Browsing by Author "Musangi, Peninnah Syombua"

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    Harnessing information and communication technology for information access and use amongst farmers in Lower Yatta district, Kenya
    Musangi, Peninnah Syombua;
    Kenya relies heavily on agriculture for economic growth, and for this to be realized, information is one of the key ingredients for improved agricultural production. Farming is mainly practiced in the rural areas. Information requirements of rural farmers are varied, and complex. The information delivery mechanisms in place do not take into account the characteristics of the rural farmer. Lack of proper information infrastructure also affects information delivery. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the use of ICTs in the access and use of information by rural farmers in Lower Yatta District of Kitui, Kenya and recommend a suitable model for optimizing ICT use in information provision. The objectives of the study were to identify the information needs of the farmers, examining channels of communication and sources of information, map and audit types of ICTs available, identify the legal frameworks in place in support of information access and determine the challenges faced by farmers when accessing and using ICTs. The study was informed by Info-mobilization theory with regard to information systems and their application in communities, Wilson’s general model of information behaviour as it relates to information use and users and Information innovation adoption model with regard to ICT adoption by farmers. Cluster sampling was used to divide the district into locations, and then purposive sampling was used to get respondents from each location. The field study was conducted among 51 rural farmers and 9 key informants in the district. The study employed a qualitative research method using survey research paradigm, which focused on understanding and interpreting the utilization of ICTs in accessing information by rural farmers in Lower Yatta District. Interviews were conducted using semi-structured interview schedules supplemented by observation and document review methods. The data collected were analyzed through content analysis and interpretation techniques after the initial editing; coding, classification and tabulation. Amongst other findings, the results indicate firstly, that there is information provision through ICTs on agricultural activities, but farmers rarely access and use the information. Secondly, the information provided is not localized to the meet the community’s needs. Thirdly, that most farmers mostly used the conventional ICTs compared to the emerging ICTs. The study recommends that farmers to be advised on how to access agricultural information and shown the importance of applying the information in the agricultural practice, and policy makers should put in place policies and develop information systems which will ensure that information provided is relevant to the community. The government should intervene and facilitate the improvement of ICT infrastructure in the District through low-cost and high quality connections. The study also proposed a model for optimizing information access and use through ICTs.
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    Library 2.0 and the changing landscape of information services in academic libraries
    Musangi, Peninnah Syombua
    Traditional models of libraries offering information services are not working for current generation of students. Robinson (2008) discusses the current generation of undergraduate and graduate students as being digital natives. These digital natives have grown up in an environment surrounded by rapidly evolving technologies. This means that today‟s academic library users think about technology and information differently than previous generations, and expect instant access to information. I can term them to be „netGen‟ users. With this, academic libraries need to evolve by changing to user-oriented services, allowing users to participate in the creation of content, keeping the users constantly updated and building services based on users‟ feedback. To achieve this, libraries need to incorporate web 2.0 tools in the way they provide services to their users. Some of the tools to take advantage of include creation of blogs, wikis, flickr, youtube, facebook, RSS feeds, and slideshare among others. Another obvious change noted today is the development of university campuses all over the country. For an institution of higher learning, a library is fundamental. For most of these campuses, one will find small rooms as libraries; with minimal resources and a few staff members. This is a challenge and Library 2.0 being a combination of both physical and virtual spaces and services can offer solution to such campuses. Nowadays many universities are offering distance learning and evening programmes to cater for the working class people who want to advance their careers. Do they have to come all the way to visit the library to get information for their studies? No. Library 2.0 is their way out and therefore academic libraries have to invest in these tools, in addition to off-campus access to e-resources. This paper will discuss library 2.0 as the new model of information provision to library users and especially in the academic world. The library 2.0 tools and technologies will be discussed and how they can be applied in an academic library.
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    Management of University research output in Digital era : a case of Strathmore University
    Sawe, Emily Cherono; Musangi, Peninnah Syombua
    Today scholarly information is being produced in digital format unlike few years ago when scholars used to present their work in a hard format.Kanyengo (2009) notes that creators of knowledge and publishers of knowledge and everyone who is involved in the production of knowledge prefer the electronic format.A lot of digital content is now being produced in the scholarly world and this has brought serious and pressing issues in the access, preservation an dissemination of the content. This paper will highlight Strathmore University’s experience in using institutional repository to manage their research output, the benefits and the challenges they faced.