| Summary: | Thesis (M.M. (Research))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2013. === This research investigated the way in which an academic library could add
value to the research undertaken by the business community in Johannesburg.
The research was qualitative and data was collected via interviews, both
telephonic and face-to-face.
Two research questions were examined: 1. Where does corporate South Africa
access information? 2. Why does corporate South Africa access information?
The results were collated and themes drawn to reach conclusions. It was
initially thought that researchers in the business community used Google and
social media extensively in order to trace information for innovation, the
development of new products, and marketing. A significant theme that emerged
during the research was that people actually prefer personal contact, either
face-to-face or via conferences and telephonically. This contradicts the library
literature which maintains that libraries need to maintain a profile in the social
media since this is where people are looking for information. It was also
discovered that while researchers are using Google extensively, they are not
using libraries to any significant extent.
It is recommended that libraries consider linking into communities of practice in
order to ensure that they are part of the research process and, at the same
time, part of the community of practice, and so are able to anticipate the
research needs of their community. The research highlights the need for
libraries to actively market their resources to their communities to increase their
visibility in order to validate the value they can add to the bottom line of an
organisation.
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