South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science

Disaster risk identification and business continuity planning in community libraries in the North West Province in South Africa

Sabelo Chizwina — 2023-02-08

Disasters affect access to community libraries that provide essential access to information for citizens in rural South Africa. The purpose of this research was to investigate the identification of disaster risk in community libraries in the North West Province in South Africa. Disasters in community libraries have been under-researched in Library and Information Science literature. Using a multi-method approach, data was collected from community libraries that are under the North West Department of Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs (CATA). Participants were community librarians and librarian assistants employed by CATA. The response rate for the quantitative phase was 64% (70) and 100% (4) for the qualitative phase. The main results indicate that risk identification was considered the responsibility of their municipalities and that the CATA for community libraries was used to identify risks or conduct disaster planning. Therefore, risk identification is an area that has been largely neglected, with negative implications for business continuity planning.

Promotion of open access publications and visibility by institutions in South Africa

Patrick Ajibade — 2023-03-15

Information Technology infrastructure, internet connectivity, platform agility and institutional governance remain significant challenges to Open Access (OA) publishing on the African continent. This study examined South African libraries and institutions' efforts to promote open-access publications. Bibliometric tools were used to analyse research outputs, trends, and citations. An informetric analysis of abstracts and titles of (n =4,808) samples from the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) outputs in Scopus Databases was conducted. The top 1,999 of these outputs accounted for a total citation count of (n =18, 913), representing 1,686 of the total link strengths of the outputs. This finding suggests that OA may promote the visibility and prominence of African scholarship and knowledge dissemination in the Social Sciences. Our findings present the extent of SSH contributions to Open Access Publishing (OAP) and the most prolific contributors and institutional ranking of OAP in South Africa. The descriptive statistics of the publications metric summary were max = 4,808, µ= 57.742, ²= 186857.721, and = 432.270. The implications of these findings suggest that low OAP will significantly hinder African scholarship, knowledge dissemination and scholar's visibility. It is recommended that institutions promote more OAP to increase the visibility and prominence of South African scholars' academic output.

Publication in open access journals at a university of technology in South Africa

Mbali Patronella Zulu — 2023-07-07

Researchers in South Africa publish in journals that have a high impact factor and are accredited by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) as this will bring financial support to the researcher and the affiliated Institution for continuous publication. Moreover, these researchers do so for possible ranking of their universities and to seek collaboration with international and national researchers. However, publishers make it difficult for researchers to publish because of the Article Processing Charges that increase annually. Therefore, the study's main objective is to propose general benefit guidelines for the use of open access by researchers. The unit of analysis was the university’s Institutional Repository (IR) and Scopus, a database which the university subscribes to. The IR has a collection of research outputs that include peer-reviewed articles, conference proceedings, and datasets. Hence, a quantitative and qualitative research approach was selected, where content analysis was used to collect data whereby research output from 2016 to 2020 was identified from both the IR and Scopus. The study examined, investigated, and explored the hindrances and challenges faced by researchers when publishing in open access journals (OAJ) with specific reference to South Africa. The study drew from a few organised threads of confirmation which make up the current dialogue on OAJ, comprising of peer-reviewed literature, grey literature, and other forms of communication. A manual Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method was applied to collect data from Scopus and the IR. The ethical considerations for conducting the study included permission to use the university’s IR and to collect primary data from academics in the selected university. The results show that publishers are making it difficult for researchers to publish in open access, because of the outrageous publishing costs involved.

