Dr Chris Owusu-Ansah

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to assess the status of the open access (OA) movement on the African continent, and if there is any financial or moral exploitation by dominant "foreign" world powers. OA provided the African intellectual community with a tool to prove its academic prowess and an opportunity to display cultural and intellectual independence. OA publishing is prone to abuse, and some in Africa have sought to exploit the OA boom to profit from non-academic activity rather than use this tool to glorify Africa's image and diversity on the global intellectual stage. These issues are explored in detail in the paper. Design/methodology/approach-The authors broadly assessed literature that is related to the growth and challenges associated with OA, including the rise of OA mega journals, in Africa. Findings-African OA journals and publishers have to compete with established non-African OA entities. Some are considered "predatory", but this Jeffrey Beall-based classification may be erroneous. Publishing values that African OA publishers and journals aspire to should not equal those published by non-African publishing entities. Africa should seek solutions to the challenges on that continent via Africa-based OA platforms. The budding African OA movement is applauded, but it must be held as accountable as any other OA journal or publisher. Originality/value-African scholars need to reassess the "published in Africa" OA image.

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the status of the open access (OA) movement on the African
continent, and if there is any financial or moral exploitation by dominant “foreign” world powers. OA
provided the African intellectual community with a tool to prove its academic prowess and an opportunity to
display cultural and intellectual independence. OA publishing is prone to abuse, and some in Africa have
sought to exploit the OA boom to profit from non-academic activity rather than use this tool to glorify Africa’s
image and diversity on the global intellectual stage. These issues are explored in detail in the paper.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors broadly assessed literature that is related to the growth
and challenges associated with OA, including the rise of OA mega journals, in Africa.
Findings – African OA journals and publishers have to compete with established non-African OA entities. Some
are considered “predatory”, but this Jeffrey Beall-based classification may be erroneous. Publishing values that
African OA publishers and journals aspire to should not equal those published by non-African publishing entities.
Africa should seek solutions to the challenges on that continent via Africa-based OA platforms. The budding
African OA movement is applauded, but it must be held as accountable as any other OA journal or publisher.
Originality/value – African scholars need to reassess the “published in Africa” OA image.
Keywords Higher education, Academics, Exploitation, Open access, Predatory open access journals,
African intellect.

Information Literacy (IL) is a necessary skill needed by students to survive in the dynamic information environment of the 21 st century. This study explored the IL skills of secondary school students in Ghana with specific focus on students' abilities in finding and evaluating information. The study was conducted in two " first-class " secondary schools in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti Region of Ghana; Opoku Ware Senior High School and Yaa Asantewaa Girls' Senior High School. A survey instrument was developed to assess the skills of the students in that regard. Questionnaires were distributed to an overall sample size of one hundred and seventy (170) students in the two schools. In addition, four teaching staff of the schools were also interviewed to corroborate the findings from the students. The findings revealed that students in the two schools lack the ability to effectively access information for their academic work. The study also discovered that students in the participating schools lack the basic skills to differentiate good information from bad ones. The study recommends, among others, the integration of IL into the secondary school curriculum in Ghana; and collaboration between librarians, teaching staff and the Ghana Education Service to promote IL among students to promote lifelong learning.

The purpose of the study was to explore the newspaper reading behaviour of university students of the Kumasi campus of the University of Education Winneba (UEW-K) and the Wa campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS). The study made use of the survey design. A total questionnaire of 730 was self-administered to randomly selected students yielding an overall response rate of 558 (76.4%). Among others, the findings of the study showed that most students have a positive attitude to reading in the library; most students have a positive attitude to reading newspapers in the digital format; and most students believe reading newspapers can improve their current awareness of national issues and vocabulary. In respect of challenges, the study found inadequate copies of newspapers as the main challenge when students are reading newspapers in the library. Recommendations for academic libraries include adjusting newspaper collection development policies to include electronic newspaper subscriptions; conducting needs assessment to drive newspaper collection development; and setting up separate newspaper services unit with reading rooms.

The purpose of this paper was to explore the factors responsible for publication preferences among a
select group of researchers attending a research writing workshop in Ghana. The objectives were to
investigate the specific motivations for publishing; to explore the factors that influence researchers’
journal selection decisions; and availability of in-house programmes for journal publishing. The
population of the study consisted of researchers from several academic institutions in Ghana who
attended a research writing workshop. The research made use of the convenience sampling method
to select a total of 67 researchers to participate in the study. The study used a self-administered
closed-ended questionnaire consisting of 13 items and analysed using the mean test, standard
deviation and simple percentages. The study found that researchers consider “contribution to
scholarship” as the main motivation for publishing even though job mobility is a major source of
motivation. Again, the major factor influencing journal selection decision is journal reputation.
However, many researchers indicated a high preference for journals that does not charge publication
fees. Finally, most respondents do not benefit from in-house research development programmes.
The study recommends the development of in-house academic publishing programmes that are
researcher-centred; the development of new of enhancement of existing research mentoring schemes,
the issuance of “standalone” low quality journals; and the need for researchers to consider both
intrinsic and extrinsic factors in their quest to become quality researchers.

