scholarly journals Publishing & the Book in Africa: A Literature Review for 2018

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Zell
Keyword(s):  
Content Management ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Host Institution ◽  
State University ◽  
New Host ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Management Platform ◽  
University Library ◽  
Sub Saharan

All the records in the four annual literature reviews thus far published are scheduled to be integrated into the online database of Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, access to the database remains temporarily unavailable. It is currently still in the process of being relaunched by its new host institution, Kwara State University Library in Nigeria (and see also the 2015 press release at http://www.hanszell.co.uk/Site/PDFs/Press%20release.pdf) Due to a number of persistent technical problems relating to metadata mapping and software functionality, as well as ongoing software development and data transfer issues, there have been serious delays in the migration of the database. However, the new hosts hope that remaining problems and issues can now be resolved shortly, and that they will be able to relaunch the database sometime early in 2019 on a more dynamic, Drupal-based open source content management platform. The first batch of updates and over 500 entirely new records will then also be added to the database. Meantime the accompanying collection of books, monograph series, journals, articles, and other documents on publishing and book development in Sub-Saharan Africa, from 1996 to 2014, donated by Hans Zell to Kwara State University Library in 2015 is now accessible at the recipient library. This is a continuation of an earlier collection and archive (for the 1960-1995 period) that was donated to the African Publishers Network/APNET in Harare in 1995. The 1996-2014 collection has now been fully catalogued and records have been created for each item and integrated in KWASU’s Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC). A complete listing and inventory of the collection (which includes unpublished and archival material) can be found at http://kwasu.edu.ng/library/pbrssa.html. This page also includes a user guide, and an online form to register for access to and use of the collection. Access is free to any bona fide scholar or researcher from around the globe. For more information about the status of the new database, or access to the physical collection, contact Teslim B. Balogun, Project Director, PB&RSSA, Kwara State University Library, PMB 1530, Malete, Kwara State, Nigeria. Email: [email protected]

scholarly journals Publishing & the Book in Africa: A Literature Review for 2015.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Zell
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Book Publishing ◽  
Digital Publishing ◽  
Content Management ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Management Platform ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
New Literature

This is a review of select new literature in English that has appeared on the topic of publishing and book development in Africa published during the course of 2015. It covers books, papers in edited collections, journal articles, Internet documents and reports, interviews, as well as a number of blog postings (with their posting dates indicated.) Newspaper articles are not included in this literature review, nor are video presentations. Records are grouped under a range of regional/country and topic-specific headings. It should be noted that, for the most part, literature on particular topics, e.g. children’s book publishing, copyright, digital publishing, reading culture and reading promotion, etc. is listed under topic/subject rather than country headings. Most journal articles published online are freely accessible unless otherwise indicated. All these records, and many more, will shortly be integrated into the online database of Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa http://www.hanszell.co.uk/cgibin/online/pbrssa.shtml, which is currently in the process of migrating to a new hosting institution in Nigeria (see press release at http://www.hanszell.co.uk/Press%20release.pdf), from where it will shortly be re-launched on a more dynamic digital platform, and become freely available as Drupal-based open access/open source content management platform. It is expected that the new database will be launched early in 2016, when the first batch of updates and new records will then be posted.

scholarly journals Publishing & the Book in Africa: A Literature Review for 2016

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Zell
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Book Publishing ◽  
Digital Publishing ◽  
Content Management ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Online Database ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Management Platform ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
New Literature

