Information behaviour of African immigrants in Sunnyside, Pretoria, South Africa: towards a framework for provision of specialised information services

The information/knowledge driven dispensation is characterised by continual information seeking, acquisition, sharing and use. These continuous information seeking activities are fulfilled through access to information using varieties of digital technologies that characterise the modern world. Information is an important resource for individual growth and survival and it benefits people in addressing different aspects of life. The intended purpose for this study is to explore the information behaviour of African immigrants residing in Sunnyside, Pretoria. This qualitative study focuses on how the immigrants go about seeking information that could support them in addressing various challenges affecting their everyday lives. There is a need for librarians and information service providers to gain a better understanding of information behaviour of African immigrants living in Sunnyside, Pretoria. The immigrants form a diverse group of information users because they come from different African countries, speak different languages and have diverse cultural beliefs. A better understanding of the immigrants’ information behaviour is necessary to enable information service providers develop specialised information services to this unique user group.