Modelling the rural community library

Valeda Dent Goodman

28 citations0/0 files storedGlobal Knowledge, Memory and Communication

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Abstract

Purpose To provide background on how the Kitengesa Community Library in rural Uganda, which serves as both a community library and a school library, might be seen as a model for other similar libraries in developing countries. To use a case study of the library to highlight certain characteristics of rural libraries as developed by B.J. Mostert and presented in his 1998 article. Design/methodology/approach The information in the article comes from a two‐year study of the Kitengesa Community Library. The methodology included focus groups, interviews, door‐to‐door visits, questionnaires, examination of library circulation information, and many hours of observation. Information from the study was then used to support the comparison to Mostert's characteristics of the rural community library. A review of the professional literature is also provided. Findings Findings indicate that the Kitengesa Community Library is a successful working model that might be used in other similar rural villages to serve both schools and the community. Implications of the findings are discussed in detail. Research limitations/implications Future research might include the impact of the library on the achievement of students, and the impact of the library on the teaching and learning practices of users. Practical implications The information presented in this paper offers some basic considerations in terms of the implementation of rural library services. Provision of such services is becoming increasingly important as more and more of the world's population becomes literate, and more of the world's attention is focused on the welfare of those living on the African continent. Originality/value The study itself is unique in that the data hail from a two‐year study of a small village library. Literacy is a major factor in terms of development in underdeveloped nations, and libraries have the potential to play an important role in the eradication of illiteracy, and provision of services for the “newly literate”.

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References

2006Observations of school library impact at two rural Ugandan schools 1995Community libraries: an alternative to public libraries in Africa 1984Communications Potentials of the Library for Non-Literates – an Experiment in Providing Information Services in a Rural Setting 1998Community Libraries: The Concept and its Application—with Particular Reference to a South African Community Library System 1993Rural Comm unity Resource Centres: a sustainable option for Africa?1986Information for Self-reliance and Self-determination: The Role of Community Information Services 1989Community libraries: a brief review of their origins and nature with particular reference to South Africa

Cited by

2011The Role of the Rural Public Library in Community Development and Empowerment 2011Applying Ethnographic Research Methods in Library and Information Settings 2014Promoting a reading culture through a rural community library in Uganda 2015New perspectives on community library development in Africa 2009The Story of a Library: Research and Development in an African Village 2010

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