Reshaping the e in Research… A new game changer

By Anita Somers

So we all have realized how big data and the digital world is transforming everything in our lives. Data has quickly changed this analog world we used to know, into a digital one. It has disrupted the way in which we live our daily lives. We have moved on from sending a letter via the postal service, to simply sending an email; from typewriters to keyboards, and from skimming through books of literature to accessing information through network technologies, what we now know as e-Research.

e-Research is the new game changer in the research world. In this world of big data, e-Research allows researchers to explore new opportunities by supporting, sharing and collaborating their research in a global context. This is made possible due to the use of the virtual environment and advanced computer networks.

(Powtoon.com, 2018)

(Powtoon.com, 2018)

Meet Ru. Ru is a potential researcher but is a late adopter (laggard) when it comes to technology. He is still using “manual” means of research which is paper heavy, harming the environment. Ru’s main aim is to make his research discoverable.  However, he    finds this process exhausting in terms of cost and closed access.   

Meet Nelly. Nelly is also a potential researcher who is more advanced (innovator) in her digital

(Powtoon.com, 2018)

approach. She wants to make her research accessible and transparent globally so that her research can be shared and cited. Nelly is also hoping the results of her research can be reused by another researcher to make new discoveries.

She finds the process of accessing research articles a pleasure as it involves very little cost and she can choose from millions of research papers globally, at the touch of a key.      

                                                                                                                                                          

What is e-Research?

e-Research refers to the extensive and intelligent use of technology to support research, making research more efficient and allowing research to be more collaborative across geographical limitations. “e-Research technologies enable researchers to create and collect, analyze, preserve and publish digital research data, and to work collaboratively in virtual teams that cross disciplinary, institutional and national borders by using Virtual Research Environments (VREs)” (Aims.fao.org, 2018).

Why is e-Research important?

Researchers, authors, publishers and scholars are now collaborating and engaging at unprecedented levels. This is made possible with super highly advanced networks, transferring and sharing of scientific knowledge and extensive data storage that allows researchers from different areas to collaborate on one common world playground. “In e-research, it is the primary research data that must often be managed, made accessible and curated” (O'Brien, 2005).

 

(Powtoon.com, 2018)

Why is it important for the UKZN Research Community to engage with e-Research?

• To increase research effectiveness

• To support open access allowing researchers to publish their articles for free in the digital environment

• To preserve and manage data through UKZN data repositories such as Research Space and Open   Journal Systems (OJS).

Data repositories sponsored by UKZN

ResearchSpace – is the UKZN institutional repository established to upload and preserve all UKZN research that is digitally accessible. Click on research space to open the link. Open access publishing has a critical role in e-research as it allows peer reviewed scholarly research to be freely available to anyone.  Researchers from UKZN using the open access platform can possibly, with the aid of the Research Data Management tool,  collaborate with international researchers in multi-disciplinary fields and publish papers thereby helping UKZN to accelerate its research output. 

OJS (open journal systems) – is UKZN’s recently launched open access system which allows UKZN researchers to openly publish their data. Using Google analytics on user traffic to the Open Journal Systems website (OJS), it can be seen that the number of users has grown since the launch of the site. The site has had 72% new visitors so far and on average each new user had two sessions on the site. It has also had its first submissions since the launch on 22nd October 2018.

Figshare - is a Research Data Management tool that allows researchers to publish, share and get credit for their research data, including hosting videos and images in a cost-effective way.  UKZN is employing Figshare to manage all data from its repositories and from individual researchers and to make some research private, while allowing the Institution to meet funder requirements for open access content (Researchdata.berkeley.edu, 2018). By creating a public portal and assigning digital object identifiers (DOIs), Figshare can make UKZN's research products searchable, discoverable, and citable, and their impact can be captured through detailed statistical reporting.

Please click on open journal systems  to access OJS.

