Information needs of Polokwane City Public Library users in Capricorn District, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Public libraries are mandated to provide resources and services in a various media to meet the diverse educational, informational, and personal development needs of individuals and groups. Unfortunately, in the Limpopo province, there is a shortage of public libraries where people lack access to information. The purpose of the study was to identify the information needs of the users of Polokwane City Public Library in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The research objectives of the study were to analyse information needs of the users of the Polokwane City Public Library, to establish how library users access library materials to meet their information needs, to establish how library users use the library services offered by the Polokwane City Public Library to meet their information needs and to identify the challenges faced by library users in accessing and using library services in the Polokwane City Public Library. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs underpinned in the study. This study employed the positivist paradigm to identify the information needs of Polokwane City Public Library users. This study adopted the quantitative research approach. The survey research design was adopted in this study, because it was convenient in describing the features of a large population and ensured a more precise sample for collecting data. The target population for this study consisted of the Polokwane City Public Library users. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data. Microsoft Excel was used to present and analyse quantitative data. Graphs, tables, pie charts and bar charts were used to analyse the data. The findings of the study revealed that use of textbooks and electronic resources were in demand in the Polokwane City Public Library and that internet cafés were always overloaded. More than half (52%) of the respondents indicated that they searched for academic-related information. Library users visited the Polokwane City Public Library to access and acquire information since the library had an array of information services at its disposal that could be used by anyone. More than a quarter (42%) of the respondents stated that they hardly accessed online information due to a lack of internet connection. The study recommended that the library should improve its internet connectivity, and the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC) should procure new and modern technologies to replace the old ones. The Polokwane Municipality should provide the Polokwane City Public Library with enough funds to purchase affordable materials to meet the information needs of library users.