Fostering Research and Dialogue on Information Behaviour and Digital Literacy: Some Reflections on Africa’s Evolving Information Landscape

In 2024, the Department of Information Studies at the University of Ghana organized a landmark international conference under the theme “Fostering Research on Information Behaviour and Digital Literacy in Africa.” The conference provided a unique platform for scholars, practitioners, and policy experts to engage critically with emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities in the evolving information landscape of the continent. Following the success of the conference, the Department formally proposed that selected papers from the event be considered for publication as a special issue of the Ghana Library Journal (GLJ). Upon receiving approval from the Council of the Ghana Library Association, which serves as the publisher of the journal, the editorial process was set in motion.

Education plays a very important role in enhancing human development. Although all fields are important and can impact human development, the field of information science is perhaps the most important, as it deals with knowledge and information. This study aims to deeply explore the impact of information science education on the human development of Omani students and staff in the Department of Information Studies. To achieve this aim, the study employs a mixed-methods approach. The study population consists of 173 students from three programs within the Department of Information Studies. The study found that the department plays a significant role in enhancing students’ research skills, critical thinking, and digital literacy, which are essential for their personal and professional growth.

Digital literacy has become indispensable for individuals in the contemporary techno-centric world and imperative for governments to promote equitable growth. Using the fixed effects models to analyze a panel sample of 25 African countries from 2017 to 2021, the authors describe the overall situation of digital literacy in Africa and examine its relationship with ICT infrastructure, policy, and social inequality. The results show that the African countries exhibit a substantial and stable disparity in digital literacy. Availability of ICT infrastructure increases digital literacy, while social inequality decreases it. They also find that digital literacy and digital inclusion policies can overcome the barriers of availability and affordability of ICT infrastructure. In addition, digital literacy and digital inclusion policies have the potential to be mutually supportive, reinforcing each other’s role in promoting social equality.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which marketing principles are adopted in the provision of library services in agriculture related special libraries in Ghana. For this study, a questionnaire was used to collect data from librarians in charge of libraries. The study areas examined were level of training of library personnel, resources available to them for product design and marketing, and implementation of marketing principles. The study found out that libraries undertake limited marketing activities. Their activities are mostly promotional. These are newsletters, talks and exhibitions among others. The librarians have had some training in marketing through workshops and courses in the Department of Information Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. In spite of the above activities, none of the libraries had a marketing plan. They lacked adequate budget to support their activities. The library collections do not adequately meet the needs of the users due to its limitation in numbers, subject coverage and currency. The study concludes with recommendations that would enhance the marketing skills of the agriculture related special libraries.

The advancement of digital technologies has improved the information environment with more information being available and disseminated in electronic format. Electronic books have been used in the academic institutions, and academic users have recognised their potential in supporting scholarships. However, the increase in the acquisition of electronic books has brought about changes to the interface of academic institutions in the provision of electronic books to users. The aim of the study was to determine the use of electronic books among postgraduate students in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa. The study used the quantitative research method underpinned by a survey research design for the data collection. The findings show a high level of awareness of electronic books that are available at the institution and that are used by postgraduate students in learning and research. Postgraduate students access and use electronic books daily through some of the popular databases such as EBSCO Discovery Service, EBSCOhost and Emerald. However, most of the postgraduate students encountered many challenges that hinder the effective use of and access to electronic books, for example, limited access to the internet, the lack of information technology skills and the lack of training on the use of electronic books. The study recommends information and digital computer literacy training, continuous professional development, and workplace learning workshops on the access to and use of electronic books.

The arrival of the digital age has a comprehensive impact on universities. The transformation of the research paradigm based on big data has put forward higher requirements for the digital literacy of both tutors and graduate students. At present, domestic researches on the improvement path of digital literacy mostly focus on the “traditional growth point” of specialized literacy courses, ignoring the connection between tutor's digital literacy and graduate students' digital literacy. Based on Bandura's social learning theory, this paper takes the improvement of graduate students' digital literacy as the focus and destination and explores the influence of graduate tutors on graduate students' digital literacy. It is found that the tutor's information behavior has an important influence on the digital literacy of graduate students in the stages of observation, attention, retention and motivation. Facing up to this influence and making it a new growth point is of great significance for tutors and graduate students. In the practice of digital education, we should achieve the organic combination of specialized digital literacy courses and the influence of instructors, so that they work together to enhance the digital literacy of graduate students.

