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Browsing Journals Articles by Author "Mutula, Stephen"

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    Access to electronic and print information resources by people with visual impairments in university libraries: A review of related literature
    (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2018) Majinge, Rebecca M.; Mutula, Stephen
    The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implication of copyright on access to electronic and print information resources by people with visual impairments in university libraries. The paper examines the extent to which electronic and print information resources in university libraries are accessible to people with visual impairments; the extent to which existing national/international copyright laws facilitate or hamper access to electronic and print information resources by people with visual impairments; examine challenges facing people with visual impairments in accessing electronic and print information resources; and how these challenges can be ameliorated.
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    Ethical Aspects of Doctoral-Research Advising in the Emerging African Information Society
    (Library Trends, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015) Mutula, Stephen; Majinge, Rebecca M.
    This paper discusses the ethical aspects of doctoral-research advising in the emerging African information society from an African perspective. It addresses the following research questions: What is the status of information ethics in Africa? What theoretical frameworks are available to illuminate the ethical dimension of the emerging African information society? To what extent are ethical aspects of the emerging African information society integrated into doctoral research advising in library and information science in Africa? What are the roles and obligations of the supervisor and supervisee in doctoral research? How is information and communication technology (ICT) being used to enhance doctoral-research advising? The paper is underpinned by various ethical theoretical models, such as the Trust Model, Hayward Power Relations, classical and contemporary ethical traditions, and game theory. It relies upon a literature survey to address the research problems. Results reveal, among other things, the milestones achieved by African scholars in promoting information ethics through curriculum development and research. However, there is a need for the evolving information society to take cognizance of African cultural contexts. The results also reveal that supervisor–supervisee relationships are constrained. The ethical dimension of the emerging African information society should be infused into the doctoral-research process to improve the relationships of supervisor and supervisee. This should be supported by responsible use of ICT, taking into account the Africa cultural context and African values to facilitate the doctoral-advising process. All these should be buttressed by an enabling policy framework at the institutional level to promote harmony and productivity in doctoral research.
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    Shortcomings in Library and Information Science (LIS) PhD projects : analyses of examined theses and supervised for the period 2008–2016 at select universities in eastern, western and southern Africa
    (Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries (QQML), 2018-05-28) Mutula, Stephen; Majinge, Rebecca M.
    This article presents the experiential perspectives of the authors on the shortcomings in LIS PhD theses submitted for examination or supervised in 15 purposively selected universities in Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Ghana, and South Africa. In all, 36 theses were examined and/ or supervised for the period 2008–2016. The shortcomings discussed here were isolated in the conception of the research topic, introduction (background to the study), review of literature, selection and use of theory, presentation and discussion of the results, as well as in the technical presentation of the theses. The authors conclude that the shortcomings identified in the LIS PhD projects may be attributed to a number of factors including, but not limited to inadequate preparedness on the parts of supervisors and the candidates, and limited support given to PhD candidates. The authors recommend rethinking the mode of offering the LIS PhD programmes from being exclusively research-oriented to a hybrid model of course work and research. The issues raised in this article have implications for PhD supervision capacity building, postgraduate support and mentorship.