Serving remote users in selected public university libraries in Kenya: perspectives of the section heads
Date
2016-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
The provision of information services to support teaching, learning and research has long been a major objective of
libraries in higher education. The students being served by these libraries, specifically in Kenya, may consist of on-campus
and remote user groups. This study set out to explore the library section heads’ perspectives of the support services and
resources meant for remote library users in selected public university libraries in Kenya with a view to recommending
measures towards improving library services for this emerging group of library users. The study used a case study research
design whereby qualitative data was collected using focus group discussions (FGDs) with section heads in four selected
public university libraries in Kenya, namely the University of Nairobi (UoN), Kenyatta University (KU), Moi University
(MU) and Egerton University (EU). The findings of the study are discussed under four main subject areas: services for
remote users, physical facilities available for remote users, how libraries create awareness of their services to remote
users, and policies and regulations that govern remote use of library resources. It is hoped that the study’s findings will not
only create awareness of the existence of remote users in academic libraries in Kenya, but will also open up debate on
how effectively and efficiently this category of users can be served
Description
Peer reviewed article published under Inkanyiso journal, Volume 8 Number 2, Jan 2016, p. 136 –146
Keywords
Academic libraries, Kenya, universities, library users, , remote users
Citation
Wachira, M.N. and Onyancha, O.B., 2016. Serving remote users in selected public university libraries in Kenya: perspectives of the section heads. Inkanyiso: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(2), pp.136-146.