Leveraging research-based knowledge translation via rural libraries to improve maize postharvest practices in Uganda

PurposeTo provide background on how the Kitengesa Community Library in rural Uganda, which serves as both a community library and a school library, might be seen as a model for other similar libraries in developing countries. To use a case study of the library to highlight certain characteristics of rural libraries as developed by B.J. Mostert and presented in his 1998 article.Design/methodology/approachThe information in the article comes from a two‐year study of the Kitengesa Community Library. The methodology included focus groups, interviews, door‐to‐door visits, questionnaires, examination of library circulation information, and many hours of observation. Information from the study was then used to support the comparison to Mostert's characteristics of the rural community library. A review of the professional literature is also provided.FindingsFindings indicate that the Kitengesa Community Library is a successful working model that might be used in other similar rural villages to serve both schools and the community. Implications of the findings are discussed in detail.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research might include the impact of the library on the achievement of students, and the impact of the library on the teaching and learning practices of users.Practical implicationsThe information presented in this paper offers some basic considerations in terms of the implementation of rural library services. Provision of such services is becoming increasingly important as more and more of the world's population becomes literate, and more of the world's attention is focused on the welfare of those living on the African continent.Originality/valueThe study itself is unique in that the data hail from a two‐year study of a small village library. Literacy is a major factor in terms of development in underdeveloped nations, and libraries have the potential to play an important role in the eradication of illiteracy, and provision of services for the “newly literate”.

This paper discusses what is meant by “reading culture”, and how a rural community library in Uganda can contribute to promoting one, by posing the question: How does a community library promote a reading culture in Uganda, and how successful is it in doing this? Data consist of semi-structured interviews, observations, and the library records of borrowed items. Street’s (1984) concepts of “autonomous” and “ideological” models of literacy are adapted to develop a framework of critical questions. The findings indicate that the library is based on a local initiative, relatively well resourced, and fairly well integrated in the community. Together, these indicate the gradual development of a reading culture. Rather than assuming libraries and literacy are intrinsically good, this article stresses the need to take on a critical view of the role and function of community libraries in developing countries, and suggests a framework for doing this.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a cursory overview of economic development in Uganda, and discusses some important links between the rural library and the ways it might impact human development areas such as economic uplift, education and literacy.Design/methodology/approach – Real‐life examples of small‐scale economic development projects from the Kitengesa Community Library in rural Uganda are used to contextualize some of these connections. A comprehensive review of the literature on rural development, economic development in Uganda, the relationship between literacy, libraries and economic development and the rural community library provide a context for the paper. This paper reflects an in‐depth review of the professional literature on economic and human development in Uganda, literacy, and the rural library. It also incorporates some qualitative data gathered from research studies conducted at Kitengesa Community Library in 2004 and 2005, including individual interviews with librar...

Rural libraries serve the specific information need(s) of communities where they are domiciled. They are vital to the knowledge society, fundamental to the information access and distribution framework at the community level. Today, rural areas are almost void of crucial contemporary information-based technological infrastructure. Preservation of information resources is crucial to its sustainable utilization either for individualist or communal development. This study presents the status quo on preservation of information resources in public libraries in rural communities in southern Nigeria. The survey design was adopted; random sampling was used to draw 98 respondents, questionnaire was constructed to elicit responses with 91% returned rate. Results showed that information resources are in poor state of preservation due to deposition of particulate matter, dilapidation of library building, and mutilation. Dusting/cleaning of shelves/books and the engagement of humans to secure information resources were the most frequently used to preserve the information resources. Rural libraries lacked CCTV and no RFID installed to prevent theft. There are almost no visible digital preservation activities in place. The constraints to preservation include the obsolete nature of information resources, delay in government’s response to plea on preservation requirements, no air conditioning, poor electricity and underfunding. Staff training on preservation, workable preservation policy, increase budgetary allocation, and community awareness of use of information resources may enhance preservation efforts. Rural libraries are merely fast fading store houses of information resources with its purpose almost been defeated. There is need for urgent attention from the public and concerned agencies. Useful recommendations were put forward accordingly.

