Kenyan Libraries Directory

please assist in the building of this list of libraries in kenya by leaving the addresses of libraries you know in the comments section. Thank you all.

Kenyan Methodist University Library System
Main campus
P.O. Box 267-60200
Meru
Telephone 06430301120

Nairobi Satellite Centre
View Park Towers ,
P.O Box 45240-00100
Nairobi
Telephone 020-2481 73/247987
Email: nairobicampus@kemu.ac.ke
Fax: 020-2481 60

Nakuru Center
Tel: : 051 2214456 / 2215314
P.O. Box 3654 - 20100
Nakuru.
E-Mail: nakurucampus@kemu.ac.ke
Physical Address: Nacha Plaza 4th floor, Kijabe Low Street

Nyeri center
Tel: 061-2032 904
P.O. Box 2285
Nyeri.
E-Mail: nyeri@kemu.ac.ke
Physical Address: Sohan plaza, 4th Floor.

Mombasa Campus
Mombasa Satellite Centre
P.O Box 89983 ,
Mombasa
Telephone: 041 2318 813/14/15
Email: mombasacampus@kemu.ac.ke

International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Infocentre
P.O. Box 30709-00100
Nairobi
Telephone: +254-20-422 3000
Direct line: +254-20-422 3032
Fax: +254-20-422 3001

KENYA INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION LIBRARY
P.O BOX 30231-00100 NAIROBI,KENYA
TEL:2540203749900-9
FAX:2543745558
Website:www.kie.ac.ke
Email:infro@kie.ac.ke

KEMU to Host the National Book Week Celebrations

Kenya Methodist University has been selected by the National Book Development Council of Kenya (NBDCK) for the second year running to host the National Book Week celebration in the Mt Kenya region starting from 24th to 30th September, 2007. The Celebrations will be held at the College’s Main Campus, Meru. The University library, which is organizing the event, has invited Publishers and Booksellers to come and exhibit their new titles.

The occasion will see the participation of major publishers, booksellers, academicians, students and primary school pupils from various colleges who will have a chance to sample what publishers and booksellers have to offer from their latest catalogs.

According to the University librarian, Mr. Jafred Musisi, the event seeks to “underline the importance of the book as the most effective vehicle in the promotion of lifelong reading.” Mr Musisi, who is overseeing the success of the event, says that the event will also present a date for the college community, business community, schools, colleges and the local community to intermingle and have a one-on-one encounter with each other.

It is also during such events when readers can grab a copy of their favorite title at a discounted price.

Coming at a time when the publishers and booksellers community are smiling all the way to their banks thanks to the ready market from the free primary education program kitty coupled by the improved economy, the event will also serve to highlight the importance of the book as a tool of passing knowledge.

Kenya publishers are having bumper time in their sales since the introduction of free primary education and sees a great future if the promise of sustaining the program by incoming government come 2008 is anything to go by.

The future of scholarly and authorship is also brightened with the government factoring in its pledge to boost research (and publishing) by dedicating Sh200 million to setting up of research fund.

However the publishing industry is not without hiccups. Though the Kenyan Laws, through the Copyright Act 2001, do offer to protect the publishing world from chronic problems of illegal photocopying, piracy and plagiarism, the vice still continue to wreck havoc to the industry players.

Fortunately, campaigns have been advanced towards securing the interests of the players in publishing. One notable is effort to safeguard the interest of the author and publishers has been made by the Kopiken, the reproduction Rights Society of Kenya. In its campaign, this body has brought out the ills associated with illegal photocopying such as killing creativity, deriving the author and publishers their income and the illegality of photocopying material without paying for it. The body has made it a requirement for owners of photocopying machines to register with them and submit a fee to compensate the owners of the literally work.

Despite the technological revolution in the information-driven world, the traditional book still commands respect mostly subject to the inclined infrastructural development in the society. Thus, though there is a school of thought that casts doubt on the future of the traditional paper book format as the vehicle for transmission of knowledge, this format is still the darling of most knowledge seekers.

While Kenyans have been famed for their poor reading culture with exams being the only drive to reading, it is through such NBDCK, Kenya Methodist University Library and like-minded organization’s drives that Kenyans will become more enlightened and prove wrong the popular saying that, “If you want to hide something from Kenyans put it in the books”.

Geoffrey Mwendwa Benson
KEMU Library

Kenya Library and Professional Association(KLA) Children Reading Tent Pictures

WHAT? LIBRARIANS WORKING IN BANKS!

One of us is really concerned that newly examinated librarians have got jobs in banks. With this observation a question is raised: What is the place of a Librarian? The biggest institution (Moi University School of Information Sciences) providing library leadership and training in Kenya has some of its graduates in Library and Information Studies working in banks- This is true.

What is wrong in the librarianship in Kenya? Are graduates having a hard time getting jobs with libraries? Is there something wrong in the curriculum? Does the curriculum actually prepare the students well for the library market?

These and many more questions remain unanswered in a country where there is a strong Library association lead by acknowledged professional librarians.

The Kenya library association has a lot to do to improve the field and to avoid LIBRARY STUDENTS OPTING TO WORK IN BANKS!

WHAT IS YOUR VIEW?
COMMENT.

LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION ACCESS

What is copyright? Is it not the right to give some selected people the authority to deny others information just because they are privileged to have what they have acquired freely published or in a form that is reproducible.

What should librarians do concerning the freedom of access to information? Refuse people to access the databases because the library has not yet paid up the subscription fee?

Encourage people to make copies of software that is necessary for access of information in the library?
The later would be the choice of every librarian who is concise of power of information and the right that every human being has to information.

The investors in technology should not be allowed to take control of who accesses the information that is available. This is because they would control demand by hiking prices, control the distribution of information and decide who will access information and who will not basing it the amount of money one has. This would eventually lead to inaccessibility of information by the poor. Who cannot pay the rising fee of access.

THE PURPOSE OF THE LIBRARIES IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION FREE TO ALL PEOPLE, WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION AND HINDRANCES.

LIBRARIANS LETS FIGHT THIS VICE OF INFORMATION DISCRIMINATION. ECONOMY SHOULD NOT HINDER INFORMATION ACCESS.

THE LIBRARY, THE LIBRARIAN, AND THE NEW INFORMATION PROVISION FIELD

This blog is intended for discussions on how to improve the library and librarians' profession in the market place.

I do realise that the number of information providers are increasing everyday. Today we have:

1. The Press
2. The Radio
3. The Television
4. The Archives
5. The Publishers
6. The Information brokers
7. The Public Relations Officers
8. The record managers

The list is endless.

With this realisation, there is need to highlight the problems and challenges the librarian and library face in this new environment of information provision.

I wellcome all the professionals, academicians and students to this blog so as to contribute to the betterment of the librarian and the library in the now competitive field of information provision.

QUESTIONS TO START WITH

1. Is the library and the librarian heading to extinction?
2. What is the new (if there is any) role of the library and librarian in the new information provision field?
3. How can the library and the librarian work be improved to match the competition?

You are all welcome to give your views, opinions and suggestions.