The management of indigenous knowledge (IK) initiatives in Swaziland.

I also extend my thanks to all the administrators in the four institutions I studied, the Swaziland National Library Services, the University of Swaziland, the Swaziland National Archives and the Swaziland National Museum and the staff involved in the management of indigenous knowledge has. in the four institutions. The fact that IC systems are at risk of extinction poses a very big challenge for the Swaziland National Library (SNL), the Swaziland National Archives (SNA), the Swaziland National Museum (SNM) and the University of Swaziland ( UNISWA) Library. are sites for this study.

INTRODUCTION

Statement of the problem

The mission of the SNTC is “the preservation and preservation of cultural heritage”. This study was conducted to find out whether the missions of the four institutions in managing IK in Swaziland are being successfully achieved.

Significance of the study

IK is tacit knowledge as it exists in the minds of observers, but can then be reclassified as predominantly explicit when documented. But when it's recorded and shared, vulnerability is reduced and it's easier to reuse.

Research questions

In what format is IK stored by the four institutions; i.e. analog, digital or other formats. What efforts have been made by the four institutions to market their IC-related services to ensure the provision of effective and efficient services in the delivery of IC to their users.

Definition of key terms relevant to the study

Heritage
Indigenous knowledge
Intellectual property rights (IPRs)
Inter-library lending
Knowledge management
Legal deposit
National library
Repackaging
Tacit knowledge

Do the librarians involved in the IC management process have the necessary skills for IC management? It can be in the form of an invention, manuscript, software or company name (JISC Legal Information Service, 2006).

Conceptual framework upon which the study was constructed

The need to protect indigenous traditional knowledge and traditional knowledge for the benefit of the rest of the world. Warren (2004: 4) points out that IK systems are not part of the global knowledge system until they have been registered and made available to the global community.

Limitations of the study

Showers (2004: 5) asserts that indigenous and local environmental knowledge has the potential to advance people's understanding of the environment in all societies. Another reason is that this study is a master's thesis which is submitted as a partial fulfillment of the course.

Division of chapters

Other SNTC departments could not be part of this study due to time constraints. Another limitation is that although there are other institutions in Swaziland dealing with IK management, such as Swaziland Broadcasting and Information Services, Swazi Society and others, they were excluded from this study due to time constraints as mentioned above. .

Summary of the chapter

Introduction

Historical background of Swaziland

Demography and society
Swazi culture and customs

The majority of the population in Swaziland are Christians (77%); 5% are Muslim and the rest follow traditional African religions. What follows is a discussion of the institutions under study beginning with the Swaziland National Library.

The Swaziland National Library (SNL)

The vision of the SNLS is “to develop the Swaziland National Library Service as the country's premier documentary resources institution” (Swaziland Government, 2008a: 1). IK's management at SNL is documented in the research findings of Dlamini's investigation.

The Swaziland National Archives (SNA)

To preserve public and non-public records of enduring value for the use of the public and government in any format. To document aspects of the nation's experience not covered by the nation's archives and repatriate migrated archives.

The Swaziland National Museum (SNM)

The results of the research show that the directors of the four institutions are aware that the management of IK is expensive. Abbot (2002) suggests that the use of community language should be central to the management of IK.

The University of Swaziland (UNISWA) Library

Summary of the chapter

This chapter provides a historical background for Swaziland and the institutions where the study was conducted, namely the SNL, the SNA, the SNM and the UNISWA Library. The historical background of Swaziland helps to understand the requirements that will be suitable for the people of Swaziland in the management of IK.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Indigenous knowledge

According to Kaniki and Mphahlele (2002: 3) IK is a cumulative body of knowledge created and evolved over time, representing generations of creative thought and action within individual societies in a continuously inhabited ecosystem in an effort to cope with a ever-changing change. agro-ecological and socio-economic environment. IK is contrasted and differentiated from western, scientific or modern knowledge, which can be developed by research institutions and universities' (Kaniki and Mphahlele, 2002: 3).

