D.Litt. et Phil. / The study reports on an investigation of information needs and information-seeking patterns of Africans living in selected rural villages in the Northern Province. A total of 302 respondents from six rural villages were randomly chosen for the study. The extent to which rural villagers are aware of their information needs, and their ability to express these needs was assessed and evaluated. The study also identified the nature of information sources and information providers used by rural villagers in their pursuit for information, as well as their level of satisfaction with the information sources and information providers used. Barriers to information-seeking and information provision in rural areas such as language, are also identified. The structured interview was used to gather data from the respondents. This incorporated the critical incident technique, which requires respondents to think back to a time when they needed information or knowledge, in order to solve a problem or make a decision. This technique has been proven to elicit more useful responses as the respondents are not directly asked about their information needs in an abstract, theoretical situation which they may not be able to practically relate to or recall. The study revealed inter alia, the existence of a communication gap between the libraries and community information centres in the villages and the people they are intended to serve. The study also reports on the general lack of awareness of rural villagers' information needs and their inability to articulate these needs. Preference for informal, interpersonal and largely oral methods of information transfer have also been identified by the study, and implications for the respondents' informationseeking behaviour in relation to rural information service provision are also discussed. The nature of information needs identified amongst respondents and their information-seeking behaviour call for the adoption of an appropriate model to cater for the unique needs of rural villagers. It is against this backdrop that current models of rural information provision are critically reviewed. The study argues for the need to adapt library and information services to the rural environment and proposes an alternative model of information provision in rural areas. This model represents a departure from the traditional model of library and information services, which is based on print-media and therefore largely unsuitable to the rural African environment. The proposed model is intended to reorientate and re-focus government departments charged with the responsibility for rural information provision, not only in the Northern Province, but in rural South Africa in broader terms. The model is also intended to enable the government and Library and Information Service(LIS) stakeholders to rethink the entire process of information provision and access to information in rural villages. Finally, the study makes recommendations regarding the improvement of rural information provision and acceleration of the establishment of community information centres in rural villages. A call is made for a more integrated approach to rural information provision, using all stake-holders such as chiefs, headmen, Transitional Local Councils, private sector companies and local businesspeople, amongst others.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 almeida_mc_dr_jabo.pdf: 2412812 bytes, checksum: 49625b8a1c633e2577e04d37766a03b8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Pimelodus britskii, uma espécie endêmica da bacia do rio Iguaçu, apresenta poucos estudos que envolvam desenvolvimento ontogenético e parâmetros populacionais, deste modo, trabalhos que envolvam esses caracteres são de suma importância, para tomada de medidas de uso e conservação da espécie. Neste trabalho abordamos, no primeiro artigo, o desenvolvimento larval, proporções corporais e subsídios para diferenciar a larva nas fases iniciais de desenvolvimento das suas congenéricas. No segundo artigo avaliamos as modificações, ao longo do espaço e do tempo, com relação à abundância, proporção sexual, tamanho de primeira maturação, comprimento médio, relação peso/comprimento, e atividade reprodutiva. Em relação às larvas, inicialmente a pigmentação era escassa e intensificou-se com o desenvolvimento. O comprimento padrão variou de 2,6 a 13,11mm e os miômeros de 34-50. A espécie apresentou alometria negativa do comprimento da cabeça, altura do corpo, distância pré-dorsal e distância pré-anal em relação ao comprimento padrão e altura da cabeça, comprimento do focinho e diâmetro do olho em relação a comprimento da cabeça, e as estruturas corporais em todas as fases larvais de desenvolvimento são cartilaginosas. Foram capturados na totalidade 9.204 indivíduos, em quatros locais diferentes de coletas em 9 (nove) etapas. Evidenciou que a população de P.britskii, por diferentes etapas e locais, apresentou diferença significativa em seus parâmetros populacionais. A maior abundância (CPUE) ocorreu na etapa I e na estação de coleta Cavernoso (Cav). O comprimento médio da população variaram 15,5±6,2 cm, sendo os indivíduos maiores capturados na Etapa III e na estação de coleta Iate Clube Candói (Iat). O crescimento foi alométrico negativo, como o melhor fator de condição (K), encontrado na etapa III e na estação Iat, como ocorreu também para o comprimento médio. O índice de atividade reprodutiva (IAR), na escala temporal foram mais intenso na etapa I e no espaço na estação Cav. E em relação a diferentes estações de coleta, foram mais intenso nas estações quente (verão) e praticamente nulo na estações mais frias (outono). Considerando estes resultados podemos inferir que a população apresenta tendência à estabilização. / Pimelodus britskii, an endemic species of Iguaçu River basin, has scarce studies involving ontogenetic development and population parameters. So studies involving these characters are of great importance to take protection e conservation measures. This study presents, in the first paper, body proportions and subsidies to differ larval initial developing phases larval of its congenerics. The second paper evaluated changes, over space and time, related to abundancy , sexual proportion, first maturation size, medium lengh , weight /size relation and productive activity. The larvae initially pigmentation was scarce and intensified with the development, the standard length ranged from 2.6 to 13.11mm and myomeres from 34-50. The findings showed negative head length allometry, body height, predorsal length and pre-anal distance from the standard length and head height, snout length and diameter of the eye in relation to head length and structures in all larval stages of development are cartilaginous. 9.204 individuals were captured in nine years in four different collection places. It showed that the population of P.britskii, through different stages and places significant difference in their population parameters. The highest abundance (CPUE), occurred in stage I and Cavernous collection station (Cav). The average length of the population ranged 15.5 ± 6.2 cm, with the largest individuals caught in Stage III and gathering station Candói Yacht Club (Iat). The allometric growth was negative as the best condition factor (K) found in step III and Iat station as also observed for the mean length. The reproductive activity index (IAR), the temporal scale were more intense in stage I and space in Cav station. And in relation to different collection stations were more intense in the warm seasons (summer) and virtually nil in colder seasons (autumn). Considering these results we can conclude that the population has a tendency to stabilize.