FREEDOM OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION – THOUGHTS, ACTIONS AND

Research in developed countries highlight a discrepancy between the attitudes and behavior of librarians towards the principle of free access to information though such results cannot be assumed to be the same for Fiji, a less developed South Pacific country. In response, this research used a quantitative approach in the form of survey questionnaires to then assess the effect of cultural values on the professional attitudes and resultant behavior of library staff in Fiji towards the principle of freedom of access to information. The research contributes to the knowledge base on aspects of intellectual freedom that primarily concern freedom of access to information in the less developed country of Fiji. The results provide immediate implications for understanding the reasoning behind the application of free access to information within the cultural context of Fiji. The research revealed similar findings as those from developed countries, in that a divergence exists between the attitudes of library staff towards freedom of access to information as a professional concept and their behavior towards this philosophy as an activity. The study also showed that while there is general agreement of the principle, operationalizing it necessarily involves a consideration of existing community values and standards