Socio-economic benefits of conditional grants in public libraries in the Heidelberg and Sicelo communities, in Gauteng, South Africa

Conditional grants have changed the public library space by giving the South African society free access to knowledge and information that assist in improving the socio-economic situation of individuals using public libraries and the communities at large. A public library plays an important role in a community through information access, reading programmes, space for activities, study areas, computer access, and a social space for the community, especially in previously disadvantaged areas. Therefore, it is important for public libraries to receive conditional grants. The Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) (2006) states that the grant’s purpose is to transform urban and rural infrastructure, facilities, and services, especially in previously disadvantaged areas. The purpose of the study is to investigate the socio-economic benefits of the Library Conditional Grant in public libraries in the Heidelberg and Sicelo communities in Gauteng, South Africa. The study adopted the conceptual framework formed by the Batho Pele principles, the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and the theory of change framework, as the concepts. The research paradigm adopted in the study is the positivist approach. The research approach followed was a quantitative research approach and the research design was a survey. Systematic random sampling was used to select 254 respondents consisting of officials and library users from the national Department of Arts and Culture, Gauteng Provincial Library Service, Lesedi Local Municipality, Midvaal Local Municipality, Heidelberg public library, Heidelberg community, Sicelo public library, and Sicelo community. Data were collected from respondents using a questionnaire as the data collection tool. The findings of the study indicated that (a) there is a budget allocation through the Library Conditional Grant for library staff appointment in both Heidelberg and Sicelo libraries; (b) library users are aware of the services offered at libraries but not the community at large due to a lack of marketing; (c) books are procured on an annual basis and libraries have adequate and up to date stock; (d) library programmes are offered and implemented to the Heidelberg and Sicelo communities; (e) library halls of both the Heidelberg and Sicelo libraries are utilised by the local community structures according to the respondents; (f) challenges include slow infrastructure implementation in terms of construction of new libraries, filling of vacant positions and supply chain management; and (g) on guidance, respondents suggest the permanent appointment of staff at the Heidelberg library, filling vacant positions, and maintenance of libraries, amongst other things. This study recommends that: (a) vacancies should be filled to ensure efficient library service delivery; (b) procurement of outside furniture to accommodate library users that visit Heidelberg and Sicelo libraries to access Wi-Fi; (c) Library Conditional Grant should continue to allocate budget for implementation of library programmes; (d) library halls of both Heidelberg and Sicelo libraries need to be marketed to ensure maximum utilisation by the community structures; (e) consider using the Library Conditional Grant to erect a gaming room with tablets for children in the Sicelo library; and (f) permanent appointment of staff at the Heidelberg library. The study further recommends that another study be conducted to investigate the impact of the Library Conditional Grant in public libraries located in rural areas across South Africa. This study will assist in the professional implementation of a workable model for the implementation of the Library Conditional Grant. The study will also assist in determining whether the Library Conditional Grant is impacting rural communities in terms of empowering members socially and economically.Information SciencePh. D. (Information Science

The impact of public libraries in the Eastern Cape Province with reference to three Buffalo City Municipal libraries in King Williams' Town

The study sought to investigate the impact of public libraries in developing information literacy in libraries in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa: a case study of Buffalo City Municipality public libraries in King William’s Town. The objectives of the study were to find out how these three libraries in Buffalo City Metro public libraries ensure equity of library and information services provision to the user communities, to find out how public libraries support education and lifelong learning, to identify the challenges that public libraries face in rendering library and information services with reference to the three libraries, and to investigate the role of library professionals in marketing the library services to the community. Both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were employed in a descriptive survey. The main research instrument was a questionnaire supported by face to face interviews. A total of 297 questionnaires were distributed and 200 were returned giving a response rate of 67.3%. The quantitative data which was collected through questionnaire was presented using graphs and tables, while qualitative was analysed manually by content analysis, using the notes that were taken by the researcher from the respondents during the interview sessions and reported verbatim in some instances. The findings showed that regardless of South African LIS environment having contradictions resulting from years of apartheid, most of the Buffalo City Metro public library patrons indicated that they experienced fair and equitable access to library and information services. In addition to participants’ quantitative responses, the qualitative excerpts from librarians attested to the library having a classification system that allows easy access to library resources. In addition, findings of the study also revealed that the Buffalo City Metro public libraries have a diversity of users, ranging from different age groups and social standing. The results from the current study revealed that the Buffalo City metropolitan public library users have little knowledge about literacy programmes that are taking place in the library. The findings also indicated that the Buffalo City Metro public libraries market library services by word of mouth, posters and notice boards. One of the major findings of the study is that Buffalo City Metro public libraries are faced with financial constraints and that led to a myriad of challenges ranging from inadequate library operating hours; limited information sources; lack of information retrieval training to patrons; internet connectivity issues; xii lack of professional staff and lack of training on the latest technological trends. The study concludes that the Buffalo City Metro public libraries should establish a marketing strategy to motivate for funding. The study recommended that the Buffalo City public libraries should create an integrated system for all libraries in the metromunicipality that encourages adult literacy programme to raise awareness of information literacy

