Library and Information Science Commons^™

Digital Libraries In Africa: Challenges And Opportunities, Foluke Okocha

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper explores the challenges faced by digital libraries in Africa and highlights solutions to curbing these challenges that bridge the digital divide in Africa. Research of Digital Libraries in Africa is reviewed in order to identify challenges and opportunities peculiar to Africa.Findings from review showed sustainable funding, High Cost of Infrastructures, Digital Literacy, Copyright Issues and Equity of access are challenges facing digital libraries in Africa. It further proffered solutions by encouraging Library Consortia in Africa and promoting Open access policies The benefits of digital libraries are enormous and there is a need for African countries to leverage of …

Covid-19 And African Libraries: Perspectives Through Literature From The Library Philosophy And Practice (E-Journal), Liah Shonhe Mrs.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study sought to establish how African libraries have been thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic through systematic review of literature from the Library Philosophy and Practice e-Journal (LPP). The PRISMA guidelines were followed to review and select the twelve (12) articles used for qualitative analysis. The study findings established that research productivity pertaining to libraries and Covid-19 is very low in Africa based on LPP e-journal. Nigeria was established to be the most active country in this research phenomenon. Majority, of the studies were conducted in academic libraries, thus creating a gap in research. To sail through the pandemic, libraries …

Professional Variables And Staff Readiness To Utilise Internet-Based Channels For Research Communication In An Era Of Covid-19, Valentine Joseph Owan, Levi Udochukwu Akah Phd., Mary Mark Ogbeche, Moses Eteng Obla

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study assessed the professional variables of academic staff in African varsities and their readiness to Utilise Internet-Based Channels for Research Communication in an era of Covid-19. Drawing from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, the study was guided by four null hypotheses. The quantitative research method based on the virtual cross-sectional survey design was adopted. A total of 8,591 academics in African universities were the targeted demographic of this study. However, data were collected from a virtual snowball sample of 1,977 respondents (males, N = 1347; females, N = 630) from 24 African countries. A validated electronic survey, with three …

The Role Of The Public Libraries In Enriching The African Rural Information Environment, Justina E. Ogbonna Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Information has become a veritable currency for today's economic environment and efforts are made by every institution to enrich the information ecology for vibrant and sustainable economy. Although the entrant of information and communication technologies had altered and made great impact on information environment in other parts of the world, the situation in Africa is still bleak. Information is created every second and there is upsurge of big data on the information landscape and these developments have not only created a new society called the knowledge society but also brought about information and digital gaps in the society. In …

Libraries Without Walls And Open And Distance Learning In Africa: The Nigerian Experience, Ukoha O. Igwe

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) is gradually gaining ground in Africa. Nigeria is a newcomer in the Open and Distance Learning paradigm. The experiences of several open and distance learning institutions such as the Open University of United Kingdom (OUUK), Athabasca University (Canada’s Open University), Open University of Hong Kong, Indira Gandhi National Open University, (IGNOU), and University of South Africa (UNISA), have provided a baseline for the take-off of the only Open University in Nigeria – the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). The successful take-off of NOUN is not without the incorporation of functional libraries. Effective library support …

Achievement Of The Sustainable Development Goals Through Lis Education In Africa, Tolulope Balogun

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations can be achieved through teaching, research and innovation. The Sustainable Development Goals advocate that all learners will have the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. The use of scholarly e-resources offers quality academic resources which contribute greatly to teaching, research and innovation. Thus, purpose of the study was to examine the awareness, perception and use of scholarly e-resources by Library and Information Science (LIS) students in Africa.

The paper is based on research paper related to the topic of the article. The study revealed that despite efforts by …

So What Made You Choose Librarianship? Reasons Teachers Give For Their Career Switch., Franklin Gyamfi Agyemang

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper explores the reason teachers choose to go into librarianship when leaving the teaching profession from Sub-Saharan Africa. Snowball sampling method was used to locate seventeen (17) participants for this study in Ghana. Mixed methods were used for data collection; questionnaire (open-ended questions) and interview. The data was analyzed using the thematic analysis technique. The study found the following as reasons teacher choose librarianship when leaving the teaching profession: Better Salaries and Remunerations, Relatedness of librarianship to teaching, Love for books, Employment Space and scope of opportunities for librarians. By the findings, this study corroborates researches on second-career librarianship …

The State Of The National Library Of Nigeria: Why The Nigeria Government Must Act Fast., Victor Tochukwu Ejechi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Nigeria, like many other developing countries, is passing through a critical period of educational, economic, political and social development. This established a truism that such development cannot be achieved in isolation. It is therefore felt by many that if Nigeria is to achieve its full potential in these core areas of human growth, development of her national library is imperative. This article help to state the problems of the National Library of Nigeria and the possible Solutions and Recommendations.

