One Librarians South African Journey

or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the 18hour Flight

The Basics

DPhil in Information Science from University of Pretoria, South Africa Topic: How public librarians can combat information poverty in rural South Africa Advisor: Dr. Johannes Britz, Provost at UWMilwaukee and faculty at University of Pretoria Laid the groundwork in South Africa October 2009 with delegation of library professionals Fieldwork in South Africa June 20 July 15, 2011 Fieldwork in South Africa October 11 25, 2012

South Africa

Population: 48.8 million

77% (mostly 9 ethnic groups) Whites 11% Mixed race 9% Indian and Asian 3% Between 2-4 million illegal immigrants from neighboring African countries
Africans

471,445 square miles (TX, NM, and OK combined) Language: 11 official languages including Afrikaans and English

Some history

1948: Apartheid introduced by National Party 1950: Group Areas Act 1953: Bantu Education Act March 21, 1960: Sharpeville massacre (Human Rights Day) 1960s: Extension of pass laws June 16, 1976: Soweto uprising (Youth Day) 1990: Mandela freed and nationalist parties unbanned 1994: Mandela elected first black president 1996: Constitution Legacy of apartheid

Challenges since transition to majority rule

Slow to integrate Adult illiteracy rate: approximately 25% Unemployment: approximately 24% Wealth disparity: 50% of population lives below the poverty line Insufficient housing and service delivery Life expectancy: 50 (male), 52 (female) Violent crime: rape, child abuse, murder, carjacking HIV/AIDS: 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS (2nd highest in the world)

Libraries in South Africa

Over 11,000 libraries

9,416 school libraries Approximately 1,800 public libraries 77 government libraries 23 public higher education libraries, many more private National library with two branches Not enough libraries or librarians Lacking culture of library use and reading Lack of funding Lack of current materials, esp. in indigenous languages Access to internet and communication technology (ICT) Lacking skills to find, evaluate, utilize information and technology

Challenges:

What is Information Poverty?

Lack of relevant, quality materials, resources, and information to address basic needs Lack of skills or abilities to locate, access, utilize essential information to effectively improve ones condition More than just a Digital Divide or Info and Communication Technology (ICT) issue Linked to education and information literacy levels and the value attributed to them

2009 People to People Library Delegation

People to People: Est. 1956 Mission to bridge cultural and political borders through education and exchange, making the world a better place 2009 Library Delegation: 22 delegates Represented 14 states, Canada, and Kuwait Retired, academic, public, directors 2010-11 ALA President, Roberta Stevens Past ALA President, John W. Berry

Fieldwork - 2011

KwaZulu Natal province 2+ weeks Libraries:

Richards

Bay Library eNseleni Library Felixton Library Ngwelezane Library

Observations and 30 interviews conducted

Interviews

30 interviews completed
4

librarians 1 provincial administrator 11 male library users, aged 18-38 7 female library users, aged 18-26 5 minors 2 library non-users

One group interview with kids at Felixton

KwaZulu Natal province

Population: 10, 645, 400 (2010)

4/5 black/African (Zulu) 1/10 Indian > 1/10 white/European

Languages: 80.9% Zulu, 73.6% English, 1.5% Afrikaans RSAs third-smallest province (7.7% of South Africa's land area), but it has the second-largest population Richards Bay and Durban important ports Agriculture, forestry, mining

eNseleni Library

Supports 9 schools Library orientations for all 9 Internet caf and Cyber Cadet Group activity rooms Need more space and more computers, more reliable internet access Outreach to street kids, focus on adult education and supporting tertiary students Unemployment is a problem

Felixton Library

Felixton population is < 2,000 Approximately 546 library members but many are not active 2010 circulation 7,322 All paper statistics, no computerized circulation system Supporting several rural communities and schools Internet caf and Cyber Cadet Diverse clientele

Ngwelezana Library

Population of Ngwelezana is approximately 3,989 Library has approximately 737 active members (as of June 2011) 2009-10 circulation almost 6,500 Approximately 18,500 volumes Illiteracy and crime are problems

Some demographics
(figures based on responses by adult patrons and library assistants)

All black Africans (mostly Zulu) Average age 28 years 65% male, 35% female 82% not married 53% had one or more children Employment

30% unemployed and not a student 30% unemployed but a student 24% employed and a student 16% employed and not a student
100% can read and write more than their names 35% completed tertiary education 29% had completed some tertiary education 24% had completed secondary education 6% had completed some secondary education

Education

Regular Reading Materials

Newspapers Magazines Novels Textbooks Other

Perceived Information Needs

Technology Relationships Business and entrepreneurship Health, money, other education Family planning, literacy, politics, parenting, job-seeking or on-the-job support Current events, spirituality Food, sports Water, animal husbandry, building and repair

Sources of Information

Television Newspapers Internet Magazines, Friends, Librarian Radio, books, family members Teachers, spiritual leaders Political leaders, heads of community

Some Observations

Libraries are not a high priority and adequate resources are not allocated Lack of a reading culture Collections are small, often outdated and do not meet local needs in local languages Schoolchildren are the largest users of public libraries Schools and public libraries are not working together Male users are often older, unemployed and using libraries to look for work

Possibilities

Library services and resources must match local needs provide essential information in ways that make sense Community members must feel ownership of libraries Local publishing in indigenous languages Commitment from government bodies Info and Communication Tech (ICT) infrastructure paired with skills training - Cyber Cadets Partnerships Innovation, marketing and outreach Information or resource centre approach

KZN Mobile Library truck

KZN Mobile Library Unit (MLU) aka Wheelie Wagon

Challenges in Fieldwork

Language barrier Safety and trust Couldnt interview library school students No good way to interview community members who did not use the library Faults in demographic data sheet and interview questions and lack of interview skills My own inexperience! Not enough time!

Experiencing South Africa

Johannesburg Soweto Cape Town Robben Island Table Mountain National Park Cape of Good Hope Kirstenbosch Gardens Sasol Art Museum (Stellenbosch) Shangana Cultural Village Kruger National Park Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Park