Karin de Jager

The tangled web: investigating academics’ views of plagiarism at the University of Cape Town

This article considers the problematic question of student plagiarism, its causes and manifestations, and how it is addressed in academic environments. A literature survey was conducted to establish how higher education institutions approach these issues, and a twofold investigation was conducted at the University of Cape Town. Data was gathered from the case records of the university disciplinary tribunals dealing with plagiarism, and a survey was conducted among academic staff to establish how they dealt with issues surrounding plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Academics seem unwilling to follow official university policies if they are perceived to be unrealistic.

Successful students: does the library make a difference?

One of the most important products of the academic endeavour is students’ success in their courses of study. However, despite various attempts over the years, it has seldom been possible to demonstrate conclusively that undergraduate library use significantly contributes to student success. Four studies which document improvement in academic performance as outcome measures of library services are discussed. Research conducted at the University of Cape Town is reported, from which it emerges that students of the humanities who do well in their exams, tend to borrow more books from the library than poor students.

The Research Commons: a new creature in the library?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the use made of the Research Commons during its first year of operation in an attempt to establish whether it actually provides a genuinely new and different service from the point of view of the end‐users, and whether a facility such as this could indeed be presumed to support research and enhance research output at the university.Design/methodology/approach – Using Lippincotts assessment grid, an attempt was made to assess activities in the Research Commons according to the dimensions of extensiveness, efficiency, effectiveness, service quality and usefulness. Methodology was mixed, with quantitative and qualitative components that logged the extent and nature of the use of the various facilities in the Research Commons and sought to establish from stakeholder perceptions whether the services on offer are regarded as substantially different from those in the undergraduate Knowledge Commons and whether they are indeed seen to be supporting research activ...

Navigators and guides: the value of peer assistance in student use of electronic library facilities

States that in 2001 the University of Cape Town (UCT) Libraries opened a new and integrated learning centre based on the “information commons” concept fairly common in the USA today and first encountered at the Leavey Library of the University of Southern California. Discusses the results of a series of interviews with student assistants working in the Knowledge Commons, in an attempt to provide an evaluation of the impact of this resource on teaching and learning at UCT. Concludes that the study has confirmed the importance of most of the unique features of the information commons as discussed in the literature.

Roadmaps for the Highway: the evaluation of an information literacy training programme for South African students

Students from historically disadvantaged educational systems have not been exposed to information technologies and information sources. The School of Librarianship at the University of Cape Town has recognised the need for information literacy training that would be appropriate for students from the developing world. It is therefore offering a single semester course to undergraduates in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, with the specific aim of providing students with transferable learning and information skills. This paper presents an overview and an evaluation of the course.

Place matters: undergraduate perceptions of the value of the library

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore from a number of points of view the perceptions of mainly undergraduate students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) about the value they derive from visiting the physical library. Design/methodology/approach – Data from different investigations were assembled to derive a composite view of undergraduates’ perceptions of the value of the library. LibQUAL+® data reflecting the “Library as Place” dimension of the survey which was completed in 2014 were scrutinized; data from two surveys conducted in the information commons and the 24/7 venue of the main library at UCT were compiled and data from gate counts during the past three years showed different aspects of undergraduates’ opinions and behaviour. Findings – The combination of data from difference sources provided convincing evidence that undergraduate students value the library as a physical space and that they believe their working in the library enables them to get better marks for their university wo...

Training for access to Global Information

Contributes to the Global Information Virtual Conference by examining training needs in the higher education sector which will be engendered by the information revolution in the developing world. Focuses on the situation in South Africa, and considers a number of social processes that are driving developments in higher education.

An evaluation of the information architecture of the UCT Library web site

Web users are becoming more critical of the web sites they use. This paper evaluates the information architecture of the academic library web site at the University of Cape Town with more of a focus on the usability testing of the University web site. Two approaches to evaluation were completed to evaluate the library web site. Firstly, a formal usability test was conducted with five users to establish the required site structure and to identify any possible problems with the usability of the site. Secondly, a closed card sort analysis with ten participants was completed in order to establish the required site structure and terminology for the potential web site re-design. It was found that the library had a generally usable web site. The site however exhibited a few problems with the terminology used; the navigation design; and issues relating to identifying specific information. This study presents recommendations to handle the aforementioned problems. The study also encourages continual web site evaluation.

Towards measuring the performance of public libraries in South Africa

Following the publication of the report of the Public and Community Libraries Inventory of South Africa (Paclisa), an issue for further investigation was raised given the difficulties that many libraries had experienced in completing the questionnaire. A Working Group on Public Library Statistics (WGPLS) was established to work on the drafting of a simpler data collection instrument. Our paper describes the process of arriving at joint understanding of the aims and objectives of measuring performance in the South African public library system. A brief discussion of the purpose and rationale of collecting statistical data, and their role as performance measures and indicators for public libraries in South Africa follows. The proposed statistical form and the indicators that could be derived are presented. The paper concludes with suggestions of future steps to be taken, including a consideration by libraries of outcomes, and the difference made by libraries to peoples lives.

Towards establishing an integrated system of Quality Assurance in South African Higher Education Libraries

Recent demands for evidence of quality and the impact of library services on teaching and research require libraries to demonstrate accountability and responsiveness to a divergent range of user needs. In 2004 the Committee for Higher Education Librarians in South Africa (CHELSA) recognized a need for an agreed set of criteria, standards and models for quality assurance and the critical success factors for self assessment in university libraries. CHELSA therefore established its own Quality Assurance Subcommittee to provide libraries with clear and practical direction in preparing for mandated national higher education quality audits and to operationalize an ongoing process of library performance evaluation according to agreed measures. The author, a member of this Subcommittee, charts the progress towards building consensus and establishing an integrated system and process of quality assurance at South African university libraries on the basis of international standards.Recent demands for evidence of quality and the impact of library services on teaching and research require libraries to demonstrate accountability and responsiveness to a divergent range of user needs. In 2004 the Committee for Higher Education Librarians in South Africa (CHELSA) recognized a need for an agreed set of criteria, standards and models for quality assurance and the critical success factors for self assessment in university libraries. CHELSA therefore established its own Quality Assurance Subcommittee to provide libraries with clear and practical direction in preparing for mandated national higher education quality audits and to operationalize an ongoing process of library performance evaluation according to agreed measures. The author, a member of this Subcommittee, charts the progress towards building consensus and establishing an integrated system and process of quality assurance at South African university libraries on the basis of international standards.