Digital Object Identifier And Their Use In Accessing Online Scholarly Materials In Africa, Joseph Kehinde Fasae, Chuks Daniel Oriogu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Digital Object Identifier (DOI) has been internationally recognized as a standard for identifying information resources on the web. It is an advanced tool that provides unique identification or permanent links to find specific journal articles and other information resources online. This paper discusses digital object identifier and their use in accessing online scholarly materials in Africa. It looks at the extent of Uniform Resource Locators (URL), understanding DOI functionalities, and benefits of DOI, scholarly materials with DOI in Africa with a critical examination of African Online Journals (AJOL) which is the biggest database in Africa. It was therefore discovered that …

The Role Of Institutional Repositories In Making Lost Or Hidden Cultures Accessible, A Study Across Four African University Libraries, Andrew Watson Malekani, George Kavishe

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study was undertaken to uncover the potential role that Institutional Repositories (IR) can offer to preserve in the long term the special collections (especially cultural heritage materials) so as to reap the advantages that these collections offer in terms of intellectual development in Africa.

The study involved use of scoping review which involves five stages: research question, identifying the relevant study, selecting the study, developing a narrative review (charting data), summarizing (collating) data and an optional consultation step. The study also involved a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) involving participants in the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme at the University …

African Indigenous Knowledge: An Underutilised And Neglected Resource For Development, Njabulo Bruce Khumalo, Charity Baloyi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Indigenous knowledge points to the fact that Africa has been able to generate, test and apply knowledge through its own methodologies and approaches. This knowledge sustained communities for years prior to colonialism which somehow downplayed the value of indigenous knowledge and promoted western knowledge systems. Colonialism created dependence on western knowledge systems and Africa has over the years neglected its own rich indigenous knowledge. This paper sought tohighlight challenges faced in the quest to incorporate IK into developmental goals and projects. Furthermore, the study also sought to recommend ways through which Africans can promote IK in its developmental projects. A …

Exploration Of Appropriate Media For Satisfying The Information Needs Of Future Community Of African Farmers, Ngozi Blessing Ukachi Dr, Efua Mansa Ayiah

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study concentrated on finding out the most appropriate format and media for providing and communicating agricultural information that would help future community of African farmers in achieving high agricultural output. The exploratory research design was adopted for the study. Multi-stage sampling technique was also adopted in selecting the sample. First, the purposive sampling technique was adopted in selecting farmers that are involved in the area of plant and crop farming only while the simple stratified random sampling technique was employed in selecting 10 farmers each from 10 different villages in Nigeria and Ghana, respectively thus, bringing the sample size …

Knowledge Management Culture Among Library Cataloguers: The University Of Zambia Library Experience, Eness M. Miyanda Chitumbo Mrs, Christine Wamunyima Kanyengo Ms

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper assesses knowledge management processes and practices of the Cataloguing department of the University of Zambia Library; investigates factors that lead to poor working systems among Cataloguers; cause inconsistencies and data redundancy in the library’s database. A case study approach was adopted, with the aim of getting detailed information and insights into the experienced problem of inconsistencies and duplication of the data. Structured questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect data. The results show that there is little knowledge sharing and transfer amongst the cataloguers; use of existing rules or standards such as Anglo American Cataloguing Rules and …

Access To Information And Implications For Healthy Ageing In Africa: Challenges And Strategies For Public Libraries, Ifeanyi J. Ezema, Richard N. Ugwuanyi Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The elderly people are of intrinsic value to societies. Their health is Africa’s wealth. Unfortunately, Africa has serious health burden raging from diseases, poverty ignorance that hardly support healthy ageing. Development indicators from World Health Organization and the World Bank provide glaring evidence that Africa countries are far behind other regions of the world in health conditions of the citizens. This paper discusses the benefits that accrue from having a healthy old age population. Such includes poverty reduction, stress free ageing, assisting in taking care of young ones. It examines the role of information in enhancing healthy ageing in Africa. …

Libraries As Channels For Disseminating Information And Educating Communities For The Resolution Of Conflicts And Promotion Of Peace In Africa, Oluwaseun Ireti Obasola

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The aim of this paper is to present a model that can be adopted to enhance the role of libraries in the resolution of conflicts and promotion of peace for the establishment and sustenance of democracy in Africa in a sustainable manner. The paper highlights the devastating effects of conflicts between 1990 and 2007 with Africa having the highest percentage of 80% per square area.

To assess and understand the roles of Libraries in peace and conflict resolution, related studies /papers were reviewed. The review revealed that the Libraries are repositories of current and relevant resources that are required for …