To address issues concerning potential treatment-emergent "suicidality," a consensus conference was convened March 23-24, 2009. This gathering of participants from academia, government, and industry brought together experts in suicide prevention, clinical trial design, psychometrics, pharmacoepidemiology, and genetics, as well as research psychiatrists involved in studies in studies of psychiatric disorders associated with elevated suicide risk across the life cycle. The process involved reviews of the relevant literature, and a series of 6 breakout sessions focused on specific questions of interest. Each of the participants at the meeting received references relevant to the formal presentations (as well as the slides for the presentations) for their review prior to the meeting. In addition, the assessment instruments of suicidal ideation/behavior were reviewed in relationship to standard measures of validity, reliability, and clinical utility, and these findings were discussed at length in relevant breakout groups, in the final plenary session, and in the preparation of the article. Consensus and dissenting views were noted. Discussion and questions followed each formal presentation during the plenary sessions. Approximately 6 questions per breakout group were prepared in advance by members of the Steering Committee and each breakout group chair. Consensus in the breakout groups was achieved by nominal group process. Consensus recommendations and any dissent were reviewed for each breakout group at the final plenary session. All plenary sessions were recorded and transcribed by a court stenographer. Following the transcript, with input by each of the authors, the final paper went through 14 drafts. The output of the meeting was organized into this brief report and the accompanying full article from which it is distilled. The full article was developed by the authors with feedback from all participants at the meeting and represents a consensus view. Any areas of disagreement at the conference have been noted in the text. The term suicidality is not as clinically useful as more specific terminology (ideation, behavior, attempts, and suicide). Most participants applauded the FDA's encouragement of standard definitions and definable expectations for investigators and industry sponsors. Further research of available assessment instruments is needed to verify their utility, reliability, and validity in identifying suicide-associated treatment-emergent adverse effects and/or a signal of efficacy in suicide prevention trials. The FDA needs to systematically monitor postmarketing events by encouraging the development of a validated instrument for postmarketing surveillance of suicidal ideation, behavior, and risk. Over time, the FDA, industry, and clinical researchers should evaluate the impact of the requirement that all central nervous system clinical drug trials must include a Columbia Classification Algorithm of Suicide Assessment (C-CASA)-compatible screening instrument for assessing and documenting the occurrence of treatment-emergent suicidal ideation and behavior. Finally, patients at high risk for suicide can safely be included in clinical trials, if proper precautions are followed.

To address issues concerning potential treatment-emergent "suicidality," a consensus conference was convened March 23-24, 2009. This gathering of participants from academia, government, and industry brought together experts in suicide prevention, clinical trial design, psychometrics, pharmacoepidemiology, and genetics, as well as research psychiatrists involved in studies of major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance abuse/dependence, and other psychiatric disorders associated with elevated suicide risk across the life cycle. The process involved reviews of the relevant literature, and a series of 6 breakout sessions focused on specific questions of interest. Each of the participants at the meeting received references relevant to the formal presentations (as well as the slides for the presentations) for their review prior to the meeting. In addition, the assessment instruments of suicidal ideation/behavior were reviewed in relationship to standard measures of validity, reliability, and clinical utility, and these findings were discussed at length in relevant breakout groups, in the final plenary session, and in the preparation of the article. Consensus and dissenting views were noted. Discussion and questions followed each formal presentation during the plenary sessions. Approximately 6 questions per breakout group were prepared in advance by members of the Steering Committee and each breakout group chair. Consensus in the breakout groups was achieved by nominal group process. Consensus recommendations and any dissent were reviewed for each breakout group at the final plenary session. All plenary sessions were recorded and transcribed by a court stenographer. Following the transcript, with input by each of the authors, the final paper went through 14 drafts. The output of the meeting was organized into this scholarly article, which has been developed by the authors with feedback from all participants at the meeting and represents a consensus view. Any areas of disagreement have been noted. The term suicidality is not as clinically useful as more specific terminology (ideation, behavior, attempts, and suicide). Most participants applauded the FDA's effort to promote standard definitions and definable expectations for investigators and industry sponsors by endorsing the terminology in the Columbia Classification Algorithm of Suicide Assessment (C-CASA). Further research of available assessment instruments is needed to verify their utility, reliability, and validity in identifying suicide-associated treatment-emergent adverse effects and/or a signal of efficacy in suicide prevention trials. The FDA needs to build upon its new authority to systematically monitor postmarketing events by encouraging the development of a validated instrument for postmarketing surveillance of suicidal ideation, behavior, and risk within informative large health care-related databases in the United States and abroad. Over time, the FDA, industry, and clinical researchers should evaluate the impact of the current Agency requirement that all CNS clinical drug trials must include a C-CASA-compatible screening instrument for assessing and documenting the occurrence of treatment-emergent suicidal ideation and behavior. Finally, patients at high risk for suicide can safely be included in clinical trials, if proper precautions are followed, and they need to be included to enable premarket assessments of the risks and benefits of medications related to suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, and suicide in such patients.

