Research Data Management (RDM)

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to establish the current skills base of librarians working in research data management services in academic and research libraries in South Africa. The purpose was also to determine the relevance of courses and programmes that are currently being offered by library and information studies programmes in response to the needs of research data management services and make recommendations on curriculum improvement.Design/methodology/approachAbout 13 institutions which were considered early adopters of research data management services were identified as participants in an online survey. In addition, a review of Web pages of existing library and information studies schools was carried to establish courses that would support research data management services. Data collected through the two approaches were analysed and presented quantitatively and qualitatively.FindingsThe findings reveal an environment in a developmental stage, with limited skilled personnel to run research data management services. The findings also show an absence of specific data librarianship courses within existing library and information studies programmes and a very limited scope for the full range of data management courses within professional development programmes.Originality/valueThe paper provides information on approaches to further develop existing curriculum and contribute to the data management needs and support governments, funders and publishers' requirements for the discoverability and re-use of research data across research domains.

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PurposeThe paper presents a literature review on research data management services in African academic and research libraries on the backdrop of the advancing open science and open research data infrastructures. It provides areas of focus for library to support open research data.Design/methodology/approachThe literature analysis and future role of African libraries in research data management services were based on three areas as follows:open science, research infrastructures and open data infrastructures. Focussed literature searches were conducted across several electronic databases and discovery platforms, and a qualitative content analysis approach was used to explore the themes based on a coded list.FindingsThe review reports of an environment where open science in Africa is still at developmental stages. Research infrastructures face funding and technical challenges. Data management services are in formative stages with progress reported in a few countries where open science and research data management policies have emerged, cyber and data infrastructures are being developed and limited data librarianship courses are being taught.Originality/valueThe role of the academic and research libraries in Africa remains important in higher education and the national systems of research and innovation. Libraries should continue to align with institutional and national trends in response to the provision of data management services and as partners in the development of research infrastructures.

Reports on an investigation of the business information needs, information seeking patterns and business information services for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in Namibia. The study ranks business information needs of SMMEs as: finance, marketing, production, and training, policies on SMME development, sources of raw materials, regulations, technical information and other types of information. The study reveals that SMMEs largely depend on informal information sources despite the existence of a wide range of business information services in Namibia. Recommendations are made on how business information delivery services can be improved in the SMME sector in Namibia by both government and business support organizations.