Modern day society is characterised by the availability of technology and the abundance of information in all formats that require all individuals using it to poses information literacy skills (ILS).ILS enable people the ability to locate, analyse, evaluate access and retrieve the desired information to satisfy a need. Research on IL in academic and school libraries has gained momentum in the field of Information Science where as little has been documented concerning public libraries and IL. This therefore calls for more research on IL in public libraries. Public libraries serve a wide and diverse community of which students are a part. In instances where school libraries are either non-existent or not developed, students seek assistance from the public library within their community. This study sought to investigate the role of public libraries in enhancing the ILS of senior secondary school students in the Central District in Botswana. The fact that school libraries in Botswana are underdeveloped to produce competent and confident students equipped with ILS that could be used in the work environment and continuous lifelong learning, motivated the study. A concern that there exists a gap in research concerning public libraries and IL within the Botswana context necessitated this study. The study used a survey research design where both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were adopted. This involved the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. The purpose of a mixed methods approach was based on the idea that qualitative results could assist in explaining and interpreting the findings of a quantitative study. Data collection involved three sets of closed ended questionnaires and observations in all schools and public libraries. The population of the study consisted of public librarians, teacher librarians and students. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) to generate statistics. The findings of the study revealed that the public libraries in the Central District in Botswana are above average in terms of materials and use. It brought to light that senior secondary school students use the public libraries for school purposes and get assistance when they seek for it. Public librarians do not have special classes aimed at enhancing the ILS of students. The public libraries offer IL in the form of computer training, they do this as, and when students register, just like the other members of the community. The library’s contribution to enhancement of the students’ ILS, (study skills, reading skills and use of reference works) is somewhat limited. Limited resources, lack of reading culture, low budgets, and lack of support from government negatively challenge the full potential impact of IL enhancement. / Information Science / M. Inf. Sc.

The focus of this study is to investigate the information-seeking behaviour of the undergraduate art and design students of The Open Window School of Visual Communication. A qualitative approach with case study strategy is followed. For sampling purposes The Open Window School of Visual Communication was selected. Various qualitative research methods and literature on information-seeking behaviour are explored. The data were collected through one-on-one interviews. The findings show that various factors influence the information-seeking behaviour of undergraduate art and design students. Aspects in the users’ personal environment, such as meaning, experience, skills, preferences, and actions, have a significant influence on their information-seeking behaviour. Further factors deriving from the students’ context that influence their information-seeking behaviour are curricula, tasks, people (lecturers, artists, designers), sources, and technology applied to accomplish tasks. All these contributing factors have their own sets of requirements with which the art students have to comply. In addition, the findings show that the students’ digital literacy skills influence their information literacy skills. The findings also show that the factors that influence The Open Window students’ information-seeking behaviour influence the library as information service, in terms of the library sources and services the students use. Recommendations are made in order to appropriately address the information- seeking needs of this specific user group and to guide the students to best ways in information-seeking. / Information Science / M. Inf.