Dr. Nkhenso Sibuyi

Dr. Nkhenso Sibuyi has turned his training as an optometrist into becoming a force for change in the world of libraries and AI at the University of Johannesburg.

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When Nkhenso Sibuyi set out to study for a degree in optometry, he had no idea that his vocation would see him evolve into a force for change in the world of AI by marrying the world of university research and support functions through his work in librarianship at the University of Johannesburg.

“Librarians overlap between the research and academic sides of the university, so we occupy a third space because partly because while they do their academic work there is also a huge support component. Librarians you can't be classed as completely supportive or completely academic - rather, they're just in that space. So we are working on ensuring that people understand the role of librarians and our passion for building the library of the future,” says Dr Sibuyi, whose attitude to AI integration is focussed on human-AI collaboration, with a focus on the human always having the upper hand rather than actually trying to replace their skills with AI.

“We're not a typical library. We're doing something different and after an intensive period of self-review I am proud to confirm that we are ahead in terms of digital transformation. That comes from the culture of the university that we embrace technology and we embrace change.”

With his background as an optometrist, it’s no coincidence that equitable access to AI would become part of the library’s service offering.

“Through my passion as an optometrist, I've always been concerned about access to information for the blind and partially sighted,” adds Dr Sibuyi, who earned his MBA with a Digital Transformation Lens from the Johannesburg Business School, which following many years after graduating from the University of Limpopo with a B.Optom. His passion for learning has drawn him to undertake a PGDip in Higher Education for Academic Developers.

“We make sure that people with disabilities have specific software to use and we specially make sure that they are able to access the resources that we have in terms of alternative text, such as software that provides audio,” he adds.

On a macro level the library has contributed to the academic growth of the University of Johannesburg through the creation of a research ecosystem. Their contribution stretches from data creation to the ethical use of that data.

“We support the integration of AI, ethical and responsible integration of AI into research and learning, and we are very collaborative within the University. We don’t function just as a library, as we partner with our postgraduate school as well as the research, development and support teams.

“To make good financial decisions it’s essential to have financial literacy, so in order to make good AI decisions you need to have AI literacy. That's one of the things that we also provide in terms of AI literacy rather than advocacy. We make sure that people have AI literacy so that they can decide how to use it responsibly and know what to use and what not to use,” adds Dr Sibuyi, whose role as a father to a teenage daughter has offered him added motivation to understand (and mould) the future of AI.

“Once there's a digital disruption there's no way back. Things will never get back to normal. People who fight against it need to accept that it will happen with or without them, whether they like it or not. That’s why we advocate for responsible use and provide guidance in this day and age,” adds Dr Sibuyi.

The University focuses on enhanced discovery through the use of AI-powered search and recommendation tools that help users to navigate information, landscape-efficient QL, maintaining transparency, as well as algorithmic data. He highlights that a great benefit of AI is its ability to personalise data based on what someone is searching for as well as the recommendations that are generated. UJ also pilot’s different tools such as research assistants, writing assistants, data analysis and training on the responsible use of AI. There is also a focus on capacity building through offering workshops to students and staff as well as one-on-one consultations.

“We don't just adopt the technology for its own sake; rather, every AI initiative is evaluated against our mandate. Is there a dip in learning? Does it accelerate rigorous research and advance the discipline? We ask ourselves those questions before we implement a pilot in AI.

“Our library is also one place where you can find students from different faculties all under one roof because of the spaces we provide. This encourages students from different disciplines to collaborate and in that way all the faculties can work together. That environment encourages collaboration between researchers and students,” adds Dr Sibuyi, whose department has a strong focus on reskilling, upskilling, mentorship and creating a community of practice through peer-to-peer learning.

There is also a clear focus on transformation through their appreciation for the fact that a leading and ground-breaking education institution cannot depend on existing inequalities.

“We make sure that we advocate for institutional investment in connectivity through devices, accessible design and ensuring that no student or researcher is left behind. To achieve this, my top three priorities for UJ’s library going forward are the skills of evolution, change management and your infrastructure equity,” says Dr Sibuyi, who initially joined the UJ library as a digital scholarship specialist to fill their need for someone to implement digital transformation.

“I identify as an informatician because this is like a human resource designer and is unlike traditional librarianship, which curates and provides access to knowledge, or information science, which focuses on retrieval and organisational information. Informatics is fundamentally concerned with how people, data and technology interact in real-world contexts to improve outcomes.”

His background and training ensure that he can play his role in improving the library’s outcomes through the use of technology and digital transformation. This has been a huge assistance to him in implementing innovations throughout the library. Instead of merely managing the resources, Dr Sibuyi co-designed research in the systems to ensure that the library is not just a central place to gather and read book but is instead creating a form of lab environment that contributes by creating and embedding information technologies, including AI.

“We are shifting from being fundamentally just a place that stores books to a platform of knowledge creation. This means that we embed digital scholarship and innovation services directly into research support and teaching and learning, in so doing assisting researchers with different areas in their research cycle along with offering them various support systems including with open science practices.”

The library also puts a strong emphasis on curating African knowledge outputs to ensure that they are visible, citable, and impactful globally. This ensures that the library is evolving a distinctly African perspective.

“As much as global excellence is not about imitation, it is about contributing African scholarship to global conversations with confidence and vigour, and we also design digital literacy modules, for instance, that respond to South African students' realities and needs, like, for instance, the issue of digital divides. We make sure that we provide that to ensure that everyone has access to these tools,” concludes Dr Sibuyi.