Library management practices in the provision of library services in tertiary institutions within Eldoret town, Uasi Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

This study set out to assess the effectiveness of the library management practices in the provision of library services in tertiary institutions in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County. The provision of library services in tertiary institutions is characterized by inadequate resources in terms of funds, information materials, equipment and staff. Libraries play a role in the teaching, research and learning activities. The libraries are not effectively providing services which have limited their role in research and learning. The enrolment in tertiary institutions has gone up while the library facilities have not increased proportionately. The introduction of information technology has not been embraced by many library users. The objectives of the study are: To assess the adequacy of the library materials in the provision of library services in tertiary institutions, to examine the staffing levels of libraries in tertiary institutions and its importance in the provision of library services, to assess the funding of libraries in tertiary institutions and the role it plays in the provision of library services, and to find out the level of the application of information technology in the provision of library services in tertiary institutions in Eldoret town. The research questions are: How adequate are the library materials in the provision of the library services in tertiary institutions? What is the staffing level of libraries and their importance in the provision of the library services in tertiary institutions? Do the libraries get sufficient funding in tertiary institutions? What is the level of application of information technology in the provision of the library services in the college libraries? The study employed both quantitative and qualitative research methodology and adopted survey research design to gather information from the college lecturers, librarians and students. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the librarians. Stratified and random sampling was used to select the sample for the lecturers and the students. The research instruments used are questionnaires and interviews. The interview was conducted with the librarians while the questionnaires were administered to the lecturers and the students. The study was guided by the Mellon’s theory of library anxiety of 1986. This theory was used to describe the response of students to library research. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics which included frequency counts and percentages. The research findings are expected to assist college management to understand the standard of the library services available and how to improve them. It was also to assist the Ministry of Higher Education to formulate policies regarding the standard of libraries required in tertiary institutions in the country.