Library and Information Studies

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    Challenges of using Koha as a library management system among libraries in higher education institutions in Zambia.
    (DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 2021-03-26) Bwalya, Tuesday; Akakandelwa, Akakandelwa
    This study investigated the challenges facing libraries in higher education institutions in Zambia in their use of Koha. The study was a descriptive survey involving 41 libraries from higher education institutions. Data was collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The findings revealed that the major challenge was the inability of librarians to effectively use all the modules in Koha because of a lack of skills. The modules that are mainly used are circulation and cataloguing modules. The other challenges identified were poor Internet connectivity, lack of technical support, and difficulties upgrading and backing up the Koha database.
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    Improved discoverability of digital objects in institutional repositories using controlled vocabularies.
    (IEEE, 2021-09-27) Chipangila, Bertha; Liswaniso, Eric; Mawila, Andrew; Mwanza, Philomena; Nawila, Daisy; M’sendo, Robert; Nyirenda, Mayumbo; Phiri, Lighton
    Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) utilise Insti- tutional Repositories (IRs) to electronically store and make available scholarly research output produced by faculty staff and students. With the continued increase of scholarly research output produced, accurate and comprehensive association of subject headings to digital objects, during ingestion into IRs is crucial for effective discoverability of the objects and, additionally facilitating the discovery of related content. This paper outlines a case study conducted at an HEI—The University of Zambia—in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating controlled subject vocabularies during the ingestion of digital objects in to IRs. A situational analysis was conducted to understand how subject headings are associated with digital objects and to analyse subject headings associated with already ingested digital objects. In addition, an exploratory study was conducted to determine domain-specific subject headings to be integrated with the IR. Furthermore, a usability study was conducted in order to comparatively determine the usefulness of using controlled vocabularies during the ingestion of digital objects into IRs. Finally, multi-label classification experiments were carried out where digital objects were assigned with more than one class. The results of the study revealed that the majority of digital objects are currently associated with two or less subject headings (71.2 %), with a significant number of subject headings (92.1 %) being associated with a single publication. The comparative study suggests that IRs integrated with controlled vocabularies are perceived to be more usable (SUS Score = 68.9 ) when compared with IRs without controlled vocabularies (SUS Score = 66.2 ). The effectiveness of the multi-label arXiv subjects classifier demonstrates the viability of integrating automated techniques for subject classification.
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    The adoption of free and open source library management systems in higher education institutions in Zambia.
    (UNZA, 2021-08-05) Bwalya, Tuesday
    Globally, many libraries have turned to free and open source library management systems (FOSLMS) for their library automation needs. Prohibitive costs of commercial library management systems and dwindling financial support have compelled libraries to embrace FOSLMS. In Zambia, some libraries in higher education institutions (HEIs) have adopted FOSLMS for library automation. This study, therefore, thought to establish how widespread was the adoption of FOSLMS among libraries in the higher education sector in Zambia. It also aimed at determining the most used FOSLMS in higher education libraries and factors influencing the adoption of FOSLMS in HEIs in Zambia. Further, this study sought to establish the possible benefits and challenges of using FOSLMS by libraries in HEIs in Zambia. Anchored on the positivism philosophy, the study was descriptive quantitative in design and employed a survey research strategy. A complete census of all 154 HEIs in Zambia with functioning libraries was conducted. In this regard, a person in charge of the library in the higher education institution participated in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect data and 142 HEIs answered the questionnaire. The findings of the study have shown that the adoption of FOSLMS in HEIs is widespread. In this regard, 42 (78%) libraries out of the 54 libraries that have automated their operations were using FOSLMS. It has also been established that Koha is the most used FOSLMS in library automation by HEIs in Zambia, as 41 (97.6%) libraries have automated their operations using Koha. This finding supports other findings of various studies in Malawi, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia where Koha was found to be the most used FOSLMS in library automation. The principal driver for the adoption of FOSLMS in HEIs is the lower cost of adoption. Furthermore, the Chi-square test of independence using a 0.05 level of significance shows a strong relationship between adoption of FOSLMS and variables such as management support, ease of use, and social influence with the p-value of 0.000. In addition, the study established that the adoption of FOSLSMS has resulted in efficient and effective provision of