Browsing by Department "Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 46
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    Open Access
    A systematic review of access to indigenous cultural heritage material among lower income families in South African archives, art galleries and museums
    (2025) Cebisa, Andisiwe; Higgs, Richard
    Materials from indigenous cultural heritage play a significant role in the history and cultural identity of indigenous groups in South Africa. These materials include both tangible and intangible cultural legacies, such as artefacts, writings, traditions, and belief systems, which are stored in archives, art galleries, and museums. Again, these institutions provide access to indigenous cultural heritage materials, enabling individuals and communities to learn about their history, culture, and traditions. However, access to these materials is limited, particularly for lower-income families. To explore the challenges faced by lower-income families in accessing indigenous cultural heritage materials in archives, art galleries, and museums in South Africa, a systematic review was conducted. A qualitative research approach was used to analyse available literature and data. Nine databases were used, and searches were conducted between March 2021 and December 2023. Using the systematic review screening process and the PRISMA checklist, publications were checked against the inclusion criteria, resulting in 122 articles being included in the final review. The findings showed that financial constraints facing organisations and consumers, social stigma, lack of community engagement, language and communication barriers, community image and representation, cultural and digital literacy, and disparities in internet connectivity are major barriers confronting this group of people. It is recommended that government reduce financial barriers, improve advocacy, training and representation, enact meaningful policies on cultural heritage access and preservation, form strategic partnerships between cultural institutions and government agencies, and enhance the accessibility of cultural heritage resources.
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    Open Access
    Analysis of the digital information literacy skills of geoscientists at the Geological Survey of Namibia
    (2023) Hipangwa, Martin; Mfengu, Andiswa
    In the context of the Namibian geosciences, the symbiotic relationship between digital information literacy skills and the geoscientists is not evidenced by literature. The purpose of the study was to critically analyse the digital information literacy skills of the geoscientists at the Geological Survey of Namibia at the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The study used the six frames presented in the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework of Information Literacy for Higher Education (2016) as a theoretical framework that underpinned the study. Pragmatism paradigm was used as a philosophical lens to examine geoscientists' digital information literacy skills. A convergent parallel mixed methods approach was used and a case study research design to provide in-depth analysis of the digital information literacy skills. The study collected quantitative data via online questionnaire surveys with 32 (60%) geoscientists. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews from purposively sampled managers (7) and librarians (3) within GSN, and auto-ethnography was used as a secondary qualitative data collection method since the researcher is a senior librarian at the institution and, thus, a good data source. The study had four critical questions which explored geoscientists digital information literacy skills, challenges and gaps experienced in acquiring and enhancing these skills, services offered and strategies that can be used in the acquisition and enhancement of digital information literacy skills of geoscientists. The study findings revealed from the questionnaire survey that geoscientists are moderately high and highly skilled in the different six frames of the ACRL framework. While GSN managers, auto- ethnographer and librarians regarded the geoscientists as being fairly skilled in digital information literacy. The study found, lack of digital information literary trainings, collaborative spaces, motivation and professional support, funding and inability to use new technologies as key challenges experienced by geoscientists. The library and various Divisions are providing support services to geoscientists to acquire these skills. The study presented that digital information literacy skills trainings, better funding and a need based instructional plan can be put in place as some of the strategies to advance these skills. To aid in the quest for DIL skills by geoscientists, the study recommended further specialised digital information literacy skills trainings, establishment of community of practice, intentional funding for capacity development and investing in relevant digital infrastructure. Key words: digital information literacy skills, geoscientists, Geological Survey of Namibia
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    Open Access
    Assessment of the impact of community library services: a case study of Khomas region, Namibia
    (2024) Haindaka, Shihawa Alberthina; Mfengu, Andiswa
