Personal information

Information Science, Information organisation and retrieval, Information literacy, E-Lexicography, Information ethics, ICTs, HCI
South Africa

Biography

Theo Bothma is professor emeritus in the Department of Information Science at the University of Pretoria, South Africa; he was reappointed as contract professor for the period 1 July 2016 - 30 June 2019, and thereafter yearly from 1 July 2019 - 30 June 2025. He joined the University of Pretoria in 1991 and was Head of Department from 1 October 1995 - 30 June 2016, when he retired. He was appointed as chairperson of the School of Information Technology on 1 September 2008 and served two terms, until his retirement. In 2009 he was recognised by the University of Pretoria as an exceptional academic achiever, a three-year award (2010 - 2012), and again in 2012 (2013 - 2015). He holds a B3 rating from the NRF.
His teaching and research focus primarily on:
- Information organization and retrieval in the e-environment
- Information literacy
- e-Lexicography
- Digital humanities
- Usability studies, HCI and ethical design
- Curriculum development.
He is the author and co-author of numerous publications and has presented many papers at local and international conferences.
He is joint editor-in-chief of Libri: International Journal of Libraries and Information Studies (since 2015; member of the editorial board, 1997-2014) and a member of the editorial board of the International Review of Information Ethics (and before his retirement also of a number of other international and local journals).
He was a member of the IFLA Standing Committee for Library Theory and Research until August 2023 (chair 2017-2019; member since 2015). He was an expert advisor of the IFLA/FAIFE committee (2010-2019), and a member of the Standing Committee for Knowledge Management for two terms, 2005-2013 (and also web manager until 2009). He is currently also member of ASIS&T, Euralex and Afrilex, and, before his retirement, member of a number of other professional organisations. He is the editor and co-author of the IFLA/FAIFE World Report 2007 on freedom of access to information and freedom of expression, as well as the IFLA World Report 2010.
He was the South African chair of the Standing Committee of the DISSAnet project, funded by DANIDA (1998-2005) for capacity building in research in information science in Southern Africa, and was chair of the first four DISSAnet / ProLISSA conferences (2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006). He served as member of the programme committee of a number of international conferences; recent conferences included the ACEIE/ANIE conferences, viz. the ANIEversary (February 2017), ΙCIL 7 (February 2016) and ANIE 3 (September 2012), as well as ANIE 1 (February 2007). He was the chair of the Carnegie M.IT/CPD Conference that took place from 24-30 March 2019, as a capstone event of the Carnegie M.IT and CPD programmes.
He was a member of the SeLA research initiative, initiated by Prof Ulrich Heid of the Institut fur Informationswissenschaft und Sprachtechnologie at the University of Hildesheim in Germany (funded by DAAD, 2011-2015), as well as a collaborator of CentLex at Aarhus University in Denmark, specifically with Professors Henning Bergenholtz and Sven Tarp.
In July 2010 he received a US$2m grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York for the development and presentation of the M.IT (Stream B) programme; in 2014 he received a further grant of US$1m for two additional intakes. In November 2012 he received a second US$2m grant from the Carnegie Corporation for the development and presentation of a continuing professional development programme in IT for academic librarians.

Activities

Employment (5)

University of Pretoria: Pretoria, ZA

2016-07-01 to present | Professor Emeritus / Contract Professor (Information Science)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

University of Pretoria: Pretoria, ZA

2008-09-01 to 2016-06-30 | Professor, Head of Department and Chairperson, School of IT (Information Science)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

University of Pretoria: Pretoria, ZA

1995-10-01 to 2016-06-30 | Professor and Head of Department (Information Science)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

University of Pretoria: Pretoria, ZA

1991-01-01 to 2016-06-30 | Professor (Information Science)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

University of South Africa: Pretoria, Gauteng, ZA

1972-01-01 to 1990-12-31 | From junior lecturer to associate professor
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

Education and qualifications (4)

University of South Africa: Pretoria, ZA

1983-05-30 | DLitt&Phil
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

University of South Africa: Pretoria, Gauteng, ZA

1977 | MA
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

University of South Africa: Pretoria, Gauteng, ZA

1972 | BA Hons
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

University of Pretoria: Pretoria, ZA

1969 to 1971 | BA
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

Professional activities (4)

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions: The Hague, South Holland, NL

Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

European Association for Lexicography: Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, BE

Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

ASIS&T: New York, US

Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma

Afrilex: Stellenbosch, ZA

Membership
Source: Self-asserted source
Theo Bothma