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The Contribution of Multi-Methods to the Understanding of Disaster Management Practices of Community Libraries

The Contribution of Multi-Methods to the Understanding of Disaster Management Practices of Community Libraries

Sabelo Chizwina (Sol Plaatje University, South Africa)
Copyright: © 2022 |Pages: 21
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-8844-4.ch020
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Abstract

This chapter reflects on the lessons learnt from applying multi-methods in a study to determine community librarians' disaster management beliefs and practices in a rural context. A case study design that used a questionnaire, interviews, and document analysis was employed. The study sought to generate new knowledge about disaster management practices of community libraries in the North West Province of South Africa. The researcher collected quantitative data as the primary data collection strategy, and qualitative data supplemented it. The rationale for triangulating the two types of data was that neither quantitative nor qualitative methods were sufficient to capture the perceptions and identify practices amongst the participants. The triangulation of data facilitated the understanding of the subjective meanings, developing a description of disaster management practices and localising participants' statements within social patterns of interaction.
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Background

The study focused on community libraries in the North West Province of South Africa. Community libraries in the province fall under the Department of Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs (CATA), through the Directorate Library, Information and Archive Services. In total, at the time of the study, there were 110 community libraries in the NWP. Most of the libraries are a result of the Community Libraries Services Conditional Grant Programme. The Community Libraries Services Conditional Grant was introduced by the Government of South Africa to address the funding problem created by the constitutional assignment of libraries to provinces, despite libraries historically being funded from municipal budgets (Stilwell, 2011).

The intention behind the grant was to enable provinces to increase allocations to the library service, given its importance. Until then, provinces were not prioritising sufficient resources for the library function from their funds (Stilwell, 2011). As part of the conditional grants, the Directorate Library, Information and Archive Services purchases books for municipalities, build new libraries, pays for seconded staff provides information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and access to the Internet.

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