African Journal of Library Archives and Information Science

This paper is based on a study, which investigated whether the National Archives and National Library of Namibia (NANLN) had put into consideration issues of prevention, preparedness, response and recovery in their Disaster Management Plan (The Plan). The study was guided by the disaster management cycle made up of four phases,  namely prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. The population of the study consisted of NANLN management, librarians, archivists, housekeeping staff, security personnel, the accountant and users, as well as personnel from support institutions. Applying purposive sampling technique, 40 respondents were selected to take part in the study. Data collection methods included interviews, focus group discussions, direct observations, and document analysis. The main finding is The Plan lacked most of the major components that make an ideal disaster preparedness plan. The study concluded that the Plan would be ineffective in the event of a disaster as it was incomplete. The recommendations include: staff awareness of the Plan and training; coming up with a comprehensive list of stakeholders and an updated list of contacts; acquisition of emergency supply kits; development of a security management plan; further development and regular reviews of The Plan.Keywords:  Archives; Disaster management; Disaster planning; Disaster preparedness; Libraries; Namibia

E. Nyanga

C. T. Nengomasha

C. M. Beukes-Amiss

Disaster Preparedness and Management at the National Archives and the National Library of Namibia

纳米比亚国家档案馆和国家图书馆的灾害准备与管理

This article addresses the use and the types of information and communication technology (1CT) tools that are currently used in the management of indigenous knowledge (IK) in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The theoretical basis of the study was informed by the Knowledge Creation theory (KC) proposed by Ikujiro Nonaka. The study adopted a post-positivist research paradigm to enable multiple perspectives by using both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. A total of 96 copies of the questionnaire designed for this study were administered to ICT users/ beneficiaries; 57 (59%) were returned. Additionally, interviews were conducted with the owners or custodians of IK. Fully, 224 owners or custodians of IK were sampled, while 196 (88%) were interviewed. The study acknowledged the wealth, access to and use of indigenous knowledge in the province. The study found that the advent of ICT tools provides a good platform for managing indigenous knowledge. It was found that a number of tools are currently used to manage indigenous knowledge. However, the number of challenges facing the use of ICTs is not uniform between ICT users/beneficiaries and owners or custodians of IK. Most crucial among ICT users/beneficiaries and owners or custodians of IK was the aspect of access to relevant ICT infrastructure and resources and a lack of digital skills. This study contributes to the current literature and discourse on IKS; it interrogates the applicability and models of knowledge creation theory to IK research; it adds fresh data, information and knowledge on IK research, particularly in South Africa; it proposes practical solutions to problems of ICT application for IK development. Keywords: Information and Communication Technology, ICT Tools, Indigenous Knowledge, KwaZulu Natal

Petros Dlamini

Dennis N. Ocholla

Information and Communication Technology Tools for Managing Indigenous Knowledge in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省管理本土知识的信息与通信技术工具

This study investigated electronic support services and resources for law students in Nigerian university libraries. Descriptive research design was adopted. Questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. The overall population of law students in the five selected universities was three thousand five hundred and sixty-four (3564). One hundred (100) students were randomly sampled from each of the five universities. In all, 475 (95%) responses were retrieved as sample size for the study. The findings revealed that law students were aware of and could access e-resources such as CD ROM, Law Pavilion, Open access iournals, e-magazines, DOAJ, JSTOR, LexisNexis and electronic journals. Though results showed a remarkable accessibility of electronic information resources in the law libraries, the core legal e-resources appear to be inaccessible to users. However, among the core legal e-resources, Law Pavilion and LexisNexis recorded highest accessibility and Law Pavilion was frequently used by law students. Majority of the respondents acquired information literacy skills through assistance from the library staff. The study identified some challenges experienced in access to electronic legal resources. The study recommends that there should be regular subscription to important law databases that will be highly beneficial to law students in order to enhance legal education and research. Keywords:  Electronic Library, Law Library, Electronic Resources, Nigeria Universities, South East Nigeria

Ifeanyi J. Ezema

Akpom Chinwendu Chizoba

Electronic Library Support Services and Resources for Law Students in South East Nigerian University Libraries

