Are Alternative Information Services Compensating for Dysfunctional School Libraries in South Africa? The Case of Limpopo Province
Mojapelo, Samuel Maredi
Owing to uneven resource-provisioning during
the apartheid era, dysfunctional library facilities are a
major concern in the majority of South African schools.
Since only 7% of state schools have functional school
libraries, teaching and learning are negatively affected.
The article is limited to just one part of a research project
which investigated the Provision of School Libraries in
Public High Schools in the Limpopo Province, South Africa.
The purpose of the study was to investigate alternative
information services which teachers and learners could
use to meet curriculum-related needs because library facilities
in most state high schools in the province are dysfunctional.
The study involved a quantitative research
design. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect
quantitative data from principals or teacher-librarians.
The findings show that the majority of schools, particularly
in disadvantaged rural communities, are some distance
away from alternative information services, thereby
restricting teachers’ and learners’ access to information.
The study recommends that the government should ensure
that more alternative information services are available to
improve the quality of education in these schools. The
social ecosystem, that is, partnerships among information
services, should be encouraged to meet dynamic and evolving
information needs of the multiple users.
Due to copyright restrictions, the full-text of this article is not attached to the item record. Please follow the link at the top of this record to the online published article.
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