Abstract
D.Litt. et Phil.
The study reports on an investigation of information needs and information-seeking patterns of Africans living in selected rural villages in the Northern Province. A total of 302 respondents from six rural villages were randomly chosen for the study. The extent to which rural villagers are aware of their information needs, and their ability to express these needs was assessed and evaluated. The study also identified the nature of information sources and information providers used by rural villagers in their pursuit for information, as well as their level of satisfaction with the information sources and information providers used. Barriers to information-seeking and information provision in rural areas such as language, are also identified.
The structured interview was used to gather data from the respondents. This incorporated the critical incident technique, which requires respondents to think back to a time when they needed information or knowledge, in order to solve a problem or make a decision. This technique has been proven to elicit more useful responses as the respondents are not directly asked about their information needs in an abstract, theoretical situation which they may not be able to practically relate to or recall.
The study revealed inter alia, the existence of a communication gap between the libraries and community information centres in the villages and the people they are intended to serve. The study also reports on the general lack of awareness of rural villagers' information needs and their inability to articulate these needs. Preference for informal, interpersonal and largely oral methods of information transfer have also been identified by the study, and implications for the respondents' informationseeking behaviour in relation to rural information service provision are also discussed.
The nature of information needs identified amongst respondents and their information-seeking behaviour call for the adoption of an appropriate model to cater for the unique needs of rural villagers. It is against this backdrop that current models of rural information provision are critically reviewed. The study argues for the need to adapt library and information services to the rural environment and proposes an alternative model of information provision in rural areas. This model represents a departure from the traditional model of library and information services, which is based on print-media and therefore largely unsuitable to the rural African environment.
The proposed model is intended to reorientate and re-focus government departments charged with the responsibility for rural information provision, not only in the Northern Province, but in rural South Africa in broader terms. The model is also intended to enable the government and Library and Information Service(LIS) stakeholders to rethink the entire process of information provision and access to information in rural villages. Finally, the study makes recommendations regarding the improvement of rural information provision and acceleration of the establishment of community information centres in rural villages. A call is made for a more integrated approach to rural information provision, using all stake-holders such as chiefs, headmen, Transitional Local Councils, private sector companies and local businesspeople, amongst others.