The Influence of ICTs in the Information Age at the SABC Libraries

This article reports on the influence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) library services. This aspect is crucial to the value and role of the SABC libraries, their continued survival, and an increase in library usage. Despite many technological and digital developments, the SABC libraries have continued operations for decades whereas observations saw other special libraries closing or downsizing. The study aimed: 1) to ascertain the value and role of the special library service in the information age at the SABC, 2) to determine the extent to which the SABC libraries have been influenced by ICTs, and 3) to draw on possible best practices and trends that can be implemented by the SABC libraries. However, the focus of this article is on the influence of ICTs in the information age at the SABC libraries. A mixed-methods approach with two different web-based questionnaires that targeted the SABC library staff and library users was used, and interviews were conducted with selected managers in the hub cities of South Africa (Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg). The Organisational Theory (Systems Approach), Technology Acceptance Model, Embedded Librarianship, Librarian/Library 2.0, and Blended Librarian models underpinned the study. Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis and to extract quantitative results. Triangulation was applied with the datasets within each library and across entire populations to provide in-depth and rich data. Qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis together with hermeneutic phenomenology methods were employed for qualitative responses. The study revealed that technology was used by the libraries and influenced the library services, with digitisation being necessary and a priority for the library service. The study recommends that managers and library staff embrace technological advancements to better serve their clients and effectively support the library operations.