Project Update

I haven’t been able to get anything new accomplished since I outlined my project on Monday. Last week I filled out a trace card for a book that seems to be essential for my project, but the book has apparently disappeared into the ether. For those classmates who were either confused or skeptical of the challenges confronting modern African libraries, here is an excerpt of a report on Kenyan libraries which succinctly outlines the issues:

“The situation in Kenya is such that about 90% of the nation’s book requirements has to be imported. It is hoped that with the establishment of the Kenya Literature Bureau, many local writers will be encouraged to publish relevant and suitable material. Another problem facing the book production is that the bulk of published books are in English. There is a need to produce books in languages that will be understood by the new literates.”

Even though this report is from the 1980s many of these issues are still a challenge for Kenyan libraries–almost all of which are in Nairobi. The situation outlined above applies to other African nations such as Nigeria and Ghana. However, it is not all bad news. There are some cool projects going on with the Kenya National Library Service, such as the camel “bookmobiles.”

Ng’ang’a, J.M. (1982). “Libraries and librarianship in Kenya: a background paper.” International Library Review, 14, 303-315.