The emergence of social media and the Internet came with wide acceptance and enthusiasm. Yet, scholars and analysts are worried that despite their inherent benefits, one of the major drawbacks of these platforms is that they enable the propagation of fake news. While fake news is not confined to these platforms, it has become a serious issue for contemporary society given that these platforms allow people to obtain, convey, and spread information for social inclusion, democratic engagements, and other purposes. The degree to which disinformation can sabotage these prospects reinforces arguments regarding what ought to be done to mitigate digital dysfunction. Despite this concern, there are more anecdotal perspectives than empirical enquiries into fake news and digital literacy in the African (Nigerian) context. Therefore, using the Inoculation and Message Interpretation Process theories as our theoretical frameworks, and Focus Group Discussion as our research method, we explored the extent to which digital literacy or lack of it shaped the Nigerian netizens’ propensity to share fake news. Although sharing is not believing, as the participants suggest, the concerns about fake news proliferation across social media and the Internet warrant crucial conversations about how to encourage basic literacy in today's digital world, particularly in Africa. Thus, while the authors support the idea of digital literacy, they also caution that in itself, digital literacy is insufficient and may not go far enough in stopping fake news proliferation, yet it helps to minimise the spread.

Digital literacy has become increasingly significant in tertiary environments, as institutions move towards preparing students for 21st century workplaces and careers that emphasise digital literacy. As such, Academic Language and Learning (ALL) practitioners within these institutions are under pressure to possess familiarity and skills in the digital education space. Despite this need, there is a shortage of evidence that identifies the competencies or gaps in the current knowledge that ALL advisors have in Australian tertiary institutions; there is also a lack of awareness about how to address the gaps in knowledge for technology-enhanced learning and academic support. In light of this lacuna, in late 2018, the Association for Academic Learning and Language (AALL), the professional body for Academic Language and Learning practitioners, established a working group to investigate the knowledge and gaps in digital literacy in the ALL profession. The authors of this paper are all members of this working group and aim to explore the state of digital learning in their field. The long-term aim of the working party is to develop research-led resources and strategies to assist in the professionalisation and upskilling of ALL staff in technology-enhanced academic language development and support. This paper reports on the preliminary findings of a mixed-method participatory action research study of ALL practitioners’ preferences, competencies and confidence in the digital learning space. It is hoped that this study will provide members within the AALL professional body, as well as tertiary educators generally, with strategies required to identify, develop and maintain effective digital literacies across the higher education sector.

[Introduction]: This article argues that digital curation—the art and science of searching, analysing, selecting, and organising content—can be used to promote the development of digital information literacy skills among higher education students. Rather than relying on institutionally approved journal articles that have been pre-ordained as suitable for a given purpose, digital curation tools allow students to evaluate the quality of Web based-based content and then present it in an attractive form, all of which contributes to the cultivation of their digital literacy skills. We draw on a case study in which first- year information and communications technology (ICT) students used the digital curation platform Scoop.it to curate an annotated collection of resources pertaining to a particular topic. The notion of curation has undergone a significant transformation in the wake of an increasingly digital society. To 'curate,' traditionally referred to as 'taking care,' has morphed into a process of cataloguing, accessing, and representing artefacts. In the digital age, curation is a way of sifting, organising, and making sense of the plethora of information; it has become an important life skill without which one cannot fully participate in digital life. Moreover, the ready availability of information, made possible by the ubiquity of Internet technology, makes digital curation an essential skill for the twenty-first 21st century learner. In answer to this need, we are seeing the emergence of suites of digital tools, dubbed ‘curation’ tools, that meet the perceived need to locate, select, and synthesise Web content into open, user-organised collections. With information overload, a distinctive feature of the Internet, the ability to sift through the noise and dross to select high- quality, relevant content—selected on the basis of authority, currency, and fitness-for-purpose—is indeed a valuable skill. To examine this issue, we performed a case study in which a group of first- year Information and Communication Technology (ICT) students curated Web- based resources to inform an assessment task. We argue that curation platforms, such as Scoop.it, can be effective at cultivating the digital information literacy skills of higher education students.

