Christine Stilwell

Access and use of agricultural information and knowledge in Tanzania

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to assess access to and use of agricultural knowledge and information in the rural areas of Tanzania.Design/methodology/approach – Mixed quantitative, qualitative and participatory methods were deployed. Semi‐structured interviews were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 181 farmers in six districts of Tanzania. Focus groups and participatory techniques (i.e. information mapping and linkage diagrams) were also used to collect qualitative data from 128 farmers in the same districts.Findings – The results showed that deep, rich and complete data can be collected through the mixed quantitative, qualitative and participatory techniques. The findings demonstrated that the knowledge and information needs, and information‐seeking patterns of farmers were location specific. The major sources of information for farmers were predominantly local (neighbours, friends and family), followed by public extension services. Apart from radio and cell phones, advanced...

Information literacy in Tanzanian universities Challenges and potential opportunities

A study was undertaken in four Tanzanian universities to investigate the status and practice of information literacy (IL) so as to determine the best ways of introducing or improving IL programmes. This article reports on the findings related to challenges and opportunities that could influence the effective implementation and introduction of IL programmes in Tanzanian universities. Data for the study was collected using a questionnaire-based survey administered to teaching staff, librarians and undergraduate students. Semi-structured interviews collected data from Deputy Vice Chancellors (DVCs) for academic affairs, Faculty Deans, Library Directors and a Library Head. The findings of the study showed that IL was new in the university curricula although some IL rubrics were being practised. Lack of adequate resources, lack of an IL policy, lack of proactive solutions among librarians coupled with the need for adequate library staffing and training, and collaboration between librarians and teaching staff in IL activities were all identified as challenges facing IL effectiveness. Also identified were potential opportunities such as the support by the majority of university stakeholders to mainstream IL and make it a compulsory course. These opportunities would allow the introduction of effective and sustainable IL programmes. The article concludes that librarians should seize the opportunities that are available to spearhead IL while at the same time making sure they tackle the identified challenges.

Community libraries: a brief review of their origins and nature with particular reference to South Africa The Emergence of the Community Information Centre

This review of the development of community libraries draws upon a wide range of sources Public libraries in Africa were established by colonials for colonials, and the needs of the colonized were subservient In South Africa, public libraries have been retarded by the racial policies of a succession of governments, and by the class implications of education and library provision Their lack of relevance has resulted in a certain neutrality but this has positive implications for their potential role in information provision at present

A mixed qualitative-quantitative-participatory methodology: a study of the agricultural knowledge and information system (AKIS) of small-scale farmers in Kirinyaga district, Kenya

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the agricultural knowledge and information systems (AKIS) of small‐scale farmers in Kirinyaga district, Kenya by identifying the key agricultural actors, establishing the information needs of farmers and how they access, share and exchange agricultural knowledge and information.Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a triangulation of qualitative, quantitative and participatory methodologies and methods for sampling, data collection and data analysis. The methods combine Relaxed Appraisal of Agricultural Knowledge Systems (RAAKS) and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), focus group discussions with farmers groups, observation and analysis of secondary data. The sense‐making methodology is used an alternative approach to study information behaviour, while the soft systems methodology is used to link up the different activities by diverse agricultural actors.Findings – Richer and deeper data are collected through mixed methodologies and methods. T...

Library 2.0 : revolution or evolution?

Library 2.0 is a controversial concept that stirs debate on many fronts. As the concept continues to arrest the attention of most library users and practitioners, a number of issues relating to its real nature emerge. One of these is the character of change it represents. While many library scholars and practitioners agree that Library 2.0 represents a change, they disagree on the nature of this change. Using a critical review of documentation and arguments on this subject, the authors identify three points of view on this change. Whereas some feel that the change is revolutionary and may drastically transform the profession - including renaming - others see it as an evolution of the current best practices to mould a better, user-centred service using modern technology. Still others see Library 2.0 as neither revolutionary nor evolutionary. This paper seeks to clarify these three points of view on the character of Library 2.0 change in libraries, as institutions, and in librarianship as a profession. It also recommends that while Library 2.0 should be seen as the latest instance in the development of the library and the services it offers, its role in facilitating participatory user-centric services should not be ignored.

