Die benutting van menslike hulpbronne in openbare biblioteke in Suid-Afrika

Abstract

Dit is vir enige openbare biblioteek wat sy doelstellings suksesvol wil bereik absoluut noodsaaklik om die mens as die belangrikste hulpbron in die ondememing doeltreffend te bestuur en optimaal te benut. Openbare biblioteke in Suid-Afrika ondervind egter sedert die veranderende politieke bestel in 1994, groat druk om 'n leidende rol in die gemeenskap te speel ten opsigte van opleiding en ontwikkeling aan die jeug, volwasse onderwys te ondersteun en aktief by gemeenskapsontwikkelingsprojekte betrokke te raak. Die openbare biblioteek het verder die verantwoordelikheid om inligting aan die gemeenskap te verskaf met die oog op besluitneming en suksesvolle gemeenskapsontwikkeling. Hierdie klemverskuiwing in die openbare biblioteek se doelstellings moet verder bestuur, en ten uitvoer gebring word te midde van 'n moeilike finansiele klimaat, 'n uitgebreide gebruikerskorps met veranderende gebruikersbehoeftes en tegnologiese uitdagings. Ten einde hierdie uitdagings aan die openbare biblioteek te bestuur, is dit noodsaaklik dat die menslike hulpbron so goed moontlik benut sal word volgens sy kundigheid en vermoens. Die werknemer bevind homself in drie omgewings in sy werkplek naamlik die taakinhoudomgewing, die taakverbandomgewi ng en die eksteme omgewing. I hierdie omgewings waarbinne die werknemer sy taak moet verrig is daar ' verskeidenheid faktore aanwesig wat sy prestasie en dus sy benutting kan bei'nvloed. Die teorie onderliggend aan menslikehulpbronbenutti ng is bestudeer en 'n ge·inte-greerde model vir menslikehulpbronbenutting is ontwikkel, waarop 'n empiriese studie gevolg het om die faktore te identifiseer wat menslikehulpbronbenutting in openbare biblioteke in Suid-Afrika kan be'invloed.

Uit die empiriese ondersoek is vier faktore ge'identifiseer wat menslikehulpbron­ benutting in die openbare biblioteek kan be'invloed naamlik:

• die algemene houding van die werknemer teenoor sy taak en die openbare biblioteekberoep • opleiding en ontwikkeling van werknemers • inligtingtegnologie • loopbaanbestuur

Slegs die eerste faktor in die ondersoek het positief na vore getree, terwyl die ander drie negatief gepresteer het. Ten einde openbare biblioteekbestuur in staat te stel om hierdie leemtes, wat deur middel van hierdie faktore ge'identifiseer word reg te stel word 'n geintegreerde menslikehulpbronbenuttingsmodel voorgestel. Hierdie model bestaan uit verskillende komponente wat volgens behoefte van die biblioteek ge'implementeer kan word.

It is absolutely essential, for any public library that wishes to attain its objectives successfully, to manage human beings as its most important resource efficiently and to utilise them optimally.Since the change in the political dispensation in 1994, however, public libraries in South Africa experience mounting pressure to play a leading role in respect of education and the development of youth, to support adult education and engage positively in community development projects. A further responsibility of the public library is to supply information to the community to assist decision making and successful community development. To complicate matters, this shift in emphasis in the public library's objectives has to be managed and brought to fruition under the following conditions: a difficult financial climate, an extended corps of users with changing requirements, and technological challenges. To manage these challenges to the public library, it is essential that human resources be utilised as well as possible in accordance with their expertise and abilities. Employees find themselves in three environments, namely the job content environment, the job context environment and the external environment. A variety of factors which can influence the performance, and therefore the utilisation of employees are present in these environments in which they have to fulfiltheir task.The theory underlying the utilisation of human resources has been studied and an integrated model for human resource utilisation has been developed. This was followed by an empirical study to identify the factors which influence the utilisation of human resources in public libraries in South Africa. From the empirical investigation four factors were identified which can influence the utilisation of human resources in public libraries, namely:

• the general attitude of the employee to the task and the profession of public librarianship • training and development of employees • information technology • career management

Only the first factor emerged positively from the study, while the other three performed negatively. To enable public library management to remedy the deficiencies identified with the help of these factors, an integrated human resources utilisation model is proposed. This model consists of various components which can be implemented according to the needs of the specific library.