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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the National University of Lesotho Library’s shift to supporting of contact teaching to e-learning because of COVID-19. The university library increased access to digital content and broadened digital services.

This case study is based on reflective practice methodology in which practitioners learn from their practice, reflect and adapt to change as they improve on their practice. The library team members were reflective participants in the transformation of library services from on-site to digital services. The main research questions are “How did the digital libraries meet the needs of the digital community?” and “What will be the new normal after COVID-19 experience in digital libraries and their communities?” The literature review juxtaposes reports on transformation of library services to digital services.

The library transformed from on-site to digital services library. It also reports on observed increase in databases usage during lockdown.

The nature of a case study is limited by time and geography.

This paper has implications and possible applications for other university libraries in African countries that are resources constrained such as Lesotho.

This paper makes a valuable contribution to lessons on how African universities’ libraries respond to pandemics such as COVID-19. It speaks to the need to strengthen existing infrastructure and digital content, while ensuring the library staff and the university community adapts to the new normal.

This paper seeks to report on an investigation of the implementation of a common library system for the Lesotho Library Consortium (LELICO). The outcome is to be a strategy for implementing the INNOPAC library system in LELICO.

The paper drew on a survey of LELICO member libraries and the experiences of selected consortia and libraries in the Southern African region. The level of automation, financial status, preferred system properties, and the modules required by LELICO member libraries were the main areas of investigation. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires were sent to the 12 heads of the LELICO member libraries, and there were follow‐up interviews with five library heads. Relevant sources were consulted to provide additional information.

It was found that financial constraints influenced levels of computerisation in the majority of LELICO member libraries. It was also found that the required modules are: Acquisitions, Cataloguing, Circulations, Management Information, OPAC, and Serials. The system properties of Functionality, Usability, Support and Training, and Vendor were considered important for a common library system. The experiences of selected consortia and libraries in the Southern African region showed that the INNOPAC library system is the most suitable for LELICO.

The paper proposes a strategy for implementing the INNOPAC library system in LELICO, and makes recommendations for member libraries.

The findings may be useful to other small, multi‐type consortia considering the implementation of a common library system.

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.

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).

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.

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 purpose of this study is to investigate a framework for knowledge retention to support business continuity in cross-border mergers of the telecommunications industry in Lesotho.

This study applied a qualitative case study, with data collected through interviews from a purposively selected sample of staff members who held managerial positions. Information in this study was partially extracted from the PhD thesis of Dr Tseole ET supervised by Prof Ngulube P at the University of South Africa completed in 2021.

The study discovered that a considerable amount of knowledge may have been lost because employees who either left the organisation or those who were apparently forced to resign during the process had left without any proper knowledge retention arrangements.

The framework proposed in this study may be used in framing future studies as a theoretical framework. The study also provides new literature for review and discussion of background in future related studies.

The framework provided in the study may be used as a benchmark in the knowledge management industry and/or organisations for policy development or improvements and implementation of knowledge retention strategies.

Through recommendations and framework provided by this study, organisations will be able to improve their services to their sphere of influence in the surrounding communities. So, community will be receiving an improved and good service at all the times.

A framework for facilitating knowledge retention in the cross-border mergers of the telecommunications industry is therefore proposed and the researchers believe it will be helpful to the organisation for improving knowledge retention going forward, particularly in the merger process.

Public universities in eastern and southern Africa have for a long time depended largely on grants from national governments for most of their recurrent and capital budgets. Statutes of various universities also allow them to get external aid and donations mainly for capital developments, technical assistance and staff training. In the last decade, there has been pressure on public universities in the region to cut back on their budgets as a result of declining government grants occasioned largely by political and economic structural changes. Universities are responding by putting in place a wide range of programmes to generate their own income to augment the dwindling allocation from national governments. This paper discusses current developments within universities in eastern and southern Africa in an environment of rapid technological developments.

Libraries in the university environment in Eastern and Southern Africa are making efforts to join and participate effectively in the information revolution. However, these efforts continue to be hampered by many problems both internal and external. This paper reviews information technology (IT) developments in the university environment in Eastern and Southern Africa, and illustrates what university libraries can do to meet user expectations and remain relevant. The current scene in the region is assessed and analysed through selected literature reviews, the author’s personal experience working in the region, visits to some universities, other key institutions such as the Telkom telecommunications and Eskom electricity companies of South Africa, and discussions with professional colleagues in national seminars and regional conferences.

Presents the results of a survey of interlibrary lending operations in Zambia, which indicate that existing activities are concentrated on the two highly urbanized provinces, the Copperbelt and Lusaka. Shows, in detail, that the schemes operate on an informal basis, lacking any form of co‐ordination, in the absence of any rules or regulatory code. Concludes that the lack of written rules and manuals has resulted in ILL arrangements failing to operate smoothly and that there is an urgent need to introduce an effective regulatory structure.

This paper is a spin off of a keynote address that was delivered by the author at the IFLA‐Africa section workshop on “developing and managing digital libraries” that was held in Gaborone Botswana from 23‐27 February 2004. The author points out that libraries in Sub‐Saharan Africa like their counterparts in the rest of the world are continuing to experience a period of rapid change as they prepare to participate in the global information society. In this endeavour, the libraries face various challenges of economic, technological, content, and information literacy nature. In a global information society, there is need to democratize access to information using ICTs, provide adequate and relevant local content to users and equip them with requisite information literacy skills to efficiently find their way in a maze of information networks. This paper discusses the patterns of ICTs diffusion within libraries in Sub‐Saharan Africa and the implications for the development and management of digital libraries.

Presents a critical appraisal of the practices and problems of interlibrary lending (LL) in Botswana. Highlights the importance of resource sharing through interlending schemes, especially at the national level. Argues that the improvement of the existing ′gentlemen′s agreement′ by adopting a formal LL policy would go a long way towards the realising the provision of information to the nation in a cost effective and efficient way. Projects future prospects of ILL.

This paper reviews the challenges facing library associations within Eastern, Central and Southern Africa with particular attention paid to the Botswana Library Association (BLA). The challenges occasioned by information technology and the future outlook in the SCECSAL region are analysed in the context of the implication for libraries. The paper looks at how the BLA could prepare strategies to deal with the paradigm shifts occasioned by information technology in order to participate in the global information arena.