Peter Johan Lor

This column of news, views and snippets from the international literature of books, libraries, and information, was written in July 2025 and appeared the September 2025 issue of LIASA-in-Touch, the quarterly newsletter of the Library and Information Association of South Africa.

South and southern African researchers continue to publish excellent and relevant research findings in overseas journals, to which not all of us here in southern Africa have access. In this instalment of “Global Gleanings” I draw attention to fifteen articles published overseas in 2024 by South African authors and other authors (such as postgraduate students from other African countries) connected to South African universities, as well as to five notable items from neighbouring countries. Five of the articles appeared in IFLA journal and eleven in Information development.

The articles cover a wide range of topics. It’s pleasing to see greater diversity in the post-graduate research efforts. Gone are the days when a thesis involved a largely atheoretical (theory-free) questionnaire or interview survey of a group of library or information users in an obscure institution or region. The value of any empirical research is greatly enhanced when it is conducted within an internationally recognisable theoretical framework, as we are now seeing regularly.

Information user behaviour

A study of the use of e-library resources by Ugandan engineering students showed that such use was affected by factors such as ease of use, convenience, and the students’ level of awareness and information search skills. Access restrictions and high internet costs were inhibiting factors (Acanit, Ngulube, and Mojapelo 2024). I should mention another study of student behaviour by Nigerian authors who researched “knowledge hiding behaviour” (Omotayo and Akintibubo 2024).

Other studies tackled user groups less often studied, in settings other than libraries. A qualitative Zimbabwean study investigated the handling by public hospital patients of “patient held medical records” (PHMRs). This refers to patient records held by the patients themselves in a variety of formats. Not surprisingly, this led to many problems, the most prevalent one being that patients lost their records (Madziwa and Masuku 2024).

A Namibian researcher, the mother of two children affected by albinism, investigated the social information needs of people with albinism (Ngula 2024). This follows her interesting autoethnographic study reported earlier (Ngula 2023). Still in the context of health sciences, a researcher in Cape Town assessed the potential of mobile apps to help low-income urban diabetic patients follow their prescribed daily regimens of glucose testing, healthy eating, and physical activity. This well-designed quantitative study applied the Theory of Planned Behaviour (Petersen 2025).

A study of the effects of information poverty on a small-scale farming community in KwaZulu-Natal used focus group discussions to explore unmet information needs and identified causal factor such as lack of financial resources, lack of government support, and outdated beliefs (Zondi, Nkomo, and Moyane 2024). A well-designed Mozambican study of information sharing on climate change adaptation by small farmers is worth mentioning here (Zorrilla-Miras et al. 2024).

Libraries supporting SDGs and addressing developmental issues

Researchers continue to study the role of libraries in achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). A South African study investigated the extent to which library directors and librarians in public university libraries were engaging with communities and other heritage institutions to promote SDG 8 (sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all) and SDG 11 (inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements). There was some evidence of collaboration with communities, but collaboration with heritage institutions was limited (Bangani 2024). To promote SDG 11, the respondents reported serving as custodians of local collections and heritage materials. In this connection, it is worth mentioning a qualitative study in Zimbabwe on the role of librarians in the preservation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge (IK), with an emphasis on ethical issues of documenting IK using digital technology. It was noteworthy that some school libraries were engaged in imaginative activities to promote appreciation of IK (Chigwada and Ngulube 2023).

A study from Botswana presented a knowledge model for the semantic representation of national performance indicators in support of that country’s development agenda (Sebubi, Zlotnikova, and Hlomani 2024), whilst an article based on a comprehensive international literature search proposed a South African strategy for knowledge management for climate change, which affects most of the UN’s SDGs (Fombad 2024).

Scholarly communication, intellectual property, and open access

The international system of scholarly communication is very relevant to LIS professionals; it is the ecosystem within which we work. Publishing models for the dissemination of scholarly work are of critical importance. A study from Zimbabwe points out that that country has a low publishing output, which prompted the authors to examine alternative publishing models. They identified open access, self-publishing and collaborative publishing as marketing models for university presses (Chirisa and Ngoepe 2024).  Library publishing is also recommended as a solution for overcoming constraints imposed by publishers in the Global North. Claassen (2024) reports on a new open access publishing platform, the African Platform for Open Scholarship, for all African universities and research institutes, developed by the University of Cape Town Libraries. This is intended to contribute to social justice and inclusion of African scholars. A case study of one of its first open access publications, a student textbook on constitutional law, revealed that it had over 150,000 downloads in the first three years after being launched in 2020. The authors attribute a significant improvement in student pass rates to the availability of this open access text (Raju and Lillie 2024).

Approaching open access from the perspective of knowledge management, a systematic review of open access in South Africa led to the identification of the major obstacles and to suggestions for mitigating them, including a proposal for the establishment of an African Open Science Platform (Kodua-Ntim and Fombad 2024).

The global copyright system remains a barrier preventing access to information needed by African researchers. Desmond Oriakhogba (2024), a legal scholar at the University of the Western Cape, proposes adopting a human rights perspective to develop a human right to research.

Under the heading of scholarly communication I should also mention a bibliometric study of the influence of research collaboration on research productivity in Kenya. The author found a significant link between research collaboration and research excellence (Onyancha 2024).

