M.Inf. / The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) is an integrated, coherent socioeconomic policy framework that seeks to mobilise all people and resources towards the final eradication of apartheid and the building of a democratic, non-racial and non-sexist future. It is clearly indicated in this policy document that the government is serious about the delivery of services to all people in South Africa. However, mention of library services is made only casually in the document, with libraries and information never being referred to in the same context. Information workers generally are nevertheless convinced that there are many areas in which library and information services can make a significant contribution to the success of the RDP. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the public library, with specific reference to the Randfontein Public Library, can make a contribution to the success of the RDP of South Africa. Data collection methods used included a study of literature and personal interviews with role players. During the analysis phase a brief overview was given of the South African history. The influence of this on the development of public libraries was researched, with special emphasis on the impact of the historical policy of separate development on libraries. It was found that, in the pre democratic era (before the 1994 elections), the Randfontein Public Library had indeed been influenced by apartheid laws, which resulted in inferior library services being provided to the previously disadvantaged groups in Randfontein. A chronological description of the transformation process within the library and information profession, including the guidelines of the national policy document, was given. It was found that information workers generally were aware of their responsibility towards the development of the previously disadvantaged groups, but that they lacked implementation guidelines. A demographic analysis of the Randfontein Magisterial District and a situation analysis of current Randfontein Public Library services were made to determine whether it was possible to make a contribution to the RDP. To determine the services that should be rendered by the Randfontein Public Library typical public library objectives in relation to RDP objectives were investigated. Both sets of objectives place high priority on development and therefore it was concluded that specific functions were to be performed to reach the identified development objectives. A distinction was made between primary and secondary functions. For the purpose of this study primary functions were defined as those performed to contribute towards RDP objectives, while secondary functions were deemed as those complementing the afore mentioned. In conclusion it was found that the Randfontein Public Library can make a contribution towards the actualisation of the RDP through prioritising primary functions and establishing links with organisations and individuals in the Randfontein community.

Bibliography: leaves 360-395. / Current methods of book selection in provincial library services in South Africa are examined with a view to establish whether they are the most effective possible from the point of view of the affiliated public libraries throughout the country. This involved tracing the history and development of the four provincial library services and examining their current selection practices. A well-organised network of affiliated public libraries making provision for white, and to a lesser extent coloured, South Africans has been established since World War II, with the strongly centralised provincial services providing the book stock. It appeared from the study that relatively little change had occurred in either the organisational structures or the book selection methods of these services since their inception, and that the involvement of local librarians in book selection was negligible. Instead of their role increasing as more public libraries were staffed by qualified librarians, financial pressures had resulted in even less initiative being permitted and an increase in centralised control. To establish the ideal model against which the performance of the provincial library services could be evaluated, contemporary professional opinion on public library objectives, management and book selection, as also the developments in rural systems in selected countries was surveyed. Compared to the static local picture of service which emerged from the empirical investigation, overseas advances in goals and management as reported in the literature had seen exciting professional advances, with librarians accepting, and going out to meet, the challenge of the changes in society. Strong communication links between users and selectors were emphasised. Rural networks in the foreign countries surveyed had grown to improve in efficiency and in economic terms, but in all cases the local librarian selected his own book stock, which seems more satisfactory than the current South African practice. To further test this hypothesis an empirical investigation by means of a questionnaire was circulated to all affiliated public libraries circulating more than 60 000 books annually. The findings confirmed the surmised lack of interaction in book selection between provincial and public librarians, and there was dissatisfaction, particularly among the very biggest libraries with experienced qualified staff, at the present system. The thesis concludes with recommendations made towards remedying this situation.

<p>Information and communication technology (ICT) is foreign to a number of public libraries and those libraries that have a technology infrastructure in place, suffer from an under-utilization of the technology, owing to a shortage of skills that are critical to boost the library into the global information society. It is important that staff in public libraries have the necessary skills and positive attitude to use the technology offered to them. The main objective of this study was to determine the use of ICT's in Nyanga, Brown's Farm and Crossroads public libraries and make recommendations towards effective use of ICT in the above-mentioned public libraries.</p>

M.A. (Information Science) / Management is usually concerned with the motivation and job satisfaction of employees. When workers are adequately motivated and they derive sufficient satisfaction in their job, it is assumed that their productivity is likely to be enhanced. However, even without relating it to productivity, workers' job satisfaction is considered important enough to deserve serious attention from managers and researchers in various disciplines. This study intends to examine the motivation and job satisfaction of information specialists in public libraries in South Africa. The study of motivation is a candid search for answers to perplexing questions that revolve around human nature. There is no doubting the fact that the problem of motivating other people is surely as old as human history. The common adage that "one can lead a horse to water but cannot force it to drink" was, and remains, the most important aspect of the motivation problem. Because human behaviour is complex, there are numerous theories of motivation. Eight of the most well known theories are discussed: Maslow, Herzberg, MacGregor, McClelland, Atkinson, Hackman and Oldham, Vroom and Porter and Lawler. Attention is paid to the possible implications of the theories for library management. It seems though that, whatever theory of motivation one consults, some fertile sense and some constraining theory turns up. The focus should therefore rather be on the development and integration of existing theories to formulating new ones. A review of literature revealed that there is a relationship between motivation and job satisfaction. Thesurvey instrument was a forty-six-item questionnaire developed specifically for this study by the researcher. The first section of the questionnaire elicited background information, such as age, marital status, qualification, tenure, salary and benefits. The second section of the questionnaire gathered information about the participation and perceived participation of the responding information specialist in the library situation.