library services. Other benefits accrued to libraries in HEIs that have adopted FOSLMS include the provision of online library services and control over bibliographic records. The study also established that many libraries face challenges using FOSLMS. These include having difficulties in using FOSLMS, lack of technical support, failure to update and upgrade FOSLMS and unreliable Internet connectivity. vii Given the findings above, the study recommends that ministries responsible for HEIs should lobby the Zambian government to formulate a policy to promote the use of FOSS. Government should also ensure that library automation becomes mandatory among HEIs. Further, the government should begin allowing librarians from private HEIs to apply for international training scholarships in library automation it receives from cooperating partners. To HEIs management, it has been recommended that internet service provision be improved and that serving library workers should be retrained on how to use FOSLMS installed in their libraries. For other stakeholders in librarianship in Zambia such as the Library Association of Zambia (LIAZ) and Library Science Schools, it has been recommended that more publicity on the existence of other FOSLMS be undertaken and that more training workshops on the use of Koha and other FOSLMS be continuously conducted. For Library Science Schools that do not have modules on FOSLMS, they should revise their curricula to incorporate FOSLMS. To ensure the successful adoption and implementation of FOSLMS in HEIs in Zambia, a model has been developed detailing the major drivers of FOSLMS adoption. More importantly, the model identifies adoption environmental factors that need to be in place for the successful adoption of FOSLMS. This model will serve as a guide to libraries not only in the higher sector but also in other sectors that wish to automate their libraries using FOSLMS
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    Effective ingestion of digital objects in institutional repositories using subject repositories.
    (IST-Africa Institute /IIMC International Information Management Corporation Ltd, 2021-05) Phiri, Lighton
    The online visibility of scholarly research output from the Global South is cited as being low. This is despite the increased number of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) setting up institutional Repositories (IR), to facilitate the collection, long-term preservation and effective access to scholarly research output. One of the most common challenges faced by HEIs is ensuring regular ingestion of digital objects in IRs. In order to address this challenge, we propose the use of subject IRs by HEIs in order to facilitate the increased online visibility of scholarly research output. This paper outlines a case study conducted at The University of Zambia (UNZA), in order to demonstrate the feasibility of using subject IR at relatively large HEIs. A situational analysis was conducted to determine the relative effectiveness of ingesting digital objects at UNZA, and additionally, a subject repository was implemented in order to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing subject repositories. The results suggest that it is feasible to implement usable subject repositories, presenting opportunities to decentralise the ingestion of digital objects at large HEIs. This has the obvious benefit of facilitating effective self-archiving of digital objects and the subsequent increased online visibility of scholarly research output.
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    Information literacy levels among students in four selected higher education institutions in Lusaka.
    (Library and Information Association of Zambia Journal, 2019) Daka, Kaoma L.; Mwila, Chitundu P. C.; Mwanachingwala, Thabiso M.; Mkulama, Abel C.
    Information Literacy (IL) skills are vital in Higher Education, where students are expected to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners, particularly in today’s digital age. This study sought to investigate IL among students in higher learning intuitions in Lusaka, Zambia. Its objectives were drawn from SCONUL’s 7 Pillars of Information Literacy and included: finding out the students’ ability to identify an information need; finding out how they defined the parameters of the information needed; establishing how they construct strategies for locating information; gauging the students’ ability to effectively/efficiently access the information needed; finding out the students’ ability to evaluate information; examining how well students organise information professionally and finding out students’ ability to apply the knowledge gained. A sample of 250 students was randomly selected from 2 universities and 2 colleges in Lusaka. Structured questionnaires, consisting Likert Scale statements as well as open- and closed-ended questions, were used to collect the data. Research findings revealed that students had difficulties in identifying their information needs; were more familiar with Google that other search tools; used convenient search strategies; used relevance as main evaluation criteria; had difficulties citing electronic sources; and presented information better verbally than in written format. The study concluded that while students showed some evidence of information literacy, there was a serious need to introduce IL programs across learning programs in order to enhance students’ IL proficiency. Further, it was recommended that Library orientation programs be re-designed for more effective IL instruction. Keywords: Information Literacy, SCONUL Pillars, Higher Education