Library Publications

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A contextual framework for bibliometric integrity: synthesizing positivist and rationalist paradigms in the analysis of African LIS research during COVID-19.
(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2026) Lugya, Fredrick Kiwuwa; State, Eliz Nassali
Purpose This paper aims to examine bibliometric analysis’s role in advancing academic integrity through contextual citation practices. It identifies methodological and conceptual gaps in the literature. The paper proposes a philosophically informed novel framework integrating positivist and rationalist paradigms to address these limitations. Design/methodology/approach A multi-phase mixed-methods design is employed, combining a comprehensive literature review, a diagnostic critique of a prior study, and an illustrative case study. The empirical component reanalyses COVID-19’s impact on African Library and Information Science research via triangulated data from Scopus, Google Scholar, journal metadata and author surveys. Findings The diagnostic critique identifies common shortcomings: temporal oversimplification, contextual blindness, data source bias and overreliance on descriptive statistics. The case study demonstrates that applying the contextual framework yields more nuanced insights. Key results show preexisting publishing infrastructure, not the pandemic, primarily drove output, and citation visibility varied significantly across databases. Research limitations/implications While the illustrative case study validates the framework’s utility, broader application across diverse geographic and disciplinary contexts is needed. Future research should test and refine the framework in varied settings to establish its generalizability. Practical implications Researchers should adopt context-sensitive bibliometric practices, including mixed-methods designs, data source triangulation, and consideration of local scholarly infrastructures to support more equitable and credible research assessment, particularly for underrepresented regions. Originality/value This paper provides a novel, philosophically grounded framework synthesizing positivist and rationalist traditions. It offers a critical diagnostic tool and a constructive methodological model, supported by original empirical evidence from an under-researched regional context. Keywords: Bibliometrics, Academic integrity, Citation analysis, Covid-19, Africa, Contextual, Analysis
A vibrant life starts with guaranteed access to quality and affordable healthcare.
(Quality Chemical Industries Limited, 2026) Rotary Zone 22 & 23
August is Membership and New Club Development Month, and in this edition of Rotary Impact Africa, we turn our attention to one of the most urgent questions facing our organisation: How do we grow Rotary, and how do we ensure that the people who join find compelling reasons to stay? Our lead story takes us to District 9214, where Rotary grew by nearly 900 members. That is not merely an impressive statistic. It is a story of intentional leadership, bold action and a clear understanding that membership growth does not happen by accident. The more important question, however, is what the rest of Africa can learn from it.
Advancing research through DataCite’s global access fund : Busitema University, Uganda.
(DataCite, 2024) Lugya, Fredrick Kiwuwa.
This article details Busitema University Library's initiative, funded by DataCite’s Global Access Fund, to promote open scholarship in Uganda. A key output was a week-long "train-the-trainer" workshop in May 2024, which equipped 31 participants from 28 university libraries with skills in open access advocacy, institutional repositories, and DataCite’s persistent identifier services. The goal is to establish a national cohort of "Cadres" to drive the adoption of open infrastructure. The project aims for 100% open scholarship and DataCite services within Ugandan universities within five years. Sustained engagement through an online forum, regular training, and a planned academic paper will maintain momentum. This initiative represents a significant collaborative effort to foster a culture of transparency, accessibility, and enhanced research discoverability across Uganda's academic community.
Affective encounters with digital knowledge collections : towards supporting Indigenous wellbeing.