    Community libraries play a crucial role in addressing the inequality stemming from the apartheid era through the provision of a cohesive system aimed at offering free access to library services to equip users with necessary knowledge and skills for lifelong learning and support education. However, community libraries are under scrutiny to demonstrate their value to secure funding and the lack of literature regarding the impact of community library services is perhaps the reason why community libraries are under increasing pressure to capture and demonstrate their value to society and stakeholders. The lack of literature on the holistic impact of community library services is one of the factors contributing to the library budget cuts. Hence, the broad objective of this study was to assess the impact of community library services in Khomas region, Namibia. The study was informed by Service Quality Models to explore the economic, social and cultural benefits of community library services, so as to provide a more holistic understanding of the impact of community libraries. A mixed methods research approach and a multiple case study design were employed to address the study objective. The study collected data through printed questionnaires with 381 random sampled library users and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 10 purposively sampled librarians from the six selected community libraries across Khomas region. The study found that library services such as free internet access services; basic ICT training services and after school programs were beneficial to library users. The free provision of services in community libraries positively influences users' skill development, academic performances, personal success, knowledge gain, social inclusion and cultural advancements. The lack of reliable ICT facilities emerged as a major challenge which is a result of the lack of intentional funding for acquisition and maintenance of ICT facilities, a key aspect to lessening the digital divide. Moreover, management issues between City of Windhoek and Ministry of Education in managing community libraries was also noted as a key challenge. While community libraries are beneficial to library users, there was no system in place to holistically capture community libraries' impact beyond statistics. The study's suggests that community libraries need to prioritize funding for ICT infrastructure, explore new librarian roles to support library marketing efforts and develop systems to capture tangible evidence of library services impact, beyond statistical accumulation of library service usage.
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    Open Access
    Astronomers' contribution to library and information services in their quest to understand the Universe
    (2024) de Young, Theresa; Raju, Jaya
    Astronomers rely heavily on access to scientific publications to conduct astronomical research leading to discoveries that push the frontiers of our understanding of the Universe. This article argues that astronomers contributed to the development of the astronomical library at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), over a two-hundred-year period of the historical development of astronomy in South Africa. It draws from a qualitative empirical study where data were collected at the SAAO through interviews with experts in the fields of astronomy and library and information services (LIS); the analysis of relevant documents from the SAAO archive; autoethnography; and a review of relevant global literature. The research findings provide the basis for this article’s argument, with three overarching LIS themes presented, giving evidence and contributing a South African and African angle as to how astronomers started and developed astronomical LIS, whilst introducing conversations around what this means for current astronomical LIS.
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    Open Access
    Awareness and use of electronic resources by faculty members of the Ghana Communication Technology University: a case study of the Accra campus
    (2025) Anguah, Philip Larry; Raju, Jayarani
    In view of the application of information communication technologies in academic libraries as well as the importance of electronic resources to academic work, the objective of this study was to examine the level of awareness and the extent of use of library electronic resources by faculty members at the Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), Accra campus. In addressing this objective, the following critical questions were generated: What is the level of awareness of Accra campus faculty members of the GCTU Library's electronic resources? What is the extent of use by Accra campus faculty members of the GCTU Library's electronic resources? For what possible purposes would faculty members use the GCTU Library's electronic resources? What is the level of satisfaction by Accra campus faculty members in using the GCTU Library electronic resources? What are possible constraints faced by Accra campus faculty members in using the GCTU Library's electronic resources? The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to provide theoretical support for the study. Motivated by the pragmatic paradigm, the study used a convergent parallel mixed methods strategy to collect data, employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Adopting a single case study design, this study used GCTU, Accra campus as its case to respond to the critical questions. In addressing the study's objective, a descriptive survey and an interview research method were used to collect data from a census of 122 faculty members at the Accra campus and purposively selected library staff members, respectively. Data was collected by a face-to-face interaction through structured questionnaire delivery and collection and the conducting of semi-structured interviews. Data collected from the questionnaire and interviews was analyzed using SPSS and NVivo, respectively. The study found that most faculty members at GCTU Library are aware of e-resources such as Emerald, IEEE Xplore, JSTOR, and EBSCOhost, primarily used for research and publication. They prefer e-resources over printed equivalents due to their ease of use. However, constraints such as slow internet, information overload, and power outages hinder their use. The study recommends increased awareness, faculty training, and strengthening internet connectivity for optimal use of GCTU Library e-resources. This study has relevance and significance for LIS professional practice, disciplinary theory/knowledge growth, research methodology, and university policy development.