Rural libraries, which are often referred to as village or community libraries, are developed to meet the needs of rural communities in Malaysia. Rural libraries are also found everywhere else in the world, such as in China, Nigeria, Kenya, South American countries, and many more. However, a few rural libraries in other countries closed due to reasons such as being underutilized, financial constraints, etc. It is hoped that this phenomenon will not happen in Malaysia. This study aimed to develop a sustainability framework to ensure that the rural libraries will be sustained in the community. The objectives of this study were to identify the environmental sustainability characteristics of rural libraries, to classify the economic sustainability characteristics of rural libraries, and to recognize the social sustainability characteristics of rural libraries. A rural library in Northern Malaysia was selected for this study, where the staff, users, and non-users were interviewed. This study employed a qualitative approach as it is the best method for understanding the phenomenon and answering questions. The semi-structured interviews are used as they provide flexibility to the researcher in collecting the data. ATLAS.ti version 7 is used in analyzing the data.

The Rural Village Libraries Research Network was established by Dr. Dent and Dr. Goodman with the mission of bridging the information divide in rural communities in Uganda. In the following interview, Dent and Goodman share the challenges of setting up and conducting research on rural community libraries in Africa. Zimbabwe has a relatively well-developed framework for rural libraries—most notably, the services and support provided by the Rural Libraries and Resources Development Programme, which has been in existence for quite some time. Uganda has a still-developing framework with more than 100 rural community library members across the country. Members include school libraries, stand-alone libraries and small information centres. The Kabubbu Library does have electricity powered by generators, and the Kitengesa Library does have solar panels that provide power for a few hours each day.

Shortage of capital is one of the most critical problems that affect agricultural production. Primary data were obtained from field survey with the aid of organized interview schedule and multi-stage sampling procedure adopted to select 120 maize farmers. Data collected in the month of November 2023 were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. The outcomes of the research findings revealed that the average age of the maize farmers was 50.38±12.688 years, majority (87.5%) were married with a mean household size of 6±2 persons. The average year of education was 5.57±5.509 years which is low. The mean acre under cultivation by the farmers was 9.65±7.23 acres. The findings of the study revealed that informal credit utilization is beneficial to the farmers as revealed by higher value of annual farm income (N154,183.33±18,756.46) after credit access that was more than annual farm income (N101,654.67±13,130.85) before access to informal credit. It is concluded from the study that the factors influencing utilization of informal credit by the farmers in the study area include age of farmers, household size, years of western education, length of years farming practices, and farm size. It is recommended that maize farmers should be encouraged to utilize informal credit as it serves as a catalyst in increase of farm income and imbibed in acreage expansion of their farm to assist in them accessing loan fund from non- informal sources.

The Kitengesa Community Library is a small library built from the ground up near the rural village of Kitengesa, Uganda. The library, formally opened in 2002, currently has a collection of over 1,000 books, and a small staff who work with the community and local secondary school to provide access to books and other services to roughly 50 members of the community and over 300 school students. During the summer of 2004, researchers, both librarians from the Hunter College Libraries, traveled to Kitengesa to study the use and users of this library. The research focused on who in the community uses the library, how they use the library, an analysis of the collection, and the impact the library has had on the community. The methodology included several means for gathering data, including observation of library use, focus groups, individual interviews, and home visits, as well as examination of library circulation and membership information kept in a database. The findings consist of several implications for ongoing development of the library, including the importance of the library to local teachers, and the impact of the library on classroom activities and learning; differences in the reading habits of boys and girls who use the library and some possible reasons for those differences; and how the collection of reading materials in local languages and about local situations might be key in terms of community libraries and the development of a reading culture elsewhere in Africa.

