Public libraries in Africa – agents for development and innovation?

Introduction

American professor William Edwards Deming once said: “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” It is obvious that libraries globally operate in a more changing environment than ever before. One of the key characteristics of this environment is constant questioning of their need and relevance, which can be argued only with targeted systematic and evidence- based advocacy. However, effective demonstration of library value to stakeholders is impossible without understanding the baseline of their attitudes to and perceptions of libraries.

For these reasons many perception studies were launched in recent years, providing a strong basis of data for advocacy campaigns, mainly aiming to argue against library budget cuts and closures. However, most of these studies focus on libraries in highly developed countries like the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), while the study of perceptions of stakeholders in developing or transitional countries was relatively neglected.

Enabling access to knowledge through libraries in developing and transition countries is a key focus of EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries), an international not-for-profit organization which recently launched a Public Library Innovation Program (PLIP) and awarded a first round of grants to libraries from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. These local public library projects aim to help transform lives through innovative services. In relation to this activity EIFL has identified a big gap in research into perceptions of public libraries in developing or transitional countries and a strong need for related advocacy actions, and therefore initiated this survey of the perceptions of multiple stakeholder audiences.

The goal of the study is to understand the perceptions of certain stakeholders (national and local officials like municipalities, ministries, public agencies, media, etc.) and the public (including non-users) in public libraries in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe about the potential of public libraries, and to understand how these stakeholders could best be positively influenced to create, fund, support or to use public libraries. As regards the public (users and non-users), it also investigates library usage behavior and frequency of use, sources of information about libraries, satisfaction levels with the library and librarian, barriers to library use and willingness to use them in future. In the case of national and local level officials, the study aims to identify their priorities for libraries and how they perceive the importance of libraries as potential players in local and national development.

The paper introduces a field which yet has not been explored and provides background for evidence-based advocacy for public libraries in Africa. Also it aims to contribute to the methodology and effectiveness of practical research on public perceptions of public libraries.

Research into perceptions of libraries

Investigating the perceptions of various stakeholder audiences has always been a focus of library research. However, when heavy budget cuts were threatened, affecting, for example, the book fund, staffing, outreach, or reader development work, studies to provide evidence on perceived library value became increasingly important.

One of the solid studies to be mentioned is ‘Long Overdue: a Fresh Look at Public and Leadership Attitudes About Libraries in the 21st Century’, initiated by Public Agenda in 2006 in the USA. The study revealed that the public believes in the importance of public libraries in future and a strong majority says that if their public library were to shut down, they would feel that something essential and important has been lost, affecting the whole community. The study pointed out that people believe their communities must have well-functioning public libraries in order to be healthy and strong. Moreover, 71 percent of respondents said that libraries spend public money well and half of them stated that they would agree with increased taxes in order to support their local library. In addition to the valuable data on libraries, the study identified some areas of library work where public expectations were not fully met and uncovered areas of opportunity (Public Agenda 2006).

Another significant contribution to the body of knowledge was the study ‘From Awareness to Funding’, issued by OCLC in 2008. The study investigated the willingness of residents of US communities and elected officials to support public libraries, and explored the reasons why people do or don’t support libraries. The study found that most people claim they would support the library, but fewer are firmly committed to it. It also highlighted a great lack of awareness regarding library funding challenges. Data showed that library support is only marginally related to visiting the library and therefore advocacy campaigns have to be focused on other groups than library users. The researches proved that perceptions of the librarian are highly related to support. An additional strong motivator directly related to the level of funding support is the belief that the library is a transformational force in people’s lives. The survey of elected officials indicated that they are supportive of the library – but not fully committed to increasing funding (OCLC 2008).

Interesting data on library-related perceptions of the largest minority group in the US – Latinos – was collected in the study ‘Latinos and Public Perceptions’ performed by The Thomas Rivera Policy Institute in 2008. The study helped to understand patterns of Latino library use, perceptions of the library among Latinos and the factors that drive Latino library use. This study found that Latinos hold positive perceptions of libraries, determined the social and demographical factors influencing library use, revealed the high importance of staff service and offered policy recommendations to attract more Latinos into public libraries (Flores and Pachon 2008).