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    Open Access
    Building "sustainable" infrastructure in a highly distributed environment
    (UCT Libraries, 2024-12-12) Shearer, Kathleen
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    Open Access
    Building biodiversity data infrastructure for science and decision-making: information needs and information-seeking patterns in South Africa
    (2020) Daly, Brenda; De Jager, Karin; Higgs, Richard
    Biodiversity information is critical to inform science-based policy development as well as to support responsible and accountable land-use planning and decision-making practices. The uptake of available information for these uses is, however, not yet quantified or understood. Here, the extent to which the needs of biodiversity information end-users in South Africa are supported via existing information sources was investigated, at the science, practice and policy interface, using the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI's) online conservation mapping service users as a case study. A quantitative investigation of the information needs of end-users of biodiversity information was made, their information-seeking patterns analysed and the various uses of information by different user groups in South Africa investigated. This allowed for the implications of these needs and behaviour on system design and information provision to be formulated to better design the envisaged National Biodiversity Information System at SANBI. Based on a representative sample of end-users from policy, implementation and research backgrounds, a questionnaire was used and the responses were examined to determine which content was most useful, what barriers and enablers they face when trying to access biodiversity information, and what degree of interdisciplinary information is needed in addressing environmental problems. A sample of 778 (13%) respondents from a total of 5977 biodiversity information users was analysed from across the country. The study found that the lack of appropriate or available information remains one of the three highest unmet needs of biodiversity information end-users. The absence of good prior knowledge of sources of biodiversity information and unreliable and inaccurate information are two additional factors that hinder respondents in finding biodiversity information and achieving their goals. The major implication of information deficiency identified by respondents related to uncertain and/or inaccurate outcomes resulting in ill-informed decision-making. A key outcome of the analysis of the survey results are a series of recommendations on how these issues might be addressed, and it is envisioned that these may be used to help guide the development of a National Biodiversity Information System. A broad range of recommendations have been proposed, principally that the interoperability of information from various adjacent and disparate fields of study be combined with biodiversity information as a means of addressing environmental problems.
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    Open Access
    Constructing a family tree in an online space as an act of digital curation: an auto-hermeneutics study
    (2025) Porter, Donovan Stuart; Kahn, Michelle
    Digital curation requires taking appropriate actions throughout the lifecycle of digital data. Digital curation of research data in a lifecycle is referred to as the custodial approach, while the pragmatic approach is the curation of digital content in everyday life, such as on websites or social media platforms (Dallas, 2016). Online genealogy, in which a genealogist is using a digital platform to construct a family tree and search for source documents, is an example of the pragmatic approach to digital curation. In this study I investigate genealogy through the lens of digital curation to discover how users curate their genealogical information on a major genealogy website, Ancestry.com. In this way, I consider how online genealogy can be studied as an example of the pragmatic approach to digital curation. This is a qualitative study making use of auto-hermeneutics – I collected data by systematic self-observation (SSO) and analysed it by interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). I reconstructed my own family tree in Ancestry.com, evaluating the research hints offered to me by the website algorithm and the member-constructed family trees which contained my ancestors. I found, among other things, that Ancestry.com makes the tree construction process easy and the research hints provided by the website can be verified if caution is exercised, but the same cannot be said for the family trees constructed by Ancestry.com members, many of whom do not practise caution in this endeavour. Study recommendations include a change in the data fields Ancestry.com uses for data capture from members or a change in which it processes and displays that data to ensure that omission of data does not cause incongruous errors to be displayed; and better visibility of the website's guidance on good research techniques to avoid the perpetuation of research errors. Ancestry.com already has verification functionalities which, if applied more widely, have the potential to improve the curation of member-constructed trees.