(Sage, 2026) Lipscombe, Ailsa; Liew, Li Chern
Building on discussions in the Information Sciences on responsibility and decolonizing digitization, we emphasize how cultural context is key, not only for understanding matauranga Maori [Maori Indigenous knowledge], but also for ethically and compassionately caring for such knowledges in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our korero [dialogues] with Maori archival users highlight the intricate ways digital knowledge collections are embedded within—and accessed through—webs of social practices, including those that support intergenerational knowledge transmission, whanaugatanga [kinship] and turangawaewae [one’s connection to self through place]. We introduce the concept of “awhi”—meaning to support, cherish, or nurture—to frame the ethical archiving of matauranga Maori in Aotearoa New Zealand. We contend that awhi is an interpersonal invitation to center dynamic relational partnerships, guided in the Aotearoa context by the tikanga [customary practices or behaviors], kawa [protocols], and whanonga pono [values] that our communities ﬁnd meaningful. Keywords Decolonization, digital archiving, emotionality, ethics of care, Indigeneity, relationality
AgriConnect’s first year offers a wider view of what farmers need to succeed.
(Busitema University Library, 2026) Kalamya, Aaron
One year after AgriConnect was launched, its work across Africa is beginning to show that improving agriculture takes more than helping farmers produce more. Roads, storage, finance, reliable markets, extension services, technology and sound policies all influence whether a good harvest eventually improves a household’s income. The World Bank Group and the International Fund for Agricultural Development launched AgriConnect with other development and private sector partners to connect 300 million family and smallholder farmers worldwide to markets, finance and agricultural services by 2030. Half of the first ten AgriConnect country compacts have been launched in Africa, and the two institutions say their targeted investments have already reached at least 10 million farmers on the continent.
Beyond acknowledgement: Indigenous centered projects on reclamation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
(Sage, 2026) Anderson, G. Bethany; Krupa, L. Krystiana; Sutton, A. Elizabeth; Tapaha, G. Oliver
This essay discusses the work of several campus units and projects at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign that center and build collaborative relationships with Tribal Nations, and support the efforts of sovereign Nations to access and manage their cultural heritage. These projects and initiatives include the NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) Ofﬁce, which develops strategies with partner Tribal Nations to facilitate repatriation; the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, which has partnered with Native and Indigenous artists and communities to develop exhibitions and programs; the University of Illinois Archives, which has been collaborating with Native communities to co-curate and co-develop access protocols for archival materials collected by anthropologists in the 1960s; and the Round Rock Community History Project, which engages Kindergarten to Grade 8 students and teachers at a reservation-based school on the Navajo Nation in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Collaborative for Harmony, Empowerment, and Innovation. Keywords NAGPRA, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, repatriation, museums, cultural heritage management, principles of library and information science
Beyond the MOU : building meaningful partnerships.
(The University of Tulsa, 2026) Wang, Vivian
Beyond the MOU : building meaningful partnerships ---- university prospective.
Bibliometric analysis of Indigenous knowledge systems and climate change adaptation literature, 1993–2023.
(Sage, 2026) Gondo, Reniko
This article presents a bibliometric analysis of the intersection between Indigenous knowledge systems and climate change adaptation, based on 507 journal articles from 1993 to 2023 sourced from the Web of Science database. Using citation analysis and keyword co-occurrence, the study examines key themes, trends and inﬂuential works, shedding light on the evolving discourse surrounding Indigenous knowledge systems in climate adaptation. It identiﬁes regional variations and shifts in research focus, highlighting the growing recognition of the role of Indigenous knowledge systems in climate change adaptation, particularly in Africa. The study ﬁnds an increase in scholarly interest and research output, signalling the rising signiﬁcance of Indigenous knowledge systems in both academic and practical domains. It also reveals diverse approaches to integrating Indigenous knowledge systems into adaptation efforts, including community-based participatory research and policy advocacy. The study recommends an enhanced collaboration and knowledge exchange among traditional knowledge-holders, researchers, policymakers and practitioners to fully leverage Indigenous knowledge systems in addressing climate challenges effectively.
Building effective U.S.–Uganda higher education partnerships : understanding institutional differences and creating long-term collaboration.
(U.S. Embassy Uganda, 2026) Surface, Lana
Universities are among the few institutions that combine education, research, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and international collaboration under one roof. In almost all contexts, they are among any country’s greatest strategic assets.