<p>Information and communication technology (ICT) is foreign to a number of public libraries and those libraries that have a technology infrastructure in place, suffer from an under-utilization of the technology, owing to a shortage of skills that are critical to boost the library into the global information society. It is important that staff in public libraries have the necessary skills and positive attitude to use the technology offered to them. The main objective of this study was to determine the use of ICT's in Nyanga, Brown's Farm and Crossroads public libraries and make recommendations towards effective use of ICT in the above-mentioned public libraries.</p>

D. Litt. et Phil. / The drastic reduction of funds allocated annually to public libraries has caused a serious shortage of financial and other resources. At the same time, various policy documents published in recent years emphasise the importance of public libraries for the development of South African society as a whole. Public libraries will therefore have to adapt and extend their services to cater for the needs of the communities they serve and to take their rightful place in the development of these communities. Using members of the local communities as voluntary workers is a proposed solution to the problem of providing extended services and remaining within budgetary limits. Research on designing an effective programme for using voluntary workers in public libraries was therefore imperative. The research was undertaken, firstly, on the basis of an intensive literature study and, secondly, by conducting an empirical study by means of structured interviews with a number of librarians in public libraries. The interviews were conducted after completion of the literature study. The purpose of the interviews was to determine whether the use of voluntary workers according to the proposed programme was supported by librarians in the public library sector. The opinions of respondents were subsequently analysed and objections to the use of voluntary workers were identified. The predetermined guidelines set on the basis of the literature study were followed to eliminate these objections. It was found that none of the objections to the use of voluntary workers could be sustained if the guidelines on designing and implementing a voluntary workers' programme were followed. Every possible resource was utilised to design a structured programme for recruiting potential voluntary workers from different communities and using them for rendering essential and extended services. The guidelines indicated that public library management should, first of all, determine the relevance of using voluntary workers by means of internal and external needs analyses. Should it be found that the aid of voluntary workers is relevant for rendering various services, a co-ordinator should be appointed to design and implement the voluntary workers' programme. It is suggested that the programme should be developed and implemented as follows,The co-ordinator, as the manager of the programme, will be responsible for compiling a policy, procedures, recruitment and selection strategies, a training schedule and a budget. These tasks may be delegated to other staff members so that they could play a role in training, supervising, motivating, evaluating and giving recognition to voluntary workers. Finally, the co-ordinator should evaluate the effectiveness of the programme on the basis of data gathered from supervisors, voluntary workers and relevant community members. The report on the findings should then be made available to all roleplayers. The programme should subsequently be adapted and improved according to the findings published in this report. The researcher therefore recommends that voluntary workers should be recruited on the basis of the structured voluntary workers' programme and used for rendering essential and extended services.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / Information and communication technology (ICT) is foreign to a number of public libraries and those libraries that have a technology infrastructure in place, suffer from an under-utilization of the technology, owing to a shortage of skills that are critical to boost the library into the global information society. It is important that staff in public libraries have the necessary skills and positive attitude to use the technology offered to them. The main objective of this study was to determine the use of ICT's in Nyanga, Brown's Farm and Crossroads public libraries and make recommendations towards effective use of ICT in the above-mentioned public libraries. / South Africa

Bibliography: leaves 199-207. / This survey aims at reflecting the historical development of the Carnegie Non- European Library, from 1950 known as the Non-European Library Service, Transvaal, and attempts to evaluate the contribution of a small private library organization to the development of library services for Africans in South Africa. Since 1931 the (Carnegie) Non-European Library Service, Transvaal, has been engaged in its self-appointed task of promoting the reading habit and the use of libraries among Non-Whites, and amongst Africans in particular. The administering Committee consists of officials from government, provincial and municipal authorities as well as representatives of various organizations, who all serve in a voluntary capacity. With their active assistance and interested co-operation a considerable amount of work has been achieved despite the many difficulties encountered. The (Carnegie) Non-European Library Service, Transvaal, administered its own lending library services between 1931 and 1962; encouraged the training of Non-Whites for library work; entered the publishing field to produce two hand- books of library methods and two books for children written in the Bantu languages. The administering Committee has also provided many opportunities for the exchange of information on various aspects of library development for Non- Whites, and particularly for Africans. In its efforts to promote through reading, the intellectual development of the African, and so further his understanding of the cultures of his own peoples and other civilizations, the (Carnegie) Non- European Library Service, Transvaal, has also emphasised the role of the library in the African's spiritual quest for cultural awakening and upliftment.

Abstract available in pdf file.

This study took the form of an evaluative study of the effectiveness of public libraries as a means of providing information to school children, and was conducted at the Queenstown Public Library in the province of the Eastern Cape in South Africa. The research endeavoured to evaluate the effectiveness of public libraries in the role which they play to provide information to school children, despite the widespread belief that the role of libraries is now being replaced by Information and Communication Technologies, or ICTs. This study is also significant for the factors which contribute towards school children being prevented from receiving the full range of benefits which libraries have to offer and the recommendations which it makes to improve the effectiveness of the role played by libraries in this respect. The study could also be of benefit to the staff of libraries, as it could serve to inform them with respect to what needs to be done in order to improve the ways in which libraries make information available to school children. In this respect the research could also provide valuable insights into the strategies which need to be developed and adopted in order to make public libraries more effective providers of various types and forms of information to school children. It is to be hoped that the study will also make a valuable contribution to the existing body of knowledge concerning public libraries as a means of providing information to school children. It is the fervent wish of this researcher to make a credible and articulate case for the great value which public libraries have for school children, despite the fact that general perceptions no longer accord libraries the value which they were once commonly held to possess.