Information needs of users of E’skia Mphahlele public library in the City of Tshwane municipality, South Africa

Abstract

Provision of resources, such as libraries, to communities continues to be a priority for development and public libraries continue with their efforts to serve their users’ diverse information needs. This paper describes the information needs of the E’skia Mphahlele library users and how the library meets their needs. The study sought to determine the information services offered by the E’skia Mphahlele library and the relevance of them to the needs of users. It found that barriers to users benefiting from the services include noise, poor internet connection and unavailability of up-to-date information resources, among others. The paper concludes that the information needs of E’skia Mphahlele public library users are not adequately met and, subsequently, their use of and access to information services is limited. The study recommends regular information needs surveys, the introduction of outreach information services to the community, an increased budget allocation for materials, and library staff training for improved service provision.