South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science

Factors influencing the incorporation of web technologies by university libraries in Southern African Development Community

Joseph Ndinoshiho, Mary Nassimbeni — Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The role of web technologies into the service delivery in university libraries cannot be overemphasised. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the factors that influenced the incorporation of web technologies into the services of university libraries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The study was underpinned by the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and triangulated quantitative and qualitative research strategies in data collection and analysis. The population of this study comprised librarians from university libraries in the SADC region whose language of communication is English. A questionnaire, administered with the research electronic data capture (REDCap) software, was employed to collect quantitative data from 54 librarians, while an interview protocol was used to collect qualitative data from 6 librarians. Results showed that university libraries in the SADC region have incorporated web technologies in services. The results further revealed that the UTAUT constructs, namely, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions played a part in decisions by the university libraries to incorporate web technologies into their services and that librarians were influenced by these factors to use such tools to provide web-based library services.

Tales we tell

Sibhekinkosi Anna Nkomo, Aaliya Kimmie — Sat, 04 May 2024 18:53:19 +0000

Foundation Phase teachers need a wide, updated knowledge of children’s literature and other texts to ignite learners’ love for reading. Research shows that not much is being done to expand teachers’ knowledge and expose them to a variety of children’s literature. Thus, guided by a social semiotic theory, four popular fairy tales were selected for analysis. The qualitative content analysis focused on how mothers are portrayed in fairy tales, as mothers are considered the child’s primary caregivers in many contexts. The findings of the study show that there is a dichotomous representation of mothers, where on the one hand, they can be seen as nurturing and loving and on the other hand, they can be seen as wicked and cruel. The implications of the findings suggest that it is important for teachers to be aware of what learners are reading so that they can advise and recommend relevant books. It is recommended that parents and teachers make thoughtful decisions about the kinds of texts they offer to young children. Children’s literature authors need to be mindful of the messages they convey through texts and visuals as research suggests that repetitive stereotypical messages nurture lasting impressions on children.

COVID-19 information seeking

Kondwani Wella, Jim Mtambo, Matthews Lazaro — Wed, 15 May 2024 18:43:29 +0000

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak spread anxiety among the general public, which was exacerbated by an excessive amount of misleading information. This study investigated the behaviour of Chilinde and Chinsapo residents in seeking COVID-19 information. The study used a quantitative research approach, whereby a modified Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) questionnaire was used to collect data from 627 participants. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the characteristics of the study participants and the sources and types of COVID-19 information used. Most of the participants (71.3%, n=447) reported that they had looked for information about COVID-19 from different sources. Doctors and healthcare providers were the main sources of information on COVID-19. There were 58.1% (n=364) of participants who indicated that they were extremely worried about getting infected with COVID-19. It was further found that there was limited use of online platforms to access COVID-19 information. Multiple logistic regression results showed that male respondents had a higher chance of having online access to COVID-19 information than their female counterparts. Chilinde participants were more likely to have online access, unlike those residing in Chinsapo. This study recommends raising awareness to the masses regarding the use of reputable online sources in crisis situations in the future.

Doctoral students’ satisfaction with research support services at public universities in Kenya

Emily Sawe, Naomi Wangari Mwai, Lilian Ingutia Oyieke — Mon, 27 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Research support services (RSS) play an essential role in the lives of academics and researchers. The study focused on availability of RSS and doctoral students’ satisfaction with RSS provided in public university libraries in Kenya. The success of doctoral students is often determined by the extent of RSS provided by the university libraries. Every library system's main goal is to satisfy its patrons. Specifically, the paper was guided by these objectives: to assess the extent of provision of RSS in university libraries and to determine the level of satisfaction of doctoral students on available RSS. A sample size of 372 doctoral students were selected using stratified sampling and simple random sampling techniques, and 32 librarians were selected purposively from selected public universities in Kenya. This study adopted a descriptive research design and used an online survey research technique to collect data from doctoral students and librarians. Microsoft Excel and the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) were used to analyse the data. Findings indicate that a wide range of RSS were provided in the selected universities and that while doctoral students are satisfied with the availability of materials, they are not happy with the currency of the materials in the library. The study concludes that there were significant differences in the provision of RSS for doctoral students across the selected public university libraries and that doctoral students have varying levels of satisfaction with the research support services provided to meet their information needs at selected public universities. The study findings will help university libraries to improve their services, provide targeted services to doctoral students and develop frameworks that will guide in resource allocation.

Adaption and reorganisation of academic libraries following the COVID-19 pandemic

Josiline Chigwada — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 09:26:01 +0000

This study documents how academic libraries transformed following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies how these libraries evolved to meet the changing needs of users in a post-pandemic world. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the traditional functioning of academic libraries, prompting a critical need to investigate the challenges and opportunities in adapting and reorganising these institutions. A qualitative study was done using a multi-case study design where three university libraries were purposively selected. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Fifteen participants were selected using stratified random sampling where the strata comprised library management, technical, reader, circulation, and technology librarians. The data was analysed using thematic content analysis. Libraries were forced to enhance virtual library services to continue serving the library users to meet the needs of hybrid teaching and learning. Online reference services were introduced, and virtual training sessions and meetings were continued after COVID-19. Library services were embedded in the learning management systems. This study assists academic libraries to better handle future disruptions or unforeseen circumstances to improve online resources, enhance remote access, and integrate advanced technologies to enhance the overall user experience.

Self-efficacy in the adoption of online commercial databases by Information Studies students at the University of Limpopo in South Africa

Thereza Moraka, Morongoe Ntsala, Maoka Andries Dikotla — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 19:44:47 +0000

Online Commercial Database (OCDs) training as offered by academic libraries is meant to produce students with high self-efficacy levels in adopting and using OCDs in their academic work. For students to use OCDs they need to be computer literate, be able to use tools and search strategies and opt not to use free online databases. This multimethod study employed a questionnaire to collect data from sixty-six (66) 4^th-year level Bachelor of Information Studies (BIS) degree students at the University of Limpopo. Data was analysed using Social Statistical Package Software and thematic analysis. The results of the show that the majority of the students cannot use OCDs due to lack of search skills. There are barriers, which needs to be addressed by students. Even though the study has established that attending OCDs training had increased self-efficacy levels to varying degrees, it did not translate in full use and adoption of OCDs. The study recommends that the library should tailor OCD training according to the needs of the students. This can be putting focus on strategies such as truncation, as it appears to be a concern and impacts self-efficacy levels of the majority of the respondents.

Copyright knowledge of library staff and students in an academic library

Maropene Thomas Ramabina, Zawedde Nsibirwa — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The study aims to assess the level of copyright knowledge among library staff and law students at the University of Venda (UNIVEN) library in Thohoyandou, Limpopo province, South Africa. The study used a quantitative research approach using a survey to gather data on understanding and awareness of copyright laws on campus. Google Forms was used to collect data. The population consisted of 38 library staff selected using a census sampling method and 112 final-year and postgraduate law students selected using a stratified random sampling method. The results of the study show that UNIVEN law students are more knowledgeable about basic copyright matters such as policies, copyright protection, public domain, copyright limitations, and fair dealing, copyright ownership than library staff. The research findings provided insight into the current level of copyright knowledge among library staff and law students and suggested strategies to improve copyright education and training in libraries. The results of this study will be useful to librarians, academics, and policymakers interested in promoting copyright literacy and compliance in academic libraries.