Parliamentary information sources, systems and services in South Africa

Mostert, Janneke

doi:10.7553/71-1-650

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…For example, South Africa is endowed with a strong economy and extensive information resources, systems and services (Mostert 2005); and has one of the fastest growing information and communication technology infrastructures in Africa. The opportunities for libraries in the information society in Africa lie in information content diversification for inclusivity by, among other things, recognising cultural and linguistic diversity, and making use of the multiple channels through which one can access information.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are African libraries active participants in today's knowledge and information society?

Ocholla

2014

South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are African libraries active participants in today's knowledge and information society?

Ocholla

2014

South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science

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“…topics on politics (74%), governance (56%), regional and/provincial matters (48%) and local government (45%). Other needs identified were closely related to their position within the parliamentary hierarchy (Mostert 2004:182;Mostert 2005;Mostert and Ocholla 2005).…”

Section: User-in-context -Information Needs and The Use Thereofmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stress is induced by a perceived lack of information sources or systems to assist during a critical period, by a shortage in skills needed to seek and filter information effectively, especially when using computers (Mostert, 2004:180;Mostert, 2005;Mostert and Ocholla, 2005).…”

Section: Factors Activating Information Seekingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Amongst electronic resources, the Internet (50%) and e-journals (44%) were most commonly used. Barriers identified prohibiting utilisation of some information sources included lack of information seeking skills, lack of computer skills, time constraints and unfamiliarity with a given source (Mostert, 2004;Mostert, 2005;Mostert and Ocholla, 2005).…”

Section: Role Of Intervening Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was found that most searches (70%) were conducted by the parliamentarians themselves. Strong preference was also displayed for the use of intermediaries such as personal assistants (52%) and parliamentary librarians (33%) (Mostert, 2004:171;Mostert, 2005;Mostert and Ocholla, 2005).…”

Section: Information Seeking Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Information seeking behaviour : a conceptual framework

koja-Odongo

Mostert

2013

South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science

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The concepts defining information, information needs, information seeking and information (e.g. Wilson 1981(e.g. Wilson , 1996Krikelas 1983;Ellis 1989;Kuhlthau 1991) and information searching and retrieval (Ingwersen 1996; Turnbull 1999, 2000) that focus on these concepts for greater clarity and an understanding of their relationship and application in LIS research. This in turn may be of interest to researchers and students within this field. The article concludes that context should be the foundation for any research within this field, with the observation that many of the models discussed describe general information seeking behavior, without catering for variations. Keywords: Information Seeking; Conceptual Framework BackgroundThe field of Information Seeking behaviour in Information Science can broadly be defined as that which is concerned with determining user's information needs, searching behaviour and subsequent use of information (Julien, 1995:1). Disciplines concerned with understanding how people seek and make use of information, the channels they use to get information, and the factors that inhibit or encourage information use include: the study of personality in psychology, consumer behaviour, innovation research, health communication studies, organisational decision-making, and information requirements in information system design (Wilson, 1997:551). Thus, there exists a strong recognition amongst information scientists of the interconnectivity of disciplines involved in research on all aspects of information.One could claim that the roots of information 'finding and gathering' are as old as the human race. What is new, is perhaps the fact that information seeking is researched under the relatively young domain of Information Science. During the 1940s -1970s, focus was placed on the evaluation of information collections, concentrating on information services and systems and how to make them more relevant to their users (Meho & Tibbo, 2003). By the early 1970s -1980s this position changed, as attention shifted: from looking at physical information systems as sources of information, to information seeking both as concept and process. Research conducted during this period attempted to depict the characteristics of users as a sociological group, which inter alia explains the steps people take to satisfy their information requirements (Itoga 1992). The studies focused on discovering useful information about the research habits of individuals or groups such as geologists, engineers, etc., in order to design appropriate information systems and services for the defined groups (Belkin, Oddy & Brooks, 1982a, 1982bEllis, 1989Ellis, , 1993Marchionini, 1995). Since the 1980s, researchers realized that deciphering questions concerning information requirements could not only be done from a systems point of view, but also from an individual's perspective. Evidence of this shift is mapped in the works of Taylor 1. Robert Ikoja-Odongo (PhD) is Professor and

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Usage and impact metrics for Parliamentary libraries

Baghal

2019

IFLA Journal

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Parliamentary libraries are important in supporting informed decision-making in democracies. Understanding Members' information needs is important, but indicating the usage and impact of these libraries have been explored less. A particular example of the United Kingdom's House of Lords Library is studied, collecting and analyzing data using techniques from the field of data science. These techniques are useful in extracting information from existing sources that may not have been designed for the purpose of data collection. A number of data sources available at the Lords Library are outlined and an example of how these data can be used to understand Library usage and impact is presented.Results suggest that Member usage varies significantly and that there is a weak relation to usage to making speeches in chamber. Further work should explore other indicators of impact, but these methods show promise in creating library metrics, particularly in Parliamentary settings. AbstractParliamentary libraries are important in supporting informed decision-making in democracies. Understanding Members' information needs is important, but indicating the usage and impact of these libraries have been explored less. A particular example of the United Kingdom's House of Lords Library is studied, collecting and analyzing data using techniques from the field of data science. These techniques are useful in extracting information from existing sources that may not have been designed for the purpose of data collection. A number of data sources available at the Lords Library are outlined and an example of how these data can be used to understand Member usage and potential Library impact is presented. Results suggest that Member usage of the Library varies significantly and that there is a weak relation to usage to making speeches in chamber. Further work should explore other indicators of impact, but these methods show promise in creating library metrics, particularly in Parliamentary settings.

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Parliamentary information sources, systems and services in South Africa

Cited by 7 publications

References 6 publications

Are African libraries active participants in today's knowledge and information society?

Are African libraries active participants in today's knowledge and information society?

Information seeking behaviour : a conceptual framework

Usage and impact metrics for Parliamentary libraries

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