Aspirations and contradictions

This paper presents findings from a study conducted in Swaziland on the role of the public library in the provision of HIV and AIDS information. Its findings resonate with the findings of other studies carried out in a number of public libraries in African countries, viz. the disappointingly low visibility of the efforts to intervene, and the failure of the librarians to leverage greater impact through partnerships with related agencies. It suggests that public libraries need to change their behaviour in order to resolve the disparity between espoused positions and actual impact. The paper concludes by giving an account of how an information centre was established in a rural area in response to the findings of the investigation which pointed out the disadvantages experienced by rural people as a result of the inefficacy of the information flows between the centre and the margins.