In 2010 OCLC initiated another extensive study, ‘Perceptions of Libraries’. The study report provides insights into information consumers and their online habits, preferences, and perceptions. Particular attention was paid to how the economic downturn has affected the perception of libraries. The study revealed that huge numbers of people were affected by the recession and 81 percent of those economically impacted are users of libraries. It was noted that respondents perceive increased value in the library, for both themselves and their communities. The value of the librarian grew even stronger and the study proved a high correlation between funding support for public libraries and positive librarian perceptions (OCLC 2008).

One of the latest looks into public perceptions towards public libraries in the UK was the study ‘What do the public want from libraries?’ initiated by Museums, Libraries and Archives Council in 2010. The research showed that the English public widely value public libraries as a force for good and one that should be provided free. A significant proportion (74 percent) of current users surveyed described libraries as “essential” or “very important” in their lives. Fifty-nine per cent of non-users also think libraries play an “important” or “essential” role in the community. But it also suggests that the notion of library users and non-users is an artificial divide and that instead that people’s reliance on libraries tends to vary as their life circumstances change, for example through taking up study, becoming unemployed, having children or retiring.

Book choice, good customer service, staff expertise and convenience are seen as key to user satisfaction. Both users and non-users often expressed concern about books being “squeezed out” for other services and although they accepted greater automation, they do not think this should be at the expense of maintaining a knowledgeable and helpful staff base (Museums, Libraries and Archives Council 2010).

Research context

EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries) is an international not-for-profit organization with a base in Europe and a global network of partners. The organization works with library consortia in developing and transition countries to enable sustainable access to high quality digital information for library users.

EIFL was founded in 1999, with a mission of enabling access to knowledge through libraries in developing and transition countries to contribute to sustainable economic and social development. It began by advocating for affordable access to commercial e-journals for academic and research libraries in Central and Eastern Europe. EIFL now partners with libraries and library consortia in more than 60 developing and transition countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Today its work includes a range of programs and initiatives as part of two core initiatives:

At the end of 2009, EIFL launched the Public Library Innovation Program, recognizing that the use of technology offers new opportunities to increase access to knowledge, helping to improve standards of living and to transform lives. For many people in developing and transition countries, the public library is the only place to access computers and the Internet, together with quality-assured information resources. Through technology, public libraries are also well positioned to extend access to previously under-served communities. Yet in many countries where the need is greatest, public libraries are under-resourced.

The Public Library Innovation Program aims to spark innovative services in public libraries to improve lives. Under this program, EIFL encourages public libraries to reach out to their communities through pilot projects. In April 2010, EIFL funded 12 such projects in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. 

In connection with this activity, EIFL identified a gap in knowledge about the perceptions of public libraries by their stakeholders, which is important information in order to be able to advocate effectively for increased and sustainable funding of public libraries.

Initiating this study, EIFL aims to understand the perceptions of different stakeholders of public libraries in Africa – and in particular in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Uganda – about the potential of public libraries, so as to understand how these stakeholders could best be positively influenced to create/fund/support or use public libraries. This study has the potential for further communication campaigns aimed at raising public awareness of the potential contribution of public libraries to sustain livelihoods. The changes in perceptions would then lead to increased awareness of innovative ways that libraries can serve public needs and of funding for public libraries.

Research methodology

The main objective of the study is to understand the perceptions of different stakeholders of public libraries. Specific objectives of the study include:

Research took place in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Uganda from January to June, 2011. Research partner for this study was TNS Research International, which in the recent past successfully conducted numerous quantitative and qualitative surveys in Africa across a wide range of social research sectors. As a result of many years of research experience, they have developed highly accurate and efficient methods of conducting both qualitative and quantitative research.

The study covered five broad sample groupings:

As information on public libraries in these countries is almost non-existing, prior to the study a landscape survey was done for each of the countries. A questionnaire on basic library data (number of libraries, hierarchical structure, geographical distribution, user profiles) was distributed to EIFL coordinators in the respective countries. As library statistics on public libraries in African countries are very weak, in many cases data was incomplete and built on the coordinators’ knowledge in the field. In all cases they were able to provide a list of government funded libraries and in some cases also community-run libraries. This information was enough to identify locations and conduct the sampling. We include information from the landscape study, under the heading ‘Library context in the six countries’, below.

