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The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) has changed the way people operate. All sectors of the economy have been affected by this technological advancement. However, little is known of how 4IR technologies are used in Africa. This paper aimed to investigate how 4IR technologies can be harnessed to support sustainable development in Africa. The objectives of the study were to: examine the infometric patterns of research production on 4IR technologies for sustainable development in Africa; explore the perception of 4IR technologies and their potential for sustainable development in Africa; investigate the extent to which 4IR technologies have been harnessed to support sustainable development in Africa; determine the factors influencing the use of 4IR technologies for sustainable development in Africa; and identify the strategies which can be used to harness 4IR technologies for sustainable development in Africa.

The study applied a mixed methods research approach. Quantitative data was collected through bibliometrics analysis while qualitative data was collected by use of systematic literature review. Data was collected from Google Scholar using Harzing's “Publish or Perish” software and analysed using Microsoft Excel, Notepad, VOSviewer and Atlas.ti and presented using tables, graphs and figures.

The study retrieved 914 research publications on 4IR and sustainable development in Africa. It emerged that production of research on the subject has increased gradually over the years. The findings reveal that Africa is aware of the potential of 4IR for sustainable development. In fact, it emerged that 4IR technologies are being used to support education, health services, tourism, e-commerce, records integrity and project management. Some of the factors that inhibit the use of 4IR for sustainable development Africa include lack of relevant policies, low skill levels in 4IR technologies, inadequate infrastructure and lack of stakeholder involvement. This study recommends the development of policies in 4IR, capacity building and upgrading of infrastructures. The findings can be used by governments in Africa to harness 4IR technologies for sustainable development.

The research is original in scope and coverage.

Indigenous knowledge (IK) is the anchor of survival and stability for indigenous communities. The purpose of this study was to establish how the socioeconomic value of IK can be maximised in Kenya through effective enactment and implementation of relevant policies and legislation.

The study adopted a mixed methods research using a survey design. The target population comprised 104 top- and middle-level managers drawn from organisations implementing diverse IK policies and legislation. Primary data were collected from the target population using questionnaires. Additional data were collected using content analysis of IK policies and legislation. The collected data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of IBM’s Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 22) software.

The findings revealed a low awareness of the IK policies and legislation by the stakeholders. It also became evident that the policies and legislation relevant to IK are not implemented effectively. The authors conclude that policies and legislation do not maximise the socioeconomic value of IK in Kenya.

This is an original study which has practical implications for the use of IK for socioeconomic purposes. The findings of the study may be used to influence policy formulation and implementation; theory on IK; and practices which mainstream IK in socioeconomic activities in Kenya and beyond.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the emerging roles of academic librarians in Kenya, with a view to determining whether they perform better as apomediaries or infomediaries. The specific objectives were to: examine the characteristics of the changing information universe in which academic librarians in Kenya currently operate; analyse the information-seeking behaviour of academic library users in the new information universe and examine the emerging roles of academic librarians in Kenya.

This study adopted a descriptive research design and used an online survey research technique to collect data from practising academic librarians. This study targeted senior librarians from all the 67 private and public universities in Kenya. One senior librarian per university was purposefully selected to fill the questionnaire owing to their experience and expertise. 33 out of the 67 senior librarians responded to the survey. The collected data were descriptively analysed using SPSS, and as per the study objectives.

This study established that most library users are digital independent and access library resources remotely. Nonetheless, many users still borrow and utilize print books despite the ubiquity of digital platforms. The findings revealed that academic librarians to a great extent now play the role of apomediaries, going beyond information giving to empowering their users.

There is need for academic librarians in Kenya to not only be aware of the characteristics of their current users but also to continuously develop professionally so as to be able to adequately cater for the needs of their clients.

This paper contributes to the scholarship on librarians' roles in Kenya by demonstrating that most of them are transitioning to the apomediary roles.

Big data analytics is a set of procedures and technologies that entails new forms of integration to uncover large unknown values from large data sets that are various, complex and of an immense scale. The use of big data analytics is generally considered to improve organisational performance. However, this depends on capabilities of different organisations to provide the resources required for big data analytics. This study aims to investigate the influence of big data analytics on organisational performance of Technical University of Kenya (TUK) and Strathmore University (SU).

This study was conducted as a mixed method research to enable a deep understanding of the concept. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaires and interviews with clientele and information communication technology staff from the TUK and SU, both in Nairobi, Kenya. Secondary data was collected through interviews and questionnaires. Data was analysed and presented using descriptive statistics.

The findings revealed that most of the variables of organisational performance such as innovativeness, creativeness, effectiveness, productiveness and efficiency are affected positively by conducting big data analytics in both institutions. The results demonstrate that the TUK showed a negative relationship between big data analytics and competiveness and profitability while SU showed a positive relationship between the two variables. In terms of regression analysis, the findings revealed that SU showed a good relationship between independent and dependant variables while the TUK had a weak influence.

This study is original in terms of its subject matter, scope and application.

