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The information needs of student library users and the fulfilment thereof at the University of South Africa

Year: 2009
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: In this study, research was conducted on the information needs of Unisa students. Most \ndistance students do not personally visit the library, which makes it difficult for librarians to \ndetermine whether or not they are meeting their needs. \nThe library plays an important support role in any university, especially in the open distance \nlearning context. It is therefore important for librarians serving distance learners to \ncontinually evaluate their services in order to see if they are still meeting their client’s \nneeds. \nThe aim of this study was to determine if students are aware of the library services to which \nthey are entitled, and if the library is successfully reaching and assisting remote students, \nand how its services can be improved. Questionnaires were posted to students, and \ninterviews were conducted with on-campus students and staff. \nChapter 1 covers the orientation and background to the study. Chapter 2 discusses the \nresearch methods used to collect information. In Chapter 3, the library needs of distance \nlearners were discussed, while Chapter 4 presented a discussion of the findings drawn from \nthe questionnaires and interviews, and Chapter 5 makes recommendations based upon \nthese findings. \nIt was found that some of the students surveyed were not aware of their library privileges. It \nis recommended that the Unisa library employ better strategies to market the library \nservices available to students. Furthermore, the library needs to find better ways to reach \nout to remote students who have no access to information and communications technology \nupon which the modern library is so reliant.
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1590859535
Cites: 34
Cited by: 2
Related to: 10