Adoption and use of Information and Communication Technologies by teachers in selected vocational and technical colleges in Lagos State, Nigeria

William Nwagwu — 2023-10-05

This study was designed to examine the adoption and use of information and communication technologies by teachers in Selected Vocational and Technical Colleges in Lagos State, Nigeria. Data was collected from 90 VTE teachers out of a sample of 105. The variables were created based on UTAUT theory. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the dimensions of each of the constructs in the model. The relationship between performance expectancy and adoption of ICT variables of using information technology services to improve job performance is very small, and negative but significant (B=-0.14, t=-0.257, p<0.000). Using information technology to improve teacher performance and adoption of ICT yielded a similar result. But the reverse is the case for using information technology to improve teaching efficiency (B=0.248, t=1.786, p=0.19). The correlation coefficient of the relationship between the availability of ICT tools and the adoption of ICT is relatively low (r=0.392, p<0.05). Furthermore, the regression coefficient between effort expectancy and adoption of ICT is not significant, but the situation is different for the availability of a specific person or group available for assistance with any technical problem. Self-efficacy variables also predicted the adoption and use of ICT. Generally, the ICTs were available but not as much accessible. The implementation of ICT in the VTE colleges in Lagos would benefit from a wider scope study, with an examination of factors other than those of UTAUT.

Cyberethics awareness and implications on Library and Information Science educators in selected universities in South-West Nigeria

Aderinola Ololade Dunmade — 2023-10-05

This study examined cyberethics awareness and implications on library and information science(LIS) educators in selected universities in South-west Nigeria. A quantitative method was adopted along with a descriptive survey design; while 35 LIS educators drew through total enumeration from two universities in South-west Nigeria to represent the sample for the study. A questionnaire adapted from the previously related validated scales was used for the data collection. The research questions were developed and answered. The findings revealed that the LIS educators were aware of cyberethical issues, and the awareness is also very high. The LIS educators regularly participated in training on cyber technology, internet policy issues, cyber security and cyberethics. The LIS educators were very familiar with various types of cyberethical issues including intellectual property, fair use, illegal downloads and wrong copies of files and text, respecting others' opinions, and privacy concerns in the cyber environment. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the deliberate adoption of cyberethics as a stand-alone distinct course that will be part of the curriculum of LIS should be encouraged to further enhance the awareness of students.

Perceptions of engineering researchers towards citizen science

Karien du Bruyn — 2023-10-26

Societal demands and challenges are increasingly shaping academics’ research endeavours. Citizen Science (CS) is a developing concept that constitutes a fundamental shift towards alternative ways of knowledge creation by including audiences beyond academia. The applied nature of the engineering discipline and subsequent opportunities to involve citizens in knowledge-creation processes are of particular importance in this paper. A qualitative case study in the Faculty of Engineering at a selected University of Technology in South Africa explored the roles of academic libraries in engineering CS initiatives. Nine full or associate professorship engineers participated in in-depth interviews. The results indicated great enthusiasm and aspirations among engineering researchers to contribute to societal needs in support of Sustainable Development Goals. As CS projects’ development proliferates in academic institutions, the roles of academic libraries could increasingly become prominent and favour creative input during knowledge-creation practices. The findings provide valuable guidelines for academic libraries during engineering CS projects’ planning and execution and demonstrate how a multidisciplinary approach can accelerate implementation.

Information literacy skills and competencies of nursing students at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Malawi

Patrick Mapulanga — 2023-11-29

This paper reports the findings of a study on information literacy (IL) skills and competencies of nursing students at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Malawi. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive design. The population for this study were nursing students and faculty of the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through an online questionnaire that contained open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics in the form of charts, graphs, and relative frequencies. Qualitative data, on the other hand, were analysed using thematic analysis. Nursing students received several IL programme offerings that included on-campus IL sessions organised by the library, lecture, or curriculum embedded IL programme, and library instructional sessions. Findings further indicate that majority of the students used Google as their primary source of information whilst library subscription databases were minimally used. Besides wanting to learn citation and referencing styles and how to avoid plagiarism, the students desired to learn how to find and evaluate information. Respondents recommended that IL skills be embedded in the nursing curriculum to make it more effective. IL should be integrated into courses across many disciplines and spread throughout their academic career. This paper provides lessons to health-related institutions that may be planning on revamping their IL programme offering to make it more relevant to students. The current study advocates for a more systematic approach in which IL should be part of the curriculum developed and offered by librarians in collaboration with faculty members.

