Department of Information Studies

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    Continuing Professional Development of Professional Librarians in the Public University libraries in Ghana
    (University of Ghana, 2003-10) Adanu, T.S.A.
    This work is a report on a research conducted on the continuing professional development (CPO) of professional librarians in the five public university libraries in Ghana. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between continuing professional development (CPO) of library professionals working in the five public university libraries in Ghana and job advancement/promotion, CPO and job satisfaction, CPO and job performance/efficiency. Continuing professional development will be defined by the following general factors. These are: the individual, the library/institution, CPO activities. CPD development plan. professional goals and training needs. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents were aware of CPO activities and a significant number of the respondents were actually involved in CPO. CPO was seen as having a positive impact on job satisfaction. A personal plan was seen as important for cpo. Library management of all five public university libraries said CPO was encouraged in different ways although they consented that there was an absence of a written CPO policy. The study showed that CPO had a great influence on job performance. CPO was seen also as a great aid to promotion as well as career advancement. Research and publishing showed up as the most needed of the CPO activities for promotion. Respondents were generally motivated to pursue CPO activities. The major barrier to CPO turned out to be finances and the main motivating factor for engaging in CPO activities was to update skills. Involvement in CPO was generally seen as a shared responsibility of stakeholders, the individual (employee). the library (employer). Training needs identified were many and diverse, reflecting the fact that CPO needs differ from individual to individual. Recommendations were made and suggestions given for further research. Recommendations made included the need for the documentation of CPO policy by employers and policy makers. Library management was encouraged to set up a training department within the library to cater for the training needs of staff including professionals. To the employees or professionals. it was suggested that there was a need for them to recognize that certain CPO activities like research and publishing counted more towards promotion than others. The importance of networking and teaming up for joint research was emphasized. Suggestions for further research included a comparative study between CPO practices and opportunities of professionals in the public universities on one hand and those in the private universities.
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    Job Satisfaction of Staff in Academic Libraries: A Case Study of KNUST Library
    (University of Ghana, 2019-07) Akosah, H.O.
    This research project aimed to critically examine the level of job satisfaction of Library staff of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and its influence on their job performance.The data used for this study were collected from all the library staff of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) totally 102, and comprising of 18, senior members, 53 senior staff and 31 junior staff.Results of an ANOVA and Pearson Correlation test showed some moderate levels of relationship between demographic variables (age, gender, qualification, marital status and a number of years served) and the level of job satisfaction. The general demographic predictors however had significant correlations with organizational commitment. In addition, the ANOVA test revealed an overall statistical significance between the demographic variables (age, gender, qualification, marital status and number of years served) and the level of job satisfaction. The test ranked the motivator factors in this order from highest to lowest for the staff; growth, advancement and acknowledgment, accomplishment, kind of obligation, and the work itself. The study concluded that staffs of academic library were generally satisfied with their work. The study however recommended that the management of the academic libraries should pay more attention to rank advancment procedures and also improvement of working conditions as the level of staff satisfaction levels tend to decreased with time due when expectation in respect to the factors are not met.
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    Scientific Publications in Academia, The Role of Librarians
    (University Of Ghana, 2018-07) Asafu-Adjaye, M.
    The study investigated the scientific publications in academia, and the role of librarians. Libraries are the major channel for storing; disseminating; and preserving scientific publications and contribute to the research performance of individuals and institutions. They are the most enduring feature of the academy and central to the values and practice of scholarship. The study aimed at exploring the services, research support facilities offered by librarians to faculty members at the College of Health Sciences and the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. It further sought to find out the availability of infrastructure facilities, scholarly communication tools used by librarians to communicate with faculty members and also the collaborative efforts between the librarians at the University of Ghana libraries and the faculty members at the College of Health Sciences and the College of Basic and Applied Sciences at the University of Ghana. The theory of collaboration was used as the theoretical framework for the study. The mixed methods research design was used for this study. Data used for the analysis were drawn from 204 respondents from the College of Health Sciences and the College of Basic and Applied Sciences with the use of questionnaires and structured interviews. The keys findings were that, less than half of the respondents like the services provided by the librarians; emails usage by about two thirds of the respondents was the most commonly used communication tools by librarians for faculty members. However, librarians had a perception from the interviews conducted that, faculty members were indifferent when it came to the use of the library and its facilities. The study recommends that, strategic interventions are necessary to improve the sensitisation on the services and research support services provided by librarians to faculty. Services on advice on research topic; bibliometric analysis need more attention for the faculty members. Capacity building of librarians (both in human resource and e-resources) should be enhanced in order to have better interactions with faculty members at the College of Health Sciences and College of Basic and Applied Sciences.
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    Use of Electronic Information Resources for Research and Learning in Private Universities in Ghana
    (University of Ghana, 2015-07) Budu, S.; Alemna, A.A.; Adams, M.; University of Ghana, College of Education, School of Information and Communication Studies, Department of Information Studies
    Although Electronic Information Resources (EIR) have become an important part of research and learning in Universities, a growing body of literature suggests that its utilisation amongst students in especially developing countries tends to be low. It follows therefore that any evidence-based research that seeks to unravel the factors that drive this unresponsive behaviour towards EIR usage especially in private universities is of high demand. The main objective of this study was to find out the level of use of electronic information resources by students of Akrofi - Christaller Institute of Theology, Missions and Culture (ACI) and the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC). The study applied the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in addition to other measures to investigate students‟ usage of e-resources in their studies. The study adopted a survey method with questionnaire serving as the main instrument to collect data from students of ACI and GTUC through accidental and convenience sampling techniques. The empirical data was analysed mainly through descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage distributions. A Pearson‟s product-moment correlation analysis was also run to ascertain the relationship between actual usage, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of EIR. Among other things, the study revealed that there was high awareness of EIR amongst students. Further, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were found to influence the extent to which students actually utilised EIR in a significant and positive manner. To improve the utilisation of e-journals for optimum academic output in universities in Ghana especially private ones, the study recommended enhancement of infrastructural provision and regular information literacy training for students. Key words: Correlation, Electronic Information Resources (EIR), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)
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    Motivation and Behaviour in the use of Social Media Services in University Of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology: A Comparative Study.