 

(Powtoon.com, 2018)

A review by Zhang (2014, 11) concludes that “current literature has been overshadowed by research with a strong technical emphasis, focusing on large-scale collaboration, and takes a quantitative approach to studying the quantitative impact of technology use in the distributed research of sciences.” With this digital world exponentially growing, a byproduct of that is data, and data has the power to unlock true wisdom.     e-Research without a doubt forms that fundamental foundation to help us collaborate research to achieve that stage of knowledge in our academic endeavours.  Research together with high-end computer software helps set the stage for collaboration at UKZN to be discoverable and create synergies.  So, be like Nelly and adopt the new ways of working with e-Research via UKZN’s data repositories and any other free open source systems globally.

References

Aims.fao.org. (2018). Göttingen eResearch Alliance about eResearch related questions and Data Management issues | Agricultural Information Management Standards (AIMS). [online] Available at: http://aims.fao.org/activity/blog/g%C3%B6ttingen-eresearch-alliance-about-eresearch-related-questions-and-data-management [Accessed 2 Nov. 2018].

O'Brien, L. (2005). E-Research: An imperative for strengthening institutional partnerships. [online] EDUCAUSE Review. Available at: https://er.educause.edu/articles/2005/1/eresearch-an-imperative-for-strengthening-institutional-partnerships [Accessed 2 Nov. 2018].

Powtoon.com. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.powtoon.com/index/ [Accessed 2 Nov. 2018].

Researchdata.berkeley.edu. (2018). Figshare  Research Data Management. [online] Available at: https://researchdata.berkeley.edu/tools/figshare [Accessed 8 Nov. 2018].

Research Data Alliance (2014) The Data Harvest: How sharing research data can yield knowledge, jobs and growth, An RDA Europe Report, December 2014, available at: https://europe.rd-alliance.org/documents/publications‐reports/data‐harvest‐how‐sharing‐research‐data-can‐yield‐knowledge‐jobs‐and growth [accessed 01/11/18].

Van den Eynden, V. and Bishop, L. (2014) Incentives and motivations for sharing research data, a researcher’s perspective. A Knowledge Exchange Report, available at:  http://knowledge--‐exchange.info/Default.aspx?ID=733 [Accessed 2/11/18].

Zhang, J. (2014) Scholarship before technology: Re-thinking the relationship between technology and scholars. Journal of Communication and Education, 1(1), 3-15.

Overcoming subjectivity when appraising employee performance

by Dr Praversh Sukram 

Performance management has become an integral management tool that measures individual and organisational performance and ensures that the organisation and individual meet their overall objectives.

The objectives of performance management are defined as:

1. To align organisational and individual goals
2. To foster organisational-wide commitment to performance-oriented culture
3. To develop and manage the human resources needed to achieve organisational results
4. To identify and address performance inefficiencies
5. To create a culture of accountability and a focus on customer service
6. To link rewards to performance (Bussin: 2017).

These objectives will have a positive influence on an individual’s and organisation’s output. So why is it that performance appraisals become stressful for some employees and managers. One of the reasons is that mangers can be influenced by certain subjective factors when assessing their subordinate’s performance and that could lead to disagreements between them which could result in ongoing stressful relations between them. 

Some subjective problems that both managers and employees must be aware of are:

The halo effect

This occurs when a manager’s assessment of the subordinate is influenced by one incident that affects the assessment for the entire assessment period. For example, if a subordinate performs one aspect of their job poorly, their overall performance is assessed as poor. The reverse can also apply, where the manager’s assessment of their subordinate is influenced by one incident of good performance and the overall performance is assessed as good. 

      Personal standards

Some managers are strict in their ratings and tend to give subordinates low ratings whereas other managers are lenient and tend to give their subordinates high ratings. This is a problem because it means that employees reporting to different managers are not being assessed on the same basis, which is basically unfair.

There are other subjectivity issues such as personal biases and prejudices that managers need to be aware of.

One way of overcoming subjectivity problems is to provide ongoing feedback to employees. Two-way communication should be at the heart of the performance management process. Giving feedback once or twice a year is not helpful. Performance management should become a standing item on the agenda for a manager’s monthly meeting with their subordinate. Issues discussed should be recorded which can be referred to during the performance appraisal meeting.

