Browsing by Author "Dulle, F. W."

Now showing 1 - 20 of 33
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    A model for public Libraries’ support in the development of small-scale business enterprises in Meru County, Kenya
    (Taylor & Francis, 2017-11) Gichohi, P. M.; Onyancha, O. B.; Dulle, F. W.
    This study aims at developing a suitable model for support by public libraries in the development of small-scale business enterprises (SBEs) in Meru County, Kenya. A mixed-methods research approach and survey research design were applied. We collected data from small-scale business traders, staff members from the three public libraries, and two staff members in charge of the Enterprise Development Department in Meru County by means of questionnaires and interviews, and applied document analysis on written sources held by these entities. We developed a model that can be adopted and is highly recommended to public libraries in supporting small enterprises in Kenya
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    Access and use of mass media by small-scale farmers in accessing agricultural information for poverty alleviation in Tanzania: a case study of Kilombero district
    (2014-11) Bernard, R. T.; Dulle, F. W.
    This paper reports the findings of a study that assessed the accessibility and use of mass media by small-scale farmers in accessing agricultural information for poverty alleviation in Tanzania. The study was carried out in six purposively selected villages in Kilombero district, Morogoro region. The study used a sample size of 120 respondents. It employed a case study research design and a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. Data were collected using documentary review, questionnaires, focus group discussions and observations. Quantitative data were analysed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.1 whereas qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. The results of the study show that radio was the most widely used information channel compared to television and newspapers in the study area. Generally, the agricultural information received by respondents through radio was relevant to their farm activities. Moreover, the agricultural information received by the respondents through television and newspapers was only partially relevant to their farming activities. The study findings also established that the barriers to accessing agricultural information through mass media in the study area were associated with poor power supply, poor signals, high cost of purchasing mass media sources, and inadequate feedback mechanism. Therefore, it is recommended that the government should support rural electrification and improve transport system so that modern agricultural mass media sources/facilitates can be more widely available and used in these areas than presently.
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    Addressing online information resources’ access challenges: potentials of resource discovery tools’ application
    (2016-12-11) Dulle, F. W.; Alphonce, A.
    This study was designed to assess the awareness and usage of a discovery tool known as LibHub among undergraduate students in their research projects’ undertakings. The study involved respondents who were randomly selected from purposively chosen four degree courses in the Faculty of Agriculture at the Sokoine University Agriculture in Tanzania. Copies of semi-structured questionnaire were distributed to 200 respondents for self-administration. Of the returned copies of the questionnaire, 158 (79%) were found complete and useful for further analysis. The findings of the study indicate that majority of respondents who knew and used LibHub were those who previously attended information literacy trainings at the University as compared to those who had never attended such trainings. Respondents who acknowledged to have used LibHub in their online information search endeavours cited ability to access information from various sources using a single authentication as the major advantage of this research tool. They also pointed out that a single search interface provided by LibHub saved time they spent in searching literature. However, respondents complained of limited number of computers at the University, few wireless points for internet access, and low internet speed as hindrances for effective utilisation of the LibHub in accessing online information resources. The study recommends more institutions to consider adoption of discovery tools in fulfilling their campaigns to foster the utilisation of online information resources.
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    An analysis of open access scholarly communication in Tanzanian Public Universities
    (UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA, 2010) Dulle, F. W.
    The aim of this study was to investigate factors affecting the adoption of open access in research activities within Tanzanian public universities in order to device mechanisms of enhancing the use of this mode of scholarly communication. The study adopted the UTAUT model to formulate an open access research model comprising of six constructs and five moderators for guidance of this investigation. A triangulation approach for data gathering was adopted. In the first instance, a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 398 respondents selected using the stratified random sampling from a population of 1088 university researchers from six public universities in Tanzania. The interview involving 63 policy makers and structured records review were also conducted to complement the questionnaire survey. The descriptive and binary logistic regression statistics of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) were used for data analysis. The study established that majority of the policy makers (90.5%) and researchers (72.1%) were aware of open access. Attitude, awareness, effort expectancy, and performance expectancy were established as the key determinants for researchers’ behavioural intention of open access usage while age, awareness, behavioural intention, facilitating conditions and social influence were found to significantly affect researchers’ actual usage of open access. It was concluded that researchers’ and policy makers’ general perceptions about open access were very positive signifying the acceptance of this mode of scholarly communication in the study area. Current poor research conditions and researchers’ low Internet self-efficacy such as inadequate information search and online publishing skills were cited as the main hindrances for researchers to use open access in scholarly communication. The study recommends institutionalisation of open access publishing in Tanzanian public universities and other similar research institutions so as to improve the dissemination of research output emanating from such institutions. Six areas for further research to establish more insights regarding the feasibility for open access development in the country are also recommended.
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    Application of ICT tools in communicating information and knowledge to artisanal fishermen communities in Zanzibar
    (2017) Benard, R.; Dulle, F. W.
    This article assesses the application of ICT tools in communicating information and knowledge to artisanal fishermen communities in Zanzibar. The study was carried out in four purposefully selected wards in Unguja District in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The study involved a sample size of 80 respondents. Data were collected by using document reviews, questionnaires, focus group discussions and personal observations. Results showed that artisanal fishermen need information and knowledge on weather condition, modern fish capturing methods, market and marketing, fish preservation and processing. The study also found that mobile phones and radio are the most ICTs tools used by the artisanal fishermen. The findings also revealed that communicating information and knowledge through ICT tools was limited by lack of funds, poor network connectivity, lack of training and seminars on the use of ICTs in accessing information and poor coverage on radio and television transmission. It is therefore recommended that the government should support artisanal fishermen in acquiring some of the fishing gears and ICTs tools such as GPS and sonar through subsidizing them.
