Issues for South African Academic Libraries in the Post-Apartheid Era: A Review of Selected Literature

Authors

  • Christopher Stewart

Abstract

Since the end of the apartheid era in 1994, South African higher education has been in an ongoing process of transformation. The goals of this transformation include higher education reform, expanded access, financial and operational efficiencies, and improved academic quality. South African academic libraries are faced with many significant challenges in this environment. Institutional mergers, limited financial resources, information literacy, and organizational uncertainties are a few of the major issues facing academic libraries in South Africa today. This paper will explore these and other issues faced by South African academic libraries in the post-apartheid era.

Author Biography

Christopher Stewart

Christopher Stewart is Dean of Libraries at Illinois Institute of Technology. His recently completed doctoral studies included travel to South Africa to examine issues facing South African higher education.

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

2010-04-28

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 2 (2007)

Section

Articles

License

World Libraries allows authors to maintain the copyright of their article or to give permission to World Libraries to hold the copyright. If contributors decide to maintain copyright, a Creative Commons license allows authors to determine how their work can be used. For more information on the types of licenses available, visit http://www.creativecommons.org/.

Authors submitting a paper to World Libraries do so with the understanding that Internet publishing is both an opportunity and a challenge. In this environment, authors and publishers do not always have the means to protect against unauthorized copying or editing of copyright-protected works.

World Libraries is a copyrighted product, and all rights are reserved worldwide. Permissions to use any materials appearing in World Libraries should be directed to Questions about World Libraries.

Downloads of specific portions of World Libraries articles are permitted for personal use only, not for commercial use or resale. Educational uses of World Libraries are permitted with permission of the authors of specific works appearing in World Libraries.

PRIVACY

World Libraries respects the privacy of both its readers and its contributors. To that end, World Libraries does not collect in its logs or other server tools the exact identities of its readers. World Libraries does not require its readers to sign in or to secure a unique ID or password. World Libraries does not use cookies.

World Libraries collects general information in its logs on the origins of users at the highest domain levels. Usage patterns are tracked in World Libraries to assist editors in making decisions about future content. In addition, this information is used for research on usage patterns to improve the site over time.

E-mail addresses used by World Libraries to notify readers of new issues are not disclosed to third parties.