Providing feedback close to the time of the activity is more effective than that provided once or twice a year.

Employees should also be responsible for monitoring their own performance. This promotes employee ownership of their work.

References:

Bussin, M. 2017. The Philosophy of performance – part 1. www.humancapitalreview.org. (15.3.18).

Hunter C.R. 2016. Managing People in South Africa: Human Resource Management as a Competitive Advantage. Sherwood Books, Durban. 3rd ed.

The UN development goals, IFLA and the University of KwaZulu-Natal library

By Simon Shez

In 2015, after nearly 3 years of negotiations, the member states of the United Nations agreed to a final version of the post 2015 development agenda known as the UN 2030 agenda. UN 2030 includes 17 goals and 169 targets. One of the stakeholders involved in the negotiations of UN 2030 was IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations. Access to information permeates many of the goals and targets and “IFLA’s consistent position is that access to information is essential in achieving the SDGs, and that libraries are not only key partners for governments but are already contributing to progress towards the achievement of the 17 Goals.”[1] IFLA has continuously advocated for “the inclusion of access to information, safeguarding of cultural heritage, universal literacy, and access to information and communication technologies (ICT)” in the agenda framework. Like any library, the UKZN library can play its role in supporting the achievement of these goals, most notably Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

In my observation as a librarian at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, libraries are at the heart of schools, universities and colleges in every country around the world. Libraries support literacy programmes, provide a safe space for learning, and support researchers to use/reuse research and data to create new knowledge. It is therefore crucial for libraries in South Africa to realize Sustainable Development Goal 4.

Adeyomoye[2] notes that “lifelong learning is crucial in enabling workers to compete in the global knowledge economy.” According to Krolak,(2006)[3] “the role of libraries and professional librarians is changing worldwide. Librarians are no longer passive keepers and preservers of books; rather, they have evolved to become facilitators of information and lifelong learning opportunities with an emphasis on service, identifying user needs and communicating solutions. Modern libraries are unfolding the community’s learning potential by providing information on community issues, such as health, employment, continuing education and local history. This equitable access to information is essential to enable educated and informed citizens to participate in a democratic global community”.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal librarians are encouraging students to use the e-resources and printed material. The University of KwaZulu-Natal library is fundamental to the support of teaching, learning and research. We provide a technological advanced and innovative library service. The library is the central collection point on campuses of a vast store of information resources that will help students with their studies and prepare for lifelong learning. The University of KwaZulu-Natal library has a collection of books, journals and theses in both print and digital formats as well as multimedia material. The library also subscribes to core databases and has a digital repository (ResearchSpace) that stores the research output of the University.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal library has subject librarians to assist patrons with finding information. Each librarian has subject specific support pages that are called Libguides.

The subject librarians are there to assist students with finding information and using the library Catalogue that is a one-stop shop to search across all types of resources in print and online formats and to discover and expose students to the worldwide library collections. The subject librarians are there to provide in-depth assistance and expertise, advice on the use of suitable print and electronic resources, literature searches, research support and training.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal library conducts user education by designing, implementing and facilitating strategic and pedagogically appropriate teaching and learning in the knowledge and skills (technical and conceptual) of access, retrieval and management of the information environment.

As a strategic partner to the University of KwaZulu-Natal, to fulfill its goal for lifelong learning and pre-eminence in Research, the library has established research commons on all its campuses. A research commons is a dedicated space to support scholarship and research to its PhD and Masters students and academic researchers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. This space provides a peaceful environment where researchers can access extensive electronic resources, work on their research, relax in a comfortable lounge area, and collaborate with colleagues.

Kavulya (2004)[4] pointed out that “the justification for investing in higher education libraries lies in the extent to which a linkage can be demonstrated between such an investment and improvement in quality, efficiency and achievement in university education”. At the university, the library has been seen as an instrument of teaching alongside lecture and discussion methods and the librarian serves as a teacher, guiding the student in the ways of investigation and research. This is achieved by first acquiring information materials to support every course in the curriculum and every research project of the faculty, and secondly organizing them in a manner that permits easy access to their contents and finally, ensuring that such access is facilitated by giving users the necessary skills to retrieve the required information.