Significance of libraries as a developmental and preservation institution for indigenous languages in South Africa

Mlamli Diko — 2023-12-10

There is a perpetual hypothesis whose intent is to divorce the development of South African indigenous languages from the libraries. This then romanticises the sophisticated notion that South African indigenous languages cannot be advanced within the arena and systems of libraries. This article is aimed at elucidating the significant role of South African libraries in preserving and developing indigenous languages. Simultaneously, the article underlines some of the pertinent language and library challenges in South Africa. Qualitative research methodology and Multi-Interdisciplinary Theory (MIT) are employed to operate in a synergetic correlation. It becomes apparent that more scholarly discourse ought to be undertaken in a bid to sensitise the verity that South African libraries have the mandate to develop local languages. In respect of the problematised conundrum, recommendations and concluding remarks are presented with the intention to create an inclination for further scholarly debate.

Strategies for marketing information and knowledge services of electronic learning centres in the City of Johannesburg Public Libraries

Sifiso Michael Mbambo — 2023-12-15

In many instances, electronic learning centres (ELC) in public libraries are not utilised optimally as patrons are not aware of such facilities. As a result, marketing of services is critical for maximum use is needed. The study aimed to establish the marketing of information and knowledge services of Electronic Learning Centres (ELCs) in the City of Johannesburg (COJ) public libraries. Adopting a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) for this study, a quantitative research approach was employed, and data was collected through an open-ended questionnaire. The target population for this study was electronic learning (e-learning) librarians and e-learning users. The findings revealed that computer services, free Wi-Fi, free internet, and e-resources were among the information and knowledge services accessible to the users of the COJ public libraries in the 21^st century. Library pages, and word of mouth from e-learning staff and other users were some of the strategies used to market the information and knowledge services available and accessible. Marketing information and knowledge services offered in the e-learning information centres enhance such centres’ optimal usage, therefore, marketing is instrumental as one of the tools for the use of the centres particularly in the 21^st century. Suggestions are made on how to enhance the marketing of information and knowledge services.

Framework for the provision of information services through a smart self-service kiosk at the National University of Lesotho Library

Tahleho Tseole — 2023-12-20

A smart self-service kiosk (SSSK) in a library ensures that users are able to access library services without the help of librarians regardless of the location. An SSSK is web-based and allows library users to access library services remotely. Library users are able to check the availability of information resources, the location of the information resources, and the number of copies of a particular information resource in a particular library. This study sought to investigate the provision of information services at the National University of Lesotho (NUL) Library with a view to suggest a framework for implementing an SSSK. It could be like a point-of-sale self-service touch-screen kiosk check-out, like those used in supermarkets up and down the country, an information point in a tourist attraction, or a kiosk in an airport that allows people to check in without joining a counter queue. An SSSK would be different for every specific field, depending on the specific planned application. In the field of library and information sciences, an SSSK would be used to search for the availability of books, the location of books and to check a book in and out of the library. For this study a literature review was conducted to demonstrate a need for a framework which involves the provision of information services through an SSSK at the NUL Library. The study identified the need for an SSSK to provide reference and information services at the NUL Library. This includes searching for the availability of information resources or just books like elsewhere, the location of such information resources, as well as the self-checking in and out of information resources in the library. The library users through the web portal of the SSSK would also be able to access the library services remotely. The study proposes a framework to provide information services through a SSSK at the NUL Library. It is hoped that the proposed framework may serve as a benchmark and guideline for the provision of information services through a SSSK at the NUL Library.

