The problem addressed by this investigation is whether the provision of centralized school library services is related to the reading habits and reading abilities of elementary school children. In considering this problem, a survey approach was utilized which entailed the examination of standardized reading achievement test scores, student reading records, and parent, teacher, and student questionnaire responses.

Introduction. We investigated how librarians viewed childhood, children’s participation and their own profes- sional role in relation to these two topics. Recently the Convention on the Rights of the Child became law in Sweden, and we explored the possible effects on the library professional’s role in comparison to a country where little has been done in regard to children’s rights during the past few years. Method. Qualitative interviews were conducted in Sweden and in England. The empirical data consisted of tran- scriptions and note-taking from four interviews conducted in each country. In total we interviewed eight librarians working with children. Analysis. We carried out a qualitative analysis of the empirical data by a basic thematic approach. The analysis consisted of two separate parts - based on the data from Sweden and England respectively - leading up to a final joint discussion and comparison of our results. Results. There was a pattern of viewing the child more often as “becoming” in England. When the child was viewed as “being” in England this was linked to a norm of children feeling safe, happy and playful. The analysis showed that formal training and awareness of children’s rights to participate were greater amongst the Swedish librarians. Still, children were not actively involved in the planning of events at the library. Conclusion. The views conveyed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child is now part of the Swedish librari- ans’ professional role with an emphasis on the right of participation. In the case of English librarians, certain aspects of the convention are important, although the need for children’s participation seems to have been set aside in favor of children’s feeling of safety. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

The study investigates the establishment and development of the Kimberley Africana Library and its mother institution, the Kimberley Public Library within the broader social, economical and political environment in which they took place. The history of these institutions is inextricable until 1984 when the public and Africana sections of the Library were separated and the Kimberley Africana Library was opened to the public in 1986. It was the exceptional collections of Africana and rare books which distinguished the Kimberley Public Library and the main factor which bound the history of these two institutions. The Kimberley Public Library and its progeny the Kimberley Africana Library are the products of a new industrialised era which came about after the discovery of diamonds in South Africa. They emanated from an environment which produced the new wealth of the country, an almost uncharted region which was relatively new to the established British colonies. In order to place the origins of and motivation for the establishment of the Kimberley Public Library and the Kimberley Africana Library in perspective, it is necessary in this study also to include an overview of the development of the diamond mining industry in Kimberley. This development, peculiar as it was to Kimberley, gave rise to the type of social and cultural milieu in which the Public Library was founded by the immigrants to this area. Also included in the study is a brief survey of the development of the library movement in South Africa and the role played by the Kimberley Public Library in the growth of this movement and in the expansion of public library services to the people of the country. The history of the Kimberley Public/Africana Library which covers a period of more than a century is divided into three distinct periods, namely that which deals with the institution as a Subscription Library from 1882 until 1960 and, from 1961 as a free library under the jurisdiction of the Kimberley Municipality and affiliated to the Cape Provincial Library Service. The third period concerns the dichotomisation of the Kimberley Public Library and the establishment of the Kimberley Africana Library in 1986 to house the Library’s renowned collection of Africana and rare books. This section also deals with the period after 1994 when the Kimberley Libraries functioned under the new political dispensation in South Africa. Emphasis is laid on the formation, nature and scope of the Africana Collection which was the raison d’etre for the establishment of the Kimberley Africana Library and the most significant of the items in the collection are broadly described. The study concludes with an assessment of the challenges the Kimberley Africana Library faces and suggests ways and means of resolving these. An Appendix entitled The Founders and the Builders is added in order to elaborate on the exceptional contributions of several prominent Committee members and Librarians who controlled and managed these institutions from their inception in 1882 until 2008. / Information Science / M. Inf. (Information Science)

The study investigates the establishment and development of the Kimberley Africana Library and its mother institution, the Kimberley Public Library within the broader social, economical and political environment in which they took place. The history of these institutions is inextricable until 1984 when the public and Africana sections of the Library were separated and the Kimberley Africana Library was opened to the public in 1986. It was the exceptional collections of Africana and rare books which distinguished the Kimberley Public Library and the main factor which bound the history of these two institutions. The Kimberley Public Library and its progeny the Kimberley Africana Library are the products of a new industrialised era which came about after the discovery of diamonds in South Africa. They emanated from an environment which produced the new wealth of the country, an almost uncharted region which was relatively new to the established British colonies. In order to place the origins of and motivation for the establishment of the Kimberley Public Library and the Kimberley Africana Library in perspective, it is necessary in this study also to include an overview of the development of the diamond mining industry in Kimberley. This development, peculiar as it was to Kimberley, gave rise to the type of social and cultural milieu in which the Public Library was founded by the immigrants to this area. Also included in the study is a brief survey of the development of the library movement in South Africa and the role played by the Kimberley Public Library in the growth of this movement and in the expansion of public library services to the people of the country. The history of the Kimberley Public/Africana Library which covers a period of more than a century is divided into three distinct periods, namely that which deals with the institution as a Subscription Library from 1882 until 1960 and, from 1961 as a free library under the jurisdiction of the Kimberley Municipality and affiliated to the Cape Provincial Library Service. The third period concerns the dichotomisation of the Kimberley Public Library and the establishment of the Kimberley Africana Library in 1986 to house the Library’s renowned collection of Africana and rare books. This section also deals with the period after 1994 when the Kimberley Libraries functioned under the new political dispensation in South Africa. Emphasis is laid on the formation, nature and scope of the Africana Collection which was the raison d’etre for the establishment of the Kimberley Africana Library and the most significant of the items in the collection are broadly described. The study concludes with an assessment of the challenges the Kimberley Africana Library faces and suggests ways and means of resolving these. An Appendix entitled The Founders and the Builders is added in order to elaborate on the exceptional contributions of several prominent Committee members and Librarians who controlled and managed these institutions from their inception in 1882 until 2008. / Information Science / M. Inf. (Information Science)

