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A2K : a critical reflection on access to knowledge for the growth of a knowledge society
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Lor, Peter Johan; Britz, Johannes J.
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. In the hope of clarifying the role that libraries can play in serving humanity in a time of rapid innovation and change, this paper critically examines the notions of the "knowledge society" and "access to knowledge" to bring to the surface some assumptions underlying them. Whereas the term "knowledge economy" emphasizes the economic, strategic and competitive value of information and knowledge, the shift to "knowledge society" (or "knowledge societies") conceptualizes the phenomenon more holistically, as encompasssing dimensions such as the social and cultural dimensions. In analyzing the "knowledge society" and "access to knowledge" it is critical to be clear about what we understand by "knowledge". In this paper we borrow from constructivist learning theory and argue that it is helpful to see knowledge as a process rather than as an outcome or state. In discussions of access to knowledge much emphasis has been placed on the physical dimension of access (connectivity, bandwidth and the digital divide) and on the legal, economic and political dimensions that form the embattled terrain of the A2K movement (the A2K Treaty, the WIPO Development Agenda, etc.). However, if knowledge is conceptualized as a process, the concept of "access" has to be extended to the epistemological dimension which takes into account the construction of knowledge in the mind of the individual in interaction with the community. This has important implications for libraries. In spite of warnings that the role of libraries will be eroded through disintermediation, we argue for a deployment of reskilled and remotivated information intermediaries working in and around libraries to motivate, teach, interpret and facilitate "access" to knowledge.
Academic publishing : today and tomorrow
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-05-10) Roche, Tony
Paper presented as part of the Research Seminar, hosted to celebrate the opening of the Research Commons at the JS Gericke Library, University of Stellenbosch.
The access to information divide : breaking down barriers
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Savenije, Bas
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. 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.
Access to knowledge and the economic crisis : a chance for libraries?
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Lux, Claudia
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. 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.
Back at the range: the position of the individual author and journal
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-05-10) De Beer, A.S.
Paper presented as part of the Research Seminar, hosted to celebrate the opening of the Research Commons at the JS Gericke Library, University of Stellenbosch.
Benefits of using OJS
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-04) Smith, Ina
Cultural 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.
Doctoral and post-doctoral research and training : a comparison of European and African graduate school models
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-11) Groenewald, Johan
From “outreach” to new library model?
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Hart, Genevieve
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. South Africa is aligned with other emerging economies, like Brazil and India, whose voice is growing stronger and who might in future improve their position in the global knowledge economy. But surely the biggest hurdle must be the huge gap in South Africa between rich and poor – claimed by some to be the biggest in the world. More than 48% of South Africans live below the poverty line. Other speakers at the symposium will provide evidence of the role of information in the sustainable development required to narrow the poverty gap. The developed countries of the so-called “North” have systems for easy and wide access to information – by means of e-government, e-medicine, e-education, and, so on. However, less than 10% of South Africans have access to the Internet. This paper will examine the contribution, real and potential, of public libraries to sustainable development. The point of departure is the developmental model of library services proposed in the recent Library & Information Services (LIS) Transformation Charter, a vision document emanating from the National Council of Library and Information Services. The Charter suggests that UNESCO’s eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) might provide a framework for developmental library services. However, the Charter’s country-wide investigations, as well as the speaker’s own research since the late 1990s, have uncovered some of the daunting challenges ahead. The paper will report on two ongoing case studies, which might throw light on how the Charter’s vision could become a reality. One is of a group of dual use school community libraries in a remote rural region and the other focuses on two sister libraries in Cape Town. The argument is that what are often viewed as “outreach” programmes point the way to new models of library service which will be meaningful to far more than the present tiny minority of South African library users.
Getting internationally published in the applied sciences
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-05-10) Hoffman, L.C.
Paper presented as part of the Research Seminar, hosted to celebrate the opening of the Research Commons at the JS Gericke Library, University of Stellenbosch.
Image gallery of photos during the Stellenbosch University Open Access Seminar, 20 October 2010
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2010-10-20) Roux, Marié; Thompson, Desmond; Jordaan, Anton
The importance of Open Access research publishing in developing countries
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-10) Gray, Eve
Inclusive growth and innovations in research
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-05-09) Gordhan, Pravin
Interfacing indigenous knowledge with other knowledge systems in the knowledge economy : the South African case
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Seleti, Yonah
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.
International perspective on Open Access
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2010-10-20) Tise, Ellen R.
Presentation delivered during the Stellenbosch University Open Access Seminar, 20 October 2010.
Knowing 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?
Knowledge creation, dissemination and implementation : the librarians role in todays knowledge economy
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Goldner, Matt
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. 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.
Leveraging the power of aggregation to achieve an enhanced research environment
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Walker, Jenny
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. With advances in scholarly communication, the academic research world is becoming more global and collaborative. E-Science, for example, has introduced scientific projects on a whole new scale in terms of collaborative effort, the dissemination of information, technical infrastructure, and the amount of data that is generated. In this global environment, scholars’ quest for information transcends borders; indeed, every research document, no matter where it was created, can be accessed globally and its impact can be felt widely. Information providers publish a growing quantity of quality materials and disseminate them to institutions around the world. Institutions, for their part, are striving to offer and facilitate the searching of as many relevant information resources as can feasibly be provided to their users, given local resource constraints. Researchers, in turn, are faced with the challenge of searching in multiple, discrete information repositories or overcoming the limitations of metasearch systems, which are currently deployed in a large number of libraries. As a result, new services are emerging that are intended to help users in their research tasks. An example of such services is vendors’ provision of large aggregations of scholarly materials from diverse information providers, made possible through recent advances in technologies and the increasing willingness of most publishers to broaden access to their collections. Quick to embrace these aggregations, institutions have begun integrating them tightly with local library collections for the benefit of their users. With this growing amount of accessible scholarly data, scholars are in need of new tools to help them home in on the information that they seek instead of wading through masses of materials. The recent introduction of faceted categorization assists in this task, helping users refine large result sets intuitively. Other useful tools for researchers are system-generated recommendations that are based on the search behavior of scholars who previously searched for similar materials (as on e-commerce sites that tell users that “customers who bought this item also bought…”). Because research today is conducted with no regard to geographic location or institutional affiliation, a recommender service of this kind becomes even more meaningful with the increase in the body of information upon which it relies. This presentation will illustrate the power of aggregation in providing tools for today’s researchers and will draw on library examples to do this.
Making information and services available in new and virtual environments : research support in ODL environments
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-11) Mbambo-Thata, Buhle
National initiatives : role of the National Library of South Africa
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Tsebe, John Kgwale
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. Libraries and information services are significant in the provision of information for socio-economic development and sustainability. It is through these institutions that information is organised, preserved and disseminated to society. This starts from basic life skills information to entrepreneurial information. Through knowledge derived from these institutions, the world is capable of improving human lives and as a result strengthens economies of the world. The growth in the global production of knowledge has necessitated new inventions to facilitate universal availability and access. This paper discusses broadly the role of the National Library of South Africa as a key custodian of published documentary heritage. The focus is however, on the NLSA’s national initiatives contributing towards a knowledge-based economy. The NLSA’s role is expressed in terms of the value the library has in contributing to the development of a knowledge-based economy. As a national heritage institution, the NLSA is a central point facilitating access to the world’s information resources and contributes immensely to human development which ultimately drives the knowledge economy. The enabling political environment lays a solid foundation for the active participation within the knowledge economy.

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