Introduction Sustainable rural development requires strengthening farmers’ capacities and leveraging Cyber Extension to address productivity stagnation, the digital divide, and limited access to information in support of the self-reliance of rice farmers. This study aims to analyze the role of capacity strengthening of rice farmers through the utilization of Cyber Extension in promoting rural community empowerment in Konda Subdistrict. Methods The study population comprised lowland rice farmers in Konda Subdistrict. The sample was selected using proportional random sampling. The research variables consisted of three components: farmers’ capacity, utilization of Cyber Extension, and community empowerment. Data and information were described and interpreted through a logical analytical framework using both descriptive and inferential statistics within a structured analytical approach. Descriptive analysis employed class interval formulas, while inferential analysis referred to Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS), implemented using SmartPLS 3.0. Results Rural community empowerment in the lowland rice production centers of Konda Subdistrict is strongly influenced by farmers’ capacity levels and the utilization of Cyber Extension as a digital extension instrument. Farmers’ capacity was found to range from moderate to good; however, limitations persist in digital literacy and access to information technology. Structural relationship analysis revealed that farmers’ capacity has a significant effect on the level of Cyber Extension utilization. Moreover, farmers’ capacity exerts both a direct effect on rural community empowerment and an indirect effect mediated through Cyber Extension. These findings indicate that Cyber Extension functions as a mediating variable in the relationship between farmers’ capacity and rural community empowerment. Discussion The findings affirm that Cyber Extension serves as a digital learning space that connects farmers to knowledge sources and extension services, while simultaneously strengthening interaction, learning processes, and the quality of decision-making in lowland rice farming management. The mediating role of Cyber Extension suggests that strengthening farmers’ capacity does not automatically translate into empowerment without the support of an adaptive and inclusive digital extension system. Conceptually, these results enrich the rural community empowerment literature by proposing a model that positions Cyber Extension as a mechanism for transforming individual capacity into collective empowerment, particularly in regions characterized by gaps in digital literacy.

This qualitative study investigates how Facebook operates as a meaningful digital learning space that shapes the academic writing literacy of university students in Bangladeshi higher education. Grounded in New Literacy Studies, Academic Literacies, and translanguaging theory, the research examines how students majoring in English, Economics, and Business utilise social media writing to negotiate voice, audience, identity, and disciplinary understanding. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with eighteen participants from three Dhaka-based private universities and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings reveal five interrelated practices: using Facebook as a space for confidence-building and low-stakes rhetorical experimentation; engaging with authentic audiences and receiving immediate peer feedback; constructing semi-academic posts that blend disciplinary knowledge with everyday language; employing translanguaging to scaffold thinking and expression; and cultivating identity and visibility as emerging academic writers. These practices contrast sharply with the exam-driven, monolingual, and correctness-oriented writing pedagogies dominant in Bangladeshi tertiary institutions. The study argues that Facebook functions as a parallel literacy environment in which students rehearse analytical thinking, practise explanation, and develop academic voice in ways seldom afforded by formal coursework. The findings call for a reconceptualisation of academic writing literacy as a socially situated, technologically mediated, and multilingual process and highlight the need for pedagogical and policy reforms that recognise students’ digital literacies as valuable resources for academic development in the Global South.

The paper is aimed at exploration of new contexts of the concept of digital literacy from the perspective of phenomenographic studies. Concepts and basic models of digital literacy are briefly summarized. Results of phenomenographic studies of information literacy are related to digital literacy concepts. Following the sociocultural background, we frame the concepts of digital literacy into ecological and ethical factors of digital information. We apply a meta-analysis of three selected phenomenographic studies in Slovakia related to information literacy, information ethics and information behavior. Common ecological and ethical factors were found, namely emotions, responsibility, truth and value of information. A new interpretation of digital information literacy is derived, based on social representations of experiencing digital information. Ethical awareness of digital resources and ecological adaptations are emphasized. We recommed including values of information, verification of information, digital creativity and experiences into digital information literacy development and courses.KeywordsDigital literacyInformation ethicsInformation ecologiesPhenomenographic studiesDigital information literacy

Introduction to the proceedings: Using innovative technology to decrease the nursing demand and enhance patient care delivery