The surveys were carried out nationwide in each country, focusing on the public libraries, urban and rural structural units, including community-run libraries. Sampling of respondents was conducted on the basis of the geographical distribution. The research applied random and target sampling. Random sampling was applied in surveys of the public libraries’ users and non-users, public librarians and library officials, representatives of local stakeholders’ institutions. Target sampling was used when performing surveys of representatives of national stakeholders’ sub-groups such as ministries, national agencies and media.

For the library users, the respondents were selected at the sampled libraries. Interviews were done using both entry and exit interviews.

For the library non-users, respondents were selected from within a catchment area of approximately 20 km radius from the sampled library used for the survey of library users. Households were selected using the random route technique and a screener question used at the house to select the respondent and verify eligibility as a non-user.

For the target group of librarians, a sample of libraries was drawn from the universe and assigned librarian samples. More than one librarian could be interviewed in a library depending on library size and location. All libraries selected for the users sample automatically included a librarian sample. In most of the countries, the librarian sample was distributed between public libraries and community libraries.

For the local officials, the sample was distributed among local and municipal authorities that were funding and managing libraries and those who were not running libraries. The national level officials were identified with the help of EIFL coordinators in the respective countries.

Samples varied by target groups and are summarized in Table 1. Base sizes are quite small at country level so the data is interpreted at the combined level.

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Table 1.

Research samples.

	Total number of libraries sampled	Users	Non-users	Librarians	Local officials	In depth interviews with national officials
Kenya	20	500	300	63	51	18
Uganda	22	500	300	50	50	20
Tanzania	17	500	301	48	38	14
Ghana	15	500	300	67	40	20
Ethiopia	–	–	–	35	49	20
Zimbabwe	–	–	–	20	50	20
Total	74	2000	1201	283	278	112

All research instruments were developed by EIFL with the input of TNS Research International, based on their knowledge and experience. As these instruments were based on international experiences that had never been tested in Africa, the instruments had to be adapted to the local context and piloted prior to the survey. Ten pilot interviews per country were done to pre-test each of the quantitative questionnaires. The interviewers checked the clarity of the questions, ability of respondents to answer all questions both in terms of relevance and questionnaire design, the flow of the questionnaire, relevance of translation to local languages and all other issues helping to improve the questionnaire.

Thorough quality control mechanisms were used during both fieldwork and data processing stages. In the fieldwork stage this included training of interviewers as well as debriefing sessions with their teams during the process of data collection, performed by team leaders. The team leaders accompanied 5 percent of all interviews conducted; another 10 percent of all interviews conducted by each interviewer were back-checked by supervisors who got in touch with the respondents and re-asked a few relevant questions to ascertain that the interview was in fact done. All questionnaires were checked by the team leader going through completed questionnaires before data processing.

Library context in the six countries

Accurate baseline information about public libraries – including numbers and kinds of libraries (public, community, rural, etc.), governing structures, demographic profile of users, annual budgets and funding sources – proved harder to find in some of the six countries than others. Information presented here is not comprehensive. It has been compiled from a combination of desk research, websites of national library systems (where available); the IFLA World Report 2010, ¹ and reports provided by EIFL Country Coordinators. ² General information about each country is drawn from a variety of international aid agencies like the World Bank, and other sources. With the exception of Ghana, which is rated a ‘lower middle income’ country by the World Bank, all the countries were ranked low income.

Perception research findings

Library users and non-users

The research revealed that a typical user of a public library is likely to be a young single male from a middle class background, aged between 16 and 30, currently in school or having just completed school and has started working. Non-users are not demographically different from users except on gender, where almost equal numbers of male and female are seen and the fact that a slightly higher proportion of non-users fall above the age of 30 years. Non-users have relatively lower levels of education and a greater share of them have families (Table 2).

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Table 2.

Library users and non-users: demographics.

	Library users	Library non-users
Base	1990	1201
Gender	%	%
Male	70	48
Female	30	52
Age	%	%
16–20 years	39	17
21–30 years	48	54
Above 31–40 years	14	29
Years of formal education	%	%
0–5 years	2	7
6–12 years	39	55
13–16 years	44	30
17+ years	14	8
Marital status	%	%
Single	80	51
Married	16	39
Widow/widower	-	2
Divorced/separated	2	6
Don't know/refused	1	2
Occupation status	%	%
Work part time	8	11
Work full time	14	23
Self employed	6	26
Unemployed not looking for a job	6	13
Retired	-	1
Student	64	17
Housewife	1	7
Don't know/refused	1	1

Seventy-four percent of library users talked about their library use experience, mainly with friends or adult family members (Figure 1).

