Annual Library Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting 2010
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- ItemThe access to information divide : breaking down barriers(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Savenije, BasPaper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. The “access to information divide” between the developed countries and the developing countries is growing wider. This growing divide, due to barriers to access to information, stifles the growth and development of developing countries. Opening access to information and breaking down those access barriers become an absolute necessity. The presentation analyses the economic impact of Open Access, and describes scenarios to improve the accessibility of knowledge and the role libraries could play in this.
- ItemAccess to knowledge and the economic crisis : a chance for libraries?(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Lux, ClaudiaPaper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. From the World Summit of the Information Society to the development of a knowledge economy, libraries are changing their image to take place in the heart of the information society. Access to knowledge through libraries is a key element of the incredible development of libraries all around the world and explains the role of libraries in a modern society. But does it help during a time of economic crisis, when state budgets worldwide are used to finance economic development instead of libraries? There are some examples that this situation gives a chance to libraries with their potential of access to knowledge.
- ItemCultural heritage and the knowledge economy : the role and value of sound archives and sound archiving in developing countries(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Watson, Elizabeth F.Paper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. At first glance the concepts of cultural heritage and the knowledge economy may appear to be divorced from each other. Indeed, the contrary is the case. According to UNESCO, cultural heritage “encompasses living expressions and the traditions that countless groups and communities worldwide have inherited from their ancestors and transmit to their descendants, in most cases orally.” The “in most cases orally” caveat signifies that whereas during colonization the peoples of the Caribbean and Africa were considered to be culture-less our societies and communities were in fact very rich and vibrant culturally. This created heritages that could successfully rival any from any other part of the world. However, the vast repertoire of heritage of the peoples of these areas does not often factor in general considerations of heritage. The perception that colonized communities were culture-less was nourished on the notion that because many of our cultural expressions and practices were not codified in printed books, music scores and other European means of communication and preservation – therefore there was no culture according to those measures. The knowledge economy is often narrowly defined by many as being that which is associated with/driven by ICT technologies. In reality, the knowledge economy is that which is based on the intellectual capital of a nation, community or individual. This more pragmatic concept of the knowledge economy would therefore, of necessity, include cultural creativity and expressions as two important factors of this mode of production, driver of growth, creator of wealth and provider of employment. According to Nurse “in economic terms, the cultural industries sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the world economy”. Thus, in economic terms, culture and cultural heritage must be viewed as critical aspects of the knowledge economy, given that they depend on knowledge that is culturally-based as their mainstay and an intellectual capital whose means of production, distribution and preservation are often intangible. Music and song were two of the critical means of communicating culture and transmitting heritage from generation-to-generation within Africa and the Caribbean. And yet, the music and song of these spaces is often hard to find, is poorly documented and not well preserved/conserved in libraries throughout these regions. This presentation will examine the role and value of sound archives and sound archiving for both cultural heritage and the development and furtherance of the knowledge economy of African and Caribbean societies.
- ItemInterfacing indigenous knowledge with other knowledge systems in the knowledge economy : the South African case(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Seleti, YonahPaper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010.
- ItemKnowing is not enough : engaging in the knowledge economy(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Tise, Ellen R.Paper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. It is generally accepted that access to knowledge is a significant contributor to growth and development and that libraries drive access to information and knowledge. The rapid development of technology has contributed significantly to improving access and expediting growth and development. There are many examples which demonstrate how libraries do and can open new doors to possibilities through access to knowledge. It is clear that libraries have a critical role to play in the facilitation of access to knowledge and can help to closing the digital gap between developed and developing countries, privileged and underprivileged people, etc. Libraries have significant power to educate, inform, and stimulate the knowledge economy. So, how do and can libraries further enhance access to knowledge?
- ItemKnowledge creation, dissemination and implementation : the librarians role in todays knowledge economy(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Goldner, MattPaper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. The way knowledge is created, disseminated and acted upon continues to go through rapid change and evolution. This presentation will explore the role of libraries and librarians in this new knowledge economy. How is knowledge created in today’s information environment and what should libraries be asking themselves to be participants? What is the role of libraries in the dissemination of knowledge in a Web world? What workflows should libraries insinuate themselves into and create in their own services to be a vital part of the knowledge economy? The presentation does not aim to give all the answers but to evoke thought about change through looking at models for information discovery and use outside the library space and case studies of successful innovation in libraries.
