Search results

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the historical development of the rural library services in Africa, and highlight modern rural village libraries in Ghana and Burkina Faso within this context.

The information in the article comes from a number of different impact studies, including one research study of the rural village libraries in Ghana and one research study of the rural village libraries in Burkina Faso. In particular, the studies examined the impact and role of the libraries on the communities they serve, and enquiries included library use by students, reading habits, leisure reading, attitudes of community members towards the library, and the library's role in academic support. The methodology included focus groups, interviews, questionnaires, examination of library circulation information, and many hours of observation. A review of the professional literature is also provided to contextualize the historical review and the findings from the studies.

Findings indicate the rural village libraries in Ghana and Burkina Faso are successful village/community libraries that are of great benefit to their users. The models for development of these libraries might be used in other similar rural villages to serve both schools and the community.

Future research might include the review and evaluation of other rural libraries in Asia, the Caribbean, and South America, and an analysis of their impact and sustainability.

The information presented in this paper offers some basic considerations in terms of the implementation of rural library services, which have great potential to bridge information gaps in rural areas. Provision of such services is becoming increasingly important as more and more of the world's population desires to become literate. At the same time, efforts to provide access to information must integrate cultural practices, local languages and traditions, and operate from a place of respect and understanding by involving those who will be served in outreach efforts.

The paper builds on previous studies of rural village libraries in Uganda, and provides more support for the village/community library concept as being a potentially powerful solution for provision of reading materials in rural areas. Literacy continues to be a major factor in terms of economic and personal development in underdeveloped nations, and all libraries, but perhaps these small village libraries even more so, have the potential to play an important role in the eradication of illiteracy, development of a reading culture, and provision of services for the “newly literate”.

Intelligent agents – software components designed to perform complex tasks for the user (with or without the presence of the user) – are used in a variety of settings, from instant messaging and web auctions, to ATM network management and air traffic control systems. The technology also has applicability within libraries, adding a level of user‐oriented control and flexibility to activities such as digital collection management and virtual reference. The use of intelligent agents to assist users with their searches has perhaps the greatest potential. The purpose of this article is to provide background information on the use of agent technology in information settings, and review three library‐based projects that utilize agent technology in a practical way.

A comprehensive literature review combined with brief case studies of practical applications of agent technology in three modern library settings. A conceptual model of a virtual, agent‐based personalized library is also presented.

Librarians and others in the information profession recognize the potential of agent technology within the library setting. The paper presents a number of practical scenarios for using agents, from supporting digital libraries and teaching information literacy to virtual reference.

There are numerous implications for current and future use of agent technology in libraries, including how to engage IT staff in the development process, how to educate users about the benefits of the technology, and how to make sure library professionals have the skill set to allow them to participate in the conceptualization, design and implementation of agents.

There is a wealth of professional literature on agent technology and its uses, mostly from a computing or engineering perspective. This paper has value in that it presents the concept from a library perspective, and includes references to relevant library literature and projects.

The paper aims to provide details of a study conducted at Hunter College Libraries in fall 2005, the focus of which was how presentation of initial digital resource pages (or gateway pages) on the library's web site impacted students' subsequent steps in the research process.

A group of 16 students from English and History classes at Hunter College were recruited to participate after having had basic library instruction. They were given computer‐based key tasks to perform in a proctored classroom setting, using the library's homepage. A second group of students was recruited to participate in two small focus groups. The methodology and exercises were developed in part using guidelines from a taxonomy of user behavior developed by librarians at Hunter College, and recommendations from usability literature by Krug, Neilsen and Rubin.

Results from the computer‐based key tasks exercises were bifurcated. Completion rates for computer‐based key tasks using the in‐house developed Hunter College Library database grid, with less than 80 percent (37 percent‐73 percent) students successfully completing all the tasks, was inferior compared to performance using the Serial Solutions access page and the Academic Search Premier database, both commercially‐developed products, with most of the tasks successfully completed by at least 80 percent of the students.

This study is unique in that the focus is not on the usability of an entire library web site, rather, on the presentation of select, highly visible gateway pages that get a lot of use.

The purpose of this research is to explore connections between the presence of a library at two schools in rural Uganda and certain student academic engagement indicators, such as scholastic performance, reading habits, study habits, and library use patterns. The study is not intended to demonstrate strong correlations between these items, rather, it is a limited exploration of certain questions meant to inform further enquiry in the area. Five specific questions guided the research: Do students with a school library read more? Do students make good use of the library? Do students recognize the importance of having the library? Do students use the library materials for other than class‐related work? Are there any noticeable differences between the grades of students with the library at their school, and those without?

