Research Publications (Accounting and Informatics)
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Item Impact of the digital divide on information literacy training in a higher education context(Liasa, 2012) Naidoo, Segarani; Raju, JayaraniThis paper reports on a master’s study undertaken to investigate the impact of the digital divide on information literacy (IL) training of Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) students at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). Since 1994 the demographics of higher education institutions in South Africa have changed. Today these institutions comprise heterogeneous groups of students, by race, economic background, digital background, etc. and consequently with different levels of literacy, information and otherwise. The problem that this study addressed was the impact of having both digitally advantaged and digitally disadvantaged students in the same information literacy classroom, expecting them to reach learning outcomes without frustrating students from either group. The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of the digital divide on IL training of ECP students at the DUT and to recommend guidelines for teaching and learning of IL that would accommodate both digitally advantaged and digitally disadvantaged students. The study employed a mixed method approach in its research design. Data was collected from ECP students (of 2010) by means of a questionnaire; an interview schedule was used to collect data from Subject Librarians involved in teaching the IL module to ECP students; a separate interview schedule was used to collect data from the ECP Coordinator. Qualitative and quantitative data collected were prepared for analysis by means of content analysis and numerical coding, respectively and then subjected to statistical analysis via SPSS, which produced percentage and frequency distributions to ascertain findings. The findings of the study revealed that the digital divide does impact on IL training in ways such as: slowing down the progress of IL lessons; basic computer skills need to be taught in the IL classroom; and that digitally disadvantaged students find it difficult to follow online lessons while advantaged students already have the expertise to access online information. Based on these findings the study recommended computer literacy training should precede IL training and that various creative teaching and learning methods such as group work, online tutorials, games and interactive websites should be incorporated into IL education to accommodate both digitally advantaged and digitally disadvantaged students in the IL classroom.Item Membership of the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) among library and information science workers in KwaZulu-Natal(Forum Press, 2009) Khomo, Musawenkosi Phumelelo; Raju, JayaraniA study was undertaken in 2007 among library and information service (LIS) workers in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to investigate LIASA membership trends. The objectives of the study were to investigate: 1) the extent to which workers in library and information services in KwaZulu-Natal are members of LIASA; and 2) the reasons for non-membership, if there are substantial numbers of LIS workers who are not members. The purpose of this paper is to report on the main findings of this study. The study surveyed three types of library services in KwaZulu-Natal, namely, academic, public and special libraries with 330 LIS workers participating in the study. A census was done of LIS workers in special libraries and in academic libraries of public higher education institutions in KZN. Simple random sampling was used to select public libraries in KZN for participation in the study. All staff in the selected sample of public libraries were surveyed. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather the required data from the target population. It was established that a significant number of LIS workers in all three types of libraries surveyed in KZN are not members of LIASA for various reasons. LIASA has been unable to draw significant membership from the support staff category in LIS services despite its constitution claiming to embrace all LIS workers. The study recommends that LIASA market itself more aggressively to increase membership levels particularly in the public library sector and among support staff in all LIS services. It also recommends that LIASA should consider involving itself in the industrial concerns of the LIS sector.Item Liberal arts and LIS paraprofessional education in the knowledge context : the cases of South Africa and Quebec, Canada(2009) Raju, Jayarani; Jacobs, ChristineLiberal arts or general education provides students with knowledge, skills and values that enhance their ability to use their minds effectively and to participate in society with critical discretion. In many jurisdictions, however, paraprofessional education has not included any significant component of general education; programmes are, for the most part, focused on technical ‘know how’, despite increasing complexities in the roles of the library technicians brought about by the evolving knowledge context. Such tasks as reference services, cataloguing and systems maintenance require exactly the types of knowledge and abilities that general education fosters. Via a comparison of programmes in South Africa and Quѐbec, Canada, this paper invites discussion on the necessity for, and the modalities of, including substantial liberal arts components within library and information science paraprofessional curricular.Item Crafting a research paper(2009) Raju, JayaraniSince the inception of the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics about three years ago, we have made significant inroads in terms of registration, of faculty staff particularly, for research degrees. A university context, however, also demands publication of research particularly in scholarly journals. Research is regarded as being complete only when it is published. You should not allow your work to sit in the university library and bend the shelf over the years. Writing up your research and getting it published in academic and professional journals allows others the opportunity to see your work and enables them to engage with and challenge it. Hence you must insert your work, via publication, into the slipstream of scholarly debate. Writing for publication is no doubt an intimidating task. Have no illusions. It is not simple and straightforward, especially for the novice research writer. However, you can overcome feelings of vulnerability and lack of confidence by doing your research well and writing it up well so that it can stand up to public scrutiny. Hence the purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of what is involved in crafting a research paper for publication in journals. While there are other forms of research publication, this presentation will focus on journal publication as this is the medium via which many of us, as academics and researchers, cut our teeth in research writing. Some of the areas this presentation will touch on include: Why the need to publish in journals? What can be published? What characteristics make a paper publishable? Understanding the journals market and Stages in getting a paper published.Item LIS education and training in South Africa: a historical review(2005) Raju, JayaraniThe article aims to provide a more complete historical review of LIS education and training in South Africa, particularly the involvement of technikons as well as how changes in the post-1990 era in South African society generally and in the higher education sector specifically, have impacted on LIS education and training.Item From library science to information science to knowledge management: providing contexts for LIS research(2009) Raju, JayaraniLibrary and Information Science (LIS) has traditionally been regarded as a social science. Hence