Volume 50, Issue 4

Six public library users aged 65 years and over were interviewed concerning their attitudes, experiences and issues with public library computer technology. Two participants used online public access catalogues regularly; four had some form of computer anxiety or aversion that inhibited use. Previous experience with computers or card catalogue use predisposed users to attempt to use OPACs. The reasons for not using the OPACs included difficulty with the interface, insufficient librarian help, poor or absent written instructions, and inadequate time to learn. None of the participants used any other computer information sources. Results suggest that this cohort is under-utilising library computer technology despite an overall positive attitude towards computers.

The paper discusses the use of qualitative methods – especially the method of empathy-based stories (MES) – in evaluating what students consider as their ideal library. The study was carried out in the Kuopio University Library in Finland. First-year students of nursing science wrote the stories that were subsequently analysed. From the stories a model of five steps could be derived that described the fundamental elements in the students' ideal library and how they would use it. These are student's self-esteem, student's competence, other people, library staff and library contents. Also some suggestions on how to improve the library services are given.

The purpose of this article is to characterise the current status of reference sources available in the field of forced migration studies. The scholarly literature on refugees, internally displaced persons, and other forced migrants has grown rapidly since the 1980s. Has a corresponding increase in related reference titles also taken place? The study of forced migration is multidisciplinary, dominated by specialised terminology, and still evolving as a discipline. For these reasons, it is a challenging field in which to conduct research. Because reference sources facilitate information retrieval and help with the clarification of concepts, they play a valuable role in supporting the research process, as well as promoting further growth of a field. This article introduces the phenomenon of forced migration, describes its growth as an academic field of study, and reports the results of a study conducted to document the existence of reference works in forced migration studies. It ends with several recommendations for the development of new resources.

Ghana's Internet industry is developing quickly due to private participation. Early attempts by academic and research institutions with foreign assistance aimed at promoting the use of e-mail in information provision and resource sharing. Since 1995 three Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been providing different Internet services at varying rates to over 6,000 customers. Due to the high tariffs charged by the ISPs for full Internet connectivity, many Ghanaian scholars subscribe only to e-mail to communicate and interact with people. While full Internet access is preferable, the reality is that many academics and researchers in Ghana cannot meet the high cost. E-mail facilitates communication with colleagues, but can also be used as an interface to a range of Internet information retrieval utilities to obtain information and documents. This article describes briefly some Internet tools and services accessible by e-mail and to assist Ghanaian (and other) academics with only e-mail access in its use to retrieve information and documents from the Internet.

This paper discusses the important variables involved in marketing the products and services of academic libraries. The importance of the quality of service and a focus on the customer is emphasised. Though inadequate funding may affect delivery of services, the academic librarian should be motivated by this challenge to plan and implement a marketing strategy to ensure heavy patronage. Heavy use determines the worth and survival of the library in the face of stiff competition from new and aggressive entrants into the information marketplace.

The need for an authority list of South African names to ensure standardisation of these names on a national level has been expressed on various occasions. This paper investigates the need to standardise South African names to eliminate one of the main obstacles to co-operation and to the delivery of quality products and services in South Africa. Problems experienced with the standardisation of South African names were identified by means of a sample of names obtained from the South African National Bibliography (SANB) database. These problems can be categorised as variations in the presentation of the same name, identical names for different authors and the changing of personal and corporate names. The implications these hold for standardisation of South African names are also discussed.

This paper reviews the growth of Nigerian university libraries from 1948 when the first university institution was established in the country up to 1998. Issues relating to their governance, funding, physical facilities, staffing, services and application of IT are reviewed through the literature. The paper concludes that there has been considerable quantitative growth in the number of university libraries over this period. The qualitative aspects relating to funding, stock, physical facilities and application of IT, however, leave much to be desired owing to the economic downturn the country has experienced in the last two decades. The paper recommends that the university sector, and by implication their libraries, should be better funded. Access to foreign exchange for timely acquisition of books and journals is considered very important as over 80% of the tertiary level book needs of the country are met by imported literature.

Other methods of making the few available books accessible to a majority of users have to be devised due to the scarcity and high cost of books. One method is the introduction of a quick service collection. In this paper, the author examines the quick service collections in Delta and Edo State Universities in Nigeria from their inception to the present time. Their management and the problems arising from them are also considered. Some solutions are offered for consideration.

This work highlights issues and dilemmas facing libraries and distance learners in Tanzania. It is based on interviews carried out with Open University of Tanzania students, deans of the Open University, public librarians, and academic librarians. Inadequate reading materials, inadequate reading space, charging for services, and lack of qualified staff are some of the issues facing public libraries in serving distance learners. Distance learners are also unfamiliar with the requirements of distance education. There is a need to embark on new approaches to support these students.

This paper addresses the status of gender information in Botswana to reveal gaps and identify how these can be addressed. It gives background information on Botswana, assesses the status of women in Botswana and reveals that a lot still has to be done in improving the lives of women. It discusses mechanisms – both governmental and non-governmental – put in place to fight for the cause of women. It shows how these mechanisms generate gender information through research activities. It enumerates the problems encountered in providing access to gender information in Botswana and concludes with proposals for enhancing accessibility of gender information. Gender information networking is seen as the answer to most of the problems of providing access to gender information in Botswana.