http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12283/4642 2026-07-19T08:22:47Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12283/4907 From locked storerooms to learning hubs : reimagining community libraries for self-directed learning in rural Uganda. 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 Research paper 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12283/4906 Positioning Academic Libraries as Catalysts for Open Access in Africa with Dr. Fredrick Lugya (ULIA). Lugya, Frederick Kiwuwa; Owango, Joy This episode features Dr. Frederick Kiwuwa Lugya, University Librarian at Busitema University and President of the Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA). Dr. Lugya discusses the transformative power of Open Science and the critical role academic libraries play in bridging the gap between researchers and public access. He shares insights from his 20-year journey in librarianship, the challenges of high-cost academic resources, and his advocacy for a National Open Access Policy in Uganda to ensure that publicly funded research remains accessible to all. Key themes include: the necessity of open access and institutional repositories; policy and sustainability of open science; the evolving roles of librarians in data curation and AI; and disciplinary information literacy integrated into university curricula at Busitema University. Dr. Lugya also describes a pioneering discipline-based information literacy programme at Busitema University, funded by the Engineering Information Foundation (EIF) of New York, which embeds librarians directly into engineering curricula, enabling students to find, evaluate, cite, and ethically use information as part of competence-based learning. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12283/4681 Impact factor, predatory & plagiarism 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. Together, these two pieces of working documents provide researchers with practical guidance on evaluating journal quality, avoiding predatory publishers, and understanding citation analysis for scholarly communication. The first document is a presentation that introduces journal impact metrics (JIF, SJR, SNIP), defines predatory journals, and outlines plagiarism causes. The second is a detailed workshop guide explaining how to find and interpret impact factors using databases like Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. It includes a comprehensive comparison table of these tools' coverage, strengths, and weaknesses. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12283/4680 Reframing library search as cognitive work : introducing the Library Search Analysis (LSA) model Lugya, Kiwuwa Fredrick; State, Nassali Eliz Information behaviour research has evolved from a traditional focus on information sources to a user-centric perspective. While Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) is a well-established framework for analysing complex sociotechnical systems in domains like process control and aviation, its application remains nascent within the specific context of library and information science, particularly for modelling endogenous user search behaviour. This paper posits a novel theoretical integration, arguing that CWA’s constraint-based, work-centred framework provides a uniquely powerful lens to move beyond descriptive models of information seeking. We propose a refined, user-centred application of CWA to dissect the complex interplay between the library environment, organisational structures, user tasks, and cognitive strategies. This approach offers a novel methodological pathway to generate design requirements for information systems that are not merely usable but are cognitively congruent, supporting the adaptive expertise of library users. By bridging CWA’s systemic rigour with the nuanced realities of information behaviour, this paper aims to advance both theoretical discourse and practical design paradigms within information science. Keywords: Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) ; Information Behaviour ; Library Search Strategies ; Cognitive Ergonomics ; Constraint-Based Analysis ; Library Search Analysis (LSA) model This article proposes reframing library search as cognitive work by introducing the Library Search Analysis (LSA) model, based on Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA). It argues that while existing information behavior models describe user actions, CWA’s constraint-based framework provides a systemic approach to analyze how library environments, tasks, and cognitive strategies interact. The LSA model adapts CWA to diagnose self-directed search behavior and generate design requirements for cognitively congruent information systems. This integration offers both a theoretical advance in information science and a practical tool for researchers and designers to enhance user support in complex information environments. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z