 (BOAI, 2012).

Details

Online Information Review, vol. 39 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

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