Research Articles (Library and Information Science)

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Browsing by Subject "Cape Town"

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    City of Cape Town libraries' segregated history: 1952-1972
    (University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2015) Laishley, Kathleen; Zinn, Sandy
    This article investigates the history and development of the Cape Town City Libraries (CTCL) from 1952-1972 and examines the effect of apartheid legislation on establishing a public library system. Legislation introduced by the National Party enforced segregation which brought CTCL into conflict with library philosophy. This legislation determined who the CTCL could serve and where they could serve them. The findings show that CTCL extended the library service to more people and increased the number of facilities, membership and circulation but in a segregated manner. CTCL was not able to meet the library philosophy of free access to all.
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    Places for all? Cape Town's public library services to gays and lesbians
    (Library and Information Association of South Africa, 2010) Hart, Genevieve; Mfazo, Ncumisa
    The article reports on an investigation of the provision of gay and lesbian literature and of information services to gays and lesbians in Cape Town�s public libraries. Although by definition public libraries serve all members of a community, the international literature suggests that they neglect the reading and information needs and interests of gays and lesbians. The progressive South African Constitution views the rights of gays and lesbians as human rights; yet homophobia is prevalent. Using a questionnaire, the study explored attitudes and practices of 69 senior librarians, responsible for collection development, across all six of Cape Town�s library districts. The situation was found to be �spotty� with only 26 respondents believing that their library service is meeting the needs of gays and lesbians. The survey found contradictions between stated beliefs and behaviours. Thus, although most agree that LGBT rights to information and equal services are human rights, only 55% consider LGBT people in their selection procedures and very little material is acquired. Information services are thin with, for example, only 10% of the libraries in the survey providing LGBT related information in their community information files.
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    Public Libraries Stepping into the Gap?: A Study of School Learners' Use of Libraries in a Disadvantaged Community in Cape Town
    (University of Alberta Libraries, 2021) Hart, Geneviev
    According to public library staff none of the Vista schools has a functioning library or a librarian on its staff. In itslack of school libraries Vista is no different from other parts of South Africa. Less than a third of South African schoolshave any sort of library (Department of Education, 1999). Yet South Africa's new curriculum's shift from rote-learningand examinations towards constructivist resource-based approaches expects schools to engage in independent projectand portfolio work.Given the demands of the new curriculum and given the shortage of school libraries, in the past few years therehave been suggestions that South Africa's fairly well-developed public library system might step into the gap and play amore explicitly educational role. At the same time, in public library circles throughout Africa, there have beensuggestions that we need a different model of public librarianship from that in the developed world (Sturges & Neill,1998; Issak, 2000). In the developing world, where school library services are inadequate and where the targetpopulation of libraries is largely youth, the argument is that providing for formal education might well be a primaryfunction of public library services. And indeed there is evidence that South African libraries are moving in thiseducational direction. The annual reports of the large provincial public library governance structures show that they arespending a bigger slice of their budget on educational materials. And at most gatherings of public librarians in SouthAfrica there are calls for increased funds to cope with the pressures of increased school use (Hendrikz, 1998; Leach,1998).
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    Use of social media as a marketing and information provision tool by the City of Cape Town Libraries
    (AOSIS, 2022) Masizana, Fikiswa; Salubi, Oghenere G.
    Social media use by libraries has facilitated communication and marketing of services to user communities. The City of Cape Town Libraries adopted social media usage in the 2015�2016 financial year. This study is set out to assess librarians� perception and response to the implementation and adoption of social media for library services. The research sought to appraise the City of Cape Town public librarians� experiences of social media use in the provision of information services, evaluate librarians� perceptions of social media use for information provision services and recommend ways in which social media information services provision can be improved upon.