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    Open Access
    Current situation and trend of diamond open access in China
    (UCT Libraries, 2025) Xiwen, Liu
    China has been actively promoting open access for more than 20 years.
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    Open Access
    Developing a holistic framework for assessing research impact in South African higher education institutions, using a research-intensive university as a case study
    (2022) Mfengu, Andiswa; Raju, Jayarani
    Scholarly communication has become less linear, less opaque and less rigid than before as both the research process and the end products are being transformed inexorably. The impact of research goes beyond academia, research also impacts society, and thus academic reward systems need to also be transformed to align with evolving research impact practices. The study sought to gather a complete view of research impact assessment practices, challenges and best practice for assessing research impact across disciplinary spaces at the University of Cape Town, the case study for this research, and based on these findings develop a holistic framework for the assessment of research impact to facilitate transformative and responsible research assessment for higher education institutions such as the University of Cape Town. The study was informed by the Payback Framework and New Institutional Theory. It adopted, within a pragmatist paradigm, an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach and data were collected using four instruments: an online questionnaire survey (255 academics, researchers and postdoctoral fellows); document analysis (six documents); semi-structured interviews (30 academics and researchers, and 10 key informants); and, bibliometric analysis (20 academics and researchers). Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) while qualitative data were analysed thematically with NVivo. The study found that bibliometrics were the most used metric indicator for the 'Advancing knowledge' benefit category and academics and researchers surveyed seem satisfied with the use of bibliometrics to evidence this benefit category. Qualitative indicators were regarded more appropriate for evidencing other impacts beyond academia. Bibliometrics and 'Advancing knowledge' benefit category were also prioritised by the institution (UCT) and funders. Behavioural impact and bias were some of the main challenges with metric indicators that the surveyed academics and researchers highlighted; 'Responsible research practices' and 'Open science' were seen as being important principles for metrics use. Interview participants found that a meaningful approach for assessing research impact should be flexible, broad and context-sensitive. A case study technique (combination of qualitative and quantitative methods) and impact narratives were found to be the best approach for assessing research impact across disciplines in higher education. Institutional culture and structures were found to influence academics and researchers in 'not productive' ways as study participants found rules and structures to be limiting rather than providing an enabling environment for contributing to the discipline and society. Institutional transformation agenda and how academics and researchers are assessed were found to be misaligned. Lastly, extensive consultation and engagement with various stakeholders in the research community was found to be imperative to the process for the development of a holistic framework for assessing research impact. The study makes contributions to theory, practice and policy formulation. The proposed framework integrates the logic model, process-view approach and institutional context in assessing research impact. Research impact assessment is complex and multi-dimensional necessitating flexibility, contextualisation and working together. Higher education institutions and funders need to expand the range of academic activities they incentivise and reward; and thus move towards a less limited set of research impact assessment practices. Institutions and funders need to align policy and practice related to research impact assessment as any fundamental change necessitates a shift in policies, processes and structures for the new changes to be adopted and institutionalised. Lastly, a holistic and meaningful research impact assessment framework needs to be balanced, broad and responsible, and should align decisionmaking to the strategic mission and goals of the institution and funder
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    Open Access
    Effectiveness of social media tools in promoting information literacy: a case of the University of Cape Town Libraries
    (2025) Hlemfu, Malixole; Mfengu, Andiswa
    Information literacy is a critical skill that is required for students to complete their assessments and for problem solving. Academic libraries play a key role in fostering and advancing information literacy. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, social media has emerged as a crucial alternative for engaging with students. This study investigates the effectiveness of the University of Cape Town Libraries' use of social media tools for promoting information literacy. Using a constructivism worldview and a case study research design, the study aimed to address four critical research questions: (1) what are the information literacy needs of University of Cape Town Humanities undergraduate students? (2) what social media tools are available at University of Cape Town Libraries for the promotion of information literacy to Humanities undergraduate students? (3) what challenges, if any, do Humanities undergraduate students face with engaging in University of Cape Town Libraries' social media tools? (4) what best practices may be put in place to ensure the effectiveness of social media tools