Impact of tailor-made information literacy provision on rural dwellers’ participation in sustainable development targets in Nigeria:: Implications for public library services to oral societies

Abstract

This paper examined the impact of tailor-made information literacy provision on Nigerian rural dwellers’ participation in three sustainable development targets. A mixed method research design comprised of field experimental approach, site visit and focus group technique was used to collect data that answered the five questions raised in the study. From the findings, rural dwellers who received information literacy provision participated more in the sustainable development targets than their counterparts who depended only on the existing information communication systems accessible to them. Information literacy provision to a sample of 20 households had a spill-over effect on the behaviour of non-sampled households of the same village. In conclusion, the triangulation of methods used in this study showed that rural dwellers’ effective participation in development programmes can be achieved through contextual information literacy provision. This draws implications that are summarised into a model. Public libraries in Nigeria and in similar developing countries can explore the strategy conveyed in the model to launch effective outreach services to their rural dwellers.

Advocacy of the Sustainable Development Goals in Jordanian academic libraries

“…Kosciejew (2020) affirms that it is important to increase awareness of the UN 2030 Agenda among libraries and information specialists alongside promoting the role of public libraries in the actualization of the SDGs. In line with this, Uzuegbu (2019) points out that rural residents who received information literacy provision contributed more in achieving sustainable development targets compared to their counterparts who received information from existing information communication systems. Information literacy provision appeared to have affected their behaviour.…”

Libraries, sustainability and sustainable development: a review of the research literature

“…As information providers, libraries have an essential role in supporting sustainable social development, and equal access to information is mentioned as a precondition for them to do so (Elepov and Lavrik, 1997; Edwards, 2018). Thus, the publications focus on the potentiality for socio-economic transformation and change inherent in providing access to information (Ncube, 2017) and information literacy (Uzuegbu, 2019). In addition, access to the physical library is critical to achieving the social potential of libraries as “places for all” (Abdullahi, 2015; Pionke, 2016).…”