Celebrating libraries in 20 years of democracy : an overview of library and information services in South Africa
- Authors: Satgoor, Ujala
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Libraries , Library administration -- South Africa , Information services -- South Africa , Public libraries -- South Africa , Library science -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6997 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019841 , ISSN ISSN: 0340-0352 , http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0340035215585100
- Description: Since the establishment of the first public library in 1818, the South African library and information services landscape has also been a reflection of the socio-political order and developments in the country. This article presents an historical perspective as well as an overview of libraries in South Africa since 1994, the context within which libraries function, library governance and legislative framework, government funding for redress, library technologies, library and information services education and the professional association. The article further highlights the importance of libraries in meeting the goals of the national development agenda towards entrenching a strong democracy and an educated and informed nation , Original publication is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0340035215585100
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Satgoor, Ujala
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Libraries , Library administration -- South Africa , Information services -- South Africa , Public libraries -- South Africa , Library science -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6997 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019841 , ISSN ISSN: 0340-0352 , http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0340035215585100
- Description: Since the establishment of the first public library in 1818, the South African library and information services landscape has also been a reflection of the socio-political order and developments in the country. This article presents an historical perspective as well as an overview of libraries in South Africa since 1994, the context within which libraries function, library governance and legislative framework, government funding for redress, library technologies, library and information services education and the professional association. The article further highlights the importance of libraries in meeting the goals of the national development agenda towards entrenching a strong democracy and an educated and informed nation , Original publication is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0340035215585100
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Leadership excellence in African librarianship - the Carnegie Library Leadership Development experience
- Satgoor, Ujala, AfLIA International Conference (1st : 2015 : GIMPA Conference Centre--Accra), African Library Summit (3rd : 2015 : GIMPA Conference Centre--Accra)
- Authors: Satgoor, Ujala , AfLIA International Conference (1st : 2015 : GIMPA Conference Centre--Accra) , African Library Summit (3rd : 2015 : GIMPA Conference Centre--Accra)
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: C. Walter & Gerda B. Mortenson Center for International Library Programs Carnegie Library Leadership Project South Africa Library Leadership project Library administration -- Study and teaching -- Africa Library science -- Study and teaching -- Africa Academic libraries -- Africa Library education -- Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3506 , vital:20515
- Description: African librarianship is determined by the socio-cultural, developmental, economic and political contexts within which it is located. The importance of developing leaders within the library and information services (LIS) sector has never been as crucial as it is today. There is a critical need to develop the next generation library leaders who are able to respond and adapt LIS to the needs and demands of community development imperatives, emerging technologies for access to information and knowledge, and most importantly recognise its ability to impact the intellectual capital of the continent. The current model of library practice is steeped in managerialism and positional leadership that disallows innovation, creative thinking and a dynamic organisational culture to evolve. The Carnegie Library Leadership project, located within the University of Pretoria, was designed to address the above by identifying those with the potential to be the next generation library leaders and who will be able to make an impact within and beyond their institutions. The programme recognised that the transition from managers to leaders is not an easy journey but commences with the path to personal leadership, which then leads to more effective public leadership. This approach has succeeded in developing dynamic young professionals who are succeeding in elevating the standards of practice within their institutions and contributing to the development of the profession nationally. This paper therefore aims to share the rich content, learning and outcomes of the programme, and how it may be used for future development opportunities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Satgoor, Ujala , AfLIA International Conference (1st : 2015 : GIMPA Conference Centre--Accra) , African Library Summit (3rd : 2015 : GIMPA Conference Centre--Accra)
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: C. Walter & Gerda B. Mortenson Center for International Library Programs Carnegie Library Leadership Project South Africa Library Leadership project Library administration -- Study and teaching -- Africa Library science -- Study and teaching -- Africa Academic libraries -- Africa Library education -- Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3506 , vital:20515
- Description: African librarianship is determined by the socio-cultural, developmental, economic and political contexts within which it is located. The importance of developing leaders within the library and information services (LIS) sector has never been as crucial as it is today. There is a critical need to develop the next generation library leaders who are able to respond and adapt LIS to the needs and demands of community development imperatives, emerging technologies for access to information and knowledge, and most importantly recognise its ability to impact the intellectual capital of the continent. The current model of library practice is steeped in managerialism and positional leadership that disallows innovation, creative thinking and a dynamic organisational culture to evolve. The Carnegie Library Leadership project, located within the University of Pretoria, was designed to address the above by identifying those with the potential to be the next generation library leaders and who will be able to make an impact within and beyond their institutions. The programme recognised that the transition from managers to leaders is not an easy journey but commences with the path to personal leadership, which then leads to more effective public leadership. This approach has succeeded in developing dynamic young professionals who are succeeding in elevating the standards of practice within their institutions and contributing to the development of the profession nationally. This paper therefore aims to share the rich content, learning and outcomes of the programme, and how it may be used for future development opportunities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Rhodes University Library Services Annual Report 2014 : "Our Scholarly Heartbeat"
