Strategies for organising information resources at the University of Venda Library in South Africa : implications on access to information

Abstract

Strategies for organising library information resources play an important role in a library’s ability to deliver services to its clientele. If library materials are not properly organised, it can take a long time to retrieve information which impacts on service delivery to the patrons. While provision of quality and relevant information services to support teaching, learning and research remains a central objective of libraries in higher education worldwide, the librarians at the University of Venda faced with the challenge of optimising the management and organisation of hybrid information resources resulting from a lack of high-level information technology and technical skills. Higher learning standards require that all users have equitable and inclusive access to resources. Utilising the work system as a framework, this study sought to investigate the strategies adopted by the University of Venda’s library to organise information resources and how this impacts on access to information. This quantitative study relied on a survey research design to collect data using questionnaire directed at 263 students, 196 academics and 35 librarians who were chosen through stratified sampling technique. The results were analysed using SPSS and shown in the form of tables and figures. The key finding revealed that the librarians at the University of Venda’s library are faced with a challenge of optimising the management and organisation of hybrid information resources because ICTs have changed their roles and responsibilities when it comes to organising library information resources. As a result, factors such as a lack of professionally trained staff in cataloguing as well as a lack of cataloguing tools and resources were regarded as the main cause to cataloguing backlogs. The study concludes by demonstrating the importance of having regular in-service training, educational programme, outsourced training and inter-organisational congresses to all library staff so that they keep abreast of current technological developments. It is recommended that a broader user satisfaction survey be done on the provision of materials and services to facilitate access to materials and information.