东南尼日利亚大学图书馆为法律学生提供的电子图书馆支持服务与资源

This paper analyses the content of the North West University Institutional Repository (NWU-1R), also known as Boloka - a term that means “to save ” in the Setswana language. The paper uses the documents hosted by Boloka to determine her representation of languages and culture. The research methods employed are informetrics and content analysis. It was found that Boloka has scant Setswana language and cultural representation as only 7 out of 21389 (0.033%) documents digitised are in this marginalised language. Its Afrikaans representation was found to be commendable as 4705 out of 21389 (22%) documents are in Afrikaans. The repository has excellent English language representation as more than 77% (16521 out o f 21389) of documents digitized are in English. Three nonofficial languages in South Africa, Dutch (with 91 or 0.43% documents), German (with 14 or 0.07% documents), and French (with 10 or 0.047% documents) have more influence on Boloka than Setswana. Based on the scant Setswana representation, the paper argues that Boloka has minimal impact on this language and culture. Keywords:  Institutional Repositories, Universities, Content, Language, Culture, Impact

Siviwe Bangani

The linguistic-cultural impact of the institutional repository of North-West University, South Africa

南非西北大学机构库的语言文化影响

This article presents findings of a study that assessed the progress in restoring the Mzuzu University Library which was destroyed by a fire disaster in December 2015. Data were collected from 64 undergraduate students, 18 library staff and an official from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor. Interview was conducted with the Assistant Librarian (who represented the University Librarian). The study revealed that the interim library (formally a university hall) was almost fully recovered, and was stocked with relevant and current collection. The study established further that students, library staff and the Office of Vice-Chancellor were all satisfied with the progress the University had made in restoring library services. The university had learnt a lesson from the disaster, and it had started regarding the library as an essential part of the university. Inadequate reading space, absence of Internet services for users, and absence of off-campus information services remain the key problems. The study made various recommendations that if implemented could make the library to satisfactorily serve the needs of its users.Keywords: Disaster Management, Library Fire Disaster, Library Recovery, Malawi, Mzuzu University

Winner Dominic Chawinga

Felix Majawa

An Assessment of Mzuzu University Library after a Fire Disaster

姆祖祖大学图书馆火灾后的评估

The rapid pace of technological change has significantly transformed the librarianship profession, impacting the required competencies for professionals working in library and information services (LIS). As new roles emerge within academic libraries, librarians need to assess their current knowledge and skills as well as identify additional knowledge and skills needed to adapt to evolving roles and responsibilities. This paper reports findings of a study conducted at two university libraries in South Africa. The objective of the study was to identify the competencies necessary for academic librarians in providing research data management services (RDM). While previous studies have explored the knowledge and skills required for academic librarians in Southern Africa and globally, there is a research gap concerning the specific competencies necessary for RDM. This study employed semi-structured interviews with librarians from two selected university libraries, using purposive sampling. The research also included document reviews and content analysis of relevant academic library job advertisements. The study’s findings highlight key competencies such as information and data management practices, repository management, data curation, data collection management, understanding funders’ policies, research Research Data Management Competencies for Academic Libraries: Perspectives from Two Universities in South Africa methods and processes, as well as ICT and digitization skills. The findings also highlight the importance of robust training and selfdevelopment through online courses, webinars, and freely available materials as strategies to support RDM.

Patricia Badenhorst

Jaya Raju

Research Data Management Competencies for Academic Libraries: Perspectives from Two Universities in South Africa

南非两所大学学术图书馆研究数据管理能力：观点

The past two decades have witnessed growing call and actions for free and immediate access to published scholarship online without technological, monetary or legal barriers from around the world. The phenomenon described as open access (OA) has been strengthened by the possibilities of digital network technologies represented in the ubiquitous Internet. While the goal of the OA movement remains good, it appears the epistemic disbalance in global knowledge creation and access has not abated. However, the promise of OA, the motivation on which it stands, its consequence and current state are reviewed in this paper with particular focus on the contribution of Africa to the global OA movement. It has been reported that the emergence of OA on the continent is albeit slow but with a mixed fortune of both progress and challenges. Notwithstanding, open access is seen as a development imperative for Africa that offers tremendous opportunities to the continent to actively contribute to global knowledge. It was reported that a number of universities and research institutions in Africa have adopted open access policies that require their researchers to publish their work in open access journals or repositories. The paper presented a number of open access initiatives and platforms that are actively being deployed to achieve OA mandate in the continent and concluded with recommendations.

