The Department of Information Science offers three Master's programmes (Master of Arts in Information Science; Master of Information Science; Master of Information Science in Archival Science) and a Doctor of Literature and Philosophy in Information Science.
Our programmes are primarily research-based – students choose their own topics, with the provision that the topics fall within the specialisation areas of the department.
Research focus areas/niches:
Academic person |
Research interests |
Prof O.B. Onyancha |
Altmetrics, infometrics and webometrics; current trends in LIS; information and knowledge management; libraries and information centres or agencies; research trends in LIS; information for development and change; information and society/culture; ICTs in LIS; social informatics. |
Prof T. Van der Walt |
Archival Science; children's literature and services; LIS education and training; current trends in LIS; indigenous knowledge systems; information access; information use; information behaviour and information seeking; archives and records management; libraries and information centres or agencies. |
Prof P. Ngulube |
Archival Science; archives and records management; libraries and information centres or agencies; LIS education and training; current trends in LIS; indigenous knowledge systems; information and knowledge management; information for development and change; information and society/culture; research trends in LIS; ICTs in LIS; LIS; e-government; social informatics. |
Prof M.K. Minishi-Majanja |
LIS education and training; current trends in LIS; information for development and change; information and society/culture; ICTs in LIS; LIS; information dissemination; libraries and information centres or agencies. |
Prof L. Dube |
Libraries and information centres or agencies; LIS education and training; current trends in LIS; indigenous knowledge systems; information and knowledge management; information for development and change; information and society/culture; research trends in LIS. |
Prof M. Ngoepe |
Archival Science; archives and records management; data curatorship, information governance, social media, archival diplomatics, digital records forensics, auditing, informetrics, cloud computing, legislation and standards |
Prof T. Rodrigues |
Archival Science; archives and records management; information for development and change; information and knowledge society/culture. |
Prof I. Schellnack- Kelly |
Archival Science; archives and records management; information for development and change; information and society/culture. |
Prof N.P. Saurombe |
Archives and records management; Information for development and change; Information literacy; School libraries; Community libraries |
Dr N. Wessels |
Information literacy: Family literacy; School libraries. |
Dr K. McGuirk |
LIS; philosophy of information; political economy of information; libraries and information centres or agencies; infopreneurship; social informatics, current trends in LIS, user behaviour, IR and language, information and society/culture. |
Ms L. Geyer |
Indigenous knowledge systems; Information access, information use, information behaviour and information seeking; User studies and user education; Information for development and change; Information and society/culture; and Political economy of information. |
Prof M. Mhlongo |
Information organisation, representation and retrieval; information dissemination; libraries and information centres or agencies; information and knowledge management; information for development and change; indigenous knowledge systems; LIS education and training |
Prof S. Mojapelo |
School libraries, Libraries and information centres or agencies; information literacy and family literacy; information dissemination. |
Prof M. Fombad |
Information for development and change; Information and society/culture; Information and knowledge management; and Libraries and information centres or agencies (school, public, academic, private, national and provincial libraries). |
Prof J.R. Maluleka |
Informetrics, Scientometrics and webometrics, Indigenous knowledge systems, Altmetrics, Information and knowledge management, Information seeking behaviours. |
Mr L.S. Mncube |
Web-based for information access; E-learning ; Information Systems, ICT 4D, and Developments in information domains. |
Ms N. Langa |
Information dissemination; libraries and information centres or agencies, information governance and security, Information organisation, information society, information literacy and family literacy, information access, information use and information for development and change
|
Prof I.K. Hlongwane |
LIS education and training; current trends in LIS; information and knowledge management; information and society/culture; information for development and change; ICTs in LIS; school and public libraries; management of libraries and information centres or agencies; Recognition of prior learning (RPL) in LIS; ethics and philosophy; research trends LIS |
Prof L. Jacobs |
Archival Science; archives and records management; data curatorship, legislation and standards, LIS education and training; current trends in LIS; information for development and change; information and society/culture; ICTs in LIS; LIS; Information dissemination; libraries and information centres or agencies; e-records and e-government; Research trends in LIS; Information law, ethics and philosophy; Information behaviour and information seeking. |
Prof N. Marutha |
Archival Science; archives and records management; data curatorship, information governance, archival diplomatics, digital records forensics, enterprise recordkeeping and cloud computing, records management legislation and standards. |
Dr M.T. Modiba |
Application of AI & robotics, Internet of Things, Cloud computing, Big data and Blockchain technology in the LIS sector. |
Direct supervision (meetings at the department or via e-mail)
The department has 10 external supervisors who are renowned researchers from the world over. However, the department maintains the sole mandate over the final draft of the proposal.
Acting COD: Prof Mojapelo | +27 (0) 12 429 3111 or Email: mojapsm@unisa.ac.za |
M&D coordinator: Prof Maluleka | +27 (0) 12 429 4847 or Email: maluljr@unisa.ac.za |
Students’ admission will be based on the suitability and viability of the intended research, adequate supervisory capacity and research expertise in the discipline or department. The student should submit a 2-5 page research outline in LIS field covering the title, introduction, problem statement, purpose, objectives and research methodology.
None at this time. However, we will support language proficiency testing for foreign students.
There is no concrete selection process – all students are welcome if the requirements are met. The Topic Proposal Committee and the Higher Degrees Committee consider the viability of the proposals as they come in.
As per University regulations.
Last modified: 2023/08/07