Public Library and Information Literacy Programme: Mainstreaming Rural Populace for Information Literacy in Delta State

Abstract

Historically there are great differences in the access to public library services, or the ability to read and write between urban and rural dwellers in Nigeria. It therefore brings into question the ethical foundations upon which every society is built. A cursory look at Delta State and Nigeria in general, one of the persisting issues remain, the difference in educational opportunities and access to library and information centers, hence rural dwellers have a lot to overcome when it comes to dealing with literacy. These have widened the literacy gap between the neglected rural dwellers and the urban dwellers. The access to good public libraries and educational facilities in rural areas remains a major ethical dilemma. Hence, the authors argues for the restructuring of public libraries and literacy programs in rural areas to overcome the barrier of distance to opportunities and also to bridge the escalating knowledge gap between the urban and rural communities in Delta State.

Keywords: Public library, Information literacy, Program, Urban and rural.