- Authors: Satgoor, Ujala
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:7947 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020651
- Description: Library Director's Message: 2014 was indeed a momentous year for South Africans who embraced the opportunity to assess, evaluate and celebrate what has come to pass during these two decades of democracy. The library and information services (LIS) sector adopted the theme “Celebrating libraries in 20 years of democracy” which enabled several conversations to be held around three simple questions posed by Michael K Buckland: 1.What kind of work we do? 2.How can we do our work? 3.Why do we do our work? Buckland further asserts that modern society exists on a foundation of documents of all genres and forms, which are not just objectified knowledge but that they affect us aesthetically and emotionally. The use of documents is a cultural activity, be it through discussion or the exchange of documents. Vesa Souminen, in his book, Filling Empty Spaces, identifies that the crux of a good librarian’s role is to create arrangements of documents that are meaningful for users. In the face of technological advances, the relevance of libraries and librarians is raised and the need to create an awareness of what we do has never been as important as it is today. There are four accepted practices that define how we do our work: •Organization of information – selecting, collecting, organizing, categorizing, indexing, filtering and retrieval •Information in society and information policy – complementing and balancing the effects of the influence of the distribution and use of information in society •Technology for information which enables existing services to be performed differently as well as to develop different and better services •Management of information services – the art of achieving results through well-‐skilled competent people and how to survive and thrive in a political and economic environment. So why do we do what we do? Because it matters what people know! What people know is important to the individual, to an institution and to society. We do not only support technical knowledge but also cultural understanding, aesthetic insight and human behavior. Our role is to facilitate understanding of our shared identity that are collected and preserved in the records, documents, texts, etc that are our specialty. So when we say our purpose is to serve a community, we must be able to relate to the priorities and values of our role in that community. Given the above, the Rhodes University Library (RUL) embraced the 2nd year of its strategic plan (2013-‐2015) wholeheartedly with the express aim of consolidating practice, technology, providing universal access and ensuring an enabling environment and services for the broader Rhodes community. It therefore gives me great pleasure to present the 2014 annual report of the Rhodes University Library (RUL) which details how collectively the staff ensured that the defined practices were translated into reality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Satgoor, Ujala
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:7947 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020651
- Description: Library Director's Message: 2014 was indeed a momentous year for South Africans who embraced the opportunity to assess, evaluate and celebrate what has come to pass during these two decades of democracy. The library and information services (LIS) sector adopted the theme “Celebrating libraries in 20 years of democracy” which enabled several conversations to be held around three simple questions posed by Michael K Buckland: 1.What kind of work we do? 2.How can we do our work? 3.Why do we do our work? Buckland further asserts that modern society exists on a foundation of documents of all genres and forms, which are not just objectified knowledge but that they affect us aesthetically and emotionally. The use of documents is a cultural activity, be it through discussion or the exchange of documents. Vesa Souminen, in his book, Filling Empty Spaces, identifies that the crux of a good librarian’s role is to create arrangements of documents that are meaningful for users. In the face of technological advances, the relevance of libraries and librarians is raised and the need to create an awareness of what we do has never been as important as it is today. There are four accepted practices that define how we do our work: •Organization of information – selecting, collecting, organizing, categorizing, indexing, filtering and retrieval •Information in society and information policy – complementing and balancing the effects of the influence of the distribution and use of information in society •Technology for information which enables existing services to be performed differently as well as to develop different and better services •Management of information services – the art of achieving results through well-‐skilled competent people and how to survive and thrive in a political and economic environment. So why do we do what we do? Because it matters what people know! What people know is important to the individual, to an institution and to society. We do not only support technical knowledge but also cultural understanding, aesthetic insight and human behavior. Our role is to facilitate understanding of our shared identity that are collected and preserved in the records, documents, texts, etc that are our specialty. So when we say our purpose is to serve a community, we must be able to relate to the priorities and values of our role in that community. Given the above, the Rhodes University Library (RUL) embraced the 2nd year of its strategic plan (2013-‐2015) wholeheartedly with the express aim of consolidating practice, technology, providing universal access and ensuring an enabling environment and services for the broader Rhodes community. It therefore gives me great pleasure to present the 2014 annual report of the Rhodes University Library (RUL) which details how collectively the staff ensured that the defined practices were translated into reality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
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