Library and other Administrative Departments
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://localhost:4000/handle/20.500.12092/1798
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item Intellectual Property Rights in Digital Libraries: Status, Interventions, Challenges, and Opportunities for Academic Libraries in Kenya(International Journal of Information Studies & Libraries, 2020) Chepchirchir, Sally; Limo, Jonathan; Kwanya, TomThe management of intellectual property rights in digital contexts is increasingly becoming complex. In spite of its benefits, digitisationincreases the vulnerability of digital works, thereby exposing them to violation. This paper discusses the intellectual property rights regime in Kenya; examines intellectual property rights issues academic librarians encounter in the digital information universe; examines how librarians currently safeguard intellectual property rights; and analyses the challenges that hamper the librarians’ efforts to manage intellectual property rights effectively in digital contexts. Data for this paper was collected using the Delphi approach in which a group of 18 purposively-selected academic librarians participated by responding to an online questionnaire. The authors, acting as facilitators, analysed the responses and identified areas for further discussion or clarification, leading to another round of responses. Three rounds were held before consensus was reached. Additional data was obtained through documentary analysis. The findings of the study indicate that there are both local and international legal frameworks for handling intellectual property rights in Kenya. In spite of these, intellectual property violations in the form of plagiarism, piracy, freebooting, and parody are experienced in digital academic library contexts in Kenya. Librarians are making efforts to safeguard intellectual property rights through plagiarism testing; sensitisation of library users on intellectual property rights through comprehensive information literacy programmes; enforcement of citation and referencing styles; and tracking the use of protected information materials. However, these efforts are hampered by versatile technologies making intellectual property infringement easy, lack of landmark convictions in Kenya, inadequate intellectual property rights policies, presence of orphaned works, limitations of anti-plagiarism checkers, as well as lack of coordination and standardisation in violation of intellectual property rights. This is an original study which may contribute to the on-going discourse on how best to manage intellectual property rights while enhancing the access of digital content in libraries.Item Challenges facing Academic Libraries in Supporting Webometrics Ranking of Universities in Kenya(African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, 2019) Wamahiga, M. George; Kwanya, Tom; Ndegwa, LucyWebometrics refers to the study of the quantitative aspects of the creation and usage of information resources, structures and technologies on the web drawing on bibliometric and infometric approaches. Across the world, libraries are committed to providing equal and rightful access to information. Therefore, libraries play a major role in influencing Webometrics ranking of universities across the world. Academic libraries influence Webometrics ranking through generation of scientific publications and other scholarly resources. Despite the remarkable success in Academic libraries’ influence on Webometrics ranking, there are a number of setbacks facing these libraries in the effective facilitation of Webometrics ranking. This study examined the challenges facing academic libraries in supporting Webometrics ranking of universities in Kenya. The study adopted a mixed research design. The researcher collected data from a representative sample of 30 % of the entire target population in University of Nairobi, Chuka University and Kirinyaga University. The selection of the three universities was based on the most recent Webometrics rankings. The respondents were drawn from library, ICT and research Departments. Primary data was collected through semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics that is frequency distribution tables to compute mean. The study established that Bureaucratic and connectivity barriers as well as substandard research and inadequate knowledge on Webometrics are the key challenges facing Kenyan academic libraries in supporting improved webometrics ranking. The findings of this study may be used by other institutions of higher learning on the mechanisms they can adopt to increase the capacities of their academic libraries so as to improve the contribution of these libraries to Webometrics and consequently to the overall ranking of the individual universities nationally and internationally. The findings may also help policy makers and policy implementers to effectively understand the challenges facing academic libraries in supporting Webometrics ranking of universities in Kenya and hence improve opportunities for upscaling Webometrics in academic institutions.Item Information Commons: A Service Model for Academic Libraries in Kenya(Digital Technologies for Information and Knowledge Management, 2019-05) Musangi, Penninah; Odero, Damaris; Kwanya, TomThe changing information landscape in today’s library environment has compelled libraries to shift from the conventional library service models to new service models. One of the new service models is Information Commons which is being embraced to satisfy the changing needs and demands by the current generation for technology-oriented services and products. This chapter explores the concept of Information Commons, describes its features and assesses the extent to which academic libraries in Kenya have transformed their physical spaces to Information Commons. This study on which this chapter is based was exploratory and adopted a mixed-methods research design. Data was collected from 30 librarians in six universities using face-to-face interviews and observation. 73% of librarians are familiar with the concept of Information Commons; no university has established an Information Commons; and various aspects of the Information Commons model exist but in fragmented form. Information Commons model is a promising and tenable solution to the challenge of academic libraries offering relevant services and facilities. This study offers insights in the design and composition of an Information Commons in academic libraries. Information Commons is still a novel idea to libraries in Kenya and therefore the results of this study adds to the general knowledge on this model and contextualises its implementation to academic libraries in Kenya.