9 research outputs found
A service delivery improvement strategy for a records management programme
No full textGood records management boosts efficient and effective public service delivery in that it minimizes litigation risks, promotes accountability and transparency, ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and supports informed decision-making. The current study sought to find out what initiatives have been implemented by land boards in Botswana, as a way of improving their records management programmes to enhance effective service delivery. An interpretive paradigm was adopted through a case study research design. This study adopted purposive sampling and collected data from 53 employees at the Tlokweng Land Board (TLB). Data were collected through interviews, observation, document review and an open-ended questionnaire. The study findings revealed that the TLB has implemented various initiatives as a way of improving the recordkeeping processes. As a result, the land board has improved its service delivery as there is adherence to policies, reduction of errors, online services, improved security of records and easy access to records. It is, therefore, recommended that organizations should move with time and continue to improve recordkeeping practices to remain relevant in the current environment
Short Communication: Cell Phone Use by Students at the University of Botswana: A Comparative Study of Library and Information Studies and Other Departments
No full textThis paper reports the results of a study that was carried out to determine patterns of cell phone use among students within the Library and Information Studies (LIS) Department and students from other departments within the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Botswana. Focus was however on LIS students and was aimed at determining whether there were salient similarities or differences in the patterns of use of cell phones. The results of the study revealed that most students owned cell phones and they used them mainly for communication purposes as well as supporting their learning activities. The results further showed that there was little difference in the pattern of use of cell phone by LIS and other students within the Faculty of Humanities.
Afr. J. Lib. Arch. & Inf. Sc. Vol.15(1) 2005: 81-8
Records Management and Open Data in Healthcare Provision in Africa
No full textGovernments in Africa have made huge ICT investments which have been intended to improve the governance process hence their uptake of e-government. One of the benefits derived from all this has been the open data initiative through which some countries in Africa have empowered citizens to better inform themselves and others through access, harnessing and reusing government held data. Another of the benefits has been enhanced open government which has an array of access to information platforms. While indications are that open data can lead to improvements among lives in the Continent arising from availability and access to healthcare data, this chapter advances that a critical element of open data which is often overlooked and little regarded most times, is records management. Arising from the fundamental role of records management in open data, the Republic of Ireland through the Programmable City Working Paper 3 avers that open data must among others be seen as a component part of records management (Lauriault, 2014). The chapter argues that the key elements of open data notably: availability of data, in other words information content in the form of data must be available on platforms which are easily accessible and easy to manipulate for purposes of use and reuse; transparency of the open data process; information security; information privacy, and finally trust which could lead to acceptance, reuse of data and also emerging encouragement among citizens that data is worth accessing, using and reusing, are all made possible by good public sector records management. Records management, this chapter shows, is a clear means through which effective open data especially in healthcare may be achieved. While the chapter draws out lessons which Botswana could learn from and makes recommendations for workable open data in the country's public health sector, these are nonetheless applicable to many African countries and others in the developing world.</jats:p
Neo-Institutional Theory in Researching Research Data Management (RDM) Practices in Developing Contexts
No full textResearch Data Management (RDM) has become essential for open science and research integrity; however, it is often fragmented and under-resourced in many developing regions. This conceptual paper applies Neo-Institutional Theory (NIT) to investigate the coercive, mimetic, and normative forces shaping higher education institutions (HEIs) that engage with RDM practices. Using Botswana as a case study, the paper develops a model that places RDM within a broader ecosystem of regulatory expectations, professional norms, and legitimacy-seeking behaviours. The framework illustrates how global data governance mandates are interpreted locally, symbolically adopted, or selectively adapted. This paper contributes to the theoretical discourse in RDM studies and provides a foundation for future empirical research and policy reform in low- and middle-income higher education systems.
PCF11 Sub-Theme: Sustaining Communities of Learning and Practice in Innovative Open Education
Paper ID: 829