Enhancing access and efficiency: the role of library research guides in supporting academic success at Busitema University
(Elsevier Inc., 2025) Lugya, Fredrick Kiwuwa.
This mixed-methods study evaluates the implementation, perceived impact, and systemic barriers of standardized research guides at Busitema University, a multi-campus institution in Uganda. Through concurrent qualitative and quantitative data collection—including in-depth interviews with 30 students and 15 lecturers, open-ended surveys (n = 142), and document analysis—the research identifies both the transformative potential and critical limitations of the discipline-specific guides. Findings reveal a significant awareness gap, with 55 % of interviewed students unaware of the guides' existence. Among regular users (40 % of interviewed students), concentrated in Engineering and Health Sciences, self-reported data indicated perceived time savings and enhanced research efficiency. The study highlights the pivotal role of lecturer-librarian collaboration, with successful partnerships in 8 of 15 cases correlating with higher reported guide engagement. However, institutional constraints—such as lack of recognition for collaborative work, cited by 73 % of non-adopting lecturers—and infrastructural challenges, including weekly internet outages faced by 75 % of rural students, significantly hindered scalability and consistent access. The research demonstrates how localized content curation, incorporating 336 Ugandan policies and 524 scholar profiles, enhanced contextual relevance and addressed decolonial pedagogical aims. Persistent issues with content currency, including broken links reported by 23 % of users, underscored sustainability challenges. Based on these findings, we propose an integrated intervention framework grounded in library and pedagogical scholarship: (1) LMS integration for seamless curricular embedding, (2) incentive structures to formalize faculty collaboration, and (3) participatory update cycles to maintain resource relevance. These evidence-based recommendations contribute to global conversations on equitable resource access, offering a replicable model for balancing standardization with contextual flexibility in resource-constrained academic environments.
Exploring control of access to the Japadhola indigenous information
(Sage, 2026) Okello, Gilbert; Bukirwa, Joyce; Magara, Elisam
An ethnographic study was conducted to explore the signiﬁcance of protecting indigenous knowledge and practices in Uganda, focusing on the Japadhola community in Nagongera, Tororo District, Uganda. Despite Uganda’s recognition of its indigenous communities in the 1995 Constitution, there remains a signiﬁcant gap in the protection and promotion of indigenous heritage. Employing ethnography and critical indigenous research methodology (CIRM), this study highlights the unique ways in which the Japadhola community accesses and controls its indigenous knowledge, arguing against its inclusion in the public domain and calling for a reevaluation of legal protections in Uganda. Data were collected through ethnographic methods, including interviews, observations, document reviews, and focus group discussions. We then analyzed the data qualitatively using a grounded theory approach with MaxQDA24 software. The ﬁndings reveal that the Japadhola community employs highly developed and complex access control mechanisms, contributing to contemporary debates on information access and offering insights into African indigenous communities. The study advocates policies that respect and protect the cultural heritage of Uganda’s diverse indigenous communities, providing recommendations to various stakeholders. Keywords Access control, critical indigenous research methodology, ethnography, indigenous knowledge, indigenous knowledge protection, intellectual property rights, Japadhola community, Uganda
From locked storerooms to learning hubs : reimagining community libraries for self-directed learning in rural Uganda.
