The relationship between selection decisions and circulations of library items: the case study of the British Council Library in Tanzania.
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Date
2000
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Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
This study examined how the priority sector oriented information services are able to provide the right services that meets both the organisational objectives and user needs by relating selection decisions to the use of library items. Data was collected using structured questionnaires, face to face interviews, observations and an experiment which involved the display of videos. The potential of selection decisions such as user participation through item reservations, item donations, literary prizes, and information enquiries were analysed. Four hypotheses were tested. In the first hypothesis it is seen that resembling items have a lower circulation than items that do not resemble. In the second hypothesis it was proved that highly circulating library items have a covering or packaging with adequate information on its thematic contents. In the third hypothesis user participation methods were seen to be more appropriate than non-user participation methods. The fourth hypothesis was not confirmed. The study came out with other findings in the information seeking behaviour of library users which could further be studied such as the potential of item colour and the use of electronic public catalogues. For instance, with respect to the use of the electronic catalogues, it was found that the majority of users preferred to browse through the shelves rather than locating items from the catalogue. It was also found that stock development in the priority sector oriented libraries is focused to meet the needs of the institutional prioritised sectors despite a very high user demand for a shift to stock development programs that cater for user needs. Finally, recommendations are provided on the need for the priority sector oriented information services to put an emphasis on user participation in collection development through their already existing systems such as reservations and enquiries.
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Keywords
Libraries, Circulation, Loans, British Council Library, Acquisitions, Tanzania
Citation
Yusuph, A. A. (2000). The relationship between selection decisions and circulations of library items: the case study of the British Council Library in Tanzania. Masters dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam. Available at (http://41.86.178.3/internetserver3.1.2/detail.aspx?parentpriref=)