Library and Information Services

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Browsing Library and Information Services by Author "Moshoeshoe-Chadzingwa, M. M."

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    Bile acids as Specific Faecal Pollution Indicators in Water and Sediments
    (European Scientific Journal, 2013) Obuseng, V. C.; Moshoeshoe-Chadzingwa, M. M.; Nareetsile, F.
    Microbiological indicators such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) have been extensively applied to monitor sewage contamination in waters and sediments. However, it has been accomplished by many researchers that microorganism indicators of faecal pollution in aquatic environments have limited applicability, owing to their lack of specificity and variable life span induced by environmental factors such as sunlight and chlorination. This review highlights the use of chemical indicators for faecal or sewage pollution monitoring. It highlights that the differences in bile acid distributions in animal faeces could be utilized to differentiate inputs in an environment. Furthermore, the high resistance to degradation by some of the bile acids would make them better suited for long standing pollution compared to coprostanol, as it is more readily degraded. Bile acid data could be used in conjunction with other available evidence, be it ethnographic or as part of a multi-biomarker approach, employing 5 ?-stanols and bacterial indicators, such as C. perfringens, to distinguish amongst the different environmental inputs.
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    From Ethics to Information Ethics : an overview
    (2014) Moshoeshoe-Chadzingwa, M. M.
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    Life challenges and information needs of children and young adults in Lesotho : lessons from an internet-connected hybrid library
    (Moshoeshoe-Chadzingwa, M. M., 2014) Moshoeshoe-Chadzingwa, M. M.
    This discussion argues that, never before has the African child and youth been so vulnerable to social deprivation that comprises civil wars, drugs, disease and orphanage as in the 21st century; and to an extent that youth generally have to vie for themselves. The situation has also culminated into the African Union coming up with the African Youth Charter (2006) by which member states committed themselves to relevant policies and care. This paper reports on an enquiry into life challenges of children and youth as traceable from myriad reasons for using the Mafeteng hybrid type of district public library. Key categories of reasons for use of the library are educational, entertainment, adventure/curiosity (pornography, satanism) and solving livelihood challenges such as job seeking and disease cure. Efforts for an internet-connected library provision should not end at that, and assume that all is well. Since it seems use of Internet by children and youth within a library poses advantages and risks, the situationcalls for a joint responsibility of all the concerned to ensure guidance which should minimize risks while maximizing benefits to the innocent minds
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    Performance assessment of technical reports as a channel of information for development: the Lesotho case study
    (2002-01-25) Moshoeshoe-Chadzingwa, M. M.; Stilwell, Christine, Andrew Kaniki; Kaniki, Andrew M.
    The study aims to assess performance of TRs as a channel of information for development in the Lesotho context. It concurrently evaluates how a specialized information unit of ISAS has performed in its obligation to devise adequate mechanisms for managing the report literature and meeting the development-related needs of users. In order to achieve that aim, the study contextualized development as a process, state, and condition and highlighted some development indicators for Lesotho. Agriculture and gender were selected as sectors of development. Global conferences, as one of the many development strategies that generate TRs heavily, were used as a benchmark. In the performance and impact assessment methodologies, case study techniques were applied with ISAS as a site and one unit of analysis. TRs on Lesotho were studied. Triangulation approaches were applied in sourcing data. The academics, information workers, government officials, NGOs and aid agencies based in Lesotho were surveyed. Research questions that guided the study centred on the productivity, distribution of TRs, their management by intermediaries, use, non-use and the effects thereon. Seven types of TRs feature in the development process, namely Academic, Project, Conference, Survey, Enquiry, Official and Special Committee Reports. TRs are produced at varying levels depending on needs and approaches to development by producers or commissioning bodies. Academic Reports are authored mostly by the academics. The Government, Aid agencies and NGOs produce widely through external consultants/experts, who utilize centres such as ISAS where commissioning bodies do not have information services. TRs productivity is high and diverse in Lesotho, but capacity to manage the output is seemingly low, and hence under-utilization results; ISAS’s out-dated mission, lack of, or limited resources and de jure national support in the form of acts and statutes affect the Institute’s TRs’ services. Production is gender biased, thus making for imbalance in reporting on development. Agriculture as a sector is heavily researched and reported about, with little or no commensurate benefits to the populace. Restricted materials are estimated at 30%, but most vi of the TRs are unaccounted for. Hoarding and poor records or information management leave a vacuum that leads to a duplication of previous studies and production. The study confirmed that TRs are required by all the surveyed groups. TRs are not of a transient nature even though they reach a peak of topicality and use at certain periods. Where the channel conveys factual data timeously, there are developmental benefits. Low or non-use is common where there are no specialized information services especially within the civil service. Such negative factors cause delays and infrequent currency, inadequate reporting and erroneous budgetary allocations, for example. Seemingly there is no clarity on what restricted, secret and limited materials mean. Major recommendations were made One concerned an integrated approach to managing the channel. This would involve preparing a Manual for the production of TRs which would clarify how to prepare them; for instance, the calibre of personnel/experts who should author reports, the conditions to be observed, the timeliness production, reliability of data used, and centres that would be acknowledged to then qualify for commensurate financial and other support. The other proposes that the envisaged National Research Council be given the powers to enforce the guidelines of the manual and related functions. The last recommends assigning to the documentalists for classified TRs, the role of managing classified items. Consideration should also be given to important issues raised in the study, being the role of ICTs, sectors of development to be attended to, training and networking in TRs. Further studies are also recommended mainly for the causes and effects of the closures of information services that managed TRs’ in southern Africa; longitudinal studies on the impact of non-use of technical reports in major sectors of development like Agriculture; comparative studies on the impact of specialized centres in the developed and developing countries. Further action is urged under the aegis of bodies like the Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Librarians (SCECSAL), Standing Conference of National and University Libraries (SCONUL) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
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