ICT initiatives

Various initiatives involving the use of new information communication and technology concepts are a regular feature of the LIS literature. This year is no exception. A study on the use of project management tools and techniques in successful ICT projects in the South African Department of Social Development (Mamatlepa and Mazenda 2024), published in Information development, is somewhat outside our usual scope. Not so a mixed methods study of the attitudes of staff towards the adoption of artificial intelligence in South African academic libraries. Attitudes were mostly positive, but there were also some negative attitudes reported by respondents who were anxious about possible job losses (Molaudzi and Marutha 2024). A bibliometric study of the global research literature on data literacy from 2005 to 2022 emphasised the role of libraries in nurturing data literacy skills, serving as “information hubs”, and providing “educational frameworks” (Nwagwu 2024).

My brief notes cannot do justice to the interesting work being published in our field. I encourage readers to follow up some of the references below.

References

Many of the following were published using the SAGE “OnlineFirst” or similar procedure, according to which articles are published online before they appear in print, quite often in the following year. Their volume, issue and page numbers were not yet available when this list was compiled. However, the DOI should lead you to them.

Acanit, Mary, Patrick Ngulube, and Samuel Maredi Mojapelo. 2024. “Factors Influencing the Use of E-Library Resources by Postgraduate Engineering Students at Kyambogo University in Uganda.” Information Development, October. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669241291566.

Bangani, Siviwe. 2024. “Leveraging Community Engagement to Contribute to Sustainable Development Goals 8 and 11.” IFLA Journal 50 (3): 451–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352241263533.

Chigwada, Josiline, and Patrick Ngulube. 2023. “Librarians’ Role in the Preservation and Dissemination of Indigenous Knowledge.” IFLA Journal, December. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352231217270.

Chirisa, Nomsa, and Mpho Ngoepe. 2024. “Publish or Perish? Innovative Models for Scholarly Publishing in Zimbabwe.” Information Development, October. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669241289916.

Claassen, Jill. 2024. “Library Publishing as an Alternative Model for the Advancement of African Scholarship.” 027.7 Zeitschrift Für Bibliothekskultur / Journal for Library Culture 11 (1). https://doi.org/10.21428/1bfadeb6.1c2d2fb5.

Fombad, Madeleine C. 2024. “Knowledge Management for Climate Change in South Africa: A Proposed Strategy.” IFLA Journal, January. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352231217277.

Kodua-Ntim, Kwame, and Madelein Fombad. 2024. “Challenges and Strategies for Open Access in South Africa: A Knowledge Management Approach.” Information Development, May. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669241257188.

Madziwa, Prince Kudakwashe, and Mehluli Masuku. 2024. “Patient Held Medical Records in Public Hospitals in Bulawayo.” Information Development, July. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669241262310.

Mamatlepa, Modjadji Christina, and Adrino Mazenda. 2024. “Building Project Management Tools and Techniques Capacity to Drive Information and Communications Technology Projects in the Department of Social Development, South Africa.” Information Development, August. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669241264740.

Molaudzi, Amogelang Isaac, and Ngoako Marutha. 2024. “Contributory Factors to Attitudes  towards the Adoption of Artificial Intelligence Technology in Public  Academic Libraries in South Africa.” Information Development, December. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669241304704.

Ngula, Anna. 2023. “The Power of Information and Coping with Albinism: An Autoethnographic Study.” IFLA Journal 49 (2): 432–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352221103892.

Ngula, Anna. 2024. “The Social Information Needs of People with Albinism (PWA): A Case Study of Khomas Region, Namibia.” Information Development 40 (3): 429–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669221141097.

Nwagwu, Williams E. 2024. “Mapping the Field of Global Research on Data Literacy: Key and Emerging Issues and the Library Connection.” IFLA Journal 50 (3): 491–510. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352241257669.

Omotayo, Funmilola O, and Aderonke O Akintibubo. 2024. “Knowledge Hiding in the Academia: Individual and Social Factors Predicting Knowledge Hiding Behaviour of Undergraduates of a Nigerian University.” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 56 (1): 145–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006221133564.

Onyancha, Omwoyo Bosire. 2024. “Influence of Research Collaboration on Research Excellence in Kenya.” IFLA Journal, June. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352241257668.

Oriakhogba, Desmond. 2024. “The Right to Research in Africa: Exploring the Copyright and Human Rights Interface.” Southviews 279. https://10.1007/978-3-031-33282-1.

Petersen, Fazlyn. 2025. “South African Diabetic Patients’ Use of Mobile Applications for Physical Activity: An Age Comparison.” Information Development 41 (1): 24–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669231222927.

Raju, Reggie, and Kaela de Lillie. 2024. “A Publishing Modality to Advance Social Justice: An African Experience.” 027.7 Zeitschrift Für Bibliothekskultur / Journal for Library Culture 11 (1). https://doi.org/10.21428/1bfadeb6.e1c7b265.

Sebubi, Oarabile, Irina Zlotnikova, and Hlomani Hlomani. 2024. “Implementing National Performance Indicator Ontology: A Case Study of Botswana’s Development Agendas.” Information Development, September. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669241279810.

Zondi, Nombuso Phamela, Ntando Nkomo, and Smangele Pretty Moyane. 2024. “Information Poverty Subtleties of a Small-Scale Farming Community in KwaZulu-Natal.” Information Development, March. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669241237248.

Zorrilla-Miras, Pedro, Sá N. Lisboa, Elena López-Gunn, and Raffaele Giordano. 2024. “Farmers’ Information Sharing for Climate Change Adaptation in Mozambique.” Information Development, February. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669241227910.