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Item The information needs and seeking behaviour of orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers, and the role of service providers in Namibia(University of Zululand, 2013) Mnubi–Mchombu, ChikuThe purpose of this study was to investigate the information needs and seeking behaviour of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and caregivers, and to examine the role of service providers in disseminating information to OVC and caregivers in Namibia. Although several studies focusing on different aspects of the OVC situation have been done, the researcher could not identify any study that focused on the information needs and seeking behaviour of OVC and their caregivers in Namibia and how the two groups satisfy their information needs at present. In order to obtain data from the respondents, the study adopted qualitative and quantitative research methods for data collection. A questionnaire was mailed to the sampled service providers, while interviews were conducted with OVC and caregivers. Focus group discussions were also held with caregivers and key informants in order to explore the general attitudes, feelings, beliefs, experiences and reactions of the research population with respect to information needs and seeking behaviours. The study took place in the rural community of Ohangwena and the urban setting of Khomas. A total of 566 OVC, 70 caregivers, and 18 services providers from both regions took part in the study. A total of eleven focus group discussions took place; eight focus group discussions were held in Ohangwena, while three were in the Khomas region. Both rural and urban OVC indicated that they needed information in order to access financial vii assistance/grants, child care/support, feeding schemes, and health services. The most important information required, according to the OVC from Ohangwena, was information on school development fund exemption, financial assistance or grants, health services, child care/support and training opportunities. The OVC from Khomas had similar priorities with the exception of training opportunities, which was replaced with counselling. Both rural and urban OVC consulted relatives, teachers, and friends to satisfy their information needs, indicating that people were their most important source of information. The findings from focus group discussions (FGDs) with caregivers and key informants indicated that there are disparities between rural and urban areas in terms of information access and use based on literacy and education. For example, the rural dwellers cited their need for information on educational support, psychological and counselling services, child care/support, and job opportunities. In the urban setting of Khomas, educational support and the establishment of small businesses featured as prominent needs. The FGDs revealed that the radio, traditional leaders, regional councillors, friends and relatives were the most important sources and channels of information in Ohangwena, while in Khomas, friends and relatives, community leaders, and regional councillors were the most popular channels. Social workers and the television were also popular channels in Khomas. The findings of the study indicate that service providers provide a range of services to OVC and caregivers in both rural and urban areas. In the rural areas, the majority of the supporting organisations had health-related programmes focusing on feeding schemes and nutrition, and HIV/AIDS awareness. In urban areas, service providers provided psychosocial support, counselling, and resilience services. The findings reveal that the majority of the service providers used community meetings and public forums to communicate their own information and to create awareness of their services in both regions. The channels that were most frequently used in Ohangwena were community meetings and open forums, while the use of volunteers featured prominently in Khomas. The OVC and caregivers encountered various problems in accessing information, including: long distance to access information and services; language barrier for printed materials; shortage of service providers in rural areas; lack of coordination of service providers; and viii bureaucratic red tape from government departments. Major recommendations stemming from the study include: the need for service providers to provide clear information on how to access the different services that target OVC and caregivers; service providers should collaborate and use mass media channels to disseminate information; the need for a “one stop shop” where all information related to OVC services would be made available; and the need to provide information in local languages. The study concluded that information provision is a crucial resource for OVC and caregivers because it helps them identify and take advantage of available services. Conversely, lack of information leads to the lower utilization of available services and increased poverty and disempowerment. Several recommendations are made on how to improve the flow of information to OVC and caregivers to help them easily locate and use facilities and services that have been set up for them either by the government, or by non-governmental organisations and other service providers. The study also proposes a model to improve the provision of information to OVC and caregivers in the two regions.Item Recordkeeping and missing "Native Estate" records in Namibia: An investigation of colonial gaps in a post-colonial National Archive(2015) Namhila, Ellen N.This dissertation explores the practical challenges experienced in user services of the post-colonial National Archives of Namibia (NAN) and the systemic trajectory of their origin. It is motivated by the observation of anecdotal evidence that many requests by Black Namibians for civic records such as divorce orders, adoption records, and estate records from the period of colonial and apartheid rule in Namibia cannot be served by the NAN despite intensive time -consuming searches, while similar requests by White Namibians can be served without problems within minutes. Further rationale originated in the observation that, while there is a substantial body of literature about the problems of archives in decolonized countries, this literature is primarily concerned with issues of current records management, maintenance, preservation, staff training, and occasionally the problem of migrated or entangled archives, while it rarely addresses the issue why and how the colonial situation affected the content and accessibility of the archives concerning the colonized persons. This study employs a historical case study design, taking an in-depth exploration of the colonizers’ records at the National Archives of the decolonized Namibia, using deceased estate records of Black Namibians (or “Native estates” in contemporary parlance) as a case study. It explores the colonial legal framework for the creation and management of the estate records, the actual Native estate files in custody of the NAN, as well as the finding aids, archives databases and the own administrative files of the NAN. It explores the relationship between the historical legal environment, the creation, management, disposal, listing, appraisal, destruction, archiving, indexing and metadata enhancement of the Native estates records over the colonial period, between1884 to 1990, and their alleged absence from the NAN. The study discovered a large but erratic corpus of 11,256 Native estate case files which had been assumed destroyed or lost, but also established