Browsing by Author "Raju, Jayarani"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Open Access
    A phenomenological study of experiences in blended librarianship among academic librarians in Zimbabwe with special reference to selected higher education institutions
    (2018) Dabengwa, Israel Mbekezeli; Raju, Jayarani; Matingwina, Thomas
    This exploratory phenomenological study served the purpose of investigating the phenomenon of the Zimbabwean academic librarian whose professional identity has been evolving into Bell and Shank's (2007) blended librarianship over the past decade. The primary objective of this study was to explore the shared experiences of blended librarianship to find out how effectively Zimbabwean academic librarians adhere to their dynamic roles and functions, and how they are perceived in the university. To achieve the primary goal, the study was framed using the theoretical constructs from Lave and Wenger's (1991) Legitimate Peripheral Participation (LPP) and Communities of Practice (CoP), to understand how academic librarians learnt in the workplace through involvement in authentic work tasks. The research methodology relied on Heidegger’s Interpretive Phenomenology Analysis and the philosophy of interpretivism. The researcher looked for the academic librarian’s experiences of blended librarianship and then made sense of the academic librarian’s interpretation, to draw out a common meaning of blended librarianship. The researcher collected data from a calculated sample of 101 academic librarians from non-professional roles to Library Board level. Data collected was triangulated using multiple methods of data collection that included a semi-structured questionnaire, document research and semi-structured interviews. Data was collected from academic librarians from the Bindura State University of Education, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Lupane State University, Midlands State University, the National University of Science and Technology, and PHSBL80 University which was anonymised. Though blended librarianship had been adopted in different academic libraries through various ways that account for the sociocultural and historical issues in each academic library, it can be concluded that blended librarianship may bridge the theory-practice divide. The study recommends academic libraries to move towards integrating the teaching of Information Literacy Skills (ILS) and Low Threshold Technologies Applications (LTAs) into the courses that are taught by lecturers. This is set to place academic librarians within the context of their community, where they can contribute “legitimately” as equals, rather than working at the periphery of the classroom where they have a subservient role as seen in the study.
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    Open Access
    Investigating popular fiction development at the University of the Free State academic Library
    (2021) Maphile, Legopheng Marcus; Mapulanga, Patrick; Raju, Jayarani
    The study seeks to find out students' and library staff's perceptions and experiences of the popular fiction collection at the University of the Free State's Sasol Library. The purpose of the study is to examine what these perceptions and experiences mean for the future expansion and development of the leisure collection. The Social Learning Theory guided the study. The study adopted a qualitative and quantitative approach whereby open- and close-ended questionnaires were distributed online to students and to library staff to gather research data. The population that participated in the study comprised undergraduate and postgraduate students and library staff. The study employed stratified random sampling as a research technique. The targeted population comprised 37,800 registered students and 61 library staff members accidentally sampled. This in turn gave sample sizes of 381 for students and 53 for library staff. Quantitative data was analysed using Google Forms and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Further, qualitative data was analysed thematically through content analysis. The study found that students enjoy reading popular fiction at the Sasol Library's fiction collection for leisure. The study also found that library staff support the existence of the leisure reading collection, even though a small number felt that its operations could be improved. The study therefore recommends that the university direct resources towards the expansion and improvement of the popular collection through the training of staff and stocking of reading genres that the students require.
