Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abstract
Students with Special Needs are a specific group of students who need additional assistance due to physical, intellectual or mental disabilities and limited physical development. The study examines a comparative study of the impact of library and information services on the personality development of specially-abled students in Karnataka. For this study, data were collected using quantitative and qualitative methods of in-depth interviews, survey methods, and focus group discussions on collecting data from a sample of 36 specially-abled school librarians/in charge in Karnataka. This study is confined to visually impaired schools and hearing impaired schools only. The study findings showed that there was a positive impact of library services on both categories of respondents. However, their challenges rely on their personality development process because they lack modern facilities, hearing loss, and blindness due to less supportive school infrastructures. The study highlights the impact of library and information services on the personality development of specially-abled students. It suggests better library and information services in the contemporary digital and electronic environment. The school libraries under the study should switch over from the traditional environment to the modern ICT environment to cope up with the ever-changing world.