Awareness Levels of Kenya Library and Information Service Consortiums (KLISC) Services and Resources at University of Nairobi and Kenya National Library Services

Abstract

Kenya Library and Information Service Consortium (KLISC) has done outstanding activities such as shared acquisition and ICT trainings of librarians to support information service providers in Kenya. Kenya has over 600 institutions but only 123 are KLISC members, irrespective of their memberships, their subscribed information resources remain under-utilized. The study therefore tried to interrogate the awareness levels of the KLISC’s information resources and services by the users of member institutions. The purpose of the study was therefore to establish awareness levels of KLISC services and resources by users of KLISC member libraries. The study was conducted in University of Nairobi, KLISC headquarters and Kenya National Library Services (KNLS), Nairobi headquarters. The study used descriptive survey. The target population was KLISC’s member libraries in Nairobi County. Purposive sampling and stratified sampling techniques were used to obtain a representative sample size. Data were collected using interviews and questionnaires and analysed using Microsoft excel and narrative method. The study discovered that most respondents were only aware of the multi-disciplinary databases. Majority of them used the KLISC’s resources and stated the need for training on the access, use and search within these databases. The study concluded that majority of the library users were aware of the KLISC’s resources and consulted them alongside other sources. The study recommended that rigorous trainings on use and access to KLISC’s resources should be done regularly. The study also recommended that libraries should create awareness of all the KLISC’s information resources for full utilization of these resources.

Keywords: Awareness, Digital libraries, Electronic resources, Library consortium.

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