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    Knowledge translation of health research findings at the University of Malawi and its relevance in health policy formulation in Malawi: a study in developing a communication and dissemination strategy to facilitate the use of health research evidence
    (2018) Mapulanga, Patrick Makono; Raju, Jayarani; Matingwina, Thomas
    Findings from health research ought to play a role in informing health policy formulation. Over the years much health research has been conducted both in developing and developed countries. However, little is known on how health research has informed health policy formulation. The study sought to review health research findings at the University of Malawi’s College of Medicine and Kamuzu College of Nursing and health policies of the Ministry of Health in Malawi, and based on the results, develop a communication and dissemination strategy as indicated by the study objectives. The study focused on exploring the extent of research use in policy formulation by evaluating sampled policies. It established from both researchers and policy makers their views regarding communication of research findings to policy makers, and how the two work together during conceptualisation, carrying out research and disseminating the findings. It sought to identify ways that the translation of research findings into policy formulation could be facilitated. The study is informed by the Knowledge Translation theoretical framework. It adopted the pragmatism philosophical paradigm which advocates for 'what works’. The convergent parallel mixed method strategy was used to gather both qualitative and quantitative data for the study. The population of the study comprised of researchers and academics at the University of Malawi, health research partners in Malawi and directors at the Ministry of Health in Malawi. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through self-administered questionnaires (246 academics and researchers), semi-structured interviews (17 directors from the Ministry of Health and relevant research institutes), a self-administered self-assessment tool (10 purposively selected directors from the Ministry of Health and from research institutes) and a health policy assessment tool. Qualitative data was analysed through content analysis while quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for both descriptive and inferential analysis. The data were supplemented with a search strategy through Scopus. The findings revealed that health researchers rarely interact with policy makers. Health researchers prefer publishing in journals, attending conferences and informally interacting with policy and decision makers. Policy makers rely on the use of Internet, reviews of previous policies, internal evaluations, data from the national statistical office, registries and information centres at the ministries for policy information. However, the study revealed in designing the communication and dissemination strategy based on 'what works’, that researchers work in research groups while policy makers work in technical work groups. The interaction between researchers and policy makers in the technical working groups informs the transfer of health research into policy-making. The study makes contributions to theory, practice and policy formulation. In terms of contribution towards the KTA framework, the study examined forms of formal interaction that may result in the transfer of health research information into policy and practice. The study indicates that formal interaction in the technical expert groups is one of such interactions that would facilitate the use of health research evidence in policy formulation. In terms of practice, the study recommends that there should be deliberate efforts by researchers in the research groups and policy makers at the technical working groups to formally engage each other. In terms of policy formulation, the study recommends that a proper interaction framework needs to be put in place for formal interactions between health researchers working in their research work groups and policy makers in the technical working groups.
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    Open Access
    Library research support for masters and PhD students at the University of Eswatini
    (2020) Dlamini, Khosie Konkhekluhle; Raju, Jayarani; Mfengu, Andiswa
    The changing academic and technological environment coupled with evolving research practices have greatly impacted the role played by academic libraries within the institutions they serve. This has sparked a global concern amongst academic libraries to re-evaluate their services as a means to aligning themselves to this new environment. As a result, academic libraries are transforming themselves and bringing about new services, particularly focussing on how they can enhance research output by providing support to researchers. Given this context, this study seeks to ascertain the extent of research support by University of Eswatini (UNESWA) Libraries for masters and PhD students at UNESWA. To address this objective, the following critical questions were generated: What are the current services being provided by UNESWA Libraries to support masters and PhD students at the University of Eswatini?; What are the library research needs of masters and PhD students at UNESWA?; To what extent are these needs being met by UNESWA Libraries?; and, If there are library research needs of masters and PhD students at UNESWA that are not being met by UNESWA Libraries, what research support services need to be put in place to address this deficiency? Schoombee's (2014) research lifecycle adapted for library research support was used as a supporting theoretical framework to guide the study. The study adopted a convergent parallel mixed methods approach within a pragmatism paradigm and a case study design. Academic staff members and librarians at UNESWA were purposively sampled whilst a census was conducted for all masters and PhD students at UNESWA. Data was collected using a structured paper-based questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and qualitative data was analysed thematically (by content analysis). The study concludes, inter alia, that despite the various library research support services provided by UNESWA Libraries for masters and PhD students, an expanded suite of research support services to more fully meet UNESWA's masters and PhD students' library research needs, is required. The study recommends that UNESWA Libraries should utilise available technologies and incorporate additional research support services that speak to the research needs of digital age masters and PhD students.