Indigenous knowledge characteristics

Sources of indigenous knowledge

Causes of the destruction of the indigenous knowledge base

The future of IK is further threatened by the marginalization of indigenous people in the field of education. Although IK has been undermined in the past, the literature reviewed by the researcher of this dissertation highlights IK as an important resource for development.

The management of IK

More copies of the IK should be made on audio and/or video tapes and distributed to other departments so that they can be borrowed if the need arises (Mabawonku, 2002: 57). Abstracts and indexes that would create awareness of the collected IC should be compiled and made available (Mabawonku.

Reasons why IK needs to be managed

The level and amount of knowledge possessed by an individual, organization or community at a given time cannot solve and facilitate all the problem-solving and decision-making processes encountered during the existence of the IK viewer. As mentioned, IK must be managed because it plays a crucial role in the sustainable development of society. The above paragraphs have discussed the reasons that make it necessary for IK to be managed and the next step is to focus on the challenges in managing IK.

Challenges in the management of IK

Management strategies that can be used for indigenous knowledge (IK)

IK management strategy 1

Another strategy that would help ensure the management and retention of IK is the application of marketing principles to IK. An important strategy for successful management and maintenance of IK is that qualified knowledge managers are given the duty to manage IK. The use of the community language would be central to the management and preservation of IK.

IK and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)

Ngulube (2003b: 22) suggests that knowledge workers could manage the processes of conversion and documentation as well as the communication of IK through the utilization of some of the ways that indigenous societies used to preserve knowledge such as music and dance, artefacts and technology, and storytelling . As a result, there was an increase in the commercial use of indigenous peoples' knowledge and biological resources. The main purpose of the agreement is to create an international standard for minimum protection (IPR) (World Bank, 2002: 1).

Problems related to IK and IPRs

The Economic Commission for Africa recommends that "oral traditions and IQ in African communities should be exploited in all their forms of expression, taking into account the protection of intellectual property rights" (United Nations. Another important concern expressed by indigenous peoples worldwide shared is that the current intellectual property rights regime favors multinational companies and other non-indigenous interests. Consequently, the patenting of any life form and process is unacceptable to indigenous peoples (IDRC, undated: 8).

Possible solutions to the problems related to IPRs

They could support IPR-related measures, such as strengthening the status of traditional knowledge as prior art, enabling defensive publications. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has protected folklore from various parts of the world as copyright. Trade secrets are a way to protect confidential information that can give others, such as a company, a competitive advantage.

International initiatives to protect IK

CBD is the only major international convention that assigns ownership of biodiversity to indigenous communities and individuals and affirms their right to protection of this knowledge (Ngetich, 2005: 3). It aims to promote the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. One element of the implementation of this Convention concerns respecting, preserving and maintaining the knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities regarding the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity (DFAIT, 2003: 1).

Indigenous knowledge (IK) and Inter-Library Lending (ILL)

Linking the above discussion to IK, one can note that as mentioned earlier, no library can claim to have all relevant resources required by its users, including IK. ILL does not relieve any library of the responsibility to develop its own collection (Louisiana State Library, 2004:1). The libraries can then seek help if their collection lacks certain IQ required by users at that time.

Re-packaging of IK

Summary of the chapter

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research methodology
Population and sampling
Data collection methods

Semi-structured interviews
Observation

Validity and reliability
Data analysis
Summary of the chapter

The researcher observed whether any of the strategies for collecting IQ were actually used as claimed by those involved in the management of IQ. Before pre-testing the interview schedule, the researcher of this study sought expert opinion on the validity of the questions. The researcher wrote down the answers of the interviewees who did not want to be tape recorded on the interview schedules.

