In Abeyance South Africa has embarked on a programme of reconstruction and development to redress inequities created by the apartheid policy. Information is the life blood of a developing society and every person has a fundamental right to participate in free and equal exchange of information.
Public libraries are the primary access point to information.
However, while South Africa has excellent libraries and sophisticated infrastructure for information provision, the majority of the population does not have access to the simplest of library and information services. There are a few libraries that provide specialised services to young people but these do not address black needs. While there is growing interest in South Africa in gaining understanding of, and hence insight into, the information needs of black communities, very little is known about the information needs of young black South Africans and little has been written on the needs of these young blacks who are the country's future. The apparent concern of many studies, articles and programmes in the field of providing library and information services to black South African youth has been primarily for the benefit of school-going children. Information provision to young blacks out of school has neither been examined nor given serious consideration.