Browsing by Author "May, Bev"

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    Adult education in South African public libraries: A profile of activities
    (2006) Nassimbeni, Mary; May, Bev
    This paper reports on the findings of a research investigation into the role of South African public libraries in adult education3. A questionnaire was distributed to 1295 public libraries for the collection of statistical and qualitative information in an attempt to build national and provincial profiles of adult education activities. There was a good response rate of 45.5%. The survey was complemented by site visits to eleven public libraries in order to illuminate the issues facing libraries in this field The results show that most public libraries do not participate at all in any adult education initiatives: 76.9% do not participate while 23.1% do. A profile of activities is presented. A case study of a single anonymous library is presented to provide an opportunity to understand the lived experience of the activities from the perspective of the providers and of the learners. The paper concludes by speculating on the reasons for the low level of engagement in an area that is theoretically espoused by the library community.
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    Place, space and time: adult education experiences of learners and librarians in South African public libraries
    (De Gruyter, 2009) Nassimbeni, Mary; May, Bev
    Drawing on results of a national survey, this article examines adult education in South African public libraries from the perspective of adult learners and librarians. Quantitative data from 589 libraries from the total sample of 1295 libraries was collected. This was supplemented by qualitative data collected during site visits to eleven libraries selected to cover geographical spread. The activities of the 26.7% of the libraries involved in adult education are analysed with a view to understanding the interventions through the experience and perceptions of the participants, and so arriving at an understanding of the contribution of the libraries' role in the fight against illiteracy which is acknowledged by the South African government as a serious impediment to its development efforts. An attempt is made to assess the extent to which the experiences in the libraries can be said to be particular to the local situation, or whether the lessons learned form part of a broader pattern of adult education policy and practice observed in other parts of the world, especially developing countries. It is concluded that, in spite of the modest scale of the interventions, the impact is sufficiently encouraging to recommend intensifying and spreading initiatives in the public library's drive for social inclusion.