- ItemOverview from a business perspective on the knowledge economy(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Heckroodt, SteynPaper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. In providing an overview, from a business perspective, on the knowledge economy, this paper attempts to elucidate knowledge as the centre of economic growth and development by comparing developed and developing countries, as a phenomenon, with one another. In doing so, it critically analysis the role played and contribution made by knowledge in each scenario. The paper focuses on the phenomenon of the lack of skills, which in effect translates into a lack of “know how” – knowledge and information. It compares the notion of planning to develop regions throughout the African continent, with the stark reality of how a lack of knowledge dampers economic growth and prosperity and leads to failure of these plans. The paper also, in this respect, touches on the effect that a lack of knowledge and information has on the confidence of the business community. The business community translates a lack of knowledge into a lack of ability to do, hence a reduction in local labour uptake in many African countries, and a subsequent increase in expatriate labour for purposes of mitigating business risk against investments made. Although not the key focus of this paper, it does reflect on the ongoing debate of whether knowledge should be viewed and applied as a product of, or as a tool for, economic development. In doing this, it positions knowledge relative to the traditional four key economical aspects, which contributes to economic growth, being capital, labour, land and entrepreneurship. It further more draws a comparison between global economic growth and the human population’s ability to feed this growth in order to progress from a position of crime to stability in the economic scale of balancing supply and demand.
- ItemPromoting African indigenous knowledge in the knowledge economy : exploring the role of higher education and libraries(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Moahi, Kgomotso H.Paper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. Every community has its own knowledge system which enables it to survive, relate and make sense of its context and environment. As such, indigenous knowledge (IK) is not necessarily the preserve of the African continent and its people. However, the fact is that Africa has a lot to offer in terms of its IK and studies have shown that IK is used and applied by a majority of communities in the African setting in the areas of health, agriculture, arts, education, etc. The issue though is that much of IK is under threat of disappearing and is also not in any way considered as an integral part of the knowledge economy as we know it. Generally, Africa is said to only contribute roughly 1% of the knowledge within the knowledge economy. Indeed, Africa is known to be a knowledge consumer, rather than a knowledge generator. Whatever knowledge that comes out of African IK is more often than not knowledge that was taken out and appropriated elsewhere without acknowledgement or gain for the community from which it was taken or originated from. This paper will explore why Africa’s IK is not playing a more active and visible role in the knowledge economy (other than as exotic arts and crafts). The reasons are many, but the fact of the matter is that the very history of the African continent has a lot to do with it, from the days of being colonized, to the ways that academics and librarians perceive their role. The paper will also explore the roles that both academia and librarians must play if IK is to feature prominently in the knowledge economy.
- ItemThe role of libraries in knowledge management and knowledge economy(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Mchombu, KingoPaper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. The presentation will review the concepts of knowledge economy and knowledge management. The differences between data, information, knowledge and wisdom will be highlighted. The role of libraries and information centres as contributors to a knowledgebased economy in Africa will be explored, including the challenges and possible solutions faced by libraries in Africa.
- ItemUniversity investments in the library. Phase II : an international study(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Eger, ArthurPaper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. Figures from the Association of Research Libraries, show that while the amount of money libraries spend on resources has gone up over time, library users perceive a decrease in the value of the library overall as an information gateway. This perception, along with a combination of other factors, makes establishing insights in the Return Of Investment (ROI) for libraries more important than ever. To demonstrate that library collections contribute to the income generating activities of their parent institution, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign (UIUC) pilot study was established. When the data were put into the model, a 4.38-to-1 return ROI-ratio was calculated. In its second phase, this study was expanded to 8 institutions in 8 countries, including the University of Pretoria, to determine in what ways universities around the world are similar as well as different, and whether or not the original model could be replicated. This work was completed in the autumn of 2009. Methods used were interviews with key university leaders, collection of library budget figures and grants income, and a faculty survey. As expected, differences were uncovered, particularly in the areas of university mission, funding sources, mandates and library alignment with the institutional mission. Highest ROI-values come from institutions with a purely research mission or with a concentration in science and technology. Further results show that library collections help faculty in areas of productivity, efficiency, interdisciplinary explorations, and international collaborations; university leaders use the library to help recruit and retain faculty and students and that the library plays a role in promoting the university’s international reputation; and last-but-not-least, a majority of faculty view the library and its resources as valuable to research and integral to the grants process.