| dc.description.abstract | Library user guidelines is an integral part of every public library. At the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC), it has had varying levels of success, depending on the type of information material, the procedure of access to resources, the category of the user, and the user’s information need. The aim of this project was to develop library user guidelines for the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC), approve them and recommend for implementation. The objectives that guided the researcher during the study were: To identify information needs of the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC) users. To examine how users access information, explore the challenges in accessing information materials and to propose library user guidelines for the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC).
A case study was carried out at the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC) and the research design was used adopting the qualitative research design approaches. The data collection methods included the observation, questionnaires, interview guide and the document review. The sample size constituted of 29 respondents of which 3 of them were library staffs and the 26 were community library users.
The fundamental findings from the study were: Information needs of library users at the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC). Findings from the study based on the interview revealed that, finding a study place, book borrowing and lending services, searching the internet followed by reference and research purposes were the primary urgencies for using the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC). However the poor marketing of the library resources and services lead to unawareness of the available information retrieval systems and automated information searching tools to the library users thus causing hindrances in information access.
Secondly was how users access information at the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC). Findings based on the structured questionnaires were 70% that is to say, 18 respondents of the 29 declared that; Open shelves, the library website, archives section and the open shelves were so far the leading channels library users resort to in order to access information. Nonetheless, users faced challenges while accessing information resources due to lack of
Information Literacy skills and ICT knowledge about how to utilize the Information Communication Technology facilities in the library.
Another finding from the study were the challenges in accessing information materials at the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC). The findings of the study exposed challenges such as for example, lack of proper knowledge on how to use information retrieval skills, insufficient user education, lack of computer knowledge, Information Communication Technology (ICT) in accessing information in the library among others.
The Proposed library user guidelines for the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC).The researcher came out with guidelines on how to catalog information resources, shelving of print form materials, the application of ICT in information searching, how to perceive the user’s information needs and how to cater for the disabled library users.
Thereupon, the newly developed library user guidelines for the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC) successfully fulfilled the aim of the study as already noted in chapter one that is to say; To propose library user guidelines for the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC) so as to ease access to and enable effective information resource utilization.
The study recommends the providing information literacy skills to clients of the library, Library users in the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC) should be both computer and information literate to successfully utilize the swiftly developing and transforming information sources, Awareness of Information Communication Technology Facilities to all users.
Lastly, the study also proposes that the basic skills of library and information course must be made compulsory to all the library users as a strategy of subjecting them to the library undertakings in the Kampala Library and Information Center (KLIC) so that they will be able to explore the library resources making use of the necessary skills. | en_US |
