Managing a Library of a Distant Learning site of TUT, South Africa

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Managing a Library of a Distant
Learning site of TUT, South Africa

• Rirhandzu S. Mhinga
• Tshwane University of Technology, Polokwane,
  South Africa
• mhingars_at_tut.ac.za

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INTRODUCTION

• TUT Polokwane was established in 1995 as a
  non-resident campus by the then Technikon
  Pretoria
• Situated in the Limpopo Province of SA

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Introduction.

• Limpopo is the third largest province in SA
• Population of 5 million distributed in 123 910
  square km
• One of the poorest in the 9 provinces of SA
• 86 live in largely under-developed rural areas
• 14 live in urban areas

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Introduction..

• Since inception Polokwane campus has experienced
  a steady growth
• Student numbers escalated to 1896 in 2006
• Share and narrate experiences that have been
  encountered over 4 years..

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Pre-merger Management model

• Prior to the 2004 merger a hybrid management
  model existed.
• Satellite librarians were not part of the library
  management team nor the main library staff
  structure
• No official link between satellite libraries
• Main Library acted in an advisory capacity when
  needed

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Pre-merger management model

• Hence very limited professional interaction
  between satellite librarians and other library
  professionals at the main library.
• All Technikon Libraries shared, computerized
  library system, most of the librarys policy and
  procedures and all electronic databases

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Pre-merger funding

• Allocation of information resources funds was
  done by Pretoria (main Library)
• Pretoria processed all library material.
• Expenditure was centrally managed on the Innopac
  system.
• Operational budget was from the campus budget and
  last allocation prior to the merger was R21000.00
  about 3000.

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Pre-merger human resources

• Campus was semi-autonomous.
• Staff recruitment was the responsibility of the
  campus director funds dependant.
• One professional Librarian and one library
  assistant.
• Student assistants were appointed on an ad-hoc
  basis.

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Interim-post merger scenario

• 3 Technikons merged in January 2004 to become
  TUT-Tshwane University of Technology.
• Libraries had to merge with the rest of the
  Institution.
• Satellite Librarians were only invited in
  November 2004 to be part of the LMC (Library
  management Committee).
• LMC changed to LIS EXCO.

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Post to interim merger scenario

• Library Management structure 2006

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Interim- post merger scenario

• Exco consists of the acting Executive Director,
  heads of 10 individual libraries and three
  centralised support services managed by LIS.
• Of the 10 libraries 3 bigger libraries are all in
  a radius of 30Km (19 miles).
• Smaller libraries are between 110 and 300km away
  from the main library.
• Polokwane is situated 300km away from the main
  library.
• Head of library reports to both CD and LIS
  Executive Director.

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Funding

• Library receives information resources and
  operational funds via the office of the LIS
  Executive Director.
• Campus Director is informed of the total amounts
  and control the operational expenditures.
• In terms of the operational budget significant
  improvement during the first year of the merger
  even after 62 budget reduction.

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Funding.

• Not much change with regard to information
  resources.
• Funds allocation formula was the same as the
  formulae prior to the merger.
• Average book and journal price based on previous
  years expenditure were taken into consideration.
• 2006 no funds for information resources

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SERVICES AND FACILITIES

• Library facilities and services at Polokwane are
  still the same as before the merger.
• Core business is Information provision.
• Information service provision is adversely
  affected due to inadequate infrastructure and
  resources
• Library houses an excellent collection of
  journals and electronic databases.
• Infrastructural limitations have an adverse
  effect on collection building
• The library offers the following services

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Services and Facilities

• Provision of Information to all Faculties on
  Campus
• Research support
• Training and Orientation
• Identify and evaluate information needs of the
  clients
• Journals, books and multimedia circulation
• Inter Library Loans

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Services and facilities

• Do not boast world class library facilities.
• It is 122 square meters.
• Shelf area, current awareness services, study
  area and 2 electronic resource centre with 26
  work stations.
• Recommended reading space is 2,3 square meters.
• Practically 53 students can be provided with
  study space at a time.
• Current facilities

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Services and facilities

• 120 seating space
• Of the 120, 80 are regularly shared as an
  alternative lecture hall
• No seminar room
• No classroom for information literacy training
• No facility to cater for students with
  disabilities

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Services and Facilities

• ERC picture

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CHALLENGES

• Geographical separation form main campus has a
  direct impact on the holistic management of the
  library.
• Over the years it has proven impractical for the
  overall LIS head to visit far laying sites.
• Planning of Library was typically guided by
  operational needs rather than by systematic
  knowledge of how student learn

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Challenges..

• Staff from Polokwane must travel a day before
  the meeting and overnight after for safety and
  security reasons.
• Practically it means that the librarian is away
  12 working days a year for management meetings
  excluding the impromtu ones.
• During these times the library is run by library
  assistants non qualified.
• Other meetings are by tele/video conferencing to
  reduce traveling time and cost but it surely does
  not make it for the unavailability of an
  information librarian during the meetings.

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Challenges

• Information service at Polokwane campus of TUT
  is highly compromised
• By far less than the bare minimum that can be
  offered to university students
• Library facilities utilized beyond capacity
• Supported by a 2006 survey conducted by
  directorate of quality promotion
• Students alluded to the inadequate facilities and
  limited hours of library access
• All these factors combined makes managing TUT
  Polokwane Library a challenging task

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Merger impact

• Non-voluntary merger - resistance
• Resistance to change and job securities
• Brought along a multicultural LIS at TUT
• Brought together a community that previously
  worked in independently
• A platform to share professional information and
  resources
• Smaller Libraries - a significant increase in
  operational budgets- though not yet enough
• To date the merger process is still unfolding
  much to the discomfort of staff

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Recommendations

• Appointment of more qualified staff and acquire
  new facilities with essential technological
  features to redress the current short-comings
• State-of-the art Library and ERC be built to
  provide comprehensive information retrieval

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Recommendations..

• A classroom dedicated for teaching and
  information literacy instruction
• All relevant stakeholders have to be involved in
  the planning.

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Recommendations..

• A need for a complete turnaround strategy towards
  providing LIS to Polokwane students
• This has to be timeously corrected if the Library
  is to support the learning missions of the
  university it supports

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Conclusion

• It remains the responsibility of executive
  management for a decision to improve service
  delivery and infrastructure to enhance the
  learning environment
• In this position my management skills have been
  put to a rigorous testing
• This position requires specific and particular
  skills to render efficient service

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Conclusion

• Polokwane library of TUT is vital component of
  teaching and learning, TUT management has to
  avail resources for creating and maintaining an
  intellectual environment to nurture student
  learning and student life to foster research and
  life long learning.
• Failure to provide the above, will yield
  undesirable results to all academic offerings on
  campus.

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Conclusion.

• It will be in TUTs best interest to focus on the
  challenges above, and act in a way that the
  primary clients needs are totally uncompromised
  to ensure that Tshwane University of Technology
  lives up to its name a University of Technology

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Conclusion

• Thank you for listening!
• Inkomu..