substantial gaps in the holdings of Native estate records. Only few of those gaps could be explained by documented destructions, but the study traces the causes for the loss of substantial records to racially discriminatory legislation, a confusing and haphazard legislative and regulatory framework for Native estates, and an all -pervasive apart heid ideology that also affected the appraisal and the creation of discovery tools at the Archives. The dissertation concludes with a programme to “decolonize the archives”, recommending to unlock the full potential of the previously hidden “Native” records, not only by recording and indexing them in discovery tools but also by enhancing search options to alleviate the search problems caused by unstandardized name spellings and non -Western naming and kinship systems.It is anticipated that this study will raise awareness about similar gaps, stir debate and lead to further research about archival deficiencies with other types of person-related records, in Namibia as well as in other decolonised nations, in order to establish how far their national archival records are responsive to the needs of all citizens.Item Electronic resources use by distance learners at University of Namibia(2014) Hamutumwa, Nampa M.Universities are embracing technology and moving towards electronic resources information to facilitate research and learning. This has led to the belief that a significant number of resources used by library users in academic libraries lie in the virtual environment. Consequently, library users are required to acquire sufficient information, and information and communications technology (ICT) skills and competencies. Driven by the need to clarify the use and non-use of electronic resources by library users, the main objective of this this study was to investigate the use of electronic resources by distance learners at University of Namibia. The study therefore addressed the following research questions: What are the attitudes and perceptions of distance learners towards electronic resources? What electronic resources are available to distance learners at UNAM? What is the level of awareness of the learners about electronic resources available in the UNAM Library? What ICT competencies do distance learners have to effectively use electronic resources? What is the level of use of electronic resources by distance learners? What factors hinder the use of electronic resources by distance learners? And, what recommendations are needed to improve the use of electronic resources by distance learners? 1l1e study was w1derpinned by the post-positivist paradigm and used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. To determine attitudes, beliefs and behaviour of distance learners towards electronic resources, the study 1nade use of the survey research design methodology. The population of the study comprised of distance learners, CES lecturers, centre coordinators, and UNAM Library staff. Data presentation laid out in this study was obtained through the use of survey questionnaires, interviews and observations. ln assembling the data for analyses, the study utilised MS Excel and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to generate frequency counts, percentage and descriptive statistics for the quantitative data gathered, and employed the use of ATLAS .tiTM software and content analysis to analyse qualitative data. For reliability and validity, data collection instruments in this study were peer reviewed, pre-tested and triangulated. For the purposes of ethical considerations in research of this kind, the University of KwaZulu-Natal research ethics protocol were adhered to, and permission also sought from the University of Nam1bia to carry out the study in its distance leaning centres and University Library. The findings arrived at in this study revealed that distance leaners were positive about electronic resources due to prior experience, high self-efficacy and the various benefits derived by using them. However, they did not make use of e-resources subscribed to due to high cost, poor internet connectivity, electricity outages, lack of sufficient computers, and low levels of computer skills. As such, they preferred print resources. The results also indicated a very low level of awareness among distance learners about the electronic resources available in the library. It further showed that most learners lacked computer skills, searching skills, and sufficient training in the use of ICT and electronic resources. Moreover, many distance learners were self taught or assisted by their peers in the use of electronic resources. Distance learners who used electronic resources acknowledged that it facilitated and assisted them to complete the tasks of writing assignments, research papers and research projects. The learners also characterised factors that inhibited them from effectively using electronic resources such as bandwidth bottlenecks, travelling long distances to the library, lack of skills, cost of accessing the internet and lack of awareness about the availability of electronic resources. Drawing from the research finding and results, the study construed that perceived usefulness,self-efficacy; subjective norms and facilitating conditions affect behavioural intentions of distance learners to use electronic resources . Moreover, these constructs are the most influential in determining the use of electronic resources. Given this, the study also arrived at the conclusion that the inadequacy of ICT infrastructures and facilities, the Jack of awareness, and the Jack of ICT skills and competencies, are all contributors to the learners ' negative attitude towards the use of electronic resources, therefore, the reason why they preferred print resources. Against the backdrop of the study's conclusion, the researcher proffered key recommendations to improve policy, practice, skills and infrastructural development. These recommendations include the need for learning centres to be equipped with adequate ICT facilities and internet connectivity to meet the learners ' inforn1ation needs, especially with regard to accessing e-resources. The study further recommended that learners be equipped with relevant skills and competencies to make use of electronic resources, the implementation of an electronic resources collection development policy, and the improvement of the ICT infrastructure. Based on the research findings of this study, further suggestions were advanced for research to be conducted in the areas of technology adoption by full time students at UNAM, the impact of access to e-resources and academic achievements, and e-resources use patterns among different genders, information seeking behaviour of distance learners with regard to electronic resources among others. Likewise, the study proposed the need for additional researches that would mostly use qualitative approaches to gain comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the use of electronic resources by distance students. From the general findings arrived at in the study, valuable contributions that could enable the UNAM Library to re-focus its services to better suit the needs of the distance learners have been identified. In adopting the contributions and recommendations made in this study, UNAM Library will gain an in depth understanding on those important factors that are needed to promote the use of electronic resources by distance learners in a developing country context such as Namibia. In this light, UNAM library can therefore make wise investment decisions in e-resources to derive maximum value for its users.