This study investigates information inequality and poverty in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Its purpose is to explore and elucidate strategies for public libraries to support the alleviation of this type of inequality and poverty within their communities. In Chapters 1 and 2, in-depth discussions of information inequality and poverty are presented. An historical perspective of libraries in South Africa is presented in Chapter 3. The theoretical framework used for this study is explained in Chapter 4. This research is based mainly on the critical theories of Pierre Bourdieu, Paolo Freire, Martha Nussbaum, and Shiraz Durrani. In addition, a new integrative approach to information inequality and poverty based on this critical theoretical framework is presented. Chapter 5 will explain the qualitative research design and methodology of this study. A rationale for choosing to conduct two case studies is provided. The choice of constructivist, critical paradigms are explained as is the decision to use a quantitative survey to supplement the design. In Chapter 6, uMhlathuze municipality and the case study libraries is discussed in depth. The findings of the data collection are presented, collated under five main themes based on the main research questions. Chapter 7 interprets and discusses the research findings in three primary analytic categories. An explanation of the steps to apply the new integrative approach to information inequality and poverty is provided. Final conclusions for addressing the problem is presented in Chapter 8 along with recommendations for libraries wishing to alleviate information inequality and poverty. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Information Science / PhD / Unrestricted

Every day, thousands of people make a decision to leave their homeland. Some of them are forced to flee conflicts, war and oppression, while others move voluntarily for work, study or family reunification. Sweden is one of the countries in the world that received the most refugees per capita 2015.The study focuses on immigrants integration problems specifically from an information poverty perspective and explores the concepts of newcomers, integration, inclusion, exclusion, digitization and information poverty. The study examines factors that may affect the lack of access to information and how can these factors lead to integration problems. The study discusses the role of the Swedish Employment Services as an authority and their website. Furthermore, the study examines immigrants experiences regarding information poverty and the consequences of not being able to search information digitally on their own. Methods used in the study are structured interview and usability test for observational scenarios.The conclusion that can be drawn regarding the Swedish Employment Services website is that the site needs to be adapted for immigrants who do not understand Swedish or who do not have knowledge of using the Internet. In addition, the study found that immigrants lacked social networks with Swedes and did not have access to information about society, education, work, and housing. These limitations leads to some of the first problems with immigrant social integration.

Information poverty is one of the main forms of poverty today that affects the lives of billions of people on a daily basis and as such it is argued in this thesis that this form of poverty should be on the world’s moral agenda – not merely as a discussion item but as an action item. It is furthermore argued that the information and knowledge society cannot be build without taking into consideration the moral challenges associated with this form of poverty. The research question guiding this thesis is as follows: What is information poverty and why is it a serious moral issue that needs to be addressed today? To be able to answer this question five key issues are addressed. They are as follows: -- The analysing, unpacking and understanding of the different dimensions and moral implications of poverty through the use of social sciences (Chapter 1). -- The investigation and analyzing of the notion of information, specifically in terms of its relationship to poverty (Chapters 2&3). -- The analysing, unpacking and understanding of information poverty, both in terms of its complexity as well as social, political, personal and moral dimensions (Chapter 4). -- A reflection, from a social justice perspective, on the moral concerns associated with information poverty. This is done through the use of philosophy and social sciences (Chapter 5). -- The development, based on social justice and human rights, moral guidelines that can be used to address the different moral concerns associated with information poverty (Chapter 6). In Chapter 2 poverty is defined as that condition of life where the majority of people lack sufficient resources to supply their basic needs for survival. As such it indicates the socio-economic status of people and communities, together with its impact on just about every aspect of their lives. It is illustrated that poverty has a strong moral claim on society. In Chapter 3 the notion of information is discussed from a diachronic perspective and an own approach to information is presented. Based on the three worlds of Popper different characteristics of information are identified and discussed. The implications of these characteristics on information poverty are illustrated. Chapter 4 focuses on information poverty. A basic definition is presented and different degrees as well as levels of information poverty are also distinguished. It is argued that this form of poverty has an overall impact on the development of people. In Chapter 5 information poverty as a serious moral issue is discussed. Following from this social justice in terms of its scope, application and functions is analysed with regards to information poverty. Based on the value statement that the alleviation of information poverty serves a common good purpose, it is argued that there are two moral principles that meet the requirement of universal validity and that can be used to guide moral decision-making regarding information poverty. These are justice and human rights. In Chapter 6 several moral guidelines, based on social justice, are presented that can be used to address the moral concerns raised by the condition of information poverty. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Information Science / DPhil / Unrestricted

