Information Needs and Information Seeking Behaviour of Distance Learners at the Institute of Extra-Mural Studies in Lesotho

Abstract

Distance learners at the Institute of Extra-Mural Studies, Maseru, Lesotho were studied with regard to their information needs and information seeking behaviour. The study shows that the distance learners exhibit the same characteristics of distance learners elsewhere by way of age, employment status, long distances from campus and, therefore, uneasy access to on-campus library and information sources and services. This has made them depend on easily available sources of information including colleagues, personal collections, co-workers and family members, which may not necessarily be the best sources of information to meet their needs. Suggests that information is an indispensable aid to learning and that everything should be done, especially in the case of distance learners, who as a rule live off-campus, to have unimpeded access to needed information.