Objective – Scientifically researched information is often found in journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers, which can be technical and challenging for those without training. Repackaging information into a simpler and preferred language can make it easier for undereducated rural communities to access. This narrative review investigates the strategies community libraries can adopt to repackage scientifically researched information for easier access by rural farming communities. This study contributes to the literature gap on research-based information repackaging by community libraries for rural development. Methods – The literature search for this narrative review was conducted across several databases, electronic discovery tools, and individual journal articles. Google Scholar, EBSCOhost, Emerald, AGORA, Scopus, and Wiley collections were searched. Reference lists from various journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers were reviewed to select the desired studies for inclusion in this review. Results – The findings highlight the challenges community libraries face in Africa when repackaging research-based information for farmers, as discussed in relation to those reported in other parts of the world. These challenges include a lack of information and communications technologies (ICT) infrastructure, limited budgets, the absence of relevant policies, low awareness, and inadequate skills among library staff. Additionally, community libraries are scarce in rural areas, and those that exist often lack updated, scientifically researched information. To address these issues, the study proposes strategies such as collaborating, considering community norms and cultures, training community librarians in digital and appropriate repackaging methods, and equipping rural libraries with reliable, research-based information and necessary ICT tools. Conclusions – This study highlights the critical role of information repackaging in enhancing access to scientific farming knowledge for rural communities through community libraries. By translating complex information into user-friendly formats, libraries meet farmers' unique needs effectively. The integration of digital technologies further strengthens this process. The findings extend beyond the African context, as rural libraries worldwide face similar challenges in delivering context-specific knowledge, promoting information literacy, and engaging communities. Thus, the strategies highlighted in this study may be applied globally. Future research should explore the effectiveness of different repackaging strategies, the role of digital tools in various contexts, and the training needs of community librarians to optimize information delivery.

"This book investigates the relationship between local libraries and community development, from the historical roots of rural libraries to their influence on the literacy, economy, and culture of the surrounding region"..

Developing the rural community is one of the main government agendas. One of the methods used by the government to develop the rural community is by ensuring continuous delivery of information. In tandem with this, many high impact projects for the rural community have been introduced particularly on ICT. Nonetheless, besides ICT, the government also has rural library to rely on. In a number of local and international studies, rural library has been proven to benefit the rural community. The main query of this study is to identify the impingement factors of the rural library usage among rural youth and the findings obtained are expected to contribute to the existing literatures. Using a qualitative method, focus group discussions (FGDs) have been carried out among two groups, one of the FGDs was conducted with six librarians and another FGD was conducted among six rural library users. The FGDs were conducted in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia. Data gained were later transcribed verbatim and analysed. Based on the analysis done, a total of eight main factors that can impinge their usage of rural library services have been identified. In order to further enhance the usage of rural library services among youth, this study suggests that issues such as relevant sources and activities, youth involvement in the planning process, a better way of promotion and roles of librarians should be highly considered.

PurposeThis paper aims to describe the library services available to rural dwellers and a summary of focus groups discussions (FGD) conducted in northern districts of Bangladesh.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is divided into two sections. The first section describes rural library services in Bangladesh. The second section discusses the results of FGDs carried out separately in ten rural communities in northern areas of Bangladesh.FindingsThe results of FGDs highlight the general information needs of rural communities, their reading, listening and viewing habits and awareness of rural library activities. The findings suggest that the rural libraries largely meet the informational needs of the local community and play a crucial role in the educational advancement of local people.Originality/valueThis is the first time an effort has been made to assess the impact of rural library activities using FGDs in Bangladesh. This paper shows that FGDs could be an effective way to assess the impact of rural library activities.

iGrow Readers: A Literature-Based Nutrition and Physical Activity Program for Young Children

"Human touch" is not only a scarce emotional meaning in modern society, but also a traditional Chinese rural image characteristic of "acquaintance society" with a differential structure formed by blood, local customs and relationships. Through the study of emotional standard and germinal mechanism theoretical pedigree of emotional aesthetics, this paper deconstructs the generation, expression, perception and operation mechanism of "human touch". Aiming at the rural community library, this paper puts forward the design concept of "human touch", and puts it into practice in the community library of Sanbao Ceramic Art Village in Jingdezhen, so as to show the role of library in the continuation of rural cultural emotion and try to build modern rural human affection.

MANY of the parish and community libraries of Scotland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were subscription libraries, as this was the best way for people of limited means to amass and maintain reasonable collections, but it was not always so. When William Ewart and his colleagues met to consider the problem of public libraries in 1849, they interviewed John Imray, a civil engineer who had seen several parochial and village libraries in the north of Aberdeenshire. The cross‐examination by Ewart began as follows: