Posted by: fsk82 on: July 13, 2009
Library staffs in the public sector of Namibia are surely not considered to be doing professional work, hence the lowest salaries they are being paid. This is because the perhaps the public sector does not recognise the importance libraries play in the development of the country and in the provision of information to citizens.
Librarians are among the few public servants who have contact with people from all ministries, departments, and the entire public. It is only when senior public employees have a “technical problem” that they think of the library as the only solution to make their enquiry.
It is now time that Namibia recognise the importance of libraries in life, in development, in the country, in decision-making, and in everything that requires information.
Posted by: fsk82 on: June 23, 2009
It is just so amazing how things change from one moment to the other. At the beginning of the year, I did not perceive myself to be a supervisor until late May when a colleague resigned. I was then told that I would take his position at Reference section in the library. Then a guarantee that when I complete my degree at the end of this year, I will surely become a Librarian was so good too. I am now hoping to ride new dimensions and face new challenges that come my way. Hopefully, I will make it successfully.
Posted by: fsk82 on: April 17, 2009
Recently some students came from UNAM, auditing knowledge at the National Library of Namibia and the Archives. I was one of the people audited. It is interesting to see that Namibia is recognising the importance that knowledge can have on the development of the country. However, it is only a few institutions that are aware of the importance of knowledge. Therefore all organisations should shift traditional approaches to knowledge-based approaches of making things happen.
Posted by: fsk82 on: March 26, 2009
ICTs represent a potential tool for development – a way to overcome the limitations of time and distance. They are based on the understanding that the most effective means of raising standards of living is in this context with local tools and materials in novel and environmentally friendly ways. In this way, productivity can be increased, health improved, and education promoted.
Social change
The key purpose of communication for development and social change is using communication to facilitate efforts by people to achieve sustainable improvements in individual and collective well-being. Communication for development can facilitate social change in Namibia in two ways. First, by enabling and facilitating dialogues with communities so that they support sustainable policies and get involved in decision-making process. Second, the use of communication strategies, methods and resources will help achieve goals and capacity to address future development problems.
Participation involves people to work on the solutions to the problems, or to advocate or support the facilitation of solutions or removing opposition. Because development is about changing people, it is necessary to engage people in dialogues so that they are able to make contributions on those issues affecting them. Empowerment by giving people a voice helps people to overcome the fears of expressing themselves.
Communication for development
This is development that uses communication strategies to change the behaviours, attitudes, and knowledge of the people. The communication startegies used to counteract problems are know as interventions. There are three factors that affect communication for development. First, it depends on who the communicator or agent of change is. Second, the content of the message. And third, the medium through which the message is communicated to the community.
Facilitation
Communities need be mobilised and involved in making decisions and finding solutions to the problems affecting them most. In this way, communication for development creates a platform which encourages people to voice up their concerns. The engagement in dialogue leads people to take actions or steps to solving their problems.
In order to facilitate the process of social change in Namibia, communication for development must be designed with the aim to change people – changing their lives for better. Communication for development must encourage peole to practice what they hear during discussions; and it should also encourage the sharing of information or ideas so that development messages spreads out to the rest of communities. Opinion leaders should regulate ideas in meetings, but people should create their own ideas and formulate strategies in which those ideas are implemented to benefit the entire society or community.
Communication for development should establish a relationship with a local community and understand the local setting. It should involve the community in the identification of a problem, potential solutions, and in a decision to carry out an initiative.
Posted by: fsk82 on: November 13, 2008
Knowledge has become the latest factor of production in addition to land, capital and labour. Organisations in Namibia should therefore introduce knowledge management in order to improve their products and services. The introduction of knowledge management into organisations in Namibia will also lead to improved performance, competitive advantage and also innovation. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by: fsk82 on: September 17, 2008
This is my shortcut to cataloguing library materials using AACR2. Because the AACR2 book is too big, this page will provide me with a faster way to access and catalog materials without using the AACR2 book. This is for specific materials below:
| Music | Motion pictures & video recordings |
| Title & statement of responsibility | Title & statement of responsibility |
| Edition | Edition |
| Musical presentation | Publication |
| Publication area | Physical desccription |
| Physical description | Series |
| Series | Notes |
| Notes | Standard number |
| Standard number |
Posted by: fsk82 on: September 11, 2008
Sometimes you never know what is going on in the library field until such a time that you are awakened by somebody or something new, especially if you live in developing countries where technology trends are being difused slowly. This was my case when I did not know what I was missing until today, 11 September 2008, when I went for a training course conducted by Mr. Johann Piennar from Sabinet. Finally, I realised that as a Library Assistant in charge of cataloguing and processing periodicals, was missing much more of a tool to use in certain circumstances t make my work much easier. This training course has helped me very much and I will start using WorldCat A.S.A.P. beginning today.
Posted by: fsk82 on: September 9, 2008
This is my shortcut example to designing an ISIS database:
1. Field Definition Table (FDT)
| Tag | Name | Type | Rep | Subfield |
| 100 | Title | Alphanumeric | – | ab |
| 150 | Author | Alphanumeric | R | – |
| 200 | Imprint | Alphanumeric | – | abc |
Posted by: fsk82 on: September 5, 2008
I was in a meeting last on Tuesday, with a woman from EBSCO. I told her that my problem as a person responsible for periodicals at the National Library of Namibia was that some periodicals were taking too long a time to be delivered. One such example is Newsweek, which we have not been receiving from last year until Tuesday, but we have been paying for its subscription fee. That day she had come with a package but had not yet open it. Little did I know that in that package was Newsweek from February to August 2008. After the meeting, I opened the package…and surprise…there they were – the issues of Newsweek. That has made the difference even though it is too late to receive them.
Posted by: fsk82 on: June 6, 2008
On Friday, 9 May 2008, I was in a meeting at work that lasted for about five hours. At this meeting, a co-worker raised an issue that I will not forget in my career. She said, “the little knowledge that we (reference desk personnel) have can expire if we do not get training” to enhance the skills required to serve the users more effectively at the National Library of Namibia. Given that I am studying at the University of Namibia and carrying out a research on “The training needs for teacher-librarians in the Khomas region”, I was convinced that surely every employee has training needs in order to fill the gaps that they see as stumbling blocks in their careers. But the fact is that knowledge does not expire, except if it is not shared and used. Thus the saying “knowledge shared is knowledge multiplied”. It is my advice that as librarians we should share our expertise, insights, and knowledge of what we know.
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