The Development of Academic Libraries and Information Services in Kenya. In: Libraries in the Early 21st Century Vol.2-An International Perspective

Abstract

The history of academic libraries in Kenya dates back to the time when the first academic institution was established in Kenya. The inception of the University of Nairobi is traced back to 1956, with the establishment of the Royal Technical College that was later transformed into the second University College in East Africa on June 25,1961(University of Nairobi:16). In1970,the University College Nairobi was transformed into the first national university in Kenya and was renamed the University of Nairobi. Academic institutions have expanded since then, and today we have seven public universities, namely; the University of Nairobi, Moi University, Kenyatta University, Egerton University, Maseno University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. There are over20private universities, over ten public constituent university colleges, four polytechnics and several Institutes of Science and Technology. All these academic institutions have academic libraries to serve the information needs of the institutions. New and emerging technologies have taken root in Kenya. Kenyan universities have fully fledged departments in charge of ICT infrastructure, procurement and applications. The libraries have not been left behind in adapting to new and emerging technologies. Most libraries have automated their processes including acquisitions, cataloging and lending. E-mail communication has been adopted in libraries, and in all departments of universities. Academic libraries cannot effectively prepare for the future or position themselves on campus until they understand their changing roles in the current learning and research environment, which is radically different from the environment a decade ago. There have been radical changes in the Kenyan higher education sector and which are expected to continue in the foreseeable future. These include a significant increase in student numbers, changes in student funding with a shift away from government funding to repayable loans and parental or self-sponsored contributions to fees, expansion of distance education, focus on teaching quality and the growth in the use of ICTs. There is no indication that private universities are financially deprived but they still face the challenge of maintaining high standards. The changes brought about by ICTs have greatly revolutionized the delivery of information services from traditional services to electronic services. This is further compounded by the fact that the user requirements have also changed. The emergence of continuing education in the form of self-sponsored programs has brought along users who study after working hours and during weekends and therefore require library services during these periods. In order to be compliant with ICT technologies and customer requirements, libraries have had to adjust, leading to new ways of delivering information services and the extension of opening hours. Government policies and strategies have been put in place to streamline and strengthen academic institutions. Vision 2030 states, under the education and training sector, Kenya will provide globally competitive and quality education, training,and research(Kenya Government 2007:6).Kenya aims to be a regional centre of research and development in new technologies.In pursuit of the goal of performance improvement within the public sector,new public management emphasizes the adoption of private sector practices in public institutions.In pursuit of this goal,Kenya introduced performance contracting not only to improve service delivery,but also to refocus the mind set of public service,away from a culture of being inward looking towards a culture of a business focused on customer and results(Obong’o 2009:14).These practices have also led to rapid results initiatives. All these issues are meant to trickle down to the smallest units of government institutions and state corporations, including universities. Academic libraries are expected to be compliant with these policies and strategies. The ultimate goal of this chapter is to facilitate an understanding of the development practices of academic libraries in Kenya, how and why libraries are changing, make recommendations, and outline future projections and innovative suggestions that will better position academic libraries in Kenya to meet the needs and expectations of universities and library users of future generations. Literature review, observation, interviews, online survey of websites for academic institutions, and libraries in Kenya have been used to achieve the goal. I strived to attain the following objectives: a. review literature on international trends on academic libraries development, and the impacts of changing times and emerging technologies. b. identify and discuss current development practices pertaining to academic libraries and information services in Kenya. c. outline future projections and innovative suggestions for the future development of academic libraries in Kenya.