Conclusions

Based on the arguments and findings of the research presented in the earlier chapters of the study, the following conclusions were made.

112 6.4.1 Information needs

The literature revealed that the information purpose of grade eight learners (students) are diverse, however, the most frequent was for academic purposes. This was followed by self- education, peer, solving problems, physical health, recreation or leisure, news, family, emerging sexuality and careers. The findings from this study corroborate those by Fister (2012) which found that secondary school students seek information to satisfy their diverse information needs both academic, personal recreational and societal needs.

Moreover, Belkin (2000) stated that “majority of secondary school students seek information for the purpose of learning, research, knowledge acquisition, recreation and up-to-date

news/information”. Therefore, it can be concluded that people have unique information needs that arise out of specific problems they encounter and the decisions they have to make. It was evident that the respondent’s age and educational context influenced their need for certain types of information. These were namely academic information needs in response to their CAPS curricular tasks such as assignments, portfolios, book reviews, speeches and exam preparation. Refer to Chapter 5 for a detailed analysis of the information needs of grade eight learners who use Woodlands library.

6.4.2 Information-seeking behaviour

This study sought to identify the information-seeking behaviour of grade eight learners of Woodlands Library, Pietermaritzburg and to establish and how they bridged the gap between their academic information needs and information sources.

6.4.2.1 Most preferred format

It is evident from this study that the use of the access to the Internet has become prominent in today’s youth as the majority of learners indicated that they had used the Internet. The

respondents strongly felt that the lack of computers and Internet connectivity is a critical gap in the library. Due to the demographic and socio-economic status of the community under study, the provision and access to the Internet would be highly valued by the learners. Segbent and Karun (2010) state, that for many people, libraries are the only place they can access computers and the Internet.

113 6.4.2.2 Information sources

The study found that learners used formal and informal information sources. The

demographic variables which influenced the choice of information sources included age and level of education. The top four formal sources included a learner’s personal access to the Internet, library books, newspapers and their own books. This indicates that information communication technologies have had an impact on learner’s academic information environments. Considering that the Internet was found to be the most utilised information source, it can be assumed that learners perceived the Internet as a reliable information source. However, according to O’Leary and O’Leary, 2010:43, the quality of information on the Internet is not regulated; there are no strict guidelines for accuracy, authoritativeness, currency or objectivity. The researcher supports this view and concludes that librarians need to acquire full digital fluency which entails the wise use and creation of digital content. With these skills, librarians will be able to enable users to be critical of online information and ensure a web-savvy generation.

Informal sources that the learners used included professionals, family and neighbours. The study by Nazli (2011) confirms this finding. The study reported that the majority of secondary school students frequently used books, parents, teachers and libraries as their sources of information.

6.4.3 Factors hindering library services

The findings above reveal that the major factors hindering library services are those related to limited resources and facilities. The lack of public computers and Internet access was cited as the biggest concern by the learners in the study. Moreover, the constraint of library operation hours, distance to the library, unhelpful staff, lack of appropriate information sources and the small size of Woodlands Library had the greatest impact on these learners. Library facilities and user-friendly services are essential to fulfilling the Msunduzi Public library’s mandate in providing a quality service that is user and community orientated.

A study by Ajiboye and Tella (2007) reported that secondary school students need

information in order to excel academically, personally and recreationally. However, certain constraints such as poor library skills, unavailability/inadequate/outdated information

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resources, poor information-seeking and literacy skills and lack of awareness of information needs hinder their information needs.

6.4.4 Satisfaction of needs

The findings of this study revealed that the majority of the users indicated that Woodlands Library satisfied their academic needs. However, a minority of users reported that the library did not satisfy their academic needs although they gave no reasons for their dissatisfaction. It can be assumed that this could be attributed to the absence of Internet connectivity, access to public computers, library space constraints, the lack of adequate resources and limited library hours.

The findings from a study by Ogunsolo (2004) found that all libraries should strive to become a service-oriented organisation that satisfies the needs of its clients. Thus, the user’s level of satisfaction with the information resources, facilities and services provided by libraries has become the melting pot of present-day librarianship and information science (Ogunsolo 2004).