Kacunguzi to discuss role of IT in knowledge sharing and retention

Doctoral candidate Dianah T. Kacunguzi will present her research at the UP Carnegie Conference, which will be held from March 24-30 in Pretoria, South Africa.

She will give the talk, "An Assessment of the Enabling Role of Information Technology in Knowledge Sharing and Retention in Academic Libraries: A Case Study of Makerere University Library." The qualitative research study, which involved six IT staff and six librarians, found that while various information technologies exist in the library, there is minimal application in knowledge sharing and retention because there is no formal recognition of such knowledge management initiatives. According to Kacunguzi, the recommendation based on the results of the study would be to formally recognize knowledge sharing and retention and to provide continual staff training in the application of IT in these areas.

Kacunguzi's research interests focus on the preservation of intangible cultural heritage. She is particularly interested in studying how indigenous groups acquire and transmit existing and new knowledge; understanding challenges and how choices are negotiated; and identifying strategies for facilitating ongoing indigenous practices and preserving existing knowledge for future generations. She holds a master's degree in information technology from the University of Pretoria in South Africa and a bachelor's degree in library and information science from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

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