Background
Background Information
ORIGIN, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF KENYA NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE
INTRODUCTION
A library can be defined as a building, room or organization which houses an organized collection of knowledge especially books for people to read and borrow, usually without payment. The basic tenets of a library, especially a public library are therefore:-
* An organized collection
* Open access to public
* Free service
A Library as an institution is as old as human civilization. Libraries have existed from time immemorial alongside writing, printing, universities, churches, archives etc, from the Egyptian civilization, the ancient Athens (Greece), through the Roman Empire to the medieval Europe. In Africa, the Alexandria library, re-created through UNESCO assistance as one of the “world memories” is recorded to have existed some 4000 years BC.
An interesting feature of libraries is their non-imposing, humble, non-pompous environment, which arises from there being seats of reading and research, social and free welfare nature. The consequence of this, particularly in the developing countries is the low categorization and esteem that library tend to get, especially when it comes to sate funding.
The humbleness and non-assuming nature of libraries, however, has some advantages. As illustrated by the fateful events of the aborted August 1st coup of 1982, the Macmillan Library in town centre of Nairobi and the numerous bookshops and bookstores in River Road – none of them were looted by the marauding looters of the day. Similarly, no library was destroyed during the December 2007 & January 2008 “political” peril which was described by many people as one of the deadliest in the independent Kenya. Despite several houses, schools, churches and business property that were destroyed, the perpetrators showed extremely no interest in libraries.
Types of Libraries
Libraries are categorized on the bases of: -
* The clientele that they serve;
* The nature of their collection;
* Type of services offered
The commonly known categories of libraries are:-
* School Libraries;
* Academic Libraries e.g. University, College, Polytechnic;
* Special Libraries e.g. the Research Institutions;
* Government (department) Libraries;
* Public Libraries;
* National Libraries - Responsible for a nation’s intellectual output or imprint and for National Bibliographic Control.
ORIGIN, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF KENYA NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE
INTRODUCTION
A library can be defined as a building, room or organization which houses an organized collection of knowledge especially books for people to read and borrow, usually without payment. The basic tenets of a library, especially a public library are therefore:-
* An organized collection
* Open access to public
* Free service
A Library as an institution is as old as human civilization. Libraries have existed from time immemorial alongside writing, printing, universities, churches, archives etc, from the Egyptian civilization, the ancient Athens (Greece), through the Roman Empire to the medieval Europe. In Africa, the Alexandria library, re-created through UNESCO assistance as one of the “world memories” is recorded to have existed some 4000 years BC.
An interesting feature of libraries is their non-imposing, humble, non-pompous environment, which arises from there being seats of reading and research, social and free welfare nature. The consequence of this, particularly in the developing countries is the low categorization and esteem that library tend to get, especially when it comes to sate funding.
The humbleness and non-assuming nature of libraries, however, has some advantages. As illustrated by the fateful events of the aborted August 1st coup of 1982, the Macmillan Library in town centre of Nairobi and the numerous bookshops and bookstores in River Road – none of them were looted by the marauding looters of the day. Similarly, no library was destroyed during the December 2007 & January 2008 “political” peril which was described by many people as one of the deadliest in the independent Kenya. Despite several houses, schools, churches and business property that were destroyed, the perpetrators showed extremely no interest in libraries.
Types of Libraries
Libraries are categorized on the bases of: -
* The clientele that they serve;
* The nature of their collection;
* Type of services offered
The commonly known categories of libraries are:-
* School Libraries;
* Academic Libraries e.g. University, College, Polytechnic;
* Special Libraries e.g. the Research Institutions;
* Government (department) Libraries;
* Public Libraries;
* National Libraries - Responsible for a nation’s intellectual output or imprint and for National Bibliographic Control.
Search
Login