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    Research support from academic law libraries in the Western Cape in the scholarly legal research lifecycle
    (2019) Moll, Elizabeth Margaret; Raju, Jayarani
    This study used an interpretive paradigm and a qualitative research approach to investigate the legal research lifecycle process used by legal academics at three institutions within the Western Cape, South Africa in order to ascertain academic law library research support services that would be able to support legal scholars using such a process. In order to do so, the researcher used four critical questions to guide the study which investigated the research lifecycle process used by legal scholars; existing and possible law library research support services discussed in the literature; current law library research support services in the Western Cape being offered to support legal scholars; and, the knowledge and skills required by law librarians to support legal research processes. A multiple case study method was used, with Stellenbosch University, the University of Cape Town and the University of the Western Cape as research sites. Purposive sampling of legal scholars and law librarians at three institutions was adopted. Data was gathered mainly through the administration of semistructured interviews with both the legal scholars and the law librarians, as well as via the literature for some aspects of the study. A conceptual framework, which used two conceptual models, namely, the research process lifecycle model and the Reference and User Services framework for LIS services, guided the theoretical aspect of the study. The researcher found that legal scholars favour the doctrinal approach to research, which still consists of the same stages involved in the research process model, but does not distinguish as clearly between the stages. A novel aspect of this study was the exploration of what constitutes legal data and it was found that it consists of literature, including cases and legislation. Law libraries should therefore be able to adapt their ‘data services' to this concept of legal data in order to better support legal scholars. A broad range of research support services were identified within the literature, but the study showed that law libraries in the Western Cape still rely on the ‘traditional' library services, for example, reference services and collection development. The study revealed that newer services, such as bibliometrics and research data services, could have applicability, although law librarians would need to adapt such services to the legal context. A disconnect between legal scholars and the law libraries that serviced them was seen in terms of awareness of library services, and therefore this study recommends that a targeted marketing approach as well as other relevant interventions be put in place in order to bridge this gap. Other recommendations include further study into how to ground new library research support services (such as research impact services or research data management services) in a legal context; as well as further study into the extent to which subject knowledge and/or a subject qualification is required to practice as a law librarian.
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    Staff competencies in the planning and establishing of an institutional repository at the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources
    (2018) Metlhaleng, Tlhalefo; Raju, Jayarani; Raju, Reggie
    The study sought to ascertain staff competencies in the planning and establishing of an institutional repository at the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN). In addressing the above objective, the study used the innovation-decision making process of the Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) theory (Rogers 1983) to formulate the following critical questions to guide the study: What knowledge, skills and personal attributes are required in the planning and establishing of a successful institutional repository in an academic institution?; Do BUAN staff (academics and relevant support staff) have the knowledge, skills and personal attributes necessary for planning and establishing a successful repository?; How significant a role do personal attributes such as attitudes and perceptions play in the planning and establishing of an IR at BUAN?; and, What measures may be put in place to reinforce the planning and establishing of an institutional repository at the BUAN Library? The research paradigm suitable for this study was the pragmatic paradigm because of diverse types of data used in the study. The study employed a convergent parallel mixed methods design by using both quantitative and qualitative research methods to collect data concurrently. It adopted a case study approach as the researcher undertook an in-depth enquiry into staff competencies in the planning and establishing of an institutional repository at BUAN. The study population consisted of 201 BUAN academics, three Library repository staff, and two Information Technology (IT) staff. Semi-structured interviews were used to source data from purposively selected library repository staff and BUAN IT staff. A structured questionnaire was administered to the academics. Descriptive statistics was used in the analysis of the study’s quantitative data and thematic content analysis for its qualitative data. A number of knowledge sets, skills and personal attributes emerged from the study as being required in the planning and establishing of a successful repository at BUAN, critical amongst these being knowledge of metadata and metadata standards. An important recommendation emanating from the study related to repository advocacy and outreach among BUAN academics as well as on-going training of library repository staff to keep them abreast of latest repository developments.