IREX, with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation [8], is conducting an assessment of public libraries and access to information in Moldova. As a part of the assessment, IREX wishes to contract with a Moldovan research firm to conduct a national survey of Moldovan citizens and focus groups of library users and non-users throughout Moldova.
The purpose of the national survey will be to measure levels of access to information, perceptions of public libraries, information and computer literacy of the Moldovan population. Survey results will demonstrate whether the popularity of libraries, informational search patterns, perception of libraries by respondents, and levels of public participation in the library activities, events and projects change over time. The purpose of the focus groups is to get deeper information on questions asked in the national survey relating to perceptions of the library and information needs.
Results of the survey and focus groups will provide the basic information necessary for understanding the situation of public libraries and access to information in Moldova, and will provide information for potential advocacy campaigns for the Association of Librarians of Moldova (ALM) and other interested library partners.