to promote information literacy? Data was collected through online surveys from 100 randomly selected students and semi-structured interviews with six librarians. The findings revealed that while the majority of students are active on social media and engage with the libraries' social media tools, particularly Instagram, they primarily engage with the library when needing information about library resources during. This highlights the critical role of information literacy in maximising the use of available resources. Notably, the study identified significant barriers, including connectivity issues and limited access to devices, which impede the promotion of information literacy. Although University of Cape Town Libraries are addressing these challenges to some extent, the study underscores the need for more sophisticated strategies to address these challenges. Recommendations include diversifying social media engagement approaches, prioritising accessibility, fostering collaborative partnerships, and developing proactive communication strategies. Furthermore, the study points to the limited use of quantitative metrics for evaluating social media effectiveness, with only two librarians are actively monitor the social media tools. The study advocates for the creation of more engaging content and the implementation of rigorous assessment measures to enhance the effectiveness of social media tools in promoting information literacy
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    Open Access
    Experiences in Open Access Publishing and Other Scholarly Publishing
    (UCT Libraries, 2025) Onyango, Mary
    African Indigenous vegetables research focus, Multidisciplinary, Multi-Institutional and participatory, collaborative research, World Vegetable Centre was key partner.
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    Open Access
    Exploring the interface between the decolonisation of higher education and open access
    (2022) Radebe, Khawulile Ednah; Higgs, Richard
    This study aims to investigate the similarities between decolonisation in higher education and Open Access (OA). This study was motivated by South African students united under the #FMF (#FeesMustFall) movement who revolted against colonised higher education system, restricted access to higher education, colonised curriculum, outsourcing, and higher education fee increases. Students held enraged protests against the government system, citing the little development in universities in the two decades since South Africa became a constitutionally free and democratic country. The researcher aims to find ways in which OA can contribute to solving some of the issues that were brought forward during the #FMF protests. This qualitative study is situated in a transformative research paradigm. The challenges in OA and OA publishing identified in the literature review and informed by social justice theory were used as guidelines to formulate appropriate research questions. Data was collected using snowball sampling from the #FMF activists, staff and students from three South African universities, namely: Rhodes University, University of Cape Town (UCT) and Nelson Mandela university. Findings show that there are definite similarities between the objectives of OA and #FMF movements, however neither movement was readily aware of similarities, thus there has been no open communication between the stakeholders of the movements to engage and support one another in fulfilling their mutual objectives.
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    Open Access
    Exploring the value of academic libraries in the 21st century: a comparative study of two universities in Southern Africa
    (2025) Malapela, Thembani; De Jager, Karin
    The concept of providing evidence of the value or worth of an academic library service has concerned librarians for more than five decades. Discourse on the value of libraries was stimulated in the United States by budgets and resource allocations in higher education institutions. Performance measurement sought to assess and justify the services offered in terms of the needs of stakeholders: politicians, higher education administration, students and parents. This development challenged the long-held notion that the academic library was the heart of the university. To remain appreciated and funded, academic libraries were now required to provide empirical evidence that they added value for their stakeholders and supported the mandates of the institutions that house them. This study explores and interrogates the value of academic libraries in the face of the changing demands of Higher Education – stakeholders and users – in two academic libraries in Southern Africa. The study sought to establish the extent to which the respective academic library services can be perceived to add value for their users. The study employed the comparative case study research methodology and used three research instruments –documentary analysis, interviews and questionnaires – to collect data in institutions in Zimbabwe (Institution A) and South Africa (Institution B). At the request of the institutions, their identities remain confidential. Value like beauty, it lies in the eyes of the beholder, and economists, sociologists, psychologists and marketers all have a different concept of value. This study investigated value from the point of view of value-in-use, a theoretical approach introduced by Adam Smith in his original attempt to define economic value .This approach was refined in Library and Information Science literature by Saracevic and Kantor's (1997) theorising of the use-oriented value of library and information services. The data collected was subjected to a two-pronged analysis: the first was based on the research questions and the second was informed by an original theoretical framework. This framework enabled a taxonomy that produced a