This study investigated students' use of the central library of the University of the Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan, including the effect of various demographic and academic characteristics on the utilization of library services. The study also examined library users' methods of finding information sources and their perceived importance of the…

This article describes the roles of librarians in a research library, particularly in the digital era. Librarians' roles vary from the custodian of resources to providers of a diverse nature of activities ranging from collection development, organization of knowledge, information services, preservation and conservation, and management. Librarians…

Each night, around 20,000 people--both adults and children--make the streets of Dhaka (the capital city of Bangladesh) their home. Living amongst the noise, rubbish, and traffic, thousands of families walk down the streets of Dhaka, looking for a safe place to rest for just a few hours each night. Trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, the…

To help the people in villages and rural areas in their efforts to become literate, librarians should, if necessary, conduct adult education classes, employ audio-visual aids, and even sell adult education materials in the library. (2 references) (Author)

These general reflections on the conditions required for the success of systematized reading, through integrated library service, apparently depart somewhat from the subject of International Book Year. Yet, they are closely connected with the forces of society which indicate self-fulfillment and social progress through the use of books. (1…

Based on observations made during a 1979-80 study trip, this paper presents a critical view of academic librarianship and libraries in India, emphasizing issues confronting the library profession and its ability to fulfill library objectives in a developing nation. It is noted that modern India is a society closely tied to tradition while at the…

Library development in colonial tropical Africa was closely tied with economic potentiality. Thus, in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, libraries were established as agents of economic exploitation (agricultural, mineral), agents of political education, and instruments for cultural diffusion. "Public" libraries were also used…

Discusses the complex role of government documents on microform in library reference services using an examination of recent Ghanaian news broadcasts as an illustration. (14 references) (MES)

Discusses the lack of professional literature awareness on the part of health care professionals in developing countries. Topics addressed include symptoms and causes of this problem, including economic factors and a tradition of oral communication; the role of literature awareness in health systems; and the promotion of literature awareness. (18…

This essay reviews the functions of the Tanzanian National Central Library (NCL) and evaluates the activities performed and services provided by the NCL in light of the definitions of national library functions established by UNESCO and by K. W. Humphreys, Librarian of the University of Birmingham. The relationship between the NCL and the…

Highlights a network of public libraries that promote services to the disadvantaged young and the production of indigenous children's books in Venezuela. Libraries in developing nations are seen as active centers of culture and education, organizing and collecting, as well as transmitting information, and not mere repositories of reading…

Addresses overall contribution of nation's university libraries to nation's library network--public, schools, academic, special, and national libraries of defined geographical area--with special emphasis on Nigeria. Highlights include dual roles of university and national libraries, cooperative schemes for materials acquisition and regional…

Examines the involvement of public and village libraries in literacy and postliteracy programs in Africa south of the Sahara during the last two decades. Issues discussed include the extent of illiteracy in Black Africa, populations served by village libraries, African rural strategies of development, and the implications for library services. (44…

This paper describes the situation of the information user in the developing countries of Africa; discusses the role of information resources in national development; delineates the most important functions of national libraries with respect to information dissemination and information utilization; explores the relationship between financial…

This discussion of the propsects and possibilities of the Open University System in Nigeria highlights the Nigerian educational system, evolution and characteristics of the Open University System, rationale for establishment of the system in Nigeria, and responsibilities of the library in an open university. Footnotes are included. (EJS)