Collection development practices in the digital age in public libraries in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| dc.contributor.advisor | Jiyane, G. V. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Khanyile, Andile | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-07-22T06:47:07Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-07-22T06:47:07Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.description | Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts on Information Science in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa [2025]. | |
| dc.description.abstract | The concept of collection development and its practices in public libraries have been recently and significantly drawing attention particularly in the digital era. The era of technology application in public libraries requires that the collection of such libraries should be done in alignment with the demand of the era of digital focus to meet the needs of the users of this century. In South Africa, collection development has always been practiced in a central place and not by individual public libraries. As a result, the centralized system selecting information materials for public libraries and not giving public libraries themselves a chance to develop their collection based on the information needs of the users they serve. This study investigated collection development practices in the digital era in selected public libraries in KwaZulu-Natal. It was guided by the following objectives: to establish collection development practices employed by Northern Region public libraries in the digital age; to determine the extent to which digital platforms are adopted in public libraries for collection development in Northern region public libraries; to assess digital communication channels used by public libraries and KZNDSAC for collection development practices in Northern region public libraries; to identify challenges confronted by Northern region public libraries in adopting digital practices for collection development; to formulate guidelines on collection-development practices in the digital age in public libraries. The study adopted interpretivism research paradigm and qualitative research approach. The case study was used as a research design. The target population for this study included 35 public librarians in the Zululand and uMkhanyakude District Municipalities. Purposive sampling was used to sample the participants, and data were collected using semi-structured interviews and thereafter analyzed thematically. The findings indicate that of the study responded to its objectives and revealed that public libraries in the Northern region used the same library system for collection development practices, i.e. The SITA Library Information Management system. Supporting digital collection development, its digital collection development tasks include the selection of materials, user management, the circulation of material, and similar functions. The system allows the circulation of electronic materials such as electronic books. It was revealed that there is communication between the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (KZNDSAC) and public libraries about collection development through various channels. The findings show that challenges confronted by public libraries in aligning with digital practices when doing collection development, include their lack of digital skills with the new innovations, lack of ICT infrastructure, and the poor internet connection. Recommendations were made following the findings from the objectives of the study. The study recommends that the KZNDSAC should allow more involvement of librarians in the use process of collection development in order for the practices to be in line with the digital era and impact in their communities they serve in the digital era. This is given that young librarians could contribute significantly collection development practices with their newly attained-digital skills. In addition, on-the-job training, i.e. continuous education and training of public librarians is key to add value on digital practices of collection development in the times of technology. This will allow the use of digital platforms for collection development. Internet connections should be improved using improved funding and budget allocation. Another recommendation for improving internet speed is to increase the equitable share of internet resources by spending more of libraries’ budgets on ICT infrastructure to support digital collection development. The study adds to the body of knowledge on public libraries of the 21st century and their practices as it seeks to help public libraries understand the gap in the use of ICTs in public libraries and provide an insight on decision making. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://uzspace.unizulu.ac.za/handle/10530/2618 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of Zululand | |
| dc.title | Collection development practices in the digital age in public libraries in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| dc.type | Thesis |