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    Assessment of access and use of school library information resources by secondary schools students in Morogoro municipality, Tanzania.
    (2014) Benard, R.; Dulle, F. W.
    The paper reports results of a study on “Access and Use of School Library Information Resources by Secondary Schools Students in Morogoro Municipality Tanzania”. The main objective of this study was to assess access and use of library information resources by students of secondary schools in Morogoro Municipal. The study comprised of the following specific objectives; to investigate access and use of school library information resources by the secondary school students; to determine the level of satisfaction of students towards school library information resources and to find out challenges facing students in the use of school library and how to address such challenges. The study was carried out in five purposefully selected advanced level schools in Morogoro Municipality. Simple random sampling was used to select 30 respondents from each selected school to make a sample size of 150 respondents. The study employed a case study research design and used combination of methods to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Data was collected by using documentary review, questionnaires, interviews and personal observations. Quantitative data was analysed by using SPSS, while content analysis was adopted for qualitative data. Key findings revealed that the most frequently used library information sources by secondary students are only books and novels. Moreover, other library information resources, such as atlas and maps, dictionaries, novels, audio visuals and poetry were not accessible by students hence those sources were not satisfactory to meet their information needs. The findings further revealed that secondary school students face many constraints in using school library including lack of current and up to date reading materials, restricted reading hours, lack of sitting facilities, and lack of informational professional/ librarian for processing materials. The study conclude that for effective use of Schools Libraries by the secondary school students, there is need for current and adequate school library information resources, provision of accommodation facilities, provision of professional school librarians to manage libraries and conducive reading environment. These could be done in collaboration with all stakeholders in secondary education in the country. However, the study recommended that adequate provision of fund is necessary for the provision of current and up to date information resources and also for the employment of qualified and trained teacherlibrarian.
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    Capacity building modules for public libraries to support small-scale business enterprises in Meru County, Kenya
    (2017-06) Gichohi, P. M; Onyancha, O. B.; Dulle, F. W.
    The lack of well-structured capacity building programmes is a serious drawback to the effective development of small-scale business enterprises (SBEs) in Kenya. Public libraries as community information centres can collaborate with other stakeholders in facilitating the required skills. This study investigated the training needs of SBE traders and public library staff with the aim of proposing capacity building modules that can be considered by public libraries in Meru County, Kenya in their endeavour to support the SBEs. In implementing the study, a mixed methods approach was used and the survey research design adopted. Cluster and systematic sampling techniques were used in getting 355 SBE traders while census was used on twenty-one library staff and on two staff from Meru County government. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect the required data. The response rate was 83.4% and 95% for SBE traders and public library staff respectively. Descriptive statistics and thematic techniques were used to analyse the data. We used the findings of this study and the scholarly insights from previous studies to propose two sets of capacity building modules: for SBE traders and for the public library staff. The training areas comprise business information literacy, technology competency, and nature of information in the business domain. We recommend the adoption of the proposed modules in public libraries in Kenya in elevating support and value contribution in the development of the small business community. We further recommend a training policy for SBEs and the recruitment of experienced, skilled and knowledgeable business librarians.
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    Challenges associated with the use of information and communication technologies in information sharing by fish farmers in the Southern highlands of Tanzania
    (Emerald, 2020) Dulle, F. W.; Lamtane, H.; Benard, R.
    Purpose – This paper aims to examine the challenges facing fish farmers in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in information sharing on fish farming. Design/methodology/approach – This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. It involved 240 fish farmers who were randomly selected. Questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGDs), observation and key informant’s interviews were used as methods of data collection. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse quantitative data, while content analysis was used for qualitative data. Findings – It was found that the most frequently used ICTs by fish farmers in sharing agricultural information were mobile phones, radio and television. Also, the study revealed that major challenges facing fish farmers in sharing information include unfavourable radio or television broadcasting time, high cost of acquiring and maintenance of ICT facilities, lack of training on ICT, poor network connectivity and low level of literacy. Moreover, it was further found that there was negative significant relationship (P < 0.05) between challenges associated with the use and degree of ICT usage by fish farmers. Originality/value – The study is original with the exception of areas where citations have been made. Besides, it provides awareness and understanding of the challenges facing fish farmers in ICT usage in information sharing on fish farming, and this will enable improvement of timely provision and access to relevant information and hence improved fish farming production.
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    Creating a core journal collection for agricultural research in Tanzania: citation analysis and user opinion techniques
    (Emerald Group Publishing Limited) Dulle, F. W.; Lwehabura, M. J. F.; Matovelo, D. S.; Mulimila, R. T.
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    Creating a core journal collection for agricultural research in Tanzania: citation analysis and user opinion techniques
    (Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2004) Dulle, F. W.; Lwehabura, M. J. F.; Matovelo, D. S.; Mulimila, R. T.
    The major objective of this study was to analyse the citation patterns of agricultural scientists in Tanzania. The specific objectives were to: assess researchers' access to information as reflected from citation analysis; establish a list of core agricultural journals for agricultural researchers in Tanzania using citation analysis and user opinions; and find out the extent to which the available information resources meet the research needs revealed by the study. The study involved the analysis of 295 MSc theses and 21 PhD theses submitted at Sokoine University of Agriculture between 1989·1999, and 309 conference proceeding articles published during the same period. It is concluded that generally agricultural scientists in the country had limited access to current journals. A number of options are recommended to alleviate the situation, with a focus on electronic journal provision supported by international organizations.