(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2026) Lugya, Fredrick Kiwuwa; Mukungu, Isaac
Purpose – This study aims to explore how primary school learners in rural Uganda can be supported to engage in self-directed learning (SDL) within the competence-based curriculum (CBC), focusing on the potential of community libraries and low tech digital tools as enabling infrastructures. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative dominant mixed-methods design guided by Critical Incident Technique was used, using structured surveys (n = 100 pupils), semi-structured interviews (30 pupils, f ive teachers, five headteachers, one district education officer) and ten focus group discussions (three to five pupils each) across ten primary schools in Busia District, Uganda. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings – While 97% of pupils receive homework, only 37% have textbooks at home; digital tools are absent. Only 16% identify parents as homework helpers; and 29% fail to complete homework due to domestic labour demands. School “libraries” function as locked textbook storerooms − 82% of pupils have visited, but access is teacher mediated and transactional. No facilitative services, diverse collections or conducive learning spaces exist. Research limitations/implications – Findings are context specific to one Ugandan district. Longitudinal and intervention research is needed to test the proposed library reconfiguration model and its impact on SDL competency development over time. Practical implications – This study recommends a multilevel strategy: transforming school book storerooms into curated resource and guidance hubs; adopting a “low tech first” digital approach (solar audio players, offline digital libraries); training community facilitator networks; and integrating library-based SDL support into national curriculum and policy frameworks. Originality – This research addresses a critical gap by centring rural learner perspectives and positioning community libraries as dynamic, facilitative hubs within SDL discourse in a low-resource Sub-Saharan African context. It extends SDL theory by demonstrating that in contexts of extreme scarcity, Garrison’s self- management dimension requires a “foundational” layer of basic resource provision. Keywords Self-directed learning, Rural education, Community libraries, Competence-based curriculum, Digital tools, Uganda
IFC investment experience offers lessons for taking Busitema research beyond the university.
(Busitema University Library, 2026) Kalamya, Aaron
A promising agricultural innovation can prove itself in a laboratory or field trial and still never reach the farmer who needs it. Moving from research to regular use takes money, production capacity, business skills, strong management and, often, partners willing to invest for the long term. That gap between a good idea and real-world impact is what makes a recent International Finance Corporation (IFC) experience worth examining at Busitema University. IFC, the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, has spent more than a decade working with Thailand-based private equity fund manager Lakeshore Capital, showing how investment can be used not only to grow companies, but also to strengthen the systems that allow them to create jobs and operate responsibly.
IFLA Strategy 2024-2029
(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2024) International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
IFLA’s 2024-2029 Strategy will take the Federation beyond its centenary, and almost to the end of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda. Both milestones encourage a focus on the long term, clarity about the world we want to see, and the role that libraries and IFLA can play. IFLA’s 2024-2029 Strategy has been shaped by members and volunteers through surveys and consultations that sought to understand their perceptions of IFLA today, and their aspirations for the future. The 2024-2029 Strategy is not prescriptive, but rather sets out a broader framework that anyone in our field can use to develop their own plans. It offers a clear vision of the world we want, as well as a theory of change setting out how IFLA can support libraries to get there. It will act as a constant reference for IFLA’s plans, a framework for measuring progress, and a potential model to help inform strategy development elsewhere. It is also designed to reflect IFLA's nature as an international federation, bringing together, providing a platform for, and delivering results for people from diverse cultures, language communities, geographies and experiences.
IFLA Trend Report 2024 : facing the future of information with confidence.
(Digital Media Research Centre, 2024) Dezuanni, Michael; Osman, Kim; Heck, Elizabeth; Burton, Alexander
The IFLA Trend Report 2024 is the first major update of this publication since the 2013 original, and represents a key pillar of our work to support the library field to be ready to face the future. Through building the reflex and ability to integrate the future into our planning today, libraries can be more resilient and so more sustainable. This, in turn, brings benefits to the communities that libraries serve, be they the population of a local area, the students and faculty of a university, or a country as a whole in the case of national libraries. The focus throughout is on the future of the information and knowledge environment, and how this influences – and is influenced by – what happens in other fields, such as civic life, the environment and more. This is broader than looking only at libraries and technology, but narrower than a general exploration of macro trends. In both of these cases, there is already a wide range of publications. The report is made up of two major elements – a set of trends identified on the basis of a comprehensive review of the literature review, and then a set of scenarios which explore the different sorts of future that we could face.
Impact factor, predatory & plagiarism
(Busitema University, 2026) Lugya, Fredrick Kiwuwa.
