Browsing by Subject "public libraries"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Open Access
    From borders and landscape to ecosystem: reconfiguring library services to meet the needs of South African youth
    (University of Stellenbosch, 2013) Hart, Genevieve; Nassimbeni, Mary
    In this article we consider the configuration of the South African library and information services (LIS) sector, and analyse the extent to which its structuring facilitates or hinders optimum service to the children and youth of South Africa. The background to our investigation is the crisis in public schooling and the plight of South African youth who suffer disproportionate rates of poverty and unemployment. In our investigation we examine the planning and practice in two new libraries one a community library, and one a joint-use library for learners and local residents in an effort to establish the extent to which libraries may partner with schools to take advantage of new thinking that recommends a whole system approach, encapsulated in the metaphor of LIS as an ecosystem. We conclude that this new approach might generate models of service delivery that transcend boundaries that traditionally delineate and confine sub-sectors in the LIS sector.
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    Open Access
    Information Literacy in Practice: engaging public library workers in rural South Africa
    (SAGE, 2007) De Jager, Karin; Nassimbeni, Mary
    Mpumalanga Provincial Library Services, South Africa, offers public library services in a largely rural 'new' province created in 1996. Many of the libraries are in isolated areas and have to meet the very diverse needs of their communities. This paper reports the results of an information literacy intervention designed for public library workers in this province. The campaign, a first of its kind in Mpumalanga (and South Africa), gave public library workers the opportunity to develop their information literacy skills and to apply them in their libraries. This paper discusses the information and training needs that were identified, the campaigns that were constructed, their progress and the outcomes. From the outset, emphasis was placed on the importance of measuring and evaluating activities throughout their campaigns in order to be able to assess the impact of their interventions. The paper attempts to show what difference even small public libraries with unqualified library workers can make in tackling social exclusion in disadvantaged communities.
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    Open Access
    Readiness of public libraries to deliver information literacy instruction to school children: a case study of a City of Cape Town public library
    (2025) Notshokovu, Cwayita; Kahn, Michelle
    Information literacy (IL) is an integral part of lifelong learning. IL instruction is accepted internationally as the specific mission of school libraries. However, in South Africa, there are few schools that have functional school libraries, and so it is unrealistic to put the IL instruction responsibility on school libraries. Therefore, public libraries need to step in and close the IL gap. However, it is not clear how well equipped public libraries are for this role. To examine the problem above, the main objective of this study was to investigate the readiness of public libraries to offer IL support to school learners. The Big6 model guided data collection in this study in terms of the formulation of the interview questions for librarians, and the observations guide. Under the interpretive paradigm, this study employed a qualitative research approach with a case study design. The case is that of a public library referred to as the Library in this study. The Library is an example of one library in the City of Cape Town and the researcher was interested in providing an in-depth study of this library with regards to IL instruction support for school learners. One of the reasons it was chosen is because there are a number of schools in the area in which it is situated. The populations for the study were the public librarians working at the Library and schoolteachers from the surrounding primary and high schools. There was no sampling required for public librarians because their population was manageable. However, non-probability sampling was employed for schoolteachers, coupled with purposive sampling. The data from the public librarians were collected through semi structured interviews and observations, while the data from the schoolteachers were collected through semi-structured interviews only. Data were analysed manually. Findings indicated that the majority of the librarians in the study have a combination of work experience and LIS qualifications (though some were obtained a long time ago), which contributes positively to their readiness to teach IL. The findings of the study revealed that there is no sustained programme that is explicitly referred to as IL at the Library. However, librarians at the Library offer IL support to school learners and IL support for school learners is embedded in various library programmes, such as library orientation, digital literacy, storytelling, and the homework assistance, reading and holiday programmes. The findings also showed that the librarians in the study generally have a positive attitude towards teaching IL to school learners, although they acknowledged that they are not teachers by profession. Furthermore, it was revealed that while there was no collaboration between the Library and one of the primary schools in the study, the Library does collaborate with some of the teachers from the other schools. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the body of literature, particularly that of information literacy education for school children in public libraries.
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    Open Access
    Supporting the information needs of entrepreneurs in South Africa
    (Emerald, 2009) Underwood, Peter G
    Purpose - The Library Business Corners (LBC) service for entrepreneurs in the Western Cape of South Africa uses public libraries as a channel for information and expertise. It is a 'grass roots', community-driven, approach which has been adopted elsewhere in South Africa. Similar services have appeared addressing the same, or similar, groups of users, often concentrating on the use of information and communication technology. Design/methodology/approach - Developing an effective service for entrepreneurs depends critically on the quality of staff and their contacts. The opportunities and problems of the LBCs' approach are identified and a response to the emergence of similar services is considered. The 'balanced score card' model is used to explore the vision and strategy of the present services and the potential contribution of information literacy. Findings - Financial support for LBC work is scarce and unlikely to increase. The challenge is to create a sustainable service by the LBC team as points of presence, using the existing or reduced financial base. Concentration on increasing capacity at the point of delivery of information through knowledge of the business environment and information literacy is essential. Originality/value - The paper describes the first application of the 'balanced score card' technique to a public library business information service in South Africa.