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The ParlaMint project, a CLARIN flagship initiative, seeks to standardize the representation of parliamentary data across diverse languages and regions. Version 3.0 of ParlaMint encompasses corpora from 26 European countries and autonomous regions, available for download and search under the CC-BY license. These corpora adhere to a common XML encoding schema, ensuring interoperability. This study evaluates the feasibility of applying the ParlaMint schema to the proceedings of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. Through the conversion of a randomly selected parliamentary session, we scrutinize how various elements are modelled, delineating the steps required to initiate a comprehensive encoding endeavour. The experiment starts with data retrieval by downloading Hansard records from the South African Parliament website. An English session was selected to streamline processing for non-South African researchers. The original format consisted of session headers, metadata, introductory messages, and debate records. Speeches were identified by uppercase headers and segmented into paragraphs. Transcript conversion entailed extracting data from the PDF, eliminating technical elements, and ensuring continuity of utterances. Speaker names and functionswere identified, and the sessionwas transformed into ParlaMint-compliant TEI XML format. Meta-comments, including applause, laughter, and interruptions, were categorized based on typical phrases. Quotations, marked with indentation in the original transcript, were manually encoded as TEI elements. Foreign-language fragments were treated as gaps, with English translations provided. Multiparagraph foreign utterances were encoded paragraph by paragraph. Speaker metadata was stored in separate XML files, listing organizations and individual speakers. Speaker names and roles were converted into XML IDs, and web pages were linked for additional information. Speaker type was designated based on metadata, distinguishing between chairs, guests, and regular speakers. The encoded session comprised 95 utterances, with varying distributions among speakers. The proposed conversion process serves as a starting point for the larger endeavour of encoding South African parliamentary data in the ParlaMint schema. While not exhaustive, this study lays the groundwork for expanding the ParlaMint dataset to include African parliamentary records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mere fact that a library service is being used does not mean that the service makes a difference or has a positive impact on the user. This has significant implications for Special Library and Information Services (SL&IS) that have to constantly prove that they add value. Because of the difficulty of measuring impact effectively, the majority of libraries still appear to measure performance quantitatively (how many books do we have, how many are used etc.) instead of looking at the difference the service actually makes. This paper discusses specifically the impact an information service has on the ability of natural science researchers to perform their research effectively and efficiently. A focus group, short survey and 15 interviews were conducted with researchers that use SL&IS in their research at the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)--the largest research Council in Africa. The results showed that researchers felt that Library and Information Services have a positive impact on the research process. The two most important indicators of impact chosen by the researchers were firstly, time saved in information retrieval and delivery and secondly, higher success rate in research. In contrast with Poll's (2005) view, researchers felt that Library and Information Services do not necessarily impact on growing their skills and competencies or their attitude and behaviour as researchers. The relationship between the librarian and the researcher also came to light as very important in the research process. The study also identified further important indicators of impact which will serve as the foundation for a more in-depth research study. (Contains 2 tables and 7 figures.)

Focusses on the second biennial conference known as Progress in Library and Information Science in Southern Africa (ProLISSA) held in Pretoria, South Africa from October 24-25, 2002. Agenda of the conference; Speakers in the conference; Outline of the papers that were presented during the conference; Significance of the conference.

