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This paper will explore some of the views that were expressed during the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) workshop held in cooperation with the UK's Digital Curation Centre (DCC) in March 2014. The event provided an ideal opportunity to assess librarians' views on the changing research data management landscape and to consider how these changes might affect the role of academic librarians in South Africa. The paper compares these views with experiences garnered through the DCC's work to support universities in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Changing higher education pedagogy, digitisation of scholarly content and the increasing influence of relevant technologies have impacted on the transformation of academic library services. This paper examines research support through the lens of the transformation of academic library services. The authors have conducted a review of the literature to determine benchmarks by which to measure the research support services delivered by Stellenbosch University. The paper examines academic libraries' attempts to establish the "deeper meaning" of the librarian for the researcher and the research process. In support of that deeper meaning libraries are providing a new and expanded set of services which includes, inter alia, research data management, curation and preservation; facilitation of open access and bibliometric analysis. Using the research life cycle as a framework, this paper examines the research support services provided by the Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service (SULIS) to the research community. The Research Commons is used as the launch pad for new and innovative services at Stellenbosch. The use of research performance management tools to scan the research landscape, strengthening of self-retrieval of scholarly literature, assistance in the dissemination of research results via publication, and assistance in determining impact factor are all part of the suite of services offered by the Library at Stellenbosch University. The authors conclude that, for academic libraries, there is much to learn and contribute to in this dynamic environment of research production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giving credit to where it is due is common across cultures. In research, researchers widely express their gratitude to those who would have contributed to their studies in one way or the other under the acknowledgements section. In most cases, the selection of who to acknowledge remains the prerogative of the author. The purpose of this study was to review acknowledgements in Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) with a special focus on the acknowledgement accorded to the library and librarians at the North-West University in South Africa. This was done in order to determine the perceived value of librarians as partners in the research process by postgraduate students. The study followed a two pronged approach in which bibliometrics and survey research methods were used. In the case of the bibliometrics, ETDs completed between 2012 and 2018 were reviewed. Regarding the survey, both print and online questionnaires were used to gather data from postgraduate students. Excel spreadsheets and QuestionPro software were used to analyse the data. The study findings indicate that supervisors of research work topped the list of acknowledgees followed by family, friends and colleagues. The library/librarian acknowledgements, were among the least with only 15% of ETDs giving gratitude to the library/librarians. However, like in previous studies, it was observed that library/librarians were mentioned in other parts of the ETDs, apart from the acknowledgements section. The results further indicate that the majority of the surveyed participants, held acknowledgements in high esteem. The paper will go a long way in adding value to a body of existing literature which is largely from the developed world. It may also stimulate interest for related studies in other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the research and publication patterns of academic librarians in eastern and southern Africa. The study confined its scope to publications produced between 1990 and 2006. Bibliometric techniques through content analysis were used as a research method. Two online databases, namely LISTA and WORLDCAT were used for publication searches. Names of academic librarians were retrieved from their respective academic library websites and used as keywords for retrieving data from the two online databases. A total of 866 academic librarians, i.e. 755 from southern Africa and 111 from eastern Africa, were identified and their research publication records analysed. The results indicate that in terms of publications per librarian there was no significant difference between southern Africa and eastern Africa; South Africa was the most productive country in terms of publications: the University of Botswana Library was the most prolific library; Muswazi from the University of Witwatersrand and Pienaar from the University of Pretoria were the most productive academic librarians; academic librarians in eastern Africa preferred publishing in foreign journals while those from southern Africa published more in domestic journals led by South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science; the publication output of the two regions was inconsistent (up-down trend) during this period; the main subject area of librarians in both regions was Information Technology: most academic librarians from both regions preferred publishing individually; and the most published type of document in both regions was journal articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this article is to illustrate the current age distribution of academic librarians in South Africa and to determine the need for age diversity management in academic libraries. Firstly, a literature review provides a brief overview of recent changes to the higher education landscape in South Africa and the importance of diversity awareness. Secondly, the issue of age diversity in the workplace is explored, followed by a discussion of the age demography of librarians, so raising the important issue this paper seeks to