This is the second in a series of annual reviews of select new literature in English that has appeared on the topic of publishing and book development in sub-Saharan Africa. The previous annual literature review, for the 2015 period, can be found at https://www.academia.edu/20432811/Publishing_and_the_Book_in_Africa_- _A_Literature_Review_for_2015. (Print version published in The African Book Publishing Record 42, Issue 1 (March 2016): 11-37 https://doi.org/10.1515/abpr-2016-0003.) Extensively annotated and/or with abstracts, the present list brings together new literature published during the course of 2016, a total of 164 items. Also included are a small number of articles and other documents published in 2015 or earlier, and which have not hitherto been included in the Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa online database (see also below). The literature review covers books, chapters in books and edited collections, journal articles, Internet documents and reports, theses and dissertations, interviews, audio/video recordings and podcasts, as well as a number of blog postings, with their posting dates indicated. Newspaper articles are not generally included, unless of substantial length or of special significance. Records are grouped under a range of regional/country and topic-specific headings. It should be noted that, for the most part, literature on particular topics, e.g. children’s book publishing, copyright, educational and schoolbook publishing, digital publishing, reading culture and reading promotion, etc. is listed under topic/subject rather than country headings.However, in the absence of a country index you can search for all country-specific records by using the Ctrl+F ‘find’ function in this document. For example, typing in ‘Ghana’ in the search box will find any text/records (in titles of articles, blog postings and other documents, or if part of the annotations) containing the word Ghana. For more information on scope and type of material covered, consult the introductory pages (print or online) of Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Critical Bibliography at http://www.hanszell.co.uk/pbrssa/intro.shtml. Most journal articles published online are freely accessible unless otherwise indicated as being behind a paywall and subscription based. For web documents and electronic journals the date the source was accessed is indicated [in square brackets]. If I have missed any articles/papers, books, theses, or other relevant documents on the topics covered by this literature review (and published or posted in 2016), I would be grateful if these could be brought to my attention. Please email details to [email protected], together with an electronic file of the document, or a link to it. All these records, and many more, will shortly be integrated into the online database of Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is currently in the process of migrating to a new hosting institution, Kwara State University Library in Nigeria (see also press release at http://www.hanszell.co.uk/Press%20release.pdf). Unfortunately, due to a number of technical issues relating to metadata mapping and software functionality, there have been some delays in the migration of the database, but it is now hoped that it can be relaunched during the early part of 2017, on a more dynamic, Drupal-based open source content management platform. The first batch of updates and over 300 entirely new records will then also be added to the database. Meantime the old database – current as at October 2014 and containing 3,062 records – remains freely accessible at http://www.hanszell.co.uk/cgi-bin/online/pbrssa.shtml.

scholarly journals Achieving the 4IR University Library in Sub-Saharan Africa: Trends, Opportunities and Challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 121-140
Author(s):  
Christopher Nkiko ◽  
Omorodion Okuonghae
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Library Management ◽  
University Library ◽  
Comprehensive Collection ◽  
Social Mediation ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Returns On Investment

Aim: The paper examined the university library in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the preconditions for achieving and sustaining the same in Nigeria. 4IR is characterized by a level of automation, deployment of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, internet connectivity and accessibility to the global information network, subscription to reputable online databases, quality and comprehensive collection in diverse formats, preponderance of digital natives among patrons, increased demand for seamless access to online resources and virtual operations, new library spaces (learning commons, research commons and makerspace), open scholarly communication, research data management, social mediation applications, digital curation and preservation. The challenges militating against effective crystallization of 4IR university libraries include: financial constraints, inadequate infrastructure, resistance to change, inadequate skills and competencies, security and intrusion issues, lack of exposure to international standards. Conclusions: The paper recommended the following as requisite panacea: leadership, demonstrating and justifying returns on investment, benchmarking practices, anti-intrusion and back-up systems, adequate power supply and bandwidth, endowment and corporate social responsibility, indigenous library management software, and capacity building initiatives.

Towards an Interactive E-Government System in Sub-Saharan Africa

2015 ◽  
pp. 213-228
Author(s):  
Charles Conteh ◽  
Greg Smith
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Content Management ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Electronic Government ◽  
Electronic Service ◽  
Enterprise Content Management ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Sub Saharan

Governments worldwide, including those in Africa, are embracing the promises and prospects of electronic service delivery (or e-government). In particular, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are moving towards adopting system-wide Integrated Communication Technology (ICT) and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems to support Electronic Government (EG) services. There are reasons to believe that Africa stands at the threshold of a new experience in this century, but there are also considerable challenges ahead. This chapter examines some of the prospects and challenges of the continent's adoption of Electronic Government. The discussion focuses on the rationale and characteristics of e-government in Africa, as well as its strengths and weaknesses, with particular reference to two countries in the region – Ghana and Kenya. The chapter concludes with a synopsis of some of the key issues as well as salient lessons to highlight the broader future challenges and prospects of e-government in Africa.