---

[1] IFLA Libraries, development and the United Nations 2030 agenda, available at https://www.ifla.org/libraries-development

[2] Adeyomoye (2011) Emergence of the global knowledge economy: implications

for libraries and lifelong learning in Nigeria African symposium 1192), 77 - 91

[3] Krolak (2006) The role of libraries in the creation of literate environments, 7,  available at https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/literacy-and-reading/publications/role-of-libraries-in-creation-of-literate-environments.pdf

[4] Kavulya (2004) Challenges in the provision of library services for distance education: a case study of selected universities in Kenya. African journal of library, archives and library science, 14(1), 15  - 28.

WhatsApp a Librarian

By: Nontobeko Sikhosana

The developing fame of online life apparatuses has persuaded scientists to investigate the parts such media play in ordinary life and in the public.

What if our users used WhatsApp as a means of communication with us? This will be a direct and user-friendly service for Library users to use WhatsApp to contact librarians, to locate general library information and seek assistance when using the Library. After a session we give students our communication details so that they can contact us if they have any queries or if they need any further assistance but they will often say ‘There is no cell phone number there, don’t worry we won’t send a please call me we will just send a WhatsApp message”. So again, what will happen if our students communicated with us via WhatsApp?

WhatsApp is a mobile instant messaging tool of social media. It make people connect in real time and most people spend a lot of time using this application. This application is free to use and it offers various capabilities for sharing media: text messages, images, audio clips, videos, documents, contacts and even location data.  In some countries such as India, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong to name a few, libraries are already using this App as a means of communication.

 Most of those people who are engaged in mobile instant messaging do so in order to maintain connections and relationships with colleagues, family and friends.

WhatsApp has its own advantages for service delivery in libraries and information centres such as:

• WhatsApp will encourage partnership and advance powerful correspondence between librarians and their users.
• Financially the costs of WhatsApp are perceived to be low, and using WhatsApp requires little training.
• Information about new developments in the library can be easily, quickly and cheaply disseminated.
• WhatsApp can increase the engagement and interactions among Librarians and their users.
• Librarians can create group chats with different disciplines and interact with students regarding new material, assignment help, reviews, new publications, new acquisitions or any useful information that a librarian has posted on Libguides: you will be promoting your Libguide at the same time.

There will also be a few challenges along the way, for example:

• WhatsApp requires considerable time commitment from library staff
• There are limited funds available in libraries to support more advanced social media tools and the training that may be required to enable this.
• Librarians may not post PDFs of electronic books or articles on WhatsApp but may give instructions to users on how to access them via the library website or the Libguide. 
• Students may suffer with data availability when they are not on campus but data for WhatsApp is cheaper than sending an email.

 Information technology has changed the nature of library services. Smartphone is the essential tool for today’s life and we can use WhatsApp on smartphones to provide library services to users.

We at UKZN can be “smart librarians” through WhatsApp.

References

Ansari, M. S. & Tripathi, A. 2017. Use of WhatsApp for effective delivery of library and information services. DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 37, 360.

Lingnan University Library. 2018. Service guidelines on WhatsApp a librarian [Online]. Available: http://www.library.ln.edu.hk/research/whatsapp-guidelines [Accessed 5 August 2018].

Dezigner Students : Creating New Spaces

Ashika Pramlal

Guess, Puma, Nike, Gucci, Armani…these are a few of the fashion labels being worn by our students. What’s interesting is that this sense of style and flair for designer labels has extended to our students redesigning study spaces in the Library reflecting their personal needs. Academic Libraries worldwide have noted that there is a need to partner with students in redesigning libraries of the future. These refurbishments are a necessity in the 21^st century. Students at the University of KwaZulu Natal are playing an integral role in ensuring that UKZN Libraries change to meet their needs.

