QN: Discuss how the following factors hinder the development of library and information

services in developing economies.

a} Publishing industry

Publishing industry is a sector that focuses on producing content in form of e-books , journals,
books, magazines , articles and other content for the purpose of delivering information needs to
people. Publishing industries are those responsible for the production and distribution of books,
magazines, newspapers to make the information available to the public (IGI Global,2020). These
have been contributing to the development of the library and information services in a positive
manner and negative manner as well.

Publishing industries in Zimbabwe have hindered the growth of libraries in some ways which
include financial issues. Zimbabwe is a developing countries funds to support the publishing
industries have been quite a problem. Many publishing industries in Zimbabwe are notable to
produce more content because of shortage of funds to do so therefore adding little content to our
libraries. Collection development of the libraries is negatively affected as they depend on
publishing industries to support them. Little profits have emerged in the publishing industries
also affecting them to strive in publishing more content which is needed in libraries.

Poor reading culture in developing countries has been a rising negative influence in publishing
industries. Publishing industries are negatively affected by poor reading culture because it
demotivates the industry to produce something that cannot be used meaning it will result less
profit. Poor reading culture it limits content from been printed and published and meaning there
will be little, or no content been acquired by the libraries making them empty spaces.

Publishing industries have been victimized by the introduction of piracy in developing countries.
Piracy is high in developing countries because many people are not able to afford content for
their information need so therefore it will be illegally copied (Oyeyinka ,O. et.al 2002).Piracy it
deprives authors from writing more content as their royalties or value would have depreciated
due to theft of their content, so it also erodes profit of publishers as they wont able to publish any
work and libraries, they will not have any content to add to their collections.

Technology has been slowly introduced in publishing industries, but it hasn’t succeeded due to
financial strains. Developing countries are not able to completely accept technology as they don’t
have the necessary budget for that. O. T. Oyeyinka ,O. Ijebu-Ode, V. E. Aganbi ,(2002) they
strongly affirmed that publishing libraries in developing economies are also affected because in
order to produce more quality, quantity or even to reach more audience depends on the
advancement of technology. Publishing industries are heavily affected as their work is now slow
and less effective and this affects libraries as their collection development depends on the
progress of the publishing industries.

However, they are other benefits that the publishing industry has brought to the growth of
libraries which include business administration. Since the start of publishing industries more
content has been published bringing fruitful profits to the industry and been able to develop their
industry through infrastructure, some technology tools. This has enabled the publish industry to
be the sponsors and contributors to libraries as they are supporting them in terms of variety of
content which meets the library patron’s information needs.

Publishing industry is now also recognized as tool of development in developing economies as it

has been structured in the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.As it was suggested by IPA
president Hugo Setzer , saying, “…publishers can play such an important role in achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals through the books we publish, but we must also look at our
business practices and contribute in our own right.” (Anderson,P.2020). It has development in
the fields of education as it enhances literacy in people therefore promoting the usage of the
library by people. As the publishing industry continue to add more content it enriching the
collections of the library including academic libraries also motivating other people to become
authors which means they will more productions of content material.

b} Illiteracy

Illiteracy is the inability to read and write. Library and information services are institutions that
connect people with information resources and diversity in media. Illiteracy has negative effects
on the development of library and information services in developing economies because people
don't have the know-how in terms of utilizing the resources provided to them, they may be
limited but not well utilized.

Illiteracy is a major hindrance to development and progress for library and information services
because if there is a high number of illiterates, it means that less books or information sources
are being published to aid in the growth of the library, this simply deprives the library of any
development. According to Chisita (2011), modern improvements and advancements come from
literacy, education and training, meaning illiteracy hinders development in the library collection
development leading to poor library service quality. Library and information services make
available the richness of human and diversity in all media. However, illiteracy takes away the
chance of any progress.

Developing economies face a number of challenges such as financial instability, however, with
high illiteracy levels, it becomes a greater problem. Illiteracy leads to people not having any
knowledge on how to improve the available services. According to Torres and Mercado (2006),
illiteracy hinders people and learners of the chance to question reality, read between media
literacy and be informed on the improvements made available for libraries.

