A study of an international development project in library and information science in South Africa: DISSAnet

The researcher was fortunate to be a member of an international development programme for library and information science (LIS) in South Africa (DISSAnet), and has benefited from the experience to the extent that research and development in the LIS field is on-going. In order to promote this kind of initiative and to share the experience with those not fortunate to be part of the programme, it was decided to undertake this study to establish the views of each member of DISSAnet. These views will illustrate the outcomes of the programme and serve as an evaluation of how the members’ individual professional development has been influenced. The results of the study indicate the success of the project, and are aimed at promoting the success of the DISSAnet programme among local researchers and to make sure that the knowledge and insights gained from this experience do not remain within the small circle of privileged LIS professionals but, rather, are shared with other researchers.