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Public libraries in Hamilton provide countless services to different users, particularly older immigrants. The library system proves to be an inclusive learning space, promoting lifelong learning for all. The paper explores the relationship between public library use, lifelong learning and community development. In addition, it demonstrates the function of the library in the provision of equal and universal access to information and learning. This paper focuses on a qualitative interview materials. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 participants (13 females and 12 males) in six public libraries in Hamilton, Ontario. In addition, we interviewed six library staff in the six public libraries (three in the lower Hamilton and three in the suburban Mountain) and conducted observations of the day-today practices in the six public libraries. Purposive sampling was used to ensure diversity in library use. Using the grounded theory (GT) method, interviews were transcribed, coded, categorized, and analyzed using NVivo 10. The interviews explored the viewpoints of participants accessing public libraries in Hamilton. The findings reveal that public libraries are sources of educational, informational, and well-being -- providing lifelong learning through library activities and programs. Specifically, the acquisition of new skills and new friendship through the library space is a vibrant resource for developing the adult learner's capacity for social development in the community and the world at large. The study would be one of a kind to deploy library users' narrations for interrogating public library spaces as a tool for understanding spaces of lifelong learning in Ontario, Canada. It highlights the many ways in which social relationships through library use shape perception, attitude and learning. Different users of public libraries attain a sense of accomplishment for different reasons. This paper, therefore, calls for a policy approach in which the diverse experiences of public libraries are more widely recognized and nurtured.

Access to higher education is often limited to adults because of their location. This is particularly challenging for adults who live in rural communities and small towns and can lead to unmet expectations. While policy makers have long recognised the potential impact of lifelong education for adults, the educational needs of adults have received relatively less attention. For adults residing in rural areas who rely, more often than not, on distance education, mostly in the form of blended learning there is usually limited access to public universities. For policy makers to respond effectively to the educational needs of the adult population in the rural areas, the first step is to understand the educational barriers of adults living in such areas, particularly as they are constrained with lack of minimal transportation and information communications technology. This paper reports on qualitative research exploring the educational challenges and needs faced by adults in rural areas of Ghana.

The study presented here investigated challenges of learning environments experienced by distance-learning (DL) higher education (HE) students in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The author interviewed students (n=24) in two DL centres, where they attended weekend face-to-face sessions. He asked them to share their personal experiences with respect to classrooms, learning facilities both inside and outside the classroom, and access to library support services. During each intensive one-on-one interview, which lasted 45-60 minutes, the author made audio-recordings and field notes for later analysis. The students' views were complemented with audio-recordings and field notes from staff interviews (n=4), each lasting 1-2 hours. The 28 participants in the study were recruited from two University of Ghana Learning Centres, Accra and Tema. Data collection covered the period from April 2018 to December 2019. The field notes derived from all participant interviews were transcribed, coded, categorised and analysed using NVivo 10. Particular attention was paid to students' educational and social well-being, and their "sense of place." Findings include students' struggle with poor infrastructure conditions, and most reported lack of access to power sources in the classrooms, lack of a cafeteria, IT labs, library space, a student hub, and support services as the most significant barriers to experiencing a meaningful HE as DLs. Participants stressed the importance of infrastructural support and services tailored towards DLs' needs, with an emphasis on DL HE students' physical, social and psychological well-being.

Diverse national and local policies represent efforts to guarantee inclusive and equitable quality education and provide lifelong learning for all (SDG4). Their effects have the potential to alter local access to education. There has been a lot of research on the factors that led certain universities to embrace distance learning programs in their local communities, but relatively little has been done to examine how these changes can affect the perceptions of the larger community approach to investigating public opinion. This study investigates community perceptions of distance learning through community learning centres in Ghana's port city, Tema Metropolis – which supports various educational activities – using semi-structured interviews. Although community members expressed concerns about the possible socio-economic effects of learning centres, we discovered that individual students who used the learning centres were driven to pursue distance learning largely for its educational advantages. Our research demonstrates that the scope and speed of distance learning made possible by community learning centres has influenced local communities such as the Tema Metropolis and beyond. To guarantee that community learning centres encouraged by DE policy are administered effectively and fairly, such implications must be considered in research, policy, and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study’s main goals are to investigate a sense of community belonging among distance education (DE) students from the perspective of an institutionalized learning center, as well as its impact on their satisfaction and well-being. This is one of the first studies to look at the perceived sense of community belonging among DE students in Ghana. The article presents the findings of thirty in-depth interviews with DE students at the University of Ghana’s Greater Accra Learning Centers. The findings suggest that low satisfaction and well-being owing to insufficient teaching and learning resources are more important in explaining DE students’ lower sense of community. While some participants reported improved access to higher education through DE, opinions on how beneficial the access was or could be for satisfaction were mixed. The findings highlight the need for research to incorporate a sense of community belonging into studies on enhancing DE image and reputation while focusing on the factors contributing to high levels of stress, discontentment, and incomplete studies among DE students, as well as on how to alleviate or reduce them. These findings are consistent with the need for policy intervention in developing countries to increase DE participation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to higher education is often limited to adults because of their location. This is particularly challenging for adults who live in rural communities and small towns and can lead to unmet expectations. While policy makers have long recognised the potential impact of lifelong education for adults, the educational needs of adults have received relatively less attention. For adults residing in rural areas who rely, more often than not, on distance education, mostly in the form of blended learning there is usually limited access to public universities. For policy makers to respond effectively to the educational needs of the adult population in the rural areas, the first step is to understand the educational barriers of adults living in such areas, particularly as they are constrained with lack of minimal transportation and information communications technology. This paper reports on qualitative research exploring the educational challenges and needs faced by adults in rural areas of Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigrants often cite improvements in quality of life as the motivation for immigration, yet it can lead to the loss of social networks, family and community ties. This article employed key informant interviews to explore visible minorities' sense of community from the perspectives of immigrant resettlement service providers. Nine key informants were interviewed to document visible minority immigrants' experiences in Canada, and how this affected their sense of community. Participants identified barriers to immigrants' development of a new sense of community, including discrimination tied to improper placement within the Canadian educational system, unemployment/underemployment, poor housing conditions, language barriers, and lack of social support networks. Confronting these barriers will require creating a stronger sense of community by providing more and better support of immigrants, visible minorities and everyone across Canada. This would help eliminate discrimination against ethnic minorities and enhance a sense of community belonging amongst visible minorities in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of self-perceived mental wellness and other socio-economic variables on sense of place amongst Ghanaian and Somali immigrants living in Hamilton, Ontario. Research results are based on the analysis of survey questionnaires (n = 236) of Ghanaian and Somali immigrant adults, with recent (0-5 years), mid-term (6-10 years), and long-term (more than 10 years) residency in Canada. Our findings revealed several significant factors of sense of place, including self-perceived mental wellness, income, age, employment, citizenship status, marital status, dwelling type, and length of residency in Canada. The findings highlight the need for research to incorporate sense of place into studies on visible minority immigrants and to focus on those factors contributing to place attachment amongst recent immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]