Library and information services need literate people, however illiteracy hinders development
because people can't cope with the demands of the modern world e.g computer literacy, media
literacy and library literacy. Bawden (2001), points out the disadvantage associated with
illiteracy because multi-literacies are critical tools for development of library and information
services.

c}Literacy levels

According to the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), literacy is the ability to use the
information to function in both society and the economy. It should go without saying that users
of information resources need the necessary abilities in order to effectively utilize the
information at their disposal. An information literate person, according to Doyle (2001), is one
who recognizes the need for information, uses accurate and complete information as a foundation
for making intelligent decisions, formulates questions based on information needs, identifies
potential sources of information, accesses sources of information, including computer and other
technologies, evaluates information, organizes information to integrate new information, and
information existing body of knowledge and practice.

Due to the lack of proper libraries in primary and secondary schools, students' literacy levels are
being overshadowed to the point where they are entering tertiary education without adequate
information literacy skills, which is a major setback for the advancement of library and
information services in emerging economies like Zimbabwe. The issue was supported by Dadzie
(2009), who claimed that some first-year students entering universities and colleges lack basic
research and information competency skills. These students may not have learned how to find
information, how to use it in original work, or how to give credit for the information used. Since
tertiary education librarians will have to start from scratch, the entire scenario sets back the
growth of libraries and information services in underdeveloped nations. According to De Jager
and Nassimbeni (2002), many students enroll in higher education institutions without having any
prior experience using a library or other types of contemporary information sources. Therefore,
even though trainers are cautioned against it, information literacy training is of utmost
importance.

While the agencies of educational developers, namely teachers, publishers, authors, parents, and
librarians, must work together actively to foster reading interest among the students to ensure
that it becomes a lifelong legacy of the child, access to library resources is so important to the
child's overall intellectual and psychological development (Gbaje, 2008). It has been found that
students' interest in reading is not encouraging, and their use of library resources is very limited
as a result of some difficulties they have finding the resources.
This may be a barrier that discourages reading and impedes the growth of libraries and
information services.Africa only generates 2% of the world's books, according to Krolak (2005),
while having 12% of the world's population. This outcome is a significant setback for the growth
of libraries and information services since African nations lack the resources necessary to raise
the literacy levels of their citizens.

Due to the fact that there are so few qualified professional librarians in Africa, research is
frequently conducted by outside researchers and consultants (Mostert, 2001). Unpublished
material is of tremendous importance to the public in a developing nation with a poor publishing
sector, especially if the material helps national development. However, many librarians lack the
knowledge necessary to make such materials available to the general public due to a lack of
training. Because of this, the development of libraries and information services cannot proceed
without professional librarians who possess the necessary level of information literacy.

Poorer nations frequently employ non-professional workers to manage their libraries. It is

believed that any volunteer or educator is capable of running a library. However, the
professionalism of a library's employees, which in turn depends on the quality and applicability
of the training they got, determines the quality of a library service. According to Kunaka (1998),
the failure of the library to have a noticeable impact is mainly owing to the librarians' lack of
professional training on how to handle information. This clearly shows the level of literacy that
may be lacking for the librarians to hasten and contribute to the development of library and
information services in developing countries.

d} Infrastructure

Library Infrastructure means any physical or technology systems that support the operation of
library programs and services, including but not limited to fleet vehicles, computer network,
telecommunications and email system, wireless equipment, computer hardware, software and
peripherals, internet and intranet.

Libraries are the most relevant institution to disseminate information about government policies,
inculcating reading habits and developing skill and knowledge of people. Therefore,
underdevelopment of libraries and inadequate information sources and facilities will hinder
access to information and development of the people who need them.

library and information service is a key factor in providing unhindered access to essential
resources for education, users and even for social, cultural advance (Agrawal, 2005). In higher
institutions, the library has a great role, particularly for references, the current version of the
books, education and researches. Unfortunately, the poor state of libraries is implicated as a
major cause. The UNESCO (2004) national surveys showed that the library development in
Africa as being very weak, with numerous problems regarding financial constraints, lack of
human resources, outdated materials and poor way of use.

