Spatial Configuring for Wider Access to Public Library Services at the Harare City Library: Towards a New Strategy for Inclusivity

ABSTRACT The relevance of public libraries in the twenty-first century will depend on prioritizing access to information through the provision of space to spur inclusive development. Public libraries in Harare are struggling to provide for the diverse and dynamic needs of users. This is evidenced by the high number of school-going users frequenting these places because of the limited number of well-resourced school libraries especially in marginalised communities. Public libraries are providing for the information needs of communities and schools in order to enhance inclusivity. It has become imperative for public librarians to rethink, reinvent, and re-profile their services to meet the growing, diverse, and dynamic needs of users. The article explores the extent to which public libraries can incorporate cultural responsive services for the benefit of users. It will examine how public libraries can rethink and reconfigure their services and space to accommodate inter-cultural and inter-generational dialogue. It will recommend strategies for balanced inclusivity in the accessibility of public library services.

[1]  John W. Creswell,et al.  A Concise Introduction to Mixed Methods Research , 2014 .

[2]  Erik Ostermann Information Technology And Libraries , 2016 .

[3]  Sara H. Holder,et al.  Looking and Listening: A Mixed-Methods Study of Space Use and User Satisfaction , 2014 .

[4]  Distinguishing right from wrong : proposed ethical principles for the development of national information policies , 2013 .

[5]  Harare Polytechnic Role of libraries in promoting the dissemination and documentation of indigenous agricultural information: Case Study of Zimbabwe , 2011 .

[6]  Susan Starr,et al.  Library as place: results of a delphi study. , 2005, Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA.

[7]  Sawyer A. Hunley,et al.  Measuring Library Space Use and Preferences: Charting a Path Toward Increased Engagement , 2008 .

[8]  L. Jean Camp,et al.  The internet as public space: concepts, issues, and implications in public policy , 2000, CSOC.

[9]  Hsien-Sheng Hsiao,et al.  The influence of collaborative learning games within different devices on student’s learning performance and behaviours , 2014 .

[10]  Francine May,et al.  Methods for Studying the Use of Public Spaces in Libraries / Les méthodes d'étude de l'utilisation des espaces publics dans les bibliothèques , 2011 .

[11]  Rodrigo Castro,et al.  Measuring Space and Furniture Occupancy in Academic Libraries: From Data Gathering to Visualization , 2019 .

[12]  Francis Miksa,et al.  The Cultural Legacy of the "Modern Library" for the Future , 1996 .

[13]  R. Scrogham The American public library and its fragile future , 2006 .

[14]  Casper Hvenegaard Rasmussen,et al.  Towards Culture 3.0 – performative space in the public library , 2017 .

[15]  Marilyn Gell Mason The Future of the Public Library. , 1985 .

[16]  Ilker Etikan,et al.  Comparison of Convenience Sampling and Purposive Sampling , 2016 .

[18]  P. Carter Public Space , 2007 .

[19]  Joseph J. Branin Shaping Our Space , 2007 .

[20]  V. Veros Metatextual Conversations: The Exclusion/Inclusion of Genre Fiction in Public Libraries and Social Media Book Groups , 2019, Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association.

[21]  Iyra S. Buenrostro,et al.  Libraries and their role in transitional justice in the Philippines , 2018, IFLA Journal.

[22]  Véronique Dudouet,et al.  Post-war political settlements : from participatory transition processes to inclusive state-building and Governance; research report , 2016 .

[23]  David McMenemy,et al.  Public libraries as impartial spaces in a consumer society : possible, plausible, desirable? , 2010 .

[24]  David Lee King Chapter 3: The Planning Process , 2009 .

[25]  Rachel Applegate,et al.  The Library Is for Studying: Student Preferences for Study Space , 2009 .

[26]  Heather Cunningham,et al.  Learning space attributes: reflections on academic library design and its use , 2012 .

[27]  Barbara I. Dewey Social, Intellectual, and Cultural Spaces: Creating Compelling Library Environments for the Digital Age , 2008 .

[28]  Casper Hvenegaard Rasmussen,et al.  The four spaces – a new model for the public library , 2012 .

[29]  Robert A. Seal Library spaces in the 21st century: Meeting the challenges of user needs for information, technology, and expertise , 2015 .

[30]  Brian Edwards Libraries and Learning Resource Centres , 2001 .

[31]  K. D. Jager Place matters: undergraduate perceptions of the value of the library , 2015 .

[32]  Joseph C. Rizzo,et al.  Finding your place in the information age library , 2002 .

[33]  Kerry M. Wilson,et al.  The public library, exclusion and empathy: a literature review , 2008 .

[34]  Lisa M. Given,et al.  Sweeping the library: Mapping the social activity space of the public library 1 1 A version of thi , 2003 .

[35]  Anne Goulding,et al.  Libraries and Cultural Capital , 2008, J. Libr. Inf. Sci..

[36]  Ajit K. Pyati Public Libraries as Contemplative Spaces: A Framework for Action and Research , 2019, Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association.

[37]  Su Nee Goh,et al.  A framework for planning academic library spaces , 2016 .

[38]  Paulina Mickiewicz Access and Its Limits , 2016 .

[39]  Lauren H. Mandel Geographic Information Systems: Tools for Displaying In-Library Use Data , 2010 .

[40]  Daniela Canali Better Library and Learning Space. Projects, Trends and Ideas , 2015 .

[41]  Donald A. Barclay Space and the Social Worth of Public Libraries , 2017, Public Libr. Q..

[42]  Steven J. Taylor,et al.  Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods: A Guidebook and Resource , 2015 .

[43]  Svanhild Aabø,et al.  Use of library space and the library as place , 2012 .

[44]  C. Stilwell Public Libraries and Social Inclusion: An Update from South Africa , 2016 .

[45]  Lynne J. Brindley The Future of Libraries and Humanities Research: New Strategic Directions for the British Library , 2002 .

[46]  F. Huysmans,et al.  UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Measuring the public library ' s societal value : A methodological research program , 2013 .

[47]  Peter Johan Lor,et al.  The IFLA–UNESCO partnership 1947–2012 , 2012 .