Library 2.0 versus other library service models: A critical analysis

Literature on library service models is scarce and exists mainly in non-traditional formats such as blog entries and webpages. Nonetheless, the subject evokes heated debate among librarians with many supporting the model they are using, sometimes without understanding that there are other options which perhaps could be better for their circumstances. Through critical documentary analysis, this study explores the library service models that exist as well as how they compare with each other. The findings have revealed that although there are many library service models, it is not possible to get a clear-cut model which is exclusive of all the others in practice. It is also evident that the models are continuously evolving along general socio-economic and technological development patterns in society. Similarly, the study suggests that none of the models can suit all library service provision contexts. However, it is also apparent that some models may yield more benefits than others to specific library communities at a particular time. In deciding the model to apply, libraries should be careful to accommodate the prevailing characterization of their user communities and their contexts.

Intelligent Libraries and Apomediators: Distinguishing between Library 3.0 and Library 2.0.

Using the ‘point oh’ naming system for developments in librarianship is attracting debate about its appropriateness, basis and syntax and the meaning and potential of Library 2.0. Now a new term, Library 3.0, has emerged. Is there is any significant difference between the two models? Using documentary analysis to explore the terms, the authors conclude that Library 2.0 and Library 3.0 are different. Whereas Library 2.0 could be seen as attempting to weaken the role of librarians in the emerging information environment, Library 3.0 projects librarians as prominent apomediaries guiding library users on how best to locate, access and use credible information in myriad formats from diverse sources, at the point of need. The Library 3.0 model has revived hope amongst those who were uncomfortable with the crowd intelligence architecture on which the Library 2.0 model was founded. It provides the tools and framework to organize the infosphere that the Library 2.0 threw into disarray. The authors see the 3.0 library as a personalizable, intelligent, sensitive and living institution created and sustained by a seamless engagement of library users, librarians and subject experts on a federated network of information pathways.

Alumni perceptions of a post graduate Information and Library Science Education programme at the University of Natal, South Africa.

A survey of alumni perceptions of a post graduate programme in Information and Library Science. the B.Bibl. Honours. at the University of Natal. South Africa is described. Module content and apprapriateness are reviewed in relation to demands of the workplace. Alumni views on delivery and assessment methods are interrogated as are requirements in terms of continuing education. Critical issues in ILS education are identified, for example. balancing a human-centred approach with Information and Communication Technology competencies in the networked age. Reference is made to Information Management and Knowledge Management. Findings suggest that the Programme has broadly attained its anticipated outcomes in preparing alumni for the workplace and that to some extent a balance between the various considerations outlined in the literature had been achieved.

Managing records as a strategic resource in the government ministries of Tanzania

In Tanzania, the Records and Archives Management Act of 2002 established the Records and Archives Management Department (RAMD) to provide for the proper administration and better management of public records and archives throughout their life cycle. This article is based on findings from an ongoing study of the government ministries of Tanzania which examines the current state of records management practices in fostering accountability in the implementation of the Public Service Reform Programme (PSRP) in Tanzania. A total of 120 registry personnel, 24 senior ministerial officials and National Archives personnel were involved in the study. The study established that although the introduction of the PSRP had resulted in some efforts in reforming the records management practices in the government ministries, records in the government ministries were not managed a strategic resource. The findings of the study revealed that current records management practices in the government ministries were accorded low priority. The absence of specific budgets allocated to registry sections, lack of support from senior officers, lack of records management policies and low levels of training for registry personnel were among the records management problems in the government ministries. Further, records surveys were conducted irregularly and the majority of government registries lacked records retention and disposition schedules which led to the congestion of records which were also disorganized and poorly managed. In order to manage records as a strategic resource, the article recommends the restructuring of existing records management systems.

Library services provision for people with visual impairments and in wheelchairs in academic libraries in Tanzania

This article is based on a study that examined library services provision for people with visual impairments and in wheelchairs in academic libraries in Tanzania, looking into access to the information resources available and the layout of library buildings in five universities in Tanzania. The broader issues in this study were grounded on the importance of access to information as a fundamental human right. The study drew on a pragmatism paradigm and the social model of disability of Oliver. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to conduct survey and observation-based research. The findings revealed that academic libraries provided services to people with visual impairments and in wheelchairs but these services were not inclusive or universal. The study therefore recommended that academic libraries as manifest in the social model, should strive to provide inclusive services to all users including people with disabilities. To achieve this universal access requires the formulating of policy regarding provision of library services to people with disability, providing adequate budgets and staff training in addition to practical measures such constructing library buildings with ramps and maintaining working lifts, acquiring Braille and large print information resources, as well as providing assistive equipment.