Public libraries exist to serve the information needs of communities, meaning their services need to be reflective of those served communities. However, the literature points to under-usage of libraries among indigenous communities in South Africa, and suggests that the perceived irrelevance of libraries could be a contributing factor. The argument made in this article is for the involvement of communities in planning and implementing services, to enhance awareness, relevance and use of libraries. Such involvement would also provide a space for communities to contribute content based on their indigenous knowledge. In this qualitative multiple case study of purposively selected provincial library services in South Africa, data were collected using semi-structured interviews with library heads. The data were coded and categorised according to themes derived from the stated research questions. The findings show a disjuncture between the interpretation and application of the concept of community involvement – a misalignment that has a negative impact on the ability of libraries to provide inclusive services. A framework for community involvement is suggested as a way of enhancing the synergy between community information needs and public library service provision. The proposed framework identifies indigenous communities, libraries and archival institutions as key stakeholders in harnessing indigenous knowledge. It is recommended that a similar study be conducted with community librarians where the nuances of communities can be unveiled, given that the current participants were heads of library services.

中文翻译：

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通过社区参与南非公共图书馆利用土著知识

公共图书馆的存在是为了满足社区的信息需求，这意味着它们的服务需要反映那些服务的社区。然而，文献指出南非土著社区对图书馆的使用不足，并表明图书馆的不相关性可能是一个促成因素。本文提出的论点是让社区参与规划和实施服务，以提高对图书馆的认识、相关性和使用。这种参与还将为社区提供基于其本土知识贡献内容的空间。在这个有目的地选择的南非省级图书馆服务的定性多案例研究中，数据是通过对图书馆负责人的半结构化访谈收集的。数据根据来自所述研究问题的主题进行编码和分类。调查结果表明社区参与概念的解释和应用之间存在脱节——这种错位会对图书馆提供包容性服务的能力产生负面影响。建议建立社区参与框架，以加强社区信息需求和公共图书馆服务提供之间的协同作用。拟议框架将土著社区、图书馆和档案机构确定为利用土著知识的关键利益攸关方。鉴于目前的参与者是图书馆服务负责人，建议对社区图书馆员进行类似的研究，以揭示社区的细微差别。