Academic libraries are reengineering their services to address the gap brought about by the convergence of physical and virtual information landscape. Despite the reengineering efforts, as many as 70 per cent of the libraries do not achieve the expected results. Certain critical success factors need to be in place for successful implementation. This paper aims to investigate the key success factors to service reengineering in an effort to establish their extent of application in university libraries in Kenya.

A multiple case study approach of six purposively selected private and public university libraries in Kenya based on Webometric ranking as an indicator of reengineering was used. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 30 librarians. The qualitative data collected were analyzed through content analysis.

The following key success factors were found to have been considered during reengineering: top management commitment, planning, provision of required resources, appropriate IT infrastructure, presence of skilled and competent staff, value of the library to the university and teamwork. Despite the central role of training, change management program and having a clear vision and objectives, university libraries in Kenya did not pay any attention to them as deserved. The authors conclude that university libraries in Kenya have not optimally achieved the desired reengineering results as a result of overlooking training and change management as critical success factors. The paper recommends that the identified critical success factors should be considered wholly not in isolation.

The study was carried out among the top-ranked universities according to the January 2017 Webometric ranking; and therefore the findings may give a general indication of the critical success factors considered by university libraries in Kenya. However, this pre-condition may have locked out other libraries that may have made some recommendable strides in re-engineering their services.

This study has practical implications in identifying the critical success factors for library service reengineering to provide insights on the factors to consider as librarians reengineer library services.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the leadership styles that academic and research librarians apply as well as their effectiveness in meeting their institutions’ strategic objectives. The study also compared and contrasted the leadership styles and their corresponding impact in the effective delivery of academic and research library services in Kenya and South Africa.

The study applied a survey research technique to garner the opinions of the librarians about the leadership styles of their leaders. Primary data were collected through key informant interviews with academic and research librarians. Additional data were collected through documentary analysis. The data were analysed and processed through content analysis.

The findings indicate that most academic and research library leaders in South Africa and Kenya embrace a democratic leadership style. The results also show that most academic and research librarians hold the view that the leadership styles of their managers have a great impact on their individual performance and overall organisational effectiveness.

The results of the study can be used to recommend or adopt leadership styles which have a higher potential of making a greater impact in Kenyan and South African academic and research libraries. The results can also be used as the basis for relevant curricula and policy development.

The role of university librarians as leaders and the determinants of the effectiveness of academic and research library leaders, including leadership styles, have received minimal attention from scholars, particularly those in Africa. This study addresses the gap as it investigated the impact of the leadership styles of academic and research librarians on the effectiveness of their institutions, compared the academic and research library leadership scenarios in South Africa with Kenya, and makes recommendations on how to enhance leadership effectiveness.

Cyber-bullying is a form of harassment that is perpetrated using electronic media. The practice has become increasingly common especially with the growing ubiquity of social media platforms. Most cyber-bullying cases inevitably occur on Facebook because it is the most preferred social media platform. However, little is known about cyber-bullying research in Kenya. This paper aims to analyse the quantity, quality, visibility and authorship trends of scholarly publications on cyber-bullying from and/or about Kenya.

This study was conducted as a systematic literature review. A meta-analysis approach was used. Bibliometrics approaches were used to conduct the analysis. Data on the publications was collected from Google Scholar using Harzing's “Publish or Perish” software and then analysed and presented using Microsoft Excel, Notepad and VOSviewer.

The study yielded 359 research publications on cyber-bullying in Kenya. There was a gradual increment in the number of publications, peaking in 2018. Nearly half of the publications have not been cited indicating low uptake of research on cyber-bullying in Kenya. It also emerged that most of the research has been published on subscription channels thereby restricting their visibility, access and use. Minimal collaboration in research on cyber-bullying in Kenya was also observed since 67.4% of the publications were written by a single (one) author. The authors conclude that the quantity, quality and visibility of research on cyber-bullying in Kenya is low.

This is an empirical study. The findings can be used to promote and mainstream research on cyber-bullying in Kenya.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the skills required by lecturers to be able to support research data management effectively; assess the research data management literacy levels amongst lecturers at Strathmore University; and suggest how research data management capacity can be strengthened to mitigate the knowledge gaps identified.

This study was conducted as a mixed methods research. Explanatory sequential mixed methods approach was used to collect, analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative data from lecturers at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya. Quantitative data was collected using questionnaires while qualitative data was collected through focus group discussions. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS while qualitative data was analysed thematically.

The findings of this study indicate varied levels of research data management literacy amongst lecturers at Strathmore University. Lecturers understand the need of having literacy skills in managing research data. They also participate in data creation, collection, processing, validation, dissemination, sharing and archiving. This is a clear indication of good research data management. However, the study also revealed gaps in research data management skills amongst the lecturers in areas such as sharing of research data on open access journals, data legislation and securing research data.

The study has been conducted in one university in Kenya. However, the findings have been contextualised in the global landscape through suitable references.

The findings of this study may be used to attract the attention of lecturers and librarians to research data management. The findings may also be used to develop institutional policies on research data management at Strathmore University and beyond. The suggested ways of research data capacity strengthening can be adopted or adapted by other universities to enhance research data management.

This is an original study.