Faculty–librarian cooperation in collection development at the University of Namibia library, with special reference to electronic resources
| Date | 16 May 2023 |
| Pages | 8-18 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/CC-11-2022-0041 |
| Published date | 16 May 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Collection building & management |
| Author | Maria Ashilungu,Omwoyo Bosire Onyancha |
Faculty–librarian cooperation in collection
development at the University of Namibia
library, with special reference
to electronic resources
Maria Ashilungu
Library, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia, and
Omwoyo Bosire Onyancha
Department of Information Science, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which teaching staff cooperated with librarians in collectio n development,
specifically in relation to electronic resources, and to identify barriers they encountered while performing collection development activi ties.
Design/methodology/approach –A mixed methods approach was adopted for the study. Quantitative and qualitative techniques of data
collection and analysis were used to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the research topic. Data were gathered throu gh a self-administered
questionnaire and interviews. A total of 149 faculty members completed the questionnaire , yielding a response rate of 51.2%, while 16 library staff
members were interviewed to obtain qualitative data.
Findings –The majority of the teaching staff who participated in the study affirmed that they had cooperated with subject librarians in collection
development. A high percentage (62.4%) of the faculty members had collaborated with subject librarians in collection development activities. Only
37.6% of the faculty members had not participated in collection development activities with subject librarians to acquire library electronic resources.
According to faculty members, some of the main challenges affecting collection development at the University of Namibia were a lack of catalogues
for electronic resources and a lack of lists of titles from vendors. Moreover, librarians were not always available to assist faculty members. It is
recommended that faculty members be part of the process of selecting materials and that a good relationship be fostered between librarians and
faculty members to bring value to collection development activities.
Originality/value –Collection development in respect of electronic resources is a complex process to be undertaken by a single entity and,
therefore, requires the collaboration of all stakeholders involved. In the case of institutions of higher learning, these stakeholders include faculty,
librarians and vendors. The emergence of a variety of e-resources demands a meticulous strategy on the part of libraries to ensure they can offer a
wide range of up-to-date and accurate resources that meet the evolving needs of their users. To the best of the authors ’knowledge, studies that are
similar to this one have not been conducted in Namibia before. This case study presents useful findings and lessons on faculty–librarian cooperation
for effective collection development, not only at the University of Namibia library bu t also at other academic libraries in economies with similar
characteristics.
Keywords Faculty cooperation, Subject librarian, Collection development, Electronic resources/e-resources, University of Namibia,
Academic library
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The 21st century has witnessed a proliferation of information
and communications technology (ICT), which has resulted in
an explosion of knowledge and information (Oche and Ogbu,
2020;Jharotia and Bansal, 2012). The explosion of knowledge
and information manifests itself in many forms, including the
amount of data and information generated. The world of big
data and information generates massiveamounts of data in the
form of tweets, emails, Facebook posts,connected devices and
WhatsApp messages [World Economic Forum(WEF), 2021].
It is projected that by the year 2025, 463 exabytes of data will
The current issue and full text archiveof this journal is available on Emerald
Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/2514-9326.htm
Collection and Curation
43/1 (2024) 8–18
Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 2514-9326]
[DOI 10.1108/CC-11-2022-0041]
© Maria Ashilungu and Omwoyo Bosire Onyancha. Published by Emerald
Publishing Limited. This article is published underthe Creative Commons
Attribution (CCBY 4.0) licence.Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate
and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-
commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication
and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://
creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalc ode
Prof OB Onyancha is a Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence in
Scientometricsand Science, Technology andInnovation Policy,Stellenbosch
University.
Received 30 November 2022
Revised 30 March 2023
Accepted 2 April 2023
8
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeStart Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