PRESENTATION OF RESULTS OF THE STUDY

SECTION 1 OF THE INTERVIEWS: PERSONAL INFORMATION

Gender
Age
Highest qualification
Position held
Duties

Duties performed by the administrators with regard to IK and its
Duties performed by the staff members with regard to IK and its

The gender of the employees involved in the management of IK was fairly evenly distributed, as out of the eleven respondents, six were women (54.5%) and five were men (45.5%). The study revealed that regardless of the different names of the positions that the employees involved in the management of IK worked towards the goal of leading IK. The Senior Education Officer is the supervisor of the Education Department and is also involved in the collection of IK.

SECTION 2 OF THE INTERVIEWS: INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE (IK)

General standards or specified guidelines for IK management
Specific policies which govern the management of IK
Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) when dealing with IK

Although the Intellectual Property Bill, which stipulates that the rights of IK holders are respected, is still in preparation, the institutions are already aware of the bill. All four respondents indicated that IPRs are taken into account by their institutions, which strive to ensure that the rights of IK holders are respected and recognized. They respect the rights of the IK holders and have taken some measures to recognize the sources of their IK.

QUESTIONS TO ADMINISTRATORS

Ensuring that staff members who deal with IK, collect, organise, preserve and
Challenges faced by staff members when collecting, storing, preserving and
Efforts to address IK management challenges
Skills/special training for staff members related to the management of IK
The main users of the IK services provided by the institutions
The usage of IK services
Additional comments by administrators about ik and its management

The study showed that employees involved in IP management have a good understanding of the issue of intellectual property rights. This means that the staff involved in the management of IC in the four institutions respect intellectual property rights. We asked the administrators what kind of challenges faced by the employees involved in the management of ICs in the performance of their tasks.

QUESTIONS TO STAFF MEMBERS

Awareness of IK availability
The recording mechanisms used when collecting IK
Challenges encountered by staff members when collecting IK
Repackaging of IK
Organising/classifying the collected ik for easy accessibility
Challenges faced when organising/classifying the collected IK
The user population for the collected and organised IK
IK storage/preservation in the institutions
Special precautions taken when storing/preserving IK
Challenges faced by staff members when storing/preserving IK
Making the IK known to the users and strategies to market and disseminate
Challenges faced when disseminating IK
The usage of the IK collections
Providing IK collection through Inter-Library Lending (ILL)
Comments about IK by the staff members

Clearly, IK management is affected by the challenges encountered in collecting IK. The results of the research show that the collected IK is only repackaged at SNM. According to the staff, the answers to the question about the use of the IK collections varied widely.

Summary of the chapter

It is therefore important that we reconstruct who we really are by identifying and collecting all available IK so that our children know who they really are and how they can survive using IK.

INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS OF THE STUDY

Specific policies which govern the management of IK
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) wth regard to IK
Initiatives to ensure that staff members who deal with IK, collect, organise,
Challenges faced by staff members when collecting, storing/preserving and
Efforts to alleviate the challenges faced by staff members when managing
Skills/special training for staff members related to the management of IK
The main users of the IK services provided by the institutions
The usage of IK services
Awareness of IK availabity
Recording mechanism used when collecting IK
Repackaging of IK to ensure usage
Organising/classifying the collected IK for easy accessibility
IK storage in the institutions
Special precautions taken when storing IK
Challenges faced when storing/preserving IK
Strategies used for making the IK collection known to the users
Challenges faced when disseminating IK
Providing IK collection through Inter-Library Lending
Additional comments about IK and its management

The results of the study show that the management of IK is important for the four institutions, the SNL, the SNA, the SNM and the UNISWA Library. The results of the study show that the administrators have a good understanding of the importance of IQ. The results of the study show that IQ is considered important by the four institutions in focus.

CONCLUSION

Review of the study
Summary of findings
Conclusions
Recommendations for policy and practice
Recommendations for further research

The summary of the study's findings will be presented in the order of the above research questions. However, the results of the study revealed that two institutions had specific policies for managing IK. The investigation showed that no repackaging of the collected IK took place in the three institutions, SNLS, SNA and UNISWA Library.