These two working documents provide a comprehensive overview of key concepts in scholarly communication, focusing on journal evaluation and publication ethics. The first document defines journal impact factors as citation-based metrics that indicate a journal’s prestige, and introduces popular tools such as CiteScore, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), and the h-index. It also addresses the threat of predatory journals, offering resources like COPE and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) to verify legitimacy. Additionally, it outlines common causes of unintentional plagiarism, including inconsistent citations and poor referencing. The second document expands on calculating and comparing impact factors using databases like Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. It provides a detailed comparison of their coverage, strengths, and weaknesses. Together, these documents serve as a practical guide for researchers to identify reputable journals, understand citation metrics, and maintain academic integrity through proper attribution.
Indigenous knowledge for climate change adaptation among Tanzanian smallholder farmers: A systematic review
(Sage, 2026) Sospeter, E. Martinus; Mtega, Pius Wulystan; Malekani, Andrew
This study investigates the use of Indigenous knowledge for climate change adaptation and mitigation among smallholder farmers in Tanzania. It adheres to the PRISM (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The study includes 20 peer-reviewed articles published between 2004 and 2023. The ﬁndings show that Indigenous knowledge is acquired from various sources, including personal experience, parents, friends and community members. Elders are key custodians of Indigenous knowledge. Smallholder farmers employ various techniques to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change, including mixed farming practices, crop diversiﬁcation, the use of traditional water dams, prayer and cultural rituals, participating in non-farming activities, entrepreneurship and the use of locally made pesticides. The ﬁndings imply that Indigenous knowledge has the potential to solve contextual-based problems. This review recommends further research to document Indigenous knowledge of climate change adaptation across all regions and ethnic groups in Tanzania. Keywords Indigenous knowledge, climate change adaptation, smallholder farmers, Tanzania, local knowledge
Individual task tracker & timesheet system : staff training programme.
(Busitema University Library, 2026) Kisombo, Gerald
To equip staff with the knowledge and practical skills required to use the Individual Task Tracker & Timesheet System for recording daily activities, monitoring work progress, and generating accurate monthly reports
Introduction: stewarding indigenous knowledge through ethics, law and the archive.
(IFLA, 2026) International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
Indigenous knowledges, languages and histories are prevalent in libraries, archives and museums but often face issues that stem from colonialism, structural racism or assimilation. Professionals working and researching in these areas must work with Indigenous knowledge experts and systems of memory to consider legal issues and ethical mandates when acting as custodians of the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous Peoples. With the expansion of digital collections and archives, these issues can be highlighted, healed or reinforced in complex ways.
Inﬂuence of Indigenous data governance principles on Indigenous knowledge management: Lessons from the Southern African Intangible Cultural Heritage Project
(Sage, 2026) Chigwada, Josiline; Mapara, Jacob; Ngulube, Patrick; Chabvutagondo, Tavhiringwa
The study investigates the impact of Indigenous data governance principles on managing Indigenous knowledge. Indigenous communities possess rich knowledge systems that are crucial for sustainable development and community well-being. However, managing this knowledge faces challenges, including inadequate data governance frameworks that fail to align with Indigenous values, protocols and ownership rights. This research explores how integrating Indigenous data governance principles into knowledge management practices enhances cultural autonomy, strengthens community resilience and fosters sustainable development. Drawing on a qualitative methodology including web content analysis, document analysis and personal experiences, a case study of the Southern African Intangible Cultural Heritage Project was carried out. The data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. The FAIR (ﬁndable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) and CARE (collective beneﬁt, authority to control, responsibility, ethics) principles were utilized as the guiding data governance principles. The ﬁndings highlight the importance of culturally sensitive data protocols, community-driven decision-making processes, and reciprocal partnerships between Indigenous communities and database managers. This research offers insights into transformative approaches for advancing Indigenous knowledge sovereignty. Keywords CARE principles, cultural heritage, FAIR principles, Indigenous knowledge, SAICH Project, Southern African Intangible Cultural Heritage

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