Idowu Adegbilero-Iwari

’Niran Adetoro

Ibiwumi Khadijat Salawu

The Open Access Movement and its March in Africa

开放获取运动及其在非洲的进展

This research paper, which is part of a broader study, seeks to contribute to knowledge on the Resource Description and Access standard by exploring the state of readiness of Ghanaian university libraries to implement the standard, as well as highlighting the myriad of activities and initiatives that libraries should undertake in preparation for RDA implementation. This convergent parallel mixed methods study engaged 62 cataloguing practitioners, across nine university libraries, through questionnaires and interviews as data collection instruments. The analysis of data revealed the importance of planning and an overwhelming state of unpreparedness among Ghanaian university libraries to implement the standard. The study also contributes various appropriate activities and initiatives for readying libraries for RDA implementation to RDA literature. It is recommended among others, that university library management and leaders of professional library organisations designate RDA preparatory periods and forge collaborations and partnerships with libraries that have implemented the RDA standard.

Eugene Baah Yeboah

Omwoyo B. Onyancha

Maned A. Mhlongo

Readiness of Ghanaian University Libraries Towards the Adoption and Implementation of Resource Description and Access

加纳大学图书馆采用和实施资源描述与访问的准备情况

The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the extent of theoretical transparency in library and information science (LIS) scholarship. Many studies have looked at theorising and the use of theory in LIS. Unlike previous studies this research provides insights into transparency in the use of theoretical frameworks in the LIS field. Transparency is essential because different researchers employ the terms theory, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework in various ways.The transparent use of theory and the resultant theoretical framework enables other researchers to assess whether the theory is appropriate, consistent, and coherent with the empirical evidence. This systematic search followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for reporting on systematic reviews supported by ADIMA®. A total number of 138 out of 2029 articles from 12 LIS-focused journals were analysed in March 2023. Most of the articles (88.6%) specified the framework they used. There was a high level of transparency in relation to the suitability of the theory to address the research problem. The degree of openness about the aim to utilise a theoretical or conceptual framework was moderate to high. The articles had a low or minimal level of transparency when it came to justifying why a certain theory was chosen for the study. Theory dropping was not apparent in the articles. The results from the articles demonstrate that LIS scholars appreciate that a theoretical framework or conceptual framework must be used in research. To ensure that readers understand the rationale behind the theories chosen for a study, it is necessary to be open about the reasons behind the selection of a particular theory. The explanation of how the theory contributed to explaining the phenomenon of interest is also essential. This article might help scholars get beyond theoretical obstacles related to the transparent use of a theoretical framework and produce theoretically sound research. It also opens discourse on “best practice” in the use of analytical tools forresearchin the advancement of knowledge.

Patrick Ngulube

Neema Florence Vincent Mosha

Transparency in the Application of Theoretical Frameworks to the Advancement of Knowledge in Selected Library and Information Science Journals: A Systematic Review

所选图书馆与信息科学期刊中理论框架应用于知识进步的透明度：一项系统性综述

The study is an interpretive qualitative multiple case study, which examined archival representation of social groups in five selected heritage institutions in Botswana. Purposive sampling was used to select study participants. Data collection for the study was through semistructured interviews, non-participatory observations and document analysis. The findings indicate that archival representation of social groups is still at infancy stage in Botswana, as a result of poor interpretation and implementation of the National Archives and Records Services of 1978, (amended in 2007); lack of updated policies that inform practice and limited resources to do archival processes. The contents of the archival collection revealed a male, ethnic based, linguistic oriented and ruling party inclined image with underrepresented groups consisting of people with disabilities, the poor and women. For under-documented groups, the LGBTQ+ community, people living along borderlines and refugees come out. The causes for silences in the archival collections is attributed to discriminatory sections of the constitution, lack of reflexivity on the part of the archival institutions, mistrust of mainstream heritage institutions by communities and failure to survive time by indigenous culture which is mainly oral to name but a few. Consequently, the study recommends an acquisition and management model based on stewardship and a national archival system, that can ensure the documentation of a socially representative archival heritage.

Tiragalo Josephine Masibi

Nathan Mnjama

Peter Mazebe II Sebina

Archival Silences within the National Archival Documentary Heritage Institutions of Botswana

博茨瓦纳国家档案文献遗产机构中的档案沉默

Abbreviation
Journal Impact	0.39
Quartiles(Global)	INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE(Q4)

ISSN	0795-4778
h-index	13

Publication Information	Publisher: Archlib and Information Services Ltd，Publishing cycle: ，Journal Type: journal，Open Access Journals: No
Basic data	Year of publication: 2014，Proportion of original research papers: 100.00%，Self Citation Rate:33.30%， Gold OA Rate: 0.00%

African Journal of Library Archives and Information Science

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