Research productivity and scientific impact of gender-based violence in sub-Saharan Africa

Taiwo A Idowu — 2023-12-21

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a common occurrence and contributes to human rights
abuses of both men and women globally. It, therefore, requires investigation from different
perspectives to shed light on its depth and breadth. While research in the domain is
increasing, the status, nature, and extent of this research are not readily known, particularly in
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been identified as the region worst hit by this atrocity.
This study appraises research publications on GBV in SSA from 1996 to 2020 with a view to
determining the performance of researchers, institutions, and countries in terms of GBV
research productivity and scientific impact in the domain. This is primarily a quantitative study
that applies content analysis through bibliometric means to analyze GBV publications
indexed in the Scopus database from 1996 to 2020. Using the publication count technique, the
study focuses largely on the journal of the research by author, institutional, and source as
well as a citation analysis to determine citation counts and research impact. The data were
processed and analyzed with Microsoft Excel, and VOSviewer. Findings reveal a growing
research pattern in the domain, with higher research performance in terms of usage and
visibility coming from the leading research countries and institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The same countries and institutions produce higher citations and research impact. While there
have been concerns about growing GBV in developing countries, the productivity of the
countries to add to global gender-based research is equally minimal, suggesting low
investment in and priority of GBV research.

Information literacy content for first year law students at a rural-based university in South Africa

Maropene Thomas Ramabina — 2023-12-23

Information literacy (IL) has been adopted in higher education institutions in Africa. However, the lack of local IL standards led African universities to align the IL content with international standards. This study evaluated the efficacy of the IL content offered to first year law students at a rural-based university in South Africa to establish whether the IL content offered aligns with international IL standards. The study adopted a quantitative research approach using a survey design for pragmatic examination. Data were collected and analysed from the Blackboard Learning Management System. A census sampling approach was used to select a sample from 201 first year law students who attempted and completed the set IL test in the Introduction to the Theory of Law (INT 1141) module at the University of Venda (UNIVEN). Additionally, Law Student Information Literacy (LSIL) standards were adopted to assess the content of IL offered to first year law students at UNIVEN. The compliments from the academics at the School of Law were used to validate the findings of this study. The findings revealed that the IL content offered for first year-level law students efficiently provides law students with the necessary skills to search for law-related information using library resources and other Internet-based information sources. The study recommends the integration of IL into all first-year academic programmes at UNIVEN.

Cybersecurity of information systems at the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa

Ntandoyenkosi Sinqobile Moyana — 2023-12-23

In today's computerised world, cybersecurity attacks have become a major headache with detrimental effects on cultural institutions including libraries, archives, and museums around the world. The exponential growth in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and advances in digitalisation have increased the complexity of cybersecurity attacks and threats. Archival repositories face greater exposure to cybersecurity threats and attacks due to increasing digitalisation. In South Africa, a growing number of cultural heritage institutions such as archival repositories and libraries are under constant attack by cybersecurity threats and attacks to disrupt systems, networks, and services offered to the citizens. Cybersecurity could serve as the wall keeping malicious actors from attacking these institutions. This qualitative study sought to explore cybersecurity of information systems at the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (NARSSA) in Pretoria. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews that were tape-recorded and analysed using a thematic analysis and NVivo 12 software package. The ﬁndings of this study revealed that the NARSSA is under severe attack from phishing attacks, computer viruses and worms, Trojan horses, password attacks, and Denial of Service attacks. The results further showed that Microsoft firewall, audit train, strong user password and anti-virus software were put in place to mitigate cybersecurity attacks and threats. The NARSSA should achieve a strong cyber resilience security posture to protect computer systems against cyber-attacks. It is concluded that the NARSSA needs to invest heavily in a security awareness program to continually train staff on how to identify and respond appropriately to the growing range of cyber security threats and defend against attacks such as phishing attacks, social engineering attacks, ransomware attacks, and malware attacks.

Pearson correlation coefficient between article processing charges and journal indicators for gold open access articles by Indian authors