checklist for four elements of academic library value chosen for the study –student learning, student success, faculty teaching and researcher productivity. The findings of the study indicate that both libraries were aligned with their institutional mission, vision and goals. While the libraries offered services that support the fulfilment of their institutional mandates, using the results of the four elements of value as a sample of all value elements, there was a need for them to design services that meet specific expected outcomes for both students and academics. The main conclusion was that academic libraries continue to contribute to the mission and strategic goals of the institutions that house them. To remain an asset to the university, libraries should demonstrate their value within their institutional context by strategically aligning with the institutional mandate and linking their outcomes to elements of value (such as student success, teaching and research productivity). Despite major environmental changes in Higher Education, both technological and economic, academic libraries are appreciated and used by both students and staff. Both user groups indicated that the academic library's closure would seriously harm both the researchers' work and the students' access to information. The “Taxonomy of Value in Academic Libraries”, which was developed in this study, appears to be a necessary tool to assess elements of value in academic libraries and should be further developed.
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    Open Access
    Financing diamond
    (UCT Libraries, 2025) Choyonowski, Emily
    Issues with data: discrepancies across different databases, lack of integrated data, misleading location information, inactive websites, incomplete online information, inactive online information, inactive, duplicate and out of date records.
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    Open Access
    Histories intertwined: tracing the evolution of the South African Astronomical Observatory Library and information service within the historical development of astronomy in South Africa
    (2024) de Young, Theresa; Raju, Jaya
    This paper explores, in detail, how library and information service provision to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) evolved in the context of the historical development of astronomy in South Africa. It is based on empirical research that collected data through the examination of literature, SAAO archival material as well as via semi-structured interviews with a purposefully selected sample of individuals who are experts in the field of astrophysics or astronomy libraries. The study collected information on the role of library and information services in astronomy and documented the historical significance of the library in the context of astronomical research at the SAAO. This paper aims to contribute toward the existing literature covering the history of the SAAO, close the gap in the literature covering the history of its library and information service, as well as to contribute towards the international history of astronomy. The paper suggests a future library and information service that remains closely tied to exciting developments in astronomical research within an electronically connected research landscape.
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    Open Access
    Implementation of records management practices in technical and vocational education and training institutions in South Africa
    (2025) Kodisang, Mmamie Evelyn; Mfengu, Andiswa
    In technical vocational education and training colleges, records management plays a major role as it enables service delivery in a consistent, equitable manner, and it further provides continuity and productivity in its management and administration. This role extends to the provision of support for the institution's mandate, that of research, teaching, learning, and community engagement. Despite the crucial role that records play in TVET institutions, several studies have highlighted a lack of appreciation for this role. In this context, the study was undertaken to explore implementing records management practices in a TVET institution. The Organisational Culture Framework by Schein and Schein (2016) was determined to be an appropriate framework supporting the study due to the connection between records and information management. To optimise the theoretical implications of research findings, a case study research design was employed. To allow the researcher to develop the meaning of a situation, constructivism was chosen as the appropriate worldview for the study. Qualitative data collection was used for both administrators and managers using semi structured physical questionnaires and face-to-face semi-structured interviews, respectively. A purposeful sample of 17 administrators and 21 managers was used. The key findings of the study revealed that administrative staff lacked formal records management training. Additionally, there is limited funding for training staff on records management. Moreover, there are no policies on records management. Based on the findings, the study recommends the need for trained records management staff paired with records management governance guidelines, as well as management buy-in, and records management being driven from the top. The study concluded that for records management to be fully implemented, management should ensure that records management staff are trained on records management principles and provided with guidelines, including infrastructure. To make this possible, the study recommended that senior management make funds available to train records management staff on records management principles. In addition, senior management must make records management governing documents available and use their authority to compel staff to comply with these policies.
