This dissertation is a study of library use in a poor
neighborhood in Windhoek, Namibia, to understand the diffusion
of public libraries around the world. I used a sociological approach
and the Extended Case Method (Burawoy, 1991; 1998). Two
theories framed the research: World Society Theory (Meyer et al.
1997) and New Institutional Theory (Powell and DiMaggio, 1991).
World Society Theory was developed from evidence of similarities
in governmental, health and educational organizations globally that
demonstrates the growth of a world culture based on a rationalistic
and scientific approach to knowledge. The findings show that
international notions of public libraries do influence national and
local notions of them. Local and national notions of the library also
have influence, however, and the libraries are ultimately an
amalgamation of local and international notions, reflecting in part
the needs of the community for education and self-development.