Mangosuthu Technikon Resource Centre and its involvement in the Umlazi community with particular reference to high schools : 1991-1997.

Abstract

Academic libraries are concerned about being involved in the communities in which they exist by rendering library and information services. In order to maintain effective community involvement, academic libraries find it is important to find ways in which they can serve the community. The study investigated the Mangosuthu Technikon Resource Centre's (MTRC) involvement in the community. The intention was to determine the extent of usage of the MTRC services by Umlazi high school teachers and to identify problems which these teachers experienced with regard to the MTRC services. Umlazi high school teachers as users of the MTRC services and MTRC staff as providers of the services, were the two groups chosen for the study. Two questionnaires, one for external respondents, the Umlazi high school teachers, and another for the internal respondents, MTRC staff: were hand delivered to and collected from the respondents. The results of the survey indicated a very low percentage of usage of the MTRC services by Umlazi high school teachers and a high percentage of interest in and lack of knowledge of the MTRC services by Umlazi high school teachers. There was agreement of opinions between Umlazi high school teachers and MTRC staff on the reasons for non-use of the MTRC services by Umlazi high school teachers. Reasons indicated were that teachers did not know they could use the MTRC. There was a lack of promotional brochures and newsletters, and teachers obtained what they needed elsewhere. It was recommended that MTRC staff be educated on the MTRC's responsibility to community involvement; that the MTRC provide library user education to Umlazi high school teachers; that the MTRC base its services on community needs assessment; that marketing practices be injected into the MTRC services; that consultation with the community during planning stages of community services be maintained; that MTRC provide the community only with services not provided elsewhere; and that the MTRC take initiative in establishing a multitype area network with Umlazi Public Library and Umlazi high schools.