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This brief communication conveys a critical assessment of the benefits, challenges, and potential of Open Access Institutional Repositories (OAIRs) for knowledge sharing in South Africa. The review identifies best practices and recommendations to promote and improve their usage. Researchers need training and support to understand guidelines and best practices for depositing their work. Limited funding for OAIRs can be addressed by government funding or exploring alternative models. Legal and policy frameworks must support OAIRs and ensure they comply with international standards. Proper management and indexing policies enhance institutional visibility and information retrieval. OAIRs promote collaboration and cooperation among researchers and provide a platform for knowledge sharing and feedback. Standardized platforms and frameworks ensure digital outputs are accessible and usable for the academic community. Sharing knowledge on self‐archiving encourages researchers to deposit their works. Formal reviews must focus on metadata and ensure that articles are from DHET‐accredited journals and that theses and dissertations meet institutional requirements. These efforts promote open access and preserve scholarly works for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calls for a shift from the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) to discovery systems craft a need for recognising the information-searching behaviour of the current genre of library users. This study examined the undergraduate students' awareness and usage of information search functionalities that are embedded in OPAC at the University of Venda (UNIVEN) in Limpopo Province, South Africa (SA). Quantitative data were collected using a Google Form questionnaire, the link of which was e-mailed to the participants to complete. A systematic random sampling method was applied to arrive at 563 respondents. The findings revealed that most respondents rated their level of awareness of OPAC as average. Although some were familiar with OPAC search functionalities, such as author-and-title search entries, and preferred using simple search options on OPAC, there were respondents who were not familiar with Boolean operators, truncation and wildcard symbols, proximity operators, and field search. The major variables affecting their information retrieval on OPAC were poor internet connection and their lack of skills in searching for information from OPAC. This study recommends that librarians promote the importance of using all OPAC functionalities and train undergraduates to improve their awareness and optimal usage of OPAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study was to explore the level of network literacy among theological students at St. Joseph's Theological Institute. The survey research method was used and the data collected through a self-administered questionnaire and an in-depth interview with the Librarian. The entire population of 188 students was surveyed; only 65 students responded. Findings revealed that the major problems facing Internet users at St. Joseph's were the shortage of computers and lack of training in the use of Internet facilities. Further, students did not use a wide variety of Internet resources, had limited skills and knowledge to access networked information resources and made limited use of computer-mediated communication tools. Recommendations concerning network literacy at the Institute were made and suggestions for further research are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consulting engineers are professionals who are either self-employed or work for a consulting engineering company. They do not all necessarily have formally organised information services, such as libraries, available in their companies to provide in their information needs. The objective is to report on a qualitative study investigating the information behaviour of a small group of self-employed consulting engineers working in Gauteng. A combination of convenience and snowball sampling was used to select the eleven responding consulting engineers for this study. Semi-structured time-line interviews were conducted to collect the data. The gap-metaphor in Dervin's sensemaking approach was used to analyse the data. Leckie, Pettigrew and Sylvain's general model of the information-seeking of professionals provided the framework for the study. The results showed that consulting engineers rely heavily on people, personal files and personal knowledge for information. Other frequently used information sources include the Internet, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) sites and digital cameras. Consulting engineers need information from varied sources in the initial stages of a project. Information in the final stages of a project comes from the project itself. In conclusion comments are made on the use of Leckie et al's model and the gap-metaphor in Dervin's sense-making methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the intellectual accessibility of information in indigenous languages, using Zulu, one of the main indigenous languages in South Africa, as a test case. Both Cross-Lingual Information Retrieval (CLIR) and metadata are discussed as possible means of facilitating access and a bilateral approach combining these two methods is proposed. Popular CUR approaches and their resource requirements are analysed and the dictionary-based approach combined with approximate string-matching for query translation from Zulu to English are discussed in detail. Metadata formats for knowledge representation from the Indigenous Knowledge (IK) viewpoint are discussed, in particular the advantages and limitations of the Dublin Core (DC) metadata format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates the use of electronic journals for the dissemination of scholarly information in the Universities of Natal and Zululand. It attempts to determine the level of use of electronic journals by the scholarly communities, and the perceived impact that these journals have on the community. Similarly, the role played by the academic libraries in the provision of these journals was explored. The scholarly community included the academic staff, the library staff and postgraduate students. A survey research method was used to elicit information from the respondents. The population was sampled using the stratified random sampling technique. A sample of 10% was drawn from the population of 1969 postgraduate students. Regarding the academic staff a sample of 20% was drawn from each stratum. The total population for the academic staff was 557. All professional librarians in the two university libraries were identified and included in the study. Data was analysed by means of the SYSTAT Version 7.0 and Microsoft Excel. The findings indicate that the level of electronic journal use by the two universities is low despite their historical differences in resource support. It is recommended that the academic library should provide facilities where users can access electronic journals on their own. The librarians should also market their services and products to library clientele. There is a need for user education, especially in the use of electronic journals. The study provides interesting insights on the theme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]