The 21St Century Academic Library: the Case of Three State Universities in Zimbabwe
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THE 21ST CENTURY ACADEMIC LIBRARY: THE CASE OF THREE STATE UNIVERSITIES IN ZIMBABWE RANGARIRAI MOIRA MABWEAZARA BSC (LIS), (MLIS) Thesis Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Library & Information Studies at the University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa Supervisor: PROFESSOR SANDY ZINN Submitted: 28 May 2018 DECLARATION i http://etd.uwc.ac.za ABSTRACT The advent of the 21st century and its dynamic information environment have changed higher education considerably including the library spaces. Library patrons, namely undergraduates, postgraduates, and academics are placing heavy demands on academic libraries requiring support in research, teaching and learning. As a result, academic librarians globally have undertaken major re-evaluations of what they do and how they do it, to ensure relevance amongst their diverse user communities. The new information landscape is fraught with controversies that prompt opposing perspectives towards change acceptance amongst librarians. In Zimbabwe, academic libraries seemed to be lagging behind regarding changes presented by this information landscape. Given this context, the study sought to understand how librarians are adjusting to the 21st century environment against the expectations of the students and academics. The Diffusion of Innovation Theory crafted by Rogers (2003) and the McKinsey 7S model propounded by Waterman, Peters and Phillips (1982) were used as theoretical and conceptual frameworks. The research further applied a conceptual framework from the literature to determine the expectations of students and academics of the academic library in the 21st century. For data collection, the study adopted a case study design and a mixed methods approach using Web-based questionnaires, follow-up interviews and website content analysis. Data was collected from students, academics and librarians at three selected Zimbabwean universities. All data collecting tools were pre-tested amongst librarians, academics, postgraduate and undergraduate students prior to collecting data. Data collected using questionnaires was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel while interview data was analysed using thematic text analysis. Findings of this study revealed that the Midlands State University Library had to a larger extent embraced new trends which are in-line with the 21st century environment compared to the National University of Science and Technology and Lupane State University libraries. The Library and Information Science qualification remains important in service delivery among academic librarians. Inadequate funding, limited time due to multitasking, slow uptake of new concepts and limited knowledge and skills were barriers to keeping up with new trends amongst librarians. Academic librarians collaborated with academics in collection development, Information Literacy Skills (ILS) teaching and uploading theses and research papers into the Institution Repository (IR). ii http://etd.uwc.ac.za Keywords: 21st century academic libraries, postgraduates, undergraduates, academics, librarian attitudes, Zimbabwe, Diffusion of Innovation theory, McKinsey 7S model. iii http://etd.uwc.ac.za ACKNOWLEDGEMENT S It was indeed a great privilege to be part of the postgraduate students in the LIS department at UWC. This was especially important in assisting me to draw together the many threads that have gone into enabling me to fulfill the requirements of my doctoral degree. However, it is necessary for me to show my great appreciation to all those who contributed immensely towards my success. Particular thanks are due to my supervisor Professor Sandy Zinn for her patience and dedicated effort in providing the intellectual guidance and support throughout my studies. To the whole LIS department at UWC, I really do appreciate your full support, hospitality and generosity which made it easy for me to feel as part of the family. My sincere gratitude goes to all academics, librarians and students at NUST, MSU and LSU who participated in this study. This study would have never been a success without your contributions. I am also greatly indebted to my supportive parents (Smart Snr Mabweazara and Judith Mabweazara) and brothers (Dr. Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara; Dr. Smart Jnr Mabweazara and Gerald Mabweazara) for their constant support throughout my studies. Lastly, I would like to thank all my fellow PhD colleagues for their continual sharpening of my perceptions through informed discussions. iv http://etd.uwc.ac.za DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this research to my loving family, my parents (Smart Snr Mabweazara and Judith Enita Mabweazara) and my brothers (Dr. Hayes Mabweazara; Dr. Smart Jnr Mabweazara and Gerald Mabweazara). v http://etd.uwc.ac.za TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.......................................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................ ...................................................... iv DEDICATION................................................................ ............................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ x LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................. xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ................................................................................xiii CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2. Background and Rationale of the Study ............................................................................................ 1 1.3. Contextual Setting of the Study ......................................................................................................... 4 1.3.1. The 21st century Information Landscape ..................................................................................... 4 1.3.2. Initiatives for Higher Education in Developing Countries ......................................................... 5 1.3.3. Higher Education in Zimbabwe .................................................................................................. 5 1.4. Problem Statement and Research Questions ...................................................................................... 7 1.5. Conceptual and Theoretical Frameworks........................................................................................... 9 1.5.1. Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................... 9 1.5.2. Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................. 12 1.6. Research Design and Methodology ................................................................................................. 13 1.6.1. Pre-testing Research Instruments .............................................................................................. 14 1.7. Significance of the Study ................................................................................................................. 14 1.8. Scope and Limitations of the Study ................................................................................................. 14 1.9. Outline of Chapters .......................................................................................................................... 15 1.10. Chapter Summary .......................................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 2 .............................................................................................................................................. 16 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................................ 16 2.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 16 2.2. The 21st century Academic Library ................................................................................................. 16 2.2.1. Current Trends in Higher Education ......................................................................................... 16 2.2.2. Current Trends in the Academic Library .................................................................................. 18 2.3. The Academic Librarian in the 21st century ....................................................................................