The use of Polokwane Municipal Library services : a case of study of Moletji Public Library

Abstract

Information is an important element in the lives of citizens. Public libraries are drivers of access to information and knowledge, regardless of age, gender, race and political inclination. Entities such as public libraries have the role to play in providing informational, educational, recreational and cultural needs of the communities that they serve, but if they are challenged by issues such as underutilisation of some of their services, it calls for a prompt reaction. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. A questionnaire was used to collect data from library users at Moletji Public Library. Two-hundred and forty questionnaires were distributed, two-hundred and sixteen questionnaires were returned and were found to represent a 90% response rate which was usable for the analysis. The study found out that most users in Moletji Public Library preferred reading space and Internet over lending materials, and as a result, circulation statistics declined. Challenges such as walking a long distance to the library, limited resources, lack of space, noise and outdated books were also discovered by this study. The study provides Polokwane Municipality with valuable evidence of the underutilisation of services and resources at Moletji Public Library. It also suggests areas for improvement including training of personnel as well as more library infrastructure in previously marginalised communities. The study recommends that more computers and more space be provided and that libraries should keep up with the ever-changing needs of library users by conducting more studies about the needs of library users. This study reports the first Polokwane Municipality empirical study of the use of library services at Moletji Public Library. Keywords: Library; library users; information needs; information source; public library