Information Studies

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/10413/7184

Browse

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Developing guidelines for performance appraisal of subject librarians in KwaZulu-Natal academic libraries
(2004) Neerputh, Shirlene.; Hoskins, Ruth Geraldine Melonie.
A common theme emerging in the library world today is that quality service in the library and information center is dependent on the quality performance of personnel. Prior to conducting performance appraisals, managers need to ascertain the core performance criteria for quality service provision. This study is important because academic libraries are undergoing radical changes with an emphasis on accountability. In particular, South African tertiary education is faced with dwindling resources and an increased emphasis on accountability. There appears to be no formal or informal guidelines for appraising the value of subject librarians performing information services in KwaZulu-Natal academic libraries. It is this problem which this study addressed. The problem investigated in this study is located in the following KwaZulu-Natal academic libraries: Durban Institute of Technology (DIT), Mangosuthu Technikon (Mantech), University of Durban-Westville (UDW) , University of Natal, Durban (UND) and University of NataL, Pietermaritzburg (UNP) and the University of Zululand (UniZul). The purpose of the study was to emphasize the importance of performance appraisals for subject librarians employed in KwaZulu-Natal academic libraries and develop initial guidelines for performance appraisals for subject librarians. The scope of this study is placed within the library human resource management perspective and deals with developing and training librarians for enhanced service delivery within the above tertiary institutions. Thirty nine subject librarians (from a total of forty three) were surveyed by means of a self administered questionnaire which was distributed via e-mail. The study was able to establish the important aspects of performance appraisal for subject librarians from the literature review, and to make recommendations in respect of developing guidelines for appraising subject librarians in academic libraries. An initial guideline for conducting performance appraisal for subject librarians in KwaZulu-Natal will consist of appraising job tasks, key performance areas (KPAs), determining the relevant competencies, skills and behaviour traits. The major findings of the study were that there appears to be generally a lack of commitment to performance appraisal in KwaZulu-Natal academic libraries. A large majority of the respondents indicated that their libraries did not have guidelines for performance appraisals of subject librarians. The important aspects of performance appraisal for subject librarians were identified in the study. Key performance areas (KPAs) for subject librarians comprised of reference services, instruction and teaching, management and organisation. The competencies included knowledge of the total information environment as well as customer services. The majority of the respondents indicated that patron surveys were the most important indicator of performance of subject librarians in KwaZulu-Natal academic libraries.
Implementation and administration of an integrated library management system in academic libraries in KawZulu-Natal.
(2017) Radebe, Hombakazi.; Bell, Fiona Ruth.; Kheswa, Siyanda Edison.
This study examined the Implementation and Administration of Integrated Library Management System (ILMS) in three academic libraries in KwaZulu - Natal from the perspectives of Librarians, Systems Librarians, Library Management and Universal Knowledge Software (UKS) who were the vendors of the ILMS. The study conducted biographical sketches of all the participants who were interviewed. The purpose of this was to establish who the participants were, how long they have worked in the library, what modules they were using, and lastly establishing what type of challenges and experiences they have encountered during the implementation of the ILMS. In this study interview schedules questions were compiled with specific questions related to the ILMS. The population of the study consisted of 20 staff members, which consisted of 12 Librarians, three System Librarians, three Library Management and two UKS staff members. All 20 staff members were interviewed as they were all involved during the implementation of the system. The intention of the study was to measure what motivated the change to the ILMS, to establish problems and challenges related to the change, and lastly to evaluate if the change added any value to the staff members in terms of improving efficient and effective service delivery to library users. The results of the study as well as lessons learned will be used to map the future of ILMS, assist other institutions who wants to engage on the similar study, and identify gaps in the study as most institutions have currently moved to Cloud Based Computing. The interviews were conducted with participants in various institutions and appointments were scheduled with participants and permission to conduct interviews was granted by all the participating institutions. The research method used for this study was the qualitative research method. The results were analyzed based on the responses from the Interviews conducted. Based on the evidence from the interviews it is recommended that library management must play an active role regarding improving the implementation and administration of an ILMS. They must ensure that all staff members are on board with the new system, and that they embrace change and they must be involved throughout the planning process. There must also be adequate resources available to solve problems related to ICT infrastructure, downtime, bandwidth and turnaround time must be improved to ensure efficient service delivery. To ensure that the implementation of the ILMS has been achieved the following strategies must be employed.