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Figure 1.

Base: Library users, N = 1990.

Maybe partly for this reason, the awareness of library presence in the area is quite high across all countries. The majority of non-users across all countries claim that being busy is a key barrier to usage of libraries.

Data indicates that relevant books would be the key motivator to likely future usage as almost half (45 percent) of non-users cite this as a key element that would get them into libraries. Other important influencers would be more convenient locations and longer opening hours (Figure 2).

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Figure 2.

Base: Library users, N =1201.

However, libraries are valued and are seen as important both by library users and non-users. Users appreciate the value of libraries to both the individual and the community, while non-users tend to see libraries as essential to the community but not necessarily to themselves (Figure 3).

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Figure 3.

a. Base: Library users, N =1990. b. Base: Library users, N =1201.

As regards the associations with libraries, for both users and non-users libraries are mainly related with information and knowledge storage as well as with books and a quiet place to study. Only a small percent of people associate libraries with computers or librarians (Figure 4).

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Figure 4.

Base: Library users, N =1990, library non-users, N =1201.

Overall, most library services are related to the traditional services of issuing books and reference services, much of which is done for classroom work for pupils. They also provide forums where people meet to socialize. Librarians are also an important aspect of libraries and consulting them for help is one of the key activities users have done in the past 12 months (Figure 5).

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Figure 5.

Base: Library users, N =1990.

The key reason for using libraries is education, with about 90 percent in all countries using the libraries for this purpose, while 20 percent say they use libraries for health issues and 10 percent in relation to business (Figure 6).

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Figure 6.

Base: Library users, N =1990.

Besides educational purposes, which are mentioned by equally large proportions of users and non-users, there are some interesting differences between users and non-users for other purposes which could be an indication of the difference between reality and expectation, i.e. for any given purpose there are more non-users who think it should be served by libraries compared to users who say that it is actually being done by libraries. For example, a high percentages of non users would expect libraries to be able to provide health and agriculture information (Figure 7).

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Figure 7.

Base: Library non-users, N =1201.

The highest rated aspects of library work by users are the competence of librarians, library facilities and opening hours. Computing and digital resources in libraries are rated lowest and this is further emphasized by the poor rating of librarians’ skills on the same topic (Table 3).

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Table 3.

User ratings of different aspects of library work.

Rating of different library aspects	Excellent	Good	Bad	Very bad	Don’t know/NA
Library facilities, space	14%	63%	15%	7%	1%
Library opening hours	25%	60%	11%	4%	1%
Librarians competence	21%	64%	8%	2%	4%
Books	17%	50%	22%	8%	3%
Periodicals	12%	43%	18%	7%	19%
Other collections (CD, DVD)	4%	12%	19%	22%	43%
Range of databases	6%	26%	18%	15%	35%
Events	6%	26%	21%	17%	31%
Computers and other equipment	5%	19%	16%	22%	37%
Computer software	4%	17%	17%	20%	42%
Librarian expertise in working with computer	8%	25%	10%	10%	46%
Librarians responsiveness when they requested the assistance of the computer	10%	24%	10%	9%	46%

Base: Library users, N =1990.

The key driver for dissatisfaction with libraries is range and relevance of materials available as well as space constraints and a lack of computers (Figure 8).

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Figure 8.

Base: Library users, N =1990.

Librarians

The survey of librarians shows that the traditional definition and role of libraries for lending of books is still a key element of services offered by libraries in all the countries. However, the high proportion (68 percent) of users seeking advice and consultation suggests that the presence and competence of the librarian is vital. Digital services such as CDs, videos and computer and Internet services are not readily available across all countries.

The overall atmosphere of the library is rated ‘good’ and librarians also rate themselves highly on competence. Despite the claim by librarians about their expertise in working with computers, computer related aspects are rated the poorest (Table 4).

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Table 4.

Librarians’ ratings of different aspects of library work.