Students on Level 7 at the Westville Campus main Library

Students on Level 7 at the Westville Campus main Library

The University of KwaZulu-Natal Libraries has faced many challenges since the

 merger of the University of Durban-Westville and the University of Natal on 1 January 2004. The merger has reshaped the landscape of Libraries on all campus sites with the Westville Campus Main Library being no exception. The latest trend at the Westville Campus Main Library is the innovation and entrepreneurship displayed by students who have redesigned their study spaces showing a need to combine the past and the future. These changes are especially noticeable on Level 7 and Level 9 where students have moved study tables from their original spaces to be inserted between the book shelving areas.

UKZN students at the Westville Campus Main Library have clearly indicated that they want the current Library study spaces to be redesigned and have displayed their preferences by moving tables around. Daily I watch students on level 7 carrying tables and moving them to various spaces on the floor. Clearly, by redesigning and altering study spaces in the library, students are sending out a message to us that we need to honour the past and create the future so that UKZN Libraries can meet the growing challenges of our designer students.

Student on Level 9 at the Westville Campus Main Library

Transforming Academic Library spaces due to technological advancement and the digital revolution has made us relook at the physical Library in terms of meeting the needs of our enterprising millennial student population. Taking this viewpoint into account, the Westville Campus Main Library is rising to this challenge by redesigning various spaces in the Library. Some of the projects include redesigning the entrance with an informal lounge making sofas and coffee tables available for students. This is proving to be very popular with students as an informal meeting site to sit together with friends, use the WiFi and just chat.

Feedback from students to this changing space has been positive and it is always a

pleasure to see students at leisure enjoying the facilities.

Further to this, level 3 of the Westville Campus Main Library is being redesigned to create a state of the art computer LAN for all students as well as a Disability Information Centre to cater to the needs of differently abled students at UKZN. The Library has partnered with ICS and the Disability Unit to renovate and remodel this area and construction and remodeling has already begun. Students on a daily basis tell us that the current LAN on level 10 does not meet their needs and this is evident from the queues of students waiting to use a computer in the student LAN. Students are eagerly awaiting the level 3 LAN.

The Library and InQubate in conjuction with other stakeholders has embarked on developing a Student Business Incubator and this will be housed on level 11 of the Westville Campus Main Library. This area will be set up for spaces to develop student business centres as well as house a coffee shop. In keeping with transforming Academic Library spaces this will be a space for our enterprising students to show off their innovative business skills.

Taking all these factors into account, it is interesting to note that our students have played an integral role in reshaping and redesigning Library spaces as is evident from the structural changes and remodeling currently taking place at the Westville Campus Main Library as well as at the other UKZN Campus Libraries.

References

http://www.awarelabs.com/blog/coffee-shop-marketing-ideas-you-can-do-right-now/
Accessed on 7/4/2018 at 11H06 via Google Images

https://www.shoreline.edu/tss/computer-labs/default.aspx.
Accessed on 7/4/2018 at 11H12 via Google Images

Challenges and trends of modern day cataloguers

By Ashika Ramlakhan 

Introduction

The digital age is fast paced and has influenced all aspects of human life in the way we work, think, behave, in the way we live our lives and even the way we study. The library and information profession is also subjected to this radical change and the cataloguing professionals comprise a valuable subset to the library profession that provide a critical but behind the scenes services to the libraries and its end users. (Bothmann, 2007). The catalogue is the core of every library which forms the basic tool of discovery and retrieval from the library’s collections.

The catalogue and the cataloguer in the digital age

The growth of information technology, the varying formats of information and the changing patrons’ expectations have brought with it numerous challenges for the cataloguers. Modern cataloguers now need to have a change in mind set to these new developments and need to acquire new technological skills to empower them to develop in the field and to keep up with the new trends and changing environments (Esse, 2013).

According to Adeyemi (2001), technology can only assist a cataloguer and not be a substitute for the human being. According to a statement made by the United Nations 2009, information technologies are changing the way information is stored and disseminated not necessarily the way it is processed

in library terms. Modern day cataloguers have to keep pace with the changing environment, managing materials in new formats, manipulate different metadata schemes, catalogue for diverse user environments and audiences.