Management of electronic information resources (EIRs) to enhance their long-term links preservation and access in the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Pietermaritzburg (PMB) and Howard College campus libraries.
(2013) Kavishe, George Firmin.; Leach, Athol Brian.
The purpose of this study was to examine the management of electronic information resources (EIRs) to enhance their long-term links preservation and access in the University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg (PMB) and Howard College campus libraries. The study investigated the strategies and policies used in managing EIRs, how the librarians overcome technological obsolescence, the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructures used in the management of the EIRs and the competency of the librarians in electronic preservation. The significance of this study lay in its addressing of the issue of long-term links preservation of and access to EIRs that has not been addressed by previous studies. There is rapid growth in the creation and dissemination of EIRs which has emphasized the digital environment’s speed and ease of dissemination with little regard for its long-term preservation and access. The study population was 33 and it comprised the subject librarians, metadata librarians and electronic resources librarian of PMB and Howard College campus libraries of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Adopting a quantitative approach the research design was that of a survey and the research instrument was a self-administered questionnaire comprising both open and closed questions. A total of 28 librarians responded to the questionnaire giving a response rate of 84.8%. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Results were presented in the form of figures and tables. The study was underpinned by the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model, which is being used widelyin the digital preservation community. The analysis of the findings revealed that there was an intermediate level of ICT knowledge and skill with regard to management of EIRs amongst the respondents and a need for training in EIRs management particularly with regards to metadata, migration, emulation, maintenances and bit preservation techniques.It was also revealed that the libraries were using the server’s hard drive to store the EIRs. The results also showed that there were an arguably high number of respondents ten (35.7%) who indicated that their libraries did not have anEIRs management policy. For those respondents who said that their libraries do have a policy, the vast majority indicated that the policy did provide guidelines for acquiring materials in electronic form and for transforming materials from print to electronic form. Recommendations emerging from the conclusion were made and suggestions for further research put forward.
Technology initiatives in academic libraries : status of Library 2.0 within the libraries of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
(2012) Muhambe, Baganda Herman.; Leach, Athol Brian.
The Library 2.0 model is one of many library service models. It has its origin in, and borrowed concepts from, Web 2.0 which is associated with Web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centred design and collaboration on the Web. The focus of Library 2.0 is on user-centred change and participation in the creation of content. Different scholars and researchers have discussed Library 2.0 and numerous articles have been written discussing the implementation of the model in academic libraries. Findings are that academic library users, who are becoming more involved and familiar with Web 2.0 technologies, no longer want to use the library only as a reading space or a place to use books and journals without being able to make suggestions and have their views heard. The Library 2.0 model facilitates this and, as it encourages sharing and participation, is considered a suitable model for academic libraries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of Library 2.0 within the libraries of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and the difficulties encountered when using Library 2.0 technologies to deliver their services. To achieve the purpose of the study both primary and secondary sources of data were used, including literature from various sources (journals, books and information found on websites). Interviews and self-administered questionnaires were the instruments used to collect data. The population of the study consisted of all subject librarians on the UKZN campuses, the campus librarians, and the Library Director. Data were analysed through content analysis and the use of SPSS and presented in the form of figures. It was found that UKZN libraries were slow in terms of involving the technologies associated with Library 2.0 in their services. Only Facebook and a weblog are used by the UKZN libraries and it is evident that more needs to be done in terms of implementing and promoting the technologies that encourage collaboration and interaction with users – the essence of Library 2.0. It has been said by different scholars and researchers that institutions that are perceived to be slow in involving new technologies in their services, are at risk of becoming irrelevant to their users. These users will then move to other services who can better meet their needs. Therefore, it is crucial for UKZN libraries to embrace these technologies if they want to keep up and remain relevant to the ever changing needs of their users.

Browse

Browsing Information Studies by Subject "Academic libraries--KwaZulu-Natal."