Search results

The purpose of this paper is to assess the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of Members of Parliament (MPs) in Bangladesh. It aimed at determining the information sources, preferred information format, frequency of seeking information and access to information and communication technology and online information services by the MPs. The study also intended to assess the role of parliament library for satisfying the information needs of the MPs.

A survey method was adopted for data collection; the respondents were interviewed by the researchers with the guidance of a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was read out for the respondents and filled up by the interviewers based on the answers they received. Fifty MPs were selected for the study using simple random sampling. The data were analysed with the help of weighted mean.

The study found that the MPs mainly seek information to make a parliamentary request/inquiry, to make a speech and to make a decision. The most important sources of information were minutes of sessions, mass media, personal letters and information networks; and they preferred printed formats rather than online documents. The result also showed that only a few MPs were aware of the information services provided by the parliament library and were satisfied with the services they received.

There has been no study carried out on the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of MPs in Bangladesh prior to this research. The study will help the policymakers to improve the library services for MPs in Bangladesh.

Examines the Tanzanian political system and reviews the new role of Parliament within it. Outlines information needs of Members of Parliament and the role of the parliamentary library and research services. Examines the Tanzania Parliamentary Library and suggests additional services to be provided. Points out that the parliamentary library and research services are enjoined to be neutral rather than hold party allegiance, in order to serve all parties represented equally and fairly.

Reviews the issues arising out of an annual series of conferences, Information for Scotland, held since 1993. Three main contexts are identified and issues examined: marketisation and globalisation, convergence and regrouping, the Scottish Parliament and democratic renewal within the political context; the new agenda for learning within education; and the rise of electronic networks within technological change, are all discussed in the context of papers delivered at the conferences.

Investigates attitudes amongst decision makers in the European Parliament to the role of information in their work, and their ability to identify, access and evaluate that information most relevant to their needs. Aims to elicit data regarding levels of satisfaction amongst MEPs in relation to information retrieval, and to identify areas of information need which were not being addressed. Describes research methodology and analyses results. Results reveal the wide range of subjects that are of interest to MEPs; that all MEPs have research assistants to help in their work, with an average of 3.5 assistants per MEP; the majority of these assistants are based in the UK and are employed full‐time; and that the most popular sources were unofficial, informal contacts and MEPs’ own files, as opposed to the official EU databases and services. Finds that the main problems faced by MEPs in information retrieval are pressure of time and the overwhelming number and variety of information sources available. Makes recommendations for further research.

The broad objective of this study was to present a model for strategic human resource management through an effective staff performance appraisal system in Botswana Public Libraries in order to enhance the provision of delivery of information services.

This paper presents and discusses the partial findings of the study, which were revealed in an attempt to provide a strategic human resource management model for public libraries in Botswana. Public libraries aid the public as a whole, and they often lack funds and human resources. It is because of these constraints that the study was embarked on by the author.

From an empirical investigation the main critical qualities required to provide efficient public library services were revealed as: enthusiasm, positive attitude, innovative thinking, commitment. The other staff related and motivational issues were identified as: a sense of achievement, a feeling of self‐worth, job‐security, staff recognition, status, career development, good salary, effective communication, job satisfaction, delegation of authority, clear job description, performance feedback, conducive working environment. Some other strategic management issues were acclaimed as: organisational culture, transformational leadership, employee recognition and reward systems, performance measurement system, productivity improvement, and customer orientation.

This paper recommends a strategic human resource management model for the public libraries in Botswana, which may assist in enhancing the provision of library services to fulfil the aims of the Botswana National Library Service (BNLS) more efficiently and facilitate the strategic plan process of BNLS which is currently working on its strategic plan and human resource strategy.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how implementing a public access to ICT project, Sesigo, at Botswana public libraries can help contribute to the achievement of the national goal of an informed, educated nation by 2016. It further shares ICT training experiences, achievements and challenges as the project evolves.

The paper combines results from two sources of information, contracted studies (needs assessment, baseline and impact studies) as well as Sesigo project implementation data captured at public libraries. Analysis of this data forms the basis for the paper as it outlines the project's experiences and progress made in ICT training at Botswana public libraries.

Deploying technology in Botswana's public libraries is changing people's perceptions about libraries especially their perceived value; that they are not just for students. It is becoming clear that even people with low literacy levels are able to learn and be proficient in using technology. Training librarians on ICTs has a ripple effect since they then train and/or assist users on ICTs, who are then able to search for information autonomously.