Most libraries focus on a backward service for learners or users and do not provide enough
services as it is really. Consequently, libraries in developing countries are often built to serve
only the education purpose which was traditional. For that reason, most of the library centers still
don’t satisfy their users.

Miller (2014) stated that public libraries were actively engaged in facilitating or organizing
meetings, providing an informal meeting place, establishing links between groups in the
community, creating a conducive environment, and by fulfilling educational needs of the
community. According to Sultana (2014) the problems facing library services in West Bengal
include lack of programming services, deficiency of current materials, lack of staff, lack of
electronic services etc.

the library building should provide adequate space for library collections, reader-seating space,
spaces to house special collections and preparation areas for outreach activities, space for eating,
coffee and relaxation, vehicle parking space and space for future expansion.

Salman (2015) observed that most of the public library buildings in urban areas of Nigeria were
conducive to their functions to a certain extent, but required upgrading or refurbishing in order to
meet with a modern public library‟s requirements. Further, most of the library buildings are old
and dilapidated, and usually not suitable for community library buildings.

Joy and Idowu (2014) mentioned the factors affecting library services in developing countries as
lack of adequate facilities and inadequate/outdated collections. Emojoho (2005) found that
Nigeria public libraries are performing poor in most aspects due to appalling resources. Equally,
Muhammad (2019) identified the barriers in the provision of library services in developing
countries as outdated collections, poor library locations, poor physical infrastructure, staffing,
lack of library policies and lack of awareness of library services.

e} Funding

Library and information service is a key actor in providing unhindered access to essential
resources for educational use and even for social, economic and cultural advancement (Agrawal,
2005). Lack of funding poses a challenge on an already tight budget that is required to purchase
books, newspapers, magazines, journals and subscribe to databases. Failure to provide adequate
information services to users hinders the progress and development of libraries.

According to Ogunsola and Okusaga (2006), the theft of books, miss-shelving and tearing of
pages by some users particularly students during examination periods in libraries poses a great
danger in the development of LIS because of lack of security technologies and advanced
checkpoints to safeguard resources. Moreso, due to inadequate funding in the face of inflation
and depreciation, libraries have failed to update and replace their reading resources (Farmer,
2014), thus stagnant or slow development in LIS.

Radan (2009), asserts that poor quality library resources have depressed the quality of teaching,
learning and researching amongst the users because of lack of funds to purchase resources. Lack
of adequate funds in developing countries has resulted in the decrease in interest by users due to
lack of desired resources fueled by minimum attention from the government in terms of
providing funds (Ogunsola and Okusaga, 2006).

REFERENCES

Anderson.P.(2020). At Frankfurter Buchmesse: Publishers Endorse a New SDG

Compact.Retrieved From: https://publishingperspectives.com/2020/10/frankfurter-buchmesse-
publishers-endorse-a-new-sdg-compact-covid19/

De Jager, K. and Nassimbeni, M., 2002. Institutionalizing information literacy in tertiary

education: Lessons learned from South African programmes. Library Trends. 51(2): pp.167-184.

IGI Global. (2020). What is Publishing Industry? Retrieved

from:https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/e-commerce-in-the-publishing-industry/53557

Kunaka, D. (1998). Libraries promote productivity if they have qualified staff (Accessed: 11
September 2022)
Mostert, B.J. African Public Library Systems: A Literature Survey. In: LIBRES. Vol. 11, Issue 1,
March 31, 2001, Chapter 3. 16 p.
Krolak, L. (2005). The role of libraries in the creation of literate environments. Available at:
https://www. role-of-libraries-in-the-creation-of-literate-environments.pdf (Accessed: 11
September 2022)
Ojo T. O ,O.Ijebu-Ode, V. E. Aganbi.(2002). PROBLEMS OF BOOK PUBLISHING
INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA. Department Of Mass Communication, Babcock University, Illisan-
Remo, Ogun State.

UNESCO (2004) UNESCO Public Library Manifesto, Accessed November 2, 2016, from
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/libraries/manifestos/libraman.html