Rating of different library aspects	Excellent	Good	Bad	Very bad	Don’t know/NA
Library facilities, space	11%	54%	28%	7%	0%
Library opening hours	34%	55%	7%	3%	0%
Librarians competence	39%	53%	4%	2%	0%
Books	14%	48%	26%	11%	0%
Periodicals	11%	43%	25%	17%	0%
Other collections (CD, DVD)	3%	29%	23%	29%	0%
Range of databases	7%	31%	24%	25%	0%
Events	8%	43%	25%	12%	0%
Computers and other equipment	6%	27%	28%	25%	0%
Computer software	6%	25%	23%	30%	0%
Librarian computer expertise	22%	45%	17%	8%	0%
Librarians assistance with the computer	22%	33%	15%	12%	0%

Base: Librarians, N =283.

In the view of librarians, libraries are generally considered friendly, but they are lacking in technology and modernity, both of which receive a rather low rating across all countries. The main challenges faced by libraries are minimal reading space, limited number of books, few computers, lack of funding, inadequate staff, lack of current information and outdated books (Figure 9).

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Figure 9.

Base: Librarians, N =283.

If more funding was provided the great majority (86 percent) of librarians would give top priority to equipment. They would also like to improve conditions of their buildings and stock. Quite the same attention would be allocated to staff development (Figure 10).

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Figure 10.

Base: Librarians, N =283.

However, not only the technologies, but also a training program for librarians on skills to provide technology related library services would be necessary to better equip them in this technology evolving world. Currently 38 percent of librarians feel unable to provide technology related services (Figure 11).

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Figure 11.

Base: Librarians, N =283.

Librarians see libraries to be mainly addressing education-oriented needs and similarly see users as benefiting most in acquisition of new skills as well as learning new things. In addition, according to the librarians, libraries address the need for general information, such as national and international news and more specialized information for business. Health and agriculture also rank highly. Only a few librarians see libraries to be addressing the need to communicate and interact with others (Figure 12).

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Figure 12.

Base: Librarians, N =283.

Although librarians consider that they have impact in many areas, there seems to be a lack of pro-activeness in terms of building partnerships with institutions that could help to maximize these impacts. Also there is a need for librarians to develop advocacy skills that would help them promote their visibility in communities through the mass media and Internet (Figure 13).

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Figure 13.

Base: Librarians, N =283.

Local and national officials

The survey of local officials who currently fund the local library revealed that libraries are considered essential both in the individual and in the community level (Figure 14).

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Figure 14.

Base: Local officials of authorities that operate libraries, N =202.

However, satisfaction with the current library services is not very high, with only 55 percent overall saying they are satisfied (Figure 15).

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Figure 15.

Base: Local officials of authorities that operate libraries, N =202.

The main reasons for satisfaction with library services concern the physical library environment, i.e. ambience and convenience. Staff is also an important driver of satisfaction. The highest rated aspects are library opening hours (77 percent rating as good and excellent) and librarians’ competence (69 percent rating either good or excellent). The poorest rated are computer-related aspects and librarians skills to provider computer-related services, as well as limited space (Table 5).

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Table 5.

Local officials’ ratings of different aspects of library work.

Rating of different library aspects	Excellent	Good	Bad	Very bad	Don’t know/NA
Library facilities, space	5%	48%	35%	9%	3%
Library opening hours	14%	64%	14%	3%	4%
Librarians competence	15%	55%	15%	5%	9%
Books	11%	41%	34%	10%	4%
Periodicals	7%	36%	31%	13%	12%
Other collections (CD, DVD)	4%	12%	33%	28%	22%
Range of databases	5%	26%	26%	21%	22%
Events	6%	33%	32%	14%	15%
Computers and other equipment	3%	19%	40%	21%	17%
Computer software	3%	15%	34%	25%	22%
Librarians computer expertise	8%	33%	17%	15%	27%
Librarians assistance with computer	8%	31%	17%	15%	28%

Base: Local officials of authorities that operate libraries, N =202.

It is quite clear that libraries are associated with the very traditional roles of lending books and providing a study environment for educational purposes. Eighty-seven percent of the municipalities who fund local libraries mention education, suggesting that libraries are mainly seen as extensions of institutions for formal education. There is also recognition that libraries serve as a source for local or national news and information as well as information on health (Figure 16).

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Figure 16.

Base: Local officials of authorities that operate libraries, N =202.