Gulam Jilani — 2023-12-23

Many Indian authors publish their research in open access journals through the gold access route and paying the Article Processing Charge (APC) to the publishers. In view of this, there can be the Pearson correlation coefficient between APCS and journal indicators. This study evaluates the Pearson correlations of APC with journal indicators for gold open access (OA) articles published by Indian authors. Furthermore, the relationship between APCs and CiteScore, SNIP, and SJR is established through the statistical description. The study followed the quantitative and qualitative methodology. Data were extracted from Scopus about the CiteScore, SNIP, SJR, citations, and the APCs charges were obtained from the journal’s websites. The final obtained data of 22308 gold OA articles published in the total 1946 OA journals indexed in Scopus were included in the study. Its CiteScore, SNIP, and SJR were obtained from the Scopus citation database to study the relationship between the APCs and indicators. The data were analyzed using SPSS and MS Excel to find the Pearson correlations of APCs with the journal’s indicators. The mean (average) and median of APCs for gold OA articles are USD 1682.63 and USD 1029.604, respectively. The study revealed that ‘Health Sciences’ contributed the highest number of articles and spent the highest amount of APCs, followed by ‘Physical Science.’ Pearson correlation coefficient recorded a negative correlation for APC to the number of articles and positive and statistically highly significant correlation of APCs with citations, CiteScore, SNIP, and SJR. In contrast, the correlation of CiteScore with SNIP and SJR has a very high positive correlation as (r = 0.785, p < 0.001) and (r = 0.827, p < 0.001), respectively. The limitation of the study is actual APC paid by Indian authors to the OA journals, which is not available. Only APCs mentioned on the journal’s website are a source of information. The correlation between APCs and SJR is a positive and highly significant relationship, and the relationship of SJR with CiteScore and SNIP is also highly positive.

Relationship between organisational determinants and turnover intentions of librarians in public libraries in Gauteng province

Johannes Masenya — 2023-12-23

Public libraries across the globe, and particularly in developing countries, are faced with challenges in the mitigation and management of the complex turnover intention phenomenon. The situation is further exacerbated by ineffective retention strategies, retiring baby-boomers, and the millennials not being attracted to the public libraries due to ineffective retention strategies or unmet expectations. Therefore, turnover intention is a matter of grave concern for libraries, as it is associated with deleterious effects such as loss of knowledge, shortage of skilled librarians, indirect and direct costs to the library. This quantitative study used the census method and adopted the cross-sectional survey design, including the use of a structured questionnaire to collect data from 174 librarians at the City of Johannesburg Libraries in South Africa. Data were analysed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences. The results reported significant and negative relationship supervision, personal interpersonal and training to develop and utilise new skills, and turnover intention. The results further revealed an insignificant relationship between perceived alternative employment opportunity and leadership, and turnover intention. It is recommended that in order to decrease turnover intention and increase talent retention, effective measures should be developed which could integrate the variables such as supervision, personal interaction and training programmes. It is critical to revisit the library retention strategy at least once a year to stay abreast of best human resources or retention practices in public library sector.

Whopping low reading literacies in South Africa

Samuel Maredi Mojapelo — 2023-12-23

Reading is a dynamic and complex process which takes years for learners to learn. Without the acquisition of reading skills for comprehension and decoding, it is near impossible for learners to proceed successfully with further learning. Studies show that learners without skills to read for meaning cannot continue with their studies and, therefore, drop out of school. The results from the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) paint an extremely gloomy picture, namely, that the ability of learners in Grades 4 to 6 in South Africa to read for meaning has deteriorated to 81% from 78% in the 2016 PIRLS, the lowest of all countries that participated in the survey. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors causing South African learners to perform abysmally in the PIRLS and Annual National Assessments. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, and an interview schedule was used to collect data. Eight primary school teacher-librarians who attended the community engagement project organised by the researcher were interviewed telephonically to get in-depth data. The findings indicate that there are myriad and multifaceted factors that contribute to low reading literacies among learners. The majority of schools, particularly those in disadvantaged rural communities, lack well-resourced and staffed libraries to enhance the development and acquisition of reading habits and skills in learners. Furthermore, with high poverty levels in the country, the majority of households cannot afford to buy materials for leisure reading to develop and instill a reading culture in children. The study recommends collaborations among the Department of Basic Education, the Department of Arts and Culture and private sector companies to turn the tide. Failure to transform the patterns would result in high dropout rate, failure rate, and even unemployment rate, as well as crime rate in the future.