LIS research is largely concerned with analyzing, interpreting and understanding LIS related aspects of the social world. Therefore context becomes a significant factor in our research strategies.Item The historical evolution of university and technikon education and training in South Africa and its implications for articulation between the two types of higher educational institutions with particular reference to LIS education and training(2006) Raju, JayaraniThe paper provides discussions on articulation between university and technikon LIS education and training in the context of: the historical evolution and traditional purposes of university and technikon education and training; major similarities and differences between university and technikon LIS education and training; and current changes in higher education in South Africa to effect a new ethos of transformation, equity and efficiency. In doing this the paper highlights issues that are critical to deliberations on the matter of articulation between LIS programmes at universities and technikons. This, the paper claims, is important because increasingly higher education institutions are faced with the articulation dilemma as students seek greater mobility within a transforming higher education sector.Item First level library and/or information science education and training at South African universities and technikons: developments in specialisation(2005) Raju, JayaraniThe literature of the early 1990s observed a general lack of differentiation and specialisation at the basic qualification level in library and/or information science education and training in South Africa. This paper draws from an empirical study on first level LIS qualifications at South African universities and technikons to examine developments in specialisation in LIS education and training. This is particularly relevant in the context of the government’s current drive toward rationalisation of the higher education sector. There seems to have been significant developments in South Africa since the early 1990s regarding specialisation in LIS education and training among the various universities and technikons offering LIS qualifications. It is recommended that LIS departments further develop this trend and also consider possible collaboration with other LIS departments especially on a regional basis, with a view to accommodating regionally based imperatives.Item Never the twain shall meet?: professional and para-professional LIS education and training in a changing information environment(2003) Raju, JayaraniThis paper reports on aspects of a comparative study of first level library and/or information science (LIS) qualifications offered at South African universities and technikons. The study was conducted in 2002. The qualifications that were the focus of the study included: • the National Diploma: Library and Information Studies (ND: LIS); • the Bachelor of Technology: Library and Information Studies (B.Tech.(LIS)); • the Post-graduate Diploma in Library and/or Information Science; and • the Bachelor of Library and Information Science (B.Bibl.) or equivalent four-year university degree. The study surveyed the views of employers, past students and educators in the LIS field regarding these qualifications and their relevance to the LIS services work environment. It resulted in a number of conclusions some which included: • The study supports the view that general education as provided by a university bachelor’s degree distinguishes between professional and paraprofessional LIS education and training; • The study confirms that the university Post-graduate Diploma in Library and/or Information Science and the B.Bibl. (or equivalent four-year university degree) are established professional LIS qualifications in South Africa; • While the technikon national diploma is generally viewed as a paraprofessional qualification, LIS services employers are not using this qualification in its paraprofessional context with paraprofessional post designations and career progressions separate from designations for clerical staff; • The technikon B.Tech.(LIS) cannot be viewed as a professional LIS qualification as it lacks general education. Furthermore, it is a qualification in the hierarchy of paraprofessional LIS qualifications that runs parallel to the professional LIS career path and thus the B.Tech.(LIS) is not a step in the direction of LIS professionalism. It is part of an alternative career direction; • In view of the traditional purpose of technikon education and training vis-á-vis university education and training, limited general education and not extended general education is necessary in the technikon LIS curriculum. In the time allotted to me this morning, I hope to provide some of the empirical and/or philosophical bases for these conclusions. I hope to do this under the following heads: • General education; • Post-graduate Diploma and the B.Bibl. or equivalent four-year university degree; • National Diploma: Library and Information Studies (ND: LIS); • Bachelor of Technology: Library and Information Studies (B.Tech.(LIS)); • National Qualifications Framework; and • Traditional purpose of university and technikon education and training in South Africa.Item ILS: towards an alternative qualification model for information and libraries in the African context(2007) Raju, JayaraniIt is important for Africa to blaze its own unique path in terms of developing ILS qualification models that would be realistic and relevant to the African context and, importantly, add value to African library and information services which have a crucial role to play in the growth and development of the continent. Towards this end, a research project is currently being undertaken in South Africa where, as part of the project, work environments in other disciplines such as journalism, health care and engineering are being empirically investigated and compared with LIS services in terms of job functions and higher education qualification types required to fulfill these job functions. The intention is to see if perhaps there are any innovations, lessons or best practices that the ILS profession can draw from these disciplines in terms of staff structures in LIS services, job functions of incumbents, and qualification requirements defining these structures and functions. The purpose of this paper is to report on some of the preliminary findings in an initial and novel comparison involving public, academic and special libraries, and engineering firms, newspaper houses and health care services in an African city. The findings, in the main, reveal that other disciplines seem to embrace vocational institutions, such as universities of technology, in the work place much more than the LIS work environment. The paper recommends that African models in ILS education and training should break the traditional alignment with western grown qualification models. It needs to draw lessons from work place practices in other disciplines and from innovative work place behavior within the ILS discipline evident in the preliminary findings presented in this paper, and more fully utilize qualification products from non traditional university institutions which often are the only tertiary level institutions many African school leavers are able to access. At the same time African ILS qualification models should afford articulation means that provide opportunities for further education and development of these individuals. In reporting these initial findings the paper also interrogates issues such as vocational higher education institutions like the emerging universities of technology and the value and role of their ILS qualifications in the African context vis á vis those of the traditional universities, the role and contribution of the ILS paraprofessional to African LIS services, and the issue of articulation between higher education qualification types and the relevance of this for ILS education in Africa.