There is agreement among many officials in local authorities which operate libraries as well as those which don’t run libraries that libraries deserve more funding, stating at the same time that funding should come from outside sources. Interestingly, some among officials in authorities which operate libraries feel that libraries deserve less funding (Figure 17).

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Figure 17.

a. Base: Local officials of authorities that operate libraries, N =202. b. Base: Local officials of authorities that don’t operate libraries, N =76.

As regards library impact, stakeholders claim that in the field of education libraries are mainly contributing to normal school learning for children and general improvement of literacy (Figure 18).

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Figure 18.

Base: Local officials of authorities that operate libraries, N =202.

In terms of health, it seems that information on health is available in the libraries. However, they could do more to promote heath issues through facilitating health-related events (Figure 19).

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Figure 19.

Base: Local officials of authorities that operate libraries, N =202.

Local officials claim that libraries provide a forum for meeting and building relationships. However, opportunities to further strengthen this role through electronic communication to reach distant friends and family seem to be untapped (Figure 20).

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Figure 20.

Base: Local officials of authorities that operate libraries, N =202.

In the opinion of local stakeholders, libraries could do more to ensure citizen empowerment. In future this role could be strengthened through providing access to and promotion of e-government information and services (Figure 21).

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Figure 21.

Base: Local officials of authorities that operate libraries, N =202.

Another potential area for impact is agriculture, where libraries could impact communities through providing access to weather information, pricing in the market, developing, scheduling, planting and maintaining crops etc. (Figure 22).

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Figure 22.

Base: Local officials of authorities that operate libraries, N =202.

From the interviews with national officials libraries are strongly seen as aiding children's learning and contributing to the improvement of literacy. Another widely acknowledged aspect is cost saving; however, actual business-related information seems to be insufficient. National officials agree that libraries have information related to health but at the same time they think that libraries are not holding events related to health. As regards communication, libraries enable linkages through communication one-on-one but rarely online. Also, a more proactive approach is expected from them to promote events related to culture.

There are not very strong positive sentiments regarding impact on social and community development and especially on serving the disadvantaged. Also, national officials claim that libraries could do more to link citizens with governments. The deficiency in digital resources is seen as a strong barrier to the provision of e-government services. Another area of opportunity seems to be agriculture, where there is a significant amount of disagreement on the libraries’ input.

Conclusions

Public libraries are available in most countries, offering the traditional service of lending of books and a good environment for studying. Most of them are small with limited space and are resource constrained. It is evident that most lack technology-related facilities and in some cases relevant books to meet the needs of users.

Across all groups surveyed, i.e. from policy level all the way to users, including non-users, a significant majority have very positive sentiments about libraries. However, libraries are perceived as offering study-related information and therefore as an extension of the educational process.

Librarians are seen as competent to perform their traditional roles but have limitations in technology-related services. Low skills levels in respect of technology services are a result of lack of the facilities that would enable them to improve their competency.

Libraries are seen as essential to the individual as well as communities in general. However, they need to engage with the community at a more tangible level that goes beyond providing information only e.g. facilitating community interaction with service providers of health, agriculture, culture and entrepreneurship. Going digital, which is a clear deficiency currently, would perhaps provide a new avenue where libraries would be seen as being more dynamic and innovative in reaching out to communities.

However, the need is not only for more pro-activeness in creating and maintaining innovative services that would meet the needs of local communities; it is also important for libraries to create and demonstrate their value to the community, going beyond lending of books and facilitating study. This is quite challenging, since a significant number of librarians admit to lacking the necessary skills for advocating for greater visibility and stronger support.

One of the useful outcomes of the research was the locally adapted research methodology into library perceptions. The methodology developed combines quantitative and qualitative research methods and research instruments, adapted to local conditions. The empirical study helped to test it and confirmed its validity in the local context.

The study provides a rich body of knowledge to start discussions with stakeholders about the role that libraries play in the community and their potential for ensuring the development and sustainability of library services. Perhaps even more important, it starts to signpost the way to exploring the potential of the public library to support individuals, communities and decision makers in their pursuit of improving lives and livelihoods through access to information and knowledge. The findings of the study, once validated by the library community, will constitute a substantial body of evidence that can be used to inform library management and advocacy campaigns.

More information on the study can be found at the EIFL website: http://www.eifl.net/perception-study