Assessing the Coverage of E-Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (03) ◽  
pp. 189-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taiwo Adigun ◽  
Sanjay Misra ◽  
Nicholas Omoregbe ◽  
Davies Adeloye
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Medical Records ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Medical Specialties ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Positive Feedbacks ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
Health Initiatives ◽  
Sub Saharan

SummaryBackground: E-Health has attracted growing interests globally. The relative lack of facilities, skills, funds and information on existing e-Health initiatives has affected progress on e-Health in Africa.Objectives: To review publicly available literature on e-Health in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) towards providing information on existing and ongoing e-Health initiatives in the region.Methods: Searches of relevant literature were conducted on Medline, EMBASE and Global Health, with search dates set from 1990 to 2016. We included studies on e-Health initiatives (prototypes, designs, or completed projects) targeting population groups in sSA.Results: Our search returned 2322 hits, with 26 studies retained. Included studies were conducted in 14 countries across the four sub-regions in sSA (Central, East, South and West) and spreading over a 12-year period, 2002-2014. Six types of e-Health interventions were reported, with 17 studies (65%) based on telemedicine, followed by mHealth with 5 studies (19%). Other e-Health types include expert system, electronic medical records, e-mails, and online health module. Specific medical specialties covered include dermatology (19%), pathology (12%) and radiology (8%). Successes were ‘widely reported’ (representing 50% overall acceptance or positive feedbacks in a study) in 10 studies (38%). The prominent challenges reported were technical problems, poor internet and connectivity, participants’ selection biases, contextual issues, and lack of funds.Conclusion: E-Health is evolving in sSA, but with poorly published evidence. While we call for more quality research in the region, it is also important that population-wide policies and on-going e-Health initiatives are contex- tually feasible, acceptable, and sustainable.

Study Abroad Experiences in the Developing World: Opportunities and Challenges

2011 ◽  
Vol 1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. LeSar ◽  
Kenneth M. Bryden
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Materials Science ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
State University ◽  
Sustainable Engineering ◽  
Sustainable Technologies ◽  
The People ◽  
Materials Science And Engineering ◽  
Sub Saharan

ABSTRACTOver the past three years the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University have conducted a study-abroad course for ISU undergraduates in a small, isolated, village in the country of Mali, in western, sub-Saharan Africa. Most, if not all, of the people in the village live under conditions that the World Bank refers to as extreme poverty. The focus of the course is on the development of sustainable technologies that are appropriate for the people in this village and villages similar to it. Our goal is to offer students a chance to develop such technologies, in the end changing how they view engineering and their role as engineers. One of the challenges of the course is how to integrate this high value off-campus experience into the on-campus curriculum. To do this we have linked two on-campus sustainable engineering courses (sustainable engineering systems and appropriate technology design) with this study abroad course. In this paper, we discuss the course in more detail, with a focus on an assessment of how well we are meeting our objectives. We shall also discuss the challenges of holding such a course and will offer some advice for those who may wish to venture along the same path.

Assessment of e-service quality performance of university libraries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dharmendra Trivedi ◽  
Atul Bhatt ◽  
Mayank Trivedi ◽  
Pankajray Vinodchandra Patel
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
State University ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Quality Performance ◽  
Internet Service ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
University Library

Purpose This empirical study aims to measure the performance of electronic service quality and related infrastructure in a state university library and suggests the strategies for further improvement based on this study. Design/methodology/approach The data collection was done through a survey questionnaire based on the 22 attributes of four e-Service quality dimensions rated on five-point Likert scale. The sample population consisted of 239 respondents comprising of different categories of users of university library. Findings The results of this study indicated that all four dimensions rated by the users fell between mean score 3 to 4 (good), the highest score was received in dimension online public access catalogue (OPAC) and internet service with followed by Library website, Library electronic equipment’s and e-User education. Out of total 22 e-Service quality attributes, none of the attributes received score above 4 (excellent), which indicates that still university library need to improve the current performance of e-Service quality and to take remedial steps to enhance the existing e-services and infrastructure. Practical implications Findings from this study could assist university library authority to sustain and enhance performance of e-Services that could achieve the core journey of the modern university libraries. Originality/value This study was the first endeavour for measurement of the performance of e-Service quality and related infrastructure of federal university libraries in India.