Cataloguers play a key role in any organization or library where knowledge is recorded and records are made searchable and retrievable. Many reports allude to the so-called “restructuring” and closure of cataloguing departments. This tendency to reduce or eliminate the professional cataloguers results in databases full of errors, low quality records, duplicating of records and inconsistencies, and eventually to the “de-professionalization” of cataloguing. The importance of collections being developed and maintained by professionals who understand the structure of the information cannot be stressed enough.

The birth of Information Communication Technology (ICT) brought with it many challenges for the library professionals including the cataloguers who were responsible for organisation and retrieval of resources in libraries (Buschman & Chickering, 2007). With the introduction of new technologies and the development of automation in  library operations, it was believed that MARC (MAchine-Readable Cataloging) and the growth of OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) would do away with the need for cataloguers as the use of computers would eliminate the need for authority control (Hill, 2005). It was soon realized that this thought process wrong and that the growth in information technology and its’ impact on the library profession neither changed the need for cataloguers nor the demand for their skills. Cataloguers therefore remain an essential component of library efficiency and effectiveness (Sally, 2007).

Another trend is the reference to those professional cataloguers that are retiring or are close to retirement. This results in the loss of expertise and a wealth of knowledge gained over the years.

Cataloguing stands at the core of a library service and so too must it enjoy a similar place in the formal training of students / future librarians. However, one of the challenges with regards to this is the lack of professionally trained and qualified teachers in library schools. Another would be the lack of interest from students to pursue the cataloguing route in the library profession.

New Trends in Cataloguing Resource Description and Access (RDA)

In the 1990’s, The Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA (JSC) recognized that Anglo-

American Cataloguing Rules (AACR) was not a standard that served 21^st century users. It did not meet the requirements of cataloguing in the new electronic age, and this resulted in the development of RDA. RDA emerged in response to worldwide comments that extended beyond Anglo-American libraries and information agencies but included information received from vendors, publishers, etc. The focus on users and their needs has been a guiding principle during the development of RDA.

Example of an RDA records

Example of an RDA records

Although, RDA is based on AACR2, the new developments have made it possible for cataloguers to catalogue the varying forms or formats of materials that the digital age has brought with it. RDA is a set of principle-based guidelines and has been adapted to be used as a digital tool in cataloguing and also allows a cataloguer to exercise judgment when cataloguing especially in cases where materials are not covered by RDA. These guidelines enable a cataloguer to make decisions that are logically consistent. RDA may not be the complete or final solution but it could play a vital role along the way for future developments.

References

Adeyemi, N.M. (2001). Cataloguing and classification and challenges of new information technologies in Nigerian libraries in the next millennium; automation of cataloguing practices in Nigeria libraries in: Lasisi, J et al. (eds) Proceedings of the selected papers presented at various workshops of Nigerian Library Association and Indexing section.(1-5)

Bello, M.A. and Mansor, Y. (2012). Duties and job performance factors of cataloguers in Nigerian academic libraries Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal), 829.

Bothmann, R.L. (2007). Meeting the needs of special format catalogers: Ideas for professional organisations, library schools and professional catalogers. Cataloging and Classification Quarterly, 44(3/4), 221-232

Buschman, J., & Chickering, W. (2007). A rough measure of copy cataloging productivity in the academic library. Library Philosophy and Practice (ejournal), 139.

Gourkova, Helen (2007). Current and emerging trends in cataloguing, available at  https://www.caval.edu.au/assets/files/Research_and_Advocacy/Current_and_emerging_trends_in_cataloguing_by_Helen_Gourkova_2007.pdf

Esse, U.C. (2013). Current trends in cataloguing and the challenges of a cataloguer in the digital age. Journal of Information and Knowledge Management, 4(2), 16-23.

Sally, G. (2007). The changing faces of cataloguing positions at academic institutions: What skill set is need and how can students prepare? Serials Librarian, 51(3/4), 39–49.