Academics' experience of and perceptions of the role of the academic library in research at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Abstract

The study investigates the role of CPUT libraries in supporting research and how academics perceive this role. CPUT is a new university of technology and aims at improving its research record. Research is crucial to South Africa to develop economically, socially and to compete globally. Research is fundamental to the existence of universities. Universities of technology libraries face the challenge of providing support for research. Previously the colleges / technikon libraries provided support for undergraduate and underdiplomates only. Today, they have to provide support for researchers at masters, doctoral, and post-doctoral levels. Questions arising from the research problem are: • How much and what kind of research is being conducted by academic staff at CPUT? • What programmes does the library have to meet the needs of the researcher? • How do academic researchers use the library at present? • What do researchers see as the inhibiting and encouraging factors for their research with regard to library services? • How do they perceive the role of the library in their research? There were two phases in the research design: an in-depth interview with the recently appointed Research Librarian at CPUT libraries whose job it is to plan and implement library support services to researchers and to run the Research Information Support Centre (RISC) and an electronic survey of researchers on the academic staff of CPUT. The purpose of the interview was to explore the library plans for research support. Nine themes were highlighted during the interview with the Research Librarian for example: • Librarians should be researchers, research support is a whole-library responsibility • Postgraduate degree research is the core function of RISC. The purpose of the survey was to investigate what researchers need and want from the library as well as their perceptions and attitudes towards the role of the library in research.