Researchers gathered both quantitative and qualitative data from two different schools in the Masaka District, one school with a library, the Kitengesa Comprehensive Secondary School, and one without, Masaka High School. Researchers also gathered important library‐use information from a third school, Sseke Secondary School, to supplement the quantitative data gathered from the other two schools. Grade and class rank information was collected for 85 students, 6 focus groups were conducted, 85 questionnaires were distributed and collected from students, 5 school administrators and 3 library staff were interviewed, and approximately 10 hours of observation was done.

Findings indicate that there are several areas where the presence of a school library has an impact, including students' reading habits, use of materials for non‐school‐related activities, and academic performance. The school libraries visited are both successful examples of how important the rural school library can be to the development of a reading culture. Implications of the findings are discussed in detail.

Future research efforts might include a multi‐school, longitudinal study on the impact of rural libraries specifically on student achievement. Many studies have been conducted on this topic in the West, but no significant studies so far in Sub‐Saharan Africa, where hard evidence is needed in order to demonstrate the importance of the rural school library to student learning.

The study itself is unique in that the data hail from a two‐year study conducted at local schools/libraries in rural Uganda, using a broad methodology which included reviewing qualitative and quantitative data. It will provide information that can be used by others to support the need for the establishment of rural school libraries in underdeveloped regions, and provision of reading materials, which are otherwise scarce, for students and teachers.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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”.

This article seeks to provide an overview of the development, construction and evaluation of an information literacy testing instrument connected with the VOILA! online information literacy tutorials, developed by librarians at Hunter College libraries for students enrolled in the college's first‐year orientation seminar (ORSEMs).

The VOILA! online information literacy tutorial, developed by librarians at Hunter College, has a test as one of its components. All incoming students registered in the college's orientation seminars (ORSEMs) are required to go through the VOILA! tutorials and take the test. The longitudinal development and evaluation of the test are reviewed, including initial statement of competencies, test creation, test construction (assessment type, question formulation and question type) and test evolution. Validity and reliability are also discussed in detail. Finally, a review of the test results including general statistics and the connection of student performance to test construction is provided.

Test construction was given a great deal of attention during the development of VOILA!, as librarians wanted an instrument that was valid and reliable. The importance of iterative test design and attention to the details of test construction is stressed in the article, and the methodology used to determine validity and reliability is presented. Those interested in testing information literacy skills must be able to examine the instrument, the results and the design process in a way that contributes meaningfully to the preparation of students to undertake research at the college level.

Librarians will continue to modify the VOILA! test in keeping with evaluation results, and the assessment will continue. Thus the results presented may not fully represent the final evaluative outcome.

This research is useful for information professionals who are interested in test design, construction and evaluation. The longitudinal study presents clear, practical information that can be used as a case study for other libraries interested in this area. The VOILA! test itself is included as an Appendix, and can be used as a model for other libraries to consult.

A literature review revealed a number of articles about testing and information literacy, but very few, if any, articles approached the discussion from a longitudinal test construction standpoint. In this way, the study presents information that is original. The study would be valuable for information professionals who are interested in test design, construction and evaluation.

The purpose of this paper is to present a cursory overview of economic development in Uganda, and discusses some important links between the rural library and the ways it might impact human development areas such as economic uplift, education and literacy.

Real‐life examples of small‐scale economic development projects from the Kitengesa Community Library in rural Uganda are used to contextualize some of these connections. A comprehensive review of the literature on rural development, economic development in Uganda, the relationship between literacy, libraries and economic development and the rural community library provide a context for the paper. This paper reflects an in‐depth review of the professional literature on economic and human development in Uganda, literacy, and the rural library. It also incorporates some qualitative data gathered from research studies conducted at Kitengesa Community Library in 2004 and 2005, including individual interviews with library users, teachers, local business merchants, and librarians at Kitengesa.

The article concludes that there is potential for rural community libraries to impact small‐scale local economic development. The projects at the Kitengesa Community Library are still in their infancy, and long‐term economic outcomes are not certain. At the same time, the projects have created a new sense of hope and possibility for many library users. There are numerous implications for other rural libraries, as income‐generating projects may be a way to attract new users, attract outside financial support, showcase the practical nature of these libraries, and provide a means for local peoples to improve their lives.

A longitudinal quantitative evaluation of the success of the Kitengesa projects and the income they generate would be the next step in terms of future research – such a study would highlight the role of the rural library in local economic development and provide further support for establishing more rural community libraries.

This paper is unique in that it expands on the concept of the rural community library as just a place to read books, and highlights the important role these libraries might play in developing areas where there is a profound lack of access to information, and few ways for residents to improve their economic standing.