The study set out to investigate the provision of sustainable internet access to public libraries in South Africa. The rationale of the study was to investigate how sustainable internet access can be provided to public libraries in South Africa and to determine how they have developed and are regulated. Internet access is a key driver in delivering information services to the users and a critical tool in facilitating information sharing regardless of platform and geographic location. Therefore, the level of information and communications technology (ICT) penetration in public libraries formed a critical part of the study as the provision of internet to these libraries depends on available ICTs. The study employed a survey design and used interview tool to collect data from nine participants. Questionnaire augmented interviews as they were used to collect data from 322 respondents. The study used the probability sampling technique to collect data from the participants. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants for the interview, whereas the stratified probability, proportional to size, and systematic techniques were also used to select respondents in the senior categories, namely heads of public libraries. This ensured a sample size of 331 out of a population of 1 621 selected for the study. The sample size consisted of nine directors and 322 head librarians. No sampling was done on the nine heads (directors) of provincial public libraries, as the nature of this population did not warrant further dissection due to its small size. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was used to analyse data. Questionnaires were analysed when they were returned and interviews were analysed when they were conducted. Written descriptions, tables and figures were used to present data in an elaborative manner. Data was also presented through frequencies and percentages. It emerged from the study that most public libraries (97%) were connected to the internet. The findings of the study showed that most public libraries (80%) were connected to the internet through the fixed lines and that each of the nine provinces had its own internet service providers (table 5.12). The study recommended fixed lines for internet access to be laid to all public libraries in South Africa and that a government agency be used as a dedicated internet service provider for public libraries across all the nine provinces. A further study was recommended about the application of an internet access model used by academic institutions to public libraries. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

The scarcity of financial resources often poses challenges for organisations in both the private and the public sector, which require productive (tangible) resources, in order to thrive. Organisations are developing innovative and cost-effective methods to secure productive resources that are needed to drive performance. Special libraries in the public sector face the same pressures that resulted in some of them being overwhelmed by poor resources. The purpose of the study is to determine the levels of resources available to the libraries in the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) and the extent to which tangible resources can predict information service provision in GPG libraries. The theory of the firm and the resource-based view (RBV) theory were used as theoretical framework to support the study. The study addresses the identified gap of resource adequacy in special libraries by measuring adequacy from the perspective of those responsible for exploiting the resources, instead of the library services (the output) and library users. This approach differs from those in similar studies, which measured adequacy from the perspective of consumers. The study adopted a positivist philosophical assumption, using a quantitative research approach, with questionnaires and interviews as the data collection tools. The population of the study involves all the library officials of the libraries in Gauteng Provincial Government departments, including management. Due to the nature and size of the target population, there was no need for sampling. A total of 30 respondents for both quantitative and qualitative data, participated in the study. In order to achieve acceptable levels of validity of collected and analysed data, the face validity method was used, whereas the representative reliability method was used to ensure reliability and consistency of the measuring instruments. Mean and standard deviation, multiple regression and Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient analyses on quantitative data was conducted by using the data analysis tool Statistical Software for Social Sciences (SPSS). Atlas Ti was used to analyse the qualitative data collected. No major limitations were identified. The study found the level of physical, financial, ICT-based resources and staff development and training in the GPG libraries to be low, similarly the level of information services provided was found to be low. The resources were found to have predictive value on one another, but not on information services. Furthermore, the study did find a positive and strong relationship between resources and services at GPG libraries. The study recommended a resourcing model that is based on the collaborative consumption/sharing economy concept and principles. / Information Science / D. Phil (Information Science)

Small-scale Business Enterprises (SBEs) lack proper mechanisms for supporting the provision and access to business information that can nurture their development in Kenya. This study investigated the role that public libraries could play in supporting the development of SBEs in Meru County with a view to developing a model that would enable public libraries to effectively support the development of SBEs. The study used the pragmatic paradigm to explore the identified phenomena. It applied the mixed methods approach and survey research design; collected data from 355 SBEs, 21 staff from three public libraries and two staff from the enterprise development unit of Meru County. Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews and document analysis. The response rate was 83.4% and 95% for SBEs and public library staff respectively. The descriptive and inferential statistics were used with the help of SPSS and Excel. Thematic analysis was applied on qualitative data. The study found that the factors that influence the development of SBEs are anchored in the environmental, cultural and personality factors of SBEs. SBEs have a myriad of business information needs which are sector-specific and cut across all the stages of business development. To fulfil these needs, most SBEs consult informal information sources and places. Technology-related tools were a popular means of accessing business information. Public libraries were poorly stocked with business information sources while business information services were in a desolate state. The study concludes that public libraries have facilitative and functional roles of providing business information solutions to SBEs by collaborating with like- minded stakeholders. The availability and accessibility of business information sources and services at public libraries is critical in addressing the information needs of SBEs. The study recommends repositioning of public libraries as business community development centres by providing value-based information sources and services. Public libraries need to revise their collection development policy, increase budget allocation, establish business information centres, seek partnerships, improve ICT facilities, ensure adequate staffing, engage business services librarians, open more libraries and widen their business outreach activities for effective support of SBEs. Policy framework and support systems for symmetrical access to business information, and entrepreneurial training for SBEs and for public library staff are needed. The proposed model of public library’s support for the development of SBEs is valuable and contribute to knowledge in business development. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)