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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the constraints of and opportunities for the role of African community libraries in development, using an ecological framework for library development.

Drawing on a review of the literature and the three authors’ own experiences, the paper critically examines community libraries, mainly from Uganda and Ethiopia, and frames the analysis within an ecological framework of library development.

There are many examples of community libraries that realize various elements of the ecological framework (context/environment, equity/social justice, partnerships/interactions, and action/research).

The ecological framework further developed in this paper helps community library leaders to critically examine their programmes and services and develop strategies for further growth, and suggests closer collaboration between community librarians, local communities, and researchers.

This paper addresses the need to move beyond community library research on the predominant outputs (library statistics) and outcomes (societal value/impact) models, adding a critical perspective of the larger social and political structures that limit and shape the development of community libraries.

This conceptual paper aims to stimulate discussion on the growing influence of digital technologies on the success of learners in tertiary institutions.

The paper is grounded in a synthesis of the professional literature showing how learners entering tertiary institutions have been influenced by their pervasive use of digital technologies. This evidence suggests that a more integrated use of libraries is needed, and more collaboration among librarians, educators and learners will be fundamental to responding to the changing learning landscape.

The findings indicate that today's “new learners” expect more control of their learning situations, prefer active learning and they engage in networked communities for their social and professional lives. Research also shows that, while these learners are committed users of a wide range of digital technologies, they require support in developing their information and critical literacies. The paper also identified the tendency for educators to limit their uses of digital technologies for course management and the addition of online resources to their teaching, while resisting any fundamental change in the structure and delivery of courses. Academic libraries are responding to these challenges by creating more social learning spaces, integrating services for instructors and students and becoming more active partners in the educational community.

The limitations identified here include the widening gap between those living and learning with digital technologies and the majority of the world youth still struggling to gain full access.

The research is one of the few position papers to begin its argument with a description of today's digital learners and then to connect their learning needs with the many changes in libraries at the tertiary level. The paper attempts to conceptualize how libraries can take a leadership role in bridging the gap between the learning styles and needs of today's students and the challenges of building new learning landscapes in tertiary institutions.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.

The paper introduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and audiovisual material examining library instruction and information literacy.

The findings provide information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.