Introduction. The aim of this thesis is to examine information practices among erotic minorities in Sweden in 1975–1995. These minorities include among others sadomasochists, fetishists and transvestites. The survey moves within the subculture that existed around deviating sexual practices. The center of the survey is the association Club Sunrise who organized erotic minorities, where the majority of the members had a mainly heterosexual orientation.  Method. Sixteen semi-structured interviews have been carried out with people active in the Swedish subculture during the studied period. The empirical data also consists of the Club Sunrise member magazine SMART. The author also had access to material from other media, in which the members participated. Analysis. The material has been analyzed based on J. Tuomas Harvianien’s concept of embodied information literacy and Elfreda A. Chatman’s four critical concepts that serve as the basis for defining an impoverished life-world: risk-taking, secrecy, deception and situational relevance.  Results. People belonging to various erotic minorities have used all four of Chatman’s critical concepts, with an emphasis on secrecy and deception. They also obtained information through embodied literacy. In addition to these results, the investigation also resulted in a mapping of various associations and venues that existed in Sweden before 1995. Conclusion. Erotic minorities in Sweden 1975–1995 were in a state of information poverty. However, they have not suffered from any information poverty in their lives as a whole, but it has been expressed in their belonging to an erotic minority. To get in touch with like-minded, without revealing their secrets to outsiders, they used different concepts of secrecy and deception. They also found and identified each other through secret signs and symbols, special clothing or ways of behaving. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

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The study is an investigation into the pathways of out-of-school youth and their re-entrance into the Education Training and Development (ETD) system or the labour market. In the study the pathways of youth who dropped out of school between grades 1 and 11 are traced as they seek re-entrance to the ETD system, or entrance into the labour market. Particular attention was given to the factors that determine the choices that dropouts make either in re-entering the ETD system or entering the labour market. An analysis of the experiences of the interviewed sample of dropouts is presented. The study employs a qualitative research methodology using interviews to elicit the experiences of dropouts and school managers. The participants (young people and three school principals) were selected through snowballing from a township south of Durban. Individual and focus group interviews were held. The findings provide evidence of the value of investing in education, as suggested by the youth. This is in line with the human capital theory framework that suggests that there are major benefits to investing in education. The study is concluded by suggesting the need for second chance education in South Africa. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

This dissertation examines the impact of trauma on information-seeking behaviors and decision-making processes. Essay 1 includes a qualitative analysis of the transcripts obtained from interviews with four military service members diagnosed with PTSD. The results showed that 75% of this small sample population exhibited addictive behavior that was presented in their information behaviors. All four members indicated that the excessive extent to which they seek information is related to the perceived importance of the information and their level of trust in the sources. Low trust in information sources increases the number of sources searched for validation in this population. Essay 2 involved the collection and analysis of survey data. The results of the stepwise backward regression show that two trauma variables (adult sexual assault, sudden fear) have a significant combined negative effect on decision-making in this population. The analysis and results of a different survey are presented in Essay 3. The stepwise logistic regression analysis results conducted on the summated scales developed showed a strong positive link between trust in scientific experts for scientific information and the dichotomous dependent variable trust in social media for news. The research conducted in this dissertation extends the understanding of how trauma affects people's information-seeking habits and decision-making processes. The findings have implications for how to communicate, policies relevant to information dissemination, and mental health measures. Future research is suggested to understand these behaviors and potential treatments better.