Worldwide the library and information profession has been the focus of competing social and political agendas that have contributed to the shape of the profession. From the late 19th century to the present in countries aligned to the former British Dominions and Colonies (today part of the Commonwealth of Nations) these external influences were predominantly from two cultural arenas, that of the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). The result in many Commonwealth countries been two competing and at times contradictory models for LIS pedagogy which have been labelled the British and American 'models or patterns' of education. The convergence of these two influences has had a role in shaping LIS education and has left a complex legacy. This paper will examine how the legacy of this convergence continues to shape the aspirational agenda of local professional communities and will discuss how this has influenced the delivery and the educational model for librarianship. This paper will examine as a series of case studies how the legacy of this convergence has shaped the aspirations of the LIS profession and influenced the delivery and the educational model of librarianship in a number of Commonwealth countries.Exploration of the foundations of modern library and information science (LIS) worldwide reveals a discipline which has been the focus of competing international agendas seeking to influence education and practice at the local level. These international influences can be seen clearly in many of the countries which constitute the Commonwealth of Nations 1 . From the late 19th century to the present in many former British Colonies and Dominions 2 these international influences were derived predominantly from the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) and have been variously called the British and American

Information behaviors are complex practices rooted within individual's everyday social and cultural dynamics. However, understanding the social and cultural dynamics of information seeking and use is a major challenge for many graduate students, scholars, and information practitioners. The objective of this chapter is to advance the understandings of social contexts and cultural situations in information behavior processes using Chatman's theories of information behaviors: theory of information poverty, theory of life in the round, and the theory of normative behavior. Over the past twenty years scholars have adopted Chatman's theories as a lens to illuminate understandings of information behaviors in diverse contexts and situations. This chapter synthesizes these studies. The chapter is useful for information professionals and scholars who are interested in applying social theories to examine the social and cultural dynamics of information practices in different settings.

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Online learning is no longer a story in educational institutions because of its high acceptance. A crucial area of interest in respect to online learning is access and utilization of information resources and services to the learners. In developed economies, various studies exist about information resources and services for online learnings, while for resource constrain settings limited research exist in regard to information resource and services for the learners. Grounded in Vygotsky social development theory, this study investigates the role of information professionals as scaffolders in supporting online learners' access and use information resources and services to ease learning. This study was framed in interpretative epistemology. A qualitative methodology and case study research design was adopted. Interviews were conducted with 11 online learners located in resource constrained setting in Africa-the National Open University of Nigerian, Kaduna study center. The study used thematic analysis process to identify 111 narratives. The narratives are organized into 5 major categories and further collapsed into three theoretical constructs explaining information professionals as scaffolders to aid access and utilization of information resources and services by the online learners.

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