Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
SOUTH AFRICAN
HIGHER EDUCATION
LIBRARY MERGERS:
WHAT DID THEY ACHIEVE?
Library and Information Services
15th
LIASA Conference Vivian Agyei
10 October 2013
“Merger policy is seldom merger practice” Jonathan Jansen
Library and Information Services
ORDER OF PRESENTATION
• Goals for higher education institutional mergers
• General perceptions on mergers
• Aim of the study
• Approach
• Limitations of the study
• Findings
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
Library and Information Services
GOALS
FOR THE HE
INSTITUTIONAL
MERGERS
An increased
contribution to
the solution of
social
problems
Improved use
of financial
and human
resources
Curriculum
restructuring
Improved
administrative
governance of
higher
education
institutions
Increased
student
access
A better
standard
of higher
education
An increase in
training and
development of
higher
education staff
Library and Information Services
GENERAL PERCEPTIONS
ON MERGERS
Traumatic
Government does not follow-up on
implementation of employment equity
Government does not follow up on the cost of
mergers
Government does not follow up on utilisation of
resources
Mergers failed
Library and Information Services
To assess the success of the mergers in creating efficient
university of technology libraries out of the former technikon libraries w.r.t.
provision ofo
AIM OF THE STUDY
Infrastructure
Financial
Library and Information Services
(5)
Surveyed
areas
(3)
Focus on SA
UoTs formed
from mergers
(2)
Survey
Monkey
(1)
Questionnaire
APPROACH
(4)
Obtain data
Library and Information Services
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
Small and targeted sample
Not aimed at all staff of the said libraries
Some of the directors may or may have not been in the former technikons
The views of the directors may differ significantly from those of their staff
Library and Information Services
Some of the directors may be for or against
the mergers
Survey may not cover the full extent of areas
surveyed in the libraries
Responses were interpreted at face value
…./ 2 Limitations of the study
Library and Information Services
FINDINGS
All the libraries surveyed report to academic environments
They have campus/branch libraries ranging in number from 6 to 13
Numbers of students served range from 25,000 to 55,000
they are universities
they conduct research as a KPA
All the libraries view UoTs as more demanding
of LIS than technikons
Library and Information Services
Staff morale in 66% of the libraries was low
• High rates of personnel turnover
• Job-hopping
• Complaints
All met employment equity targets
Only 34% of those surveyed analysed needs per campus to determine staffing
66% indicated that the design and population of their current organisational structures were based on job retention for then existing staff – thus ignoring matching skills with jobs or needs
Human resources
…./ 2 findings
Library and Information Services
66% of the libraries
were working on re-
aligning
organisational
structures with
institutional
objectives
…./ 3 findings Human resources
Staff morale in 34% of
the libraries was high
o Taking advantage of
new opportunities
and
o Personal growth
from diverse
cultures
Library and Information Services
…./ 4 findings
Funding for library collections increased since the merger in 66% of those surveyed
For some, funding stagnated in the past few years
COLLECTIONS OF
INFORMATION RESOURCES
Financial resources
Library and Information Services
…./ 5 findings
All the libraries allocated 60% of the budgets to development of e-resource collections, and
40% to print
COLLECTIONS OF
INFORMATION RESOURCES
Financial resources
Library and Information Services
…./ 6 findings Financial resources
66% of the libraries were not satisfied
with budgets received:
o No formula for allocations
o Expressed needs not provided for
o Allocations had been decreasing
by the year
34% were satisfied with the budget
allocated.
OPERATIONAL
BUDGETS
Library and Information Services
…./ 7 findings Financial resources
66% of the respondents had not
received funding specifically for library
development since the merger
However, all the libraries had seen
development in one or more of
o integration of information literacy
training into curricula
o statistics collection and analysis
LIBRARY
DEVELOPMENT
Library and Information Services
…./ 8 findings Financial resources Library development
LIBRARY
DEVELOPMENT
o establishment of an institutional
repository
o library e-learning for staff
o setting up of e-tutorials
o focused staff development and training
o alignment of library services with
university goals
o postgraduate service with librarians
especially for the purpose
…./ 9 findings
Infrastructure
Library and Information Services
34% had realised an extension of a library and its renovation into a modern academic library
66% of the libraries had not realised any improvement in infrastructure since the merger
None of the libraries perceived existing infrastructure as adequate.
Library and Information Services
Whether library mergers enhanced the efficiency
of library services
…./ 9 findings
66% of the participants answered in the affirmative
* More diverse collections
* A diverse skills base
* The library is regarded by the
institution as a strategic partner in
teaching, learning and research
* “We do things smarter and better”
For 34%, there was misalignment between resourcing the libraries and the expectation of fulfilling objectives
Library and Information Services
There has not been
improvement in the
provision of human or
financial resources to 66%
of the libraries since the merger
Only 34% of those surveyed
has seen improvement in
the provision of human and
financial resources since the merger
None of the surveyed
libraries had seen
improvement in the
infrastructure
CONCLUSION
Library and Information Services
CONCLUSION
The majority of the libraries plan to re-engineer
their environments to
o Better align organisational structures,
services and
o human resources deployment with
the demands of provision of service to a university of technology
Library and Information Services
RECOMMENDATIONS
Institutions should include libraries in their submissions for infrastructure for research support
With respect to research support, the government expects institutions to have appropriate ‘research infrastructure in terms of library holdings’ (CEPD 2001: 68). They acknowledge that building research capacity and infrastructure may take time and depends on availability of resources.
Library and Information Services
…/2 Recommendations
Institutions should include libraries in their
submissions for redress projects; e.g. IEF grants
Government acknowledged that successful
implementation of the National Plan for Higher
Education was dependent on securing adequate
funding for restructuring and re-engineering, in particular, for redress purposes.
Library and Information Services
…/3 Recommendations
Government should introduce mechanisms to ensure
alignment of resource provision to institutions with their set
outcomes. Otherwise, mergers will continue to be perceived
as a stumbling block to development in higher education
rather than an enabler that they were meant to be.
Libraries must not let up on trying to get support for
improved funding, re-engineering and infrastructure development
Library and Information Services
Questions/Comments?
“Merger policy is seldom merger practice”
Jonathan Jansen
