Purpose -The use of technology in today's life has skyrocketed, leaving information providers with no option but to implement technological initiatives that will enable effective information access and dissemination. This paper aims to assess the readiness of Botswana public librarians to adopt the use of technology in the management of libraries and dissemination of information.Design/methodology/approach -Convenience and purposive sampling were used to collect data from 21 participants via Survey Monkey software. The study questions were based on the Technology Readiness Index (TRI) by Parasuraman and Colby (2015). In addition, mixed-methods approach was adopted to collect both qualitative and quantitative data.Findings -The study found out that public librarians are ready to adopt information and communications technologies (ICTs) in library services. This is evidenced by their usage of social media networks and emails. Results also show that public libraries in Botswana are facing various challenges such as low bandwidth, shortage of computers, lack of timely technological support and ICT skills by librarians.Research limitations/implications -These findings call upon the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development to setup/construct more public libraries and equip them with the necessary technology. This will enhance productivity and help libraries to meet the needs of the twenty-first century information seekers. An in-depth study should be conducted to establish the technological status in Botswana public libraries.Originality/value -This is the first study conducted in Botswana to assess the public librarians' readiness to adopt new technologies.
Purpose Technology has influenced the implementation of electronic records management systems (ERMS) in government agencies. The high incidence of poor service delivery in government agencies is a key factor that has put pressure on the government to implement ERMS. Despite the potential benefits of implementing ERMS, the adoption and use of these programs has been slow and some systems have failed. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess how Tlokweng land board (TLB) implemented its electronic records management program using Kotter’s model and awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement change model. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a pragmatic paradigm and used a case study research design to collect data at TLB. The research made use of mixed methods approach to collect data using questionnaires, interviews and document reviews. Purposeful sampling was used to solicit data from 53 participants in the land board. Findings The findings of the study revealed that communication has been used as the most effective tool for managing change at TLB. However, TLB has not yet managed to reinforce the change implemented because of the lack of adequate training and motivation of change champions. Moreover, the change management team has little training on the change management framework produced by the Ministry of Lands and Housing. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to one land board in Botswana. Therefore, the findings may not be generalized to all land boards. Originality/value This is the first study to be conducted in Botswana that has assessed change management practices in the implementation of records management systems. This study therefore recommends adoption of the change management lens/framework by a records professional when implementing ERMS.
One of the fundamentals to building a knowledge-based economy is through the provision of quality information via school libraries. Schools play a fundamental role in raising an educated and informed nation. Therefore, the school library is fundamental to the teaching and learning activities of the school. The school library should be able to provide resources that are relevant to the school curriculum and also be able to provide quality information services to both students and teachers. That being said, this study introduces a school library assessment model that can be used by school management and librarians to evaluate the effectiveness of their school library resources and services. The proposed model integrates the IFLA school library guidelines and the LibQUAL model. The study is based on literature review to explicitly present the proposed model. The proposed school library assessment model is expected to help school librarians to implement the right programs and acquire the right resources for the school library, to be able to meet the users` information needs and satisfy them, thereby making the library relevant to the 21st century information era. This will further ensure that the school library is rightly positioned to support training and teaching activities effectively. As a result, quality education and lifelong learning skills will be realized.Keywords: School libraries, LibQUAL, quality, service, service delivery framework,
The main focus of the study was to explore the practices of open data sharing in the agricultural sector, including establishing the research outputs concerning open data in agriculture. The study adopted a desktop research methodology based on literature review and bibliographic data from WoS database. Bibliometric indicators discussed include yearly productivity, most prolific authors, and enhanced countries. Study findings revealed that research activity in the field of agriculture and open access is very low. There were 36 OA articles and only 6 publications had an open data badge. Most researchers do not yet embrace the need to openly publish their data set despite the availability of numerous open data repositories. Unfortunately, most African countries are still lagging behind in management of agricultural open data. The study therefore recommends that researchers should publish their research data sets as OA. African countries need to put more efforts in establishing open data repositories and implementing the necessary policies to facilitate OA.
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