Access to digitised archival collections in National Heritage and Cultural study Centre and International Library of African Music
- Authors: Barbra, Kakumba
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Archives -- Access control , Archival materials -- Access control
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/22356 , vital:52030
- Description: The study investigated access to digitised archival collections in two selected institutions in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. This study is significant because it sought to generate insights on adaptability of technology in archives and library operations, and accessibility thereof. This is important for monitoring the accessibility of digitised archival collections at institutions to improve their operations and maximize the global visibility. This study adopted qualitative research methodology. The researcher followed a rigorous methodological path that began with a thorough literature review and the careful and thoughtful posing of research questions and objectives. A purposive sample was chosen from National Heritage and Cultural Studies Centre (NAHECS) and International library of African Music (ILAM) (staff members) and interviewed through face-to-face interviews. The collected data was analysed thematically. The study established that, the type of materials digitised at NAHECS and ILAM are bound books, fragile papers, photographic prints, slides, audio-visual materials,artefacts and documents such as personal letters of early travellers,missionary’s records,traders writing personal file and political parties documents. Secondly, the study established that end users of digitised materials are researchers, students, archivist, librarians, international and local community, composers, musicians, and historians. It also emerged that awareness programmes used to increase public knowledge about access to digitised content in the two study sites include conferences, social media, and television advertisements. However, there are challenges faced in providing access to digitised materials at NAHECS and ILAM. Some of these challenges include lack of funding, unavailability of resources, lack of awareness, and information insecurity. These challenges have made access to digitised archival materials difficult. Based on these findings, it is recommended that archives facilities should be well resourced and archivists be continually trained on access to digitised archival materials. , Thesis (M Bibl) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-04
Fragmentation of the Albany Thicket Biome: consequences for the biodiversity and health of thicket vegetation
- Authors: Carvalho, Shandon Luke
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Gqeberha (South Africa) , Eastern Cape (South Africa) , Fragmented landscapes
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/52344 , vital:43599
- Description: The dense impenetrable vegetation of the Albany Thicket Biome is highly resistant to a wide variety of disturbances but, once disturbed, lacks the regenerative qualities that allow it to return to a stable state. Agricultural development is the main cause of degradation in this biome, creating a landscape consisting of patches of thicket vegetation scattered throughout land cleared for crops or transformed through grazing by domestic livestock. The main objective of this study is to determine the health, status and biodiversity of thicket fragments as it relates to elephant impacts. The level of fragmentation and the remaining extent of intact thicket were investigated as its current status is unknown. The findings suggest that the Thicket Biome is highly fragmented as almost 50% of solid thicket has been cleared, transformed or degraded by agricultural or urban development. For Arid Thicket, the level of fragmentation and the remaining extent of intact thicket could not be determined and both could potentially be greater. For the intact thicket of Dune, Mesic and Valley Thicket types, patch sizes ranged between almost 6 and 876 km2 while the weighted mean was between 2 and 251 km2 . Remote sensing methods (NDVI) were used to determine whether the health of thicket could be remotely assessed. The thicket within and beyond the extent of piospheres around watering holes is subjected to different levels of herbivory. These different levels were compared to corresponding NDVI values with the latter accurately measuring the impact of herbivores along a gradient and providing a method to assess the health of thicket vegetation. Ground surveys of the edge effect, along thicket fragments adjacent to open pastures and separated by cut lines, were conducted. Based on these surveys, the extent of the edge effect was established at a distance of 7 m into thicket fragments separated by cut lines but could not be determined for thicket fragments adjacent to open pastures. Ground surveys were also conducted to assess the health of thicket vegetation exposed to different levels of herbivory, including the impact of elephants (Loxodonta africana). Results showed that different elephant densities produced different levels of impact that could be described in terms of changes in species richness, species diversity, plant height and cover, and growth form composition. Lastly, the findings of the health-based assessments were combined with elephant densities to develop a model that could assess the health of thicket vegetation using a range of ecological variables and relate it to an ideal range of elephant densities. This assessment method was tested at the Addo Elephant National Park and results showed that an elephant density of 1 elephant/km2 would maintain the appropriate diversity, structure and composition of thicket. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Department of Botany, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-04