The study is a survey of the impact of leadership on graduate students' use of electronic resources. The study employed a questionnaire-based survey consisting of 24 questions to determine JCT skills; method of awareness and purpose of use of electronic resources; as well as the impact of leadership on the use of electronic resources among graduate students. The total population was 725 graduate students of which a random sample of 100 (13%) used for the study with a 100 per cent response rate. The retrieved data was inputted into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.00 for the analysis of the results. The variables were subjected to in-depth data analysis and presented through descriptive statistics in the form of tables. The findings have important implications for leadership mainly on the role of academic staff and librarians. The study also demonstrates a high commitment of key academic stakeholders in supporting quality research through the formulation and implementation of favourable policies on the use of quality electronic resources for graduate research. Introduction The graduate student of the 21 5t century is a critical member of the academic research community. Graduate students relish in the potential competitive advantage their education offers in the job market, while some others use graduate education as a springboard for research and teaching careers. Regardless of prior expectation and motivation, graduate students have high level information needs for graduate study and research (O'Clair, 2012). Ensuring that graduate students are adequately prepared for the world of work is critically important, influencing both retention and the time to achieving a degree, two significant metrics of student and institutional success. Consequently, academic library leaders and academic leaders must be involved in systematic planning to ensure that graduate students acquire the necessary ICT skills before graduation (O'Clair, 2012).

This study examined the use of Social Media/Web 2.0 for research support and it is guided by three objectives namely:  a) to ascertain the uses social media in academic institutions; b) to identify the challenges associated with social media use for research purposes and c) to provide experiences of social media application in selected African academic institutions. The study makes use of literature analysis in combination with personal and professional work experiences on the use of social media from librarians in four different countries. Institutional experiences by the four librarians showed that it is only Rhodes University Library that uses social media in its library, which is as a result of a formal social media strategy. For the other three universities, University of Education, Winneba Library in Ghana, Makerere University Library in Uganda and the University of Nigeria Library, the use of social media is not encouraging. They use it mostly for communication and interaction with colleagues. It was also discovered that there is no social media strategy available in these university libraries. Based on these findings, the study recommended the implementation of social media strategy, appointment of social media librarians in these libraries, and continuing professional development of librarians to keep abreast with current trends. Web 2.0/Social Media is a new technology offering new options for African academic librarians in their research support role.

The paper explores the concept of Personal Librarianship which is fairly a novel concept in the library and information science context in Africa. The Personal Librarian Programme encourages students to build relationships with their personal librarians who provide learning support, and introduce the library as an enabling environment that supports students’ learning needs. The ultimate goal of this concept is to make First Year Students Information Literate. The idea behind the programme is that the personal librarian becomes the student’s primary contact throughout his/her studies. The study reviews the two most widely used models of teaching and imparting Information Literacy by pointing out their strengths and weaknesses. In the end, the research highlights the importance of complementing these existing efforts with the Personal Librarian concept. The research also demonstrates the feasibility of implementing the Personal Librarian Programme in a higher education context in Africa. Finally, the study elicits some challenges in using the Personal Librarian Programme to implement Information Literacy. Overall, the study contributes to efforts aimed at proactively engaging students to enhance their competencies in information usage.

The study discussed the impact of library automation on
the job satisfaction of University of Education, Winneba
(UEW) library staff. The overall aim of the study was to
investigate the impact of the implementation of the library
automation project on library staff in terms of how it affects
their job satisfaction. The study employed the use of the survey
research approach through the purposive sampling method as
the study actually sought the views of all library staff with the
aid of a structured questionnaire. A total of ninety-four (94)
questionnaires with 35 items were used to obtain relevant data
for the study. Of these, 66 of the questionnaires representing
70.21% of the total questionnaire were retrieved and analyzed.
The findings have shown a high level of awareness of the project,
increase in productivity, job satisfaction and acquisition of new
skills by staff.
Key words: Job satisfaction; library automation; information
technology; University of Education, Winneba; Ghana

The main purpose of the study was to determine the status of information and communication technology (ICT) in academic libraries in polytechnics in Ghana. The study utilized an e-mail survey of ten (10) polytechnic librarians with the use of structured questionnaires of open and close ended questions. The respondents were purposively selected. The findings were analyzed using SPSS software and presented by use of descriptive statistics. The study found that majority of the respondents does not have adequate ICT facilities in the polytechnic libraries, and therefore cannot support modern academic library services. The findings indicate that ICT-based services that enhance the delivery of library services are generally inadequate in these libraries which are expected to offer value-added services to users. Based on the research findings, the study suggests among others that polytechnics should acquire adequate ICT facilities in their libraries to provide modern academic library services to their users. Polytechnic libraries must position themselves strategically in terms of ICT to be able to sustain their services to help achieve their mission.

Purpose: The mission of librarians is to provide access to information required for the satisfaction of their
users. This article brings to the fore the need for academic librarians in particular to assert themselves and
reinforce their competencies in their bid to serve a very complex clientele in the age of information and
communication technology and changes in higher education.
Design/Methodology: The authors achieved the purpose of this study through a brief review of the literature in
an attempt to identify some standards expected of highly competent librarians. Through a face to face interview
with a seasoned Ghanaian librarian, these standards are then tested in a bid to ascertain some of the notions of
excellent academic librarianship.
Findings: The study  revealed among others that a highly successful career in librarianship is achievable but
requires awareness of and abiding by the professional standards and expectations of modern academic
librarianship. Again, the need for continuous professional development among librarians and commitment to
the ultimate growth of the library profession is given credence through the interviewee’s long -term participation
in the activities of the international library fraternity both in  Ghana and abroad.
Originality/value: The paper is able to illustrate that academic librarians could achieve excellence in their career
if they consciously abide by the standards of academic librarianship devised by many international and
national library organisations.
Keywords: University librarian; mentorship; scholarly publishing; continuous professional development,
interview.