Public library services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Public libraries play a pivotal role in society. Individuals from diverse backgrounds benefit from library services to fill their knowledge gap. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a deadly, contagious virus from the coronavirus family, which was discovered in Wuhan (China), after which it gradually spread across most parts of the world. The virus disrupted the economy and vast public services, including public libraries. Public libraries in South Africa shut down after the president’s nationwide lockdown announcement in March 2020. The closure of public libraries due to Covid-19 affected library services and patrons’ full access to information materials and technological facilities. Public libraries in the Limpopo Province offered limited services, whereas others temporarily closed for basic library services. Shortages of funds from public libraries have been a huge factor preventing the library from implementing new systems and resources for library users to still access services during shutdown of physical facilities. Moreover, the insufficient dissemination of information regarding Covid-19 during the outbreak also hindered timely preparations for libraries to recommence their services. The study examined public library services during the Covid-19 pandemic in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The Capricorn District Municipality public libraries were used as population for the study. A quantitative approach was employed since the study generated information from a large number of people (library users) through administered questionnaires. The research design adopted in this study was a survey. The sample size of the study was 322 public library users. Convenience sampling was used to administer questionnaires to the library users. The findings revealed that a majority of library users (129: 58%) strongly agreed and (68: 31%) agreed, that the Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on their capacity to visit public libraries and the standard services they normally received from the public libraries. The findings and recommendations of the study will assist policymakers in addressing the issues encountered by library users and librarians and enhance service delivery in public libraries to meet the multifaceted information needs of library users. The study primarily recommended the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture management and policymakers to allocate revenue towards enhancing the information systems and online or digital resources, thereby facilitating remote access to library services even during the unexpected shutdown.