This paper is amongst the first formal documentation of the Sesigo project. It shows the potential impact that public libraries equipped with ICTs can have on the overall desire to provide equitable access to ICT's. It also shows libraries as the natural platform for accessing e‐government information, and thus should be supported by governments to provide access to those who would otherwise not afford it.

This article presents an introduction to the Delphi method and review of Delphi studies published in the literature of library and information science (LIS).

A review of Delphi studies published between the years of 1971 and 2019 is performed, using studies retrieved from the Library and Information Science Source database. A total of 122 articles were retrieved and evaluated based on the population studied, means of identifying experts, number of participants for each study round, type of Delphi, and type of findings.

General librarians (any type), academic librarians, and information science researchers are the most common populations in LIS Delphi studies. On average (middle 50 percent of studies), 14–36 experts are used in the first round of LIS Delphi studies (median n = 23). Employment in a specific role and publications in scholarly journals are the most common means of identifying experts. Variants of the e-Delphi (online survey/email) method are increasingly common, particularly in LIS Delphi studies that focus on general information science, rather than library, topics. Though LIS Delphi studies are relatively few in number, they have a consistent record of being published in some of the most prestigious LIS journals.

This paper provides an introduction to the Delphi method for LIS research and presents an overview of existing literature in LIS that utilizes the research method. No overview of this extent exists in the LIS literature, and, thus, this paper may serve as an important information source about the method for LIS researchers.

This research explores how skill proficiencies are distributed between low-income and not-in low-income groups using the results of a highly complex survey of the information-processing skills of Canadians between the ages of 16 and 65. We find that having measures of skills enhances our understanding of the correlates of low income. Skills have an independent effect, even when controlling for other known correlates of low income, and their inclusion reduces the independent effect of education and immigrant status. This result is relevant for public policy development as the knowledge of the skills profile of the low-income population can inform the design of efficient and effective programmes.

International migrants frequently struggle to obtain access to local primary care practices. The purpose of this paper is to explore factors associated with rejecting and accepting migrant patients into Canadian primary care practices.

Mixed methods study. Using a modified Delphi consensus approach among a network of experts on migrant health, the authors identified and prioritized factors related to rejecting and accepting migrants into primary care practices. From ten semi-structured interviews with the less-migrant-care experienced practitioners, the authors used qualitative description to further examine nuances of these factors.

Consensus was reached on practitioner-level factors associated with a reluctance of practitioners to accept migrants − communication challenges, high-hassle factor, limited availability of clinicians, fear of financial loss, lack of awareness of migrant groups, and limited migrant health knowledge – and on factors associated with accepting migrants − feeling useful, migrant health education, third party support, learning about other cultures, experience working overseas, and enjoying the challenge of treating diseases from around the world. Interviews supported use of interpreters, community resources, alternative payment methods, and migrant health education as strategies to overcome the identified challenges.

This Delphi network represented the views of practitioners who had substantive experience in providing care for migrants. Interviews with less-experienced practitioners were used to mitigate this bias.

This study identifies the facilitators and challenges of migrants’ access to primary care from the perspective of primary care practitioners, work that complements research from patients’ perspectives. Strategies to address these findings are discussed.

Access to library collections in an era where users want to “get” rather than “find” offers particular challenges. This paper seeks to explore users' needs for bibliographic records in a primarily full text environment.

The paper describes the need for access to parliamentary and library information from the Australian Parliament and its use by Senators and Members. It then outlines the approach taken to develop and implement a new search system, ParlInfo, which applied a repository and search system that provides integrated access to bibliographic and full text information. Launched in September 2008, it offers facets, alerts, RSS feeds and other Web 2.0 functionality to both the Australian public and Parliamentary Network users accessing library collections and parliamentary collections.

The paper offers insights into solutions which meet the information needs of Senators and Members and the public; and the application of library/web 2.0 solutions. It is relevant to organisations seeking to offer a single gateway to their collections.

The paper offers an approach based on understanding the whole needs of users, rather than applying a traditional assumption that resource discovery should be based only on catalogue records through an OPAC.

The paper provides a model based on integrated access to resource through metadata, full text “crawled” from web sites and full text resources, such as Hansards, that can be applied in many organisations.

The paper's value is in thinking about how the catalogue can be “turned inside out” for the twenty‐first century users' needs.