    (University of Ghana, 2015-07) Asiedu, N.K.; Badu, E.E.; Alemna, A.A.; University of Ghana, College of Education, School of Information and Communication Studies Department of Information Studies
    This study is about motivation and behaviour in the use of social media services among students of University of Ghana, Legon and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. This study used the survey methodology. This method led to the application of random sampling technique which made sure that 204 final year undergraduate major Sociology students from both Universities had equal and independent chance of being selected for the study. The following are some of the major findings of the study; whatsapp was found to be the most widely used social media tool in both institutions; chatting and keeping in touch with loved ones and maintaining distant relationships are the major factors that motivate students in both institutions to use social media sites. Polite posting and comments, seeking the consent of friends before sharing their photos and videos and tolerating people’s views and comments were identified to be the acceptable behaviour students in both institutions exhibit on social media sites whereas breaching the privacy of people, posting of images, videos and messages to embarrass people , sharing of too intimate and too detailed personal information, stalking people and sending sexually explicit materials on social media platforms and the use of rough or harsh language on social media were on the other hand identified to be the unacceptable behaviour students in both institutions exhibit on social media platforms. Break in internet connectivity on the other hand was identified as the main challenge students in both institutions face when using social media. The following are the recommendations of the study: integration of social media into the academic system, implementation of social media policy, improvement in internet facilities on campus and sensitization of students.
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    Economic Livelihoods of Refugees in Krisan, Western Region of Ghana
    (University of Ghana, 2014) Manteaw, G.; Boakye-Yiadom, L.; University of Ghana, College of Education, School of Information and Communication Studies
    In recent years, the protracted nature of refugee camps across the world has caused a shift from humanitarian food aid supply to self-reliance which is considered to be a more durable solution for refugees to have a more dignified and sustainable livelihood. The refugees in the Krisan camp have extreme difficulties making adequate livelihoods within the camp as well as outside the camp due to a range of factors such as an inability to earn adequate economic wages and outright unemployment. The study set out to determine the existence of alternative strategies used by refugees at the Camp to provide for their daily economic livelihoods, analyse the composition of these strategies, and determine the extent to which these strategies meet the needs of the refugees in the camp. The study sought to investigate the problem as a social phenomenon within frameworks such as the Self-Reliance Policy and the Sustainable Livelihood Framework. With the case study approach, employing qualitative methods such as focus group discussions, observations and in-depth interviews as well and quantitative methods based on questionnaires administered to a randomly selected sample of sixty households heads as respondents, I collected data for analysis by the survey which also covered purposively sampled officials of relevant institutions. The following findings were made; the refugees have taken to economic activities such as fish net drawing and mongering, charcoal burning, hair dressing, etc. as alternative livelihood strategies to survive. Networking within the camp determines the level of success at the camp in terms of survival, support (both physical and emotional), and level of income. Also, the economy at the camp is closed and sub divided into enclaves by country of origin which further reduces the size of the market for a particular refugee with a particular skill. There is a high level of illiteracy at the camp which seems to explain refugees’ non-participation in the formal sector of the economy. Although the observed standard of living was low, there was no evidence of malnourishment. Upon the findings made, it is recommended that exceptions should be made for vulnerable refugees such as the aged, nursing mothers, the sick and new arrivals from the Self-Reliance policy. There should be greater diversification of training programs to suit the individual needs of the refugees. There should be some intervention by government and the local authorities to give backing to the refugees so as to enable them participate in the local economy.
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    Managing Records in Records Centres in Ghana: A Case Study of the National Records Centre
    (University of Ghana, 2014-12) Kwao, F. J.; Akotia, P.
    A records centre management programme is a strategic function with systems needed to ensure that records remain reliable as evidence of the activities that gave rise to them, that they are protected against loss or damage, and that the records and the information they contain are accessible and usable over time. Despite this crucial and essential role played by records management, organisations in the public sector pay little attention to the effective management of records. The aim of this study was to investigate the management of semi-current records at the National Record Centre with the aim of identifying programme strengths and challenges. The study was mainly qualitative and sought to examine the management of semi-current records at the National Records Centre. The records life cycle concept provided the theoretical framework for the study. The study relied on the case study method using both primary and secondary sources. While the primary sources involved interview and observation, secondary sources of data collection embraced periodicals, journals, dissertations and theses. The study population was 10 Records Centre personnel and the management team of PRAAD (3). The thematic analysis approach was employed for the study. Key findings included the mandate of the National Records Centre. This mandate is derived from the PRAAD Act, (Act535) which provides direction for the management of semi-current records. The study also brought to the fore the weak and ineffective infrastructure base of the National Records Centre and also the poor disposition processes and weakness prevailing nation-wide. Based on these gaps and weaknesses the study recommends the need to strengthen programme mandate of the Centre to improve the government- wide management of semi-current records. It similarly recommended strengthening the infrastructure for records disposition.