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    Open Access
    Introduction to UCT Libraries resources and services
    (2026) Commerce Library Team
    The aim of this presentation is to introduce first year Commerce students to UCT Libraries resources, facilities and services. The objectives of this presentation are designed to help students to identify the different libraries and their locations, access the libraries, access and navigate the library website, identify the different resources, facilities and services and how to access the library help desk.
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    Open Access
    Key factors in open access
    (UCT Libraries, 2024) Garcia, Arianna
    The presentation covers the key factors in open access including commodification, from public to private and losses in diamond open access journals.
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    Open Access
    Knowledge production practices in higher institutions of learning in Zambia: a case of the University of Zambia
    (University of Cape Town, 2020) Kanyengo, Christine Wamunyima; Smit, J Gretchen
    The core business of higher education institutions such as universities is knowledge production. This is achieved by conducting research which results in various research products being produced, as well as through teaching and the production of graduates. The main objective of the study was to explore and describe knowledge production practices and their attributes within a university environment at the University of Zambia. The study's major contribution to knowledge is that it indicates to what extent this objective is achieved. A mixed methods case study approach that used both quantitative and qualitative research methodology was adopted for the study. The mixed methods analysis framework was based on grounded theory, bibliometric techniques, and concurrent triangulation. The site of investigation was the School of Medicine at the University of Zambia. The sampling technique also adopted a mixed methods approach by using purposive, availability and stratified purposeful sampling to sample the respondents. The PubMed/Medline database, academic staff, key informants and the documents reviewed all served as the key sources of information for the study. Data obtained from PubMed/Medline, questionnaires and semi structured interviews were quantitatively analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, while the more qualitative information that was gleaned from open-ended questions, semi-structured interviews and documentary sources was analysed thematically. The subject analysis of PubMed/Medline articles was done using the VOSviewer software and Microsoft Excel. The findings reveal that the yearly research output from 1995 to 2015 was 281 scholarly papers in 159 journals. The lowest number of papers published were recorded in 1997, 2000, and 2004 while the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 show the highest number of papers per year; and the highest was recorded in 2015. It was found that, except in 1997 and 2000, most of these papers were authored by more than five researchers. This indicates a high degree of collaboration. The journals in which the academic staff were publishing in emanated from all over the world; Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. The journals themselves are also a combination of both high impact factor journals such as the PLoS One, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, The Lancet, Malaria Journal and those with no impact factor like the Medical Journal of Zambia. The results indicate that the respondents mostly investigated and published in subject fields related to diseases most prevalent in Zambia, i.e. HIV and Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis. In addition, the findings indicate that the majority of the academic staff were born after 1960 (73%), with high digital information retrieval skills (95.2%), and with their research output published mainly in journals. The knowledge was produced for various reasons: 85.4% for research purposes, 80.5% for academic promotion, 80.5% for production of knowledge, 73.2% to improve teaching, 61% to provide evidence, 51.2% to change practice, 41.5% to improve policy, 41.5% for personal advancement, and 24.4% for research funding. The knowledge was produced ethically, advancing scholarship, and deemed to be beneficial to society. The overall conclusion drawn from the study is that the knowledge productivity of the School of Medicine has steadily increased over the years and that this is supported by various institutional policies. Additionally, there is increased collaboration with persons outside the continent, whilst there is less collaboration with countries in Africa. The key recommendation for the School of Medicine is that it should work with and within the various layers of the university's institutions such as the Library, Directorate of Research and Graduate Studies, University of Zambia Press, and the Centre for Information and Communication Technology. This would ensure that impediments to knowledge production, diffusion and utilisation are mitigated.