investigate, namely, the current age demography of South African academic librarians. A mixed-method research approach was decided upon and specifically the sequential exploratory design as it studies the unknown relationships between different generations of librarians at work within five of the academic libraries from the Gauteng and Environs Library and Information Consortium (GAELIC). The results showed that most of the middle and senior level library management positions are currently filled by those retiring in the next 15-20 years and that the planning and training of new middle and top management staff members must form part of succession planning policies in order to avoid a leadership vacuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of internet and the widespread adoption of technology in academic libraries brings about new roles and responsibilities for subject librarians. Digital literacy instruction remains the indispensable service in academic libraries in the 21st century. This emphasises the necessity for subject librarians to possess relevant digital literacy skills. This article reports on the quantitative findings emanating from the explanatory sequential mixed methods study (2022) that investigated digital literacy instruction in academic libraries in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) region in South Africa. The quantitative findings were used to achieve the study's objective that sought to find out if subject librarians possess digital literacy skills necessary for digital literacy instruction in academic libraries in KwaZulu-Natal region, South Africa. The study adopted a census method and collected data from a total of 58 subject librarians from traditional universities and universities of technology in KZN region through an online survey. The findings revealed that subject librarians in academic librarians (KwaZulu-Natal region, South Africa) are competent in various digital literacy namely e-mailing skills, Word processing, PowerPoint, information retrieval and blended learning. Further, the study revealed a significant lack of digital literacy skills related to library management system, knowledge of statistical software packages, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Access, Website design and copyright licensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organisations, including public libraries, are confronted with the challenges of managing, controlling and putting in place retention strategies to mitigate high turnover intention. Turnover intention can bring devastation to an organisation, leading to consequences such as decreased morale and productivity, shortage of skilled and qualified staff, and direct and indirect costs to the organisation. This quantitative study employed the census method and adopted a case study design, with an embedded survey design, making use of a structured questionnaire to collect data from 174 librarians at the City of Johannesburg Libraries in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings in relation to demographic factors revealed that the majority of the librarians who have been with the library organisation for a considerable length of time exhibited turnover intention. Findings further showed that the majority of librarians were mostly dissatisfied with organisational determinants, namely: payment and fringe benefits, working environment (work-life balance), and promotion and recognition which are significant predictors of turnover intention. It is recommended that in order to mitigate turnover intention and increase retention, strategic initiatives should be developed which could incorporate variables such as payment and fringe benefits, promotion and recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research into the appropriation of social media by academic libraries in countries with growing economies is scarce. There remains an empirical and theoretical gap in the literature about how librarians, particularly those in Southern Africa, are deploying social media in their work routines and in their personal lives. Based on one of the researchers' experiences at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Library and both researchers' use of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) Library, the researchers aimed to examine the way librarians deploy and appropriate social media platforms as part of their service delivery. Using data derived from a questionnaire survey among librarians at UWC in South Africa and NUST in Zimbabwe, this study examined how librarians use social media for professional and personal purposes. The findings suggest that UWC librarians are more proficient social media users than NUST librarians. They further reveal that UWC librarians themselves are managing social media, while at NUST, the Information Technology department is directly responsible for managing the platforms. The study found that UWC Library utilises social media to promote its services more widely, whereas the NUST Library uses social media for reference services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study completed in 2010 was to investigate the use of e-books amongst academic librarians; in particukir which e-books are available to academic librarians, why they choose this format, what impact e-books have on librarians' professiottal practice and what the usage patterns of e-books are amongst academic librarians. A web-based questionnaire was distributed on the LIASA mailing list. The results reflect a more gradual trend towards e-book adoption. There is still a preference for print or a "bit of both" - print and electronic. This is because of the high costs of e-books using the subscription model as the predominant e-book acquisition model and the lack of sufficient e-books in all subject fields. E-books are used for "browsing for information" and are selected for functionalities such as having the ability to search the document, anytime access and automatic citation. Major problems identified with e-books are: the cost of the equipment to read e-book formats; the cost of the e-books, especially if the subscription purchasing model is used; the lack of reliability of the Internet; and the lack of training in the use of e-books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]