Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to review human resource management (HRM) in the selected, mainly academic libraries of Southern Africa. It is to determine the level at, and manner by which, HRM issues are handled in those libraries and their parent organisations. The paper seeks to discuss the transition from the traditional personnel administration to an HRM approach of focusing on humans as a valuable resource at workplace and the implications. Design/methodology/approach -Through literature review, the philosophy and an understanding of HRM plus its branch of human resource development (HRD) were developed. A questionnaire was designed for the target senior librarians who gave information on how they handled HRM. Discussions were held with some respondents; observations were also made on HRM processes at play. That triangulation generated data from 13 libraries of Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland (BLNSAS). Findings -The paper finds that the HRM approach has been adopted in BLNSAS, where library managers' participation varies in each of the HRM core functions, namely, workforce recruitment, HRD, employment relations, health/safety, performance assessment and remuneration. Some librarians handle HRM issues unassisted, others jointly work with HR officers. To the disadvantage of libraries, some others are aloof from HRM. Recommendations include librarians' close interaction with HR professionals; further studies, training plus advocacy in HRM. Originality/value -The paper has reviewed the strengths and weaknesses over this still fluid HRM approach; raised awareness on desirable levels of participation by library managers; and how working relations among employees and employers may create an environment that enhances institutional performance for effective library management in the BLNSAS libraries.

The provision of library services through rigid compartmentalisation of academic, public, school, and special libraries operating in one country can be cost-effective if a country has strong socio-economic, cultural, educational, and political structures. This arrangement is apparently a fallacy for countries that lack such structures, as is the case with Lesotho. This study examined the outcomes and the impact of the UNESCO-funded project titled Distance and Rural Learner-Teacher Support through a Mobile Digital Library (DRULETSMODIL) in Lesotho. The National University of Lesotho (NUL) Library proposed DRULETSMODIL whose objective was to reach out to NUL’s de jure distant teachers and learners. Additionally, the project expanded its scope to include library services to rural and poor communities. This paper outlines how use of the descriptive method, called the corporate social responsibility (CSR) principle, utilised the case study approach to interrogate DRULETSMODIL’s performance. The findings reveal that the project embodied various levels of diversity, inclusivity, and (mainly) social responsibility aspects of providing information for free, to the marginalized communities. From DRULETSMODIL’s three phases covering all the ten districts of Lesotho, positive outcomes were recorded. Through Information, Communication, and Technology apparatuses, DRULETSMODIL’s offerings, and the support of Participatory Initiative for Social Accountability (PISA), diverse information was easily and cost-effectively accessible. The project attracted various partners; beneficiaries included academic library users, secondary schools, and male and female youth and adults in the villages. The study recommends advocacy on CSR for all types of businesses and consideration of this model for developing countries.

Scarcity of relevant texts in and about Africa can pose a serious handicap to learners and instructors on the continent. For academics to publish works that provide basic text for African library and information science trainees and practitioners is commendable, not only for filling a scarcity in the literature, but also in the imparting of skills applicable to Africa.The author is a scholar whose experience in teaching library and information science in the African setting, spans more than twenty-five years and was influenced by expressed needs.From the title, three key terms are highlighted, namely "science", "text" and ':t\frica". Librarianship is treated as a science, a distinct branch of knowledge that is studied and acquired on principles involving the systematised observation of phenomena'. A "text" is a record of work written for the purpose of imparting a specific piece of knowledge to be taught in a learning situation, especially in a classroom.How is the "text' made applicable to the "practitioner"? In this case, practicing librarians in Southern Africa may want to ensure that the type of curriculum or course content offered in library schools in Africa, equip students with practical skills that match demands required in the field. The book focuses also on Southern Africa, and specifically, Botswana, from where the author originates.The book constitutes twenty chapters. The first three are an overview of the history, services, and the development of the library and information profession. What follows is a discussion on the essence of the profession and those who form part of the profession in their distinctive roles: librarians, archivists, information scientists, database managers, and curators.The third chapter dwells on types of library and information services, their various clients, and how they are provided for. Unavoidably, references to the evolution of the information profession touches on the rest of the word, possibly losing the expected focus on Africa.The book gives concise summaries of the scenarios in Africa. On their own, the summaries are intended to educate a student on the diverse history and development of library services in Africa. For example, the text outlines role of the locally-made papyrus as a medium of conveying information in ancient Egypt. It is further stated that advanced libraries of other Islamic countries in Africa have influenced the beginning of libraries in Europe. The earliest libraries established in Southern Africa were public libraries for the whites in Rhodesia and South Africa. This African diversity, which depicts a comparatively belated growth south of the Sahara,tallies with testimonies compiled by Michael Wise (1985) in Aspects of African Librarianship: A collection of writings.With regard to the book's focus on Africa, the author states that the "examples quoted in this book largely reflect the African reality". However, most of the examples are taken from Botswana and Nigeria.Chapters Four and Five focus on who needs information, the library users, ...