The impact of public libraries in the Eastern Cape Province with reference to three Buffalo City Municipal libraries in King Williams' Town

The study sought to investigate the impact of public libraries in developing information literacy in libraries in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa: a case study of Buffalo City Municipality public libraries in King William’s Town. The objectives of the study were to find out how these three libraries in Buffalo City Metro public libraries ensure equity of library and information services provision to the user communities, to find out how public libraries support education and lifelong learning, to identify the challenges that public libraries face in rendering library and information services with reference to the three libraries, and to investigate the role of library professionals in marketing the library services to the community. Both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were employed in a descriptive survey. The main research instrument was a questionnaire supported by face to face interviews. A total of 297 questionnaires were distributed and 200 were returned giving a response rate of 67.3%. The quantitative data which was collected through questionnaire was presented using graphs and tables, while qualitative was analysed manually by content analysis, using the notes that were taken by the researcher from the respondents during the interview sessions and reported verbatim in some instances. The findings showed that regardless of South African LIS environment having contradictions resulting from years of apartheid, most of the Buffalo City Metro public library patrons indicated that they experienced fair and equitable access to library and information services. In addition to participants’ quantitative responses, the qualitative excerpts from librarians attested to the library having a classification system that allows easy access to library resources. In addition, findings of the study also revealed that the Buffalo City Metro public libraries have a diversity of users, ranging from different age groups and social standing. The results from the current study revealed that the Buffalo City metropolitan public library users have little knowledge about literacy programmes that are taking place in the library. The findings also indicated that the Buffalo City Metro public libraries market library services by word of mouth, posters and notice boards. One of the major findings of the study is that Buffalo City Metro public libraries are faced with financial constraints and that led to a myriad of challenges ranging from inadequate library operating hours; limited information sources; lack of information retrieval training to patrons; internet connectivity issues; xii lack of professional staff and lack of training on the latest technological trends. The study concludes that the Buffalo City Metro public libraries should establish a marketing strategy to motivate for funding. The study recommended that the Buffalo City public libraries should create an integrated system for all libraries in the metromunicipality that encourages adult literacy programme to raise awareness of information literacy

Aiding and Abetting: Third-Party Tracking and (In)secure Connections in Public Libraries

Patron privacy, as articulated in the American Library Association (ALA) Code of Ethics, is a longstanding concern for librarians. In online environments, the possibility of tracking by third parties, usage of HTTPS/TLS to provide secure connections, and easy disclosure of a site’s privacy policies all have implications for user privacy. This paper presents new empirical evidence about these issues and discusses their ethical implications. Data about the incidence of third-party tracking, usage of HTTPS by default, and easy discoverability of a privacy policy or terms of service (TOS) were collected for public libraries across Canada and the United States. The sample consisted of 178 public libraries; members of the Canadian Urban Libraries Council and Urban Libraries Council. Several common commercial databases (e.g. OverDrive) were also examined using the same criteria. Results show that only 12% of libraries were devoid of third-party tracking, with Google Analytics being the most common third-party tracker. While libraries may support HTTPS under certain circumstances, it was found that a majority of libraries serve neither their websites nor their online catalogs (OPACs) HTTPS by default. Regarding disclosure of possible tracking, it was found that 58% of libraries did not link to a TOS or privacy policy from their homepage. Together with previous research on the usage of privacy-enhancing tools in public libraries, these results suggest that public libraries are accessories to third-party tracking on a large scale. Implications of this fact in light of library professional ethics are discussed