Towards an Interactive E-Government System in Sub-Saharan Africa

2015 ◽  
pp. 1323-1338
Author(s):  
Charles Conteh ◽  
Greg Smith
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Content Management ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Electronic Government ◽  
Electronic Service ◽  
Enterprise Content Management ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Sub Saharan

Governments worldwide, including those in Africa, are embracing the promises and prospects of electronic service delivery (or e-government). In particular, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are moving towards adopting system-wide Integrated Communication Technology (ICT) and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems to support Electronic Government (EG) services. There are reasons to believe that Africa stands at the threshold of a new experience in this century, but there are also considerable challenges ahead. This chapter examines some of the prospects and challenges of the continent's adoption of Electronic Government. The discussion focuses on the rationale and characteristics of e-government in Africa, as well as its strengths and weaknesses, with particular reference to two countries in the region – Ghana and Kenya. The chapter concludes with a synopsis of some of the key issues as well as salient lessons to highlight the broader future challenges and prospects of e-government in Africa.

scholarly journals Breast cancer pathology services in sub-Saharan Africa: a survey within population-based cancer registries

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes-Viktor Ziegenhorn ◽  
Kirstin Grosse Frie ◽  
Ima-Obong Ekanem ◽  
Godwin Ebughe ◽  
Bakarou Kamate ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Registries ◽  
Population Based ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Cancer Pathology ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Breast Cancer Pathology

Abstract Background Pathologists face major challenges in breast cancer diagnostics in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The major problems identified as impairing the quality of pathology reports are shortcomings of equipment, organization and insufficiently qualified personnel. In addition, in the context of breast cancer, immunohistochemistry (IHC) needs to be available for the evaluation of biomarkers. In the study presented, we aim to describe the current state of breast cancer pathology in order to highlight the unmet needs. Methods We obtained information on breast cancer pathology services within population-based cancer registries in SSA. A survey of 20 participating pathology centres was carried out. These centres represent large, rather well-equipped pathologies. The data obtained were related to the known population and breast cancer incidence of the registry areas. Results The responding pathologists served populations of between 30,000 and 1.8 million and the centres surveyed dealt with 10–386 breast cancer cases per year. Time to fixation and formalin fixation time varied from overnight to more than 72 h. Only five centres processed core needle biopsies as a daily routine. Technical problems were common, with 14 centres reporting temporary power outages and 18 centres claiming to own faulty equipment with no access to technical support. Only half of the centres carried out IHC in their own laboratory. For three centres, IHC was only accessible outside of the country and one centre could not obtain any IHC results. A tumour board was established in 13 centres. Conclusions We conclude that breast cancer pathology services ensuring state-of-the-art therapy are only available in a small fraction of centres in SSA. To overcome these limitations, many of the centres require larger numbers of experienced pathologists and technical staff. Furthermore, equipment maintenance, standardization of processing guidelines and establishment of an IHC service are needed to comply with international standards of breast cancer pathology.

scholarly journals Undergraduates’ awareness, use and satisfaction with online public access catalogue (OPAC) of Benue State University Library, Makurdi, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 58-68
Author(s):  
Comfort Member Tyopev ◽  
MurpyTersoo Igbudu ◽  
Akuhwa Ver
Keyword(s):  
Information Resources ◽  
Public Access ◽  
State University ◽  
Library Management ◽  
University Library ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Orientation Training ◽  
The University ◽  
Descriptive Survey

The purpose of this paper was to determine the extent towhich undergraduates atBenue State University are aware of the OPAC, the extent of usage, the level of satisfaction derived from the usage and challengesencountered in the use of OPAC in the universitylibrary. The study was guided by four specific objectives and four research questions. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The populationconsisted of 9,864 undergraduate who registered with the library during 2017/2018 academic session. The sample sizewas 384 undergraduate students.Data was collected through a self-structured questionnaire.The data collected were analysed using frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation. Thefindings revealedthat most of therespondents-232 (60.4%)-were not aware of OPAC services,only 152 (39.6%) respondents indicated theirawarenessof OPAC in retrievingneededlibrary materials. The study also showedthat the extent of OPAC use by undergraduateswas to a low extent and the students were dissatisfied with OPAC services; thattheundergraduates encountered several challenges which led to the low usage and dissatisfaction with the OPAC ofthe Benue State University Library. The study concludedthatthe creation of the OPACwas to facilitate retrieving information resources that had been acquired and organisedby the university library. However, poor awareness, improper orientation/training of studentsamong others have posedgreat challenge for its effective usage.The study therefore recommended that all the identified challenges be tackled by the university library management in order to enhance OPAC usage by thestudents.

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