MST-Department of Library and Information Science

Permanent URI for this collection

https://repository.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/399

Browse

Browsing MST-Department of Library and Information Science by Subject "Digital Library"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Disaster Preparedness and Planning for Service Sustainability: Case of Egerton University Digital Library, Main Campus
    (Kenyatta University, 2022) Oketch, Linet; Peter Wamae
    The most important aspect of digital libraries is planning and preparing for disasters. It is also one area that is understood the least. Occurence of disasters is tied to the general history of information and library science. Disasters are events that no library wants to happen to them, yet they do. The Egerton University library, which serves as a study place, has seen disasters such as unruly students disrupting services and fires. The goal of this study was to assess how sustainability of services in digital libraries were being influenced by planning and preparedness of disasters. The objectives considered were as follows: determining the level of disaster preparedness and planning; finding out about the training of the digital library staff; and determining the amount of planning and preparedness on disaster; looking into the digital library's readiness in regards to disaster planning equipment's, as well as the problems experienced in the planning and preparedness for disasters. The Theory of Planned Behavior served as the foundation. The study used a descriptive research methodology and a census method to gather data from 68 library staff members. A self-administered questionnaire on a five-point Likert scale was used to collect primary data. In order to meet the study's aims, the quantitative data was evaluated inferentially. This data was analyzed using the statistical software SPSS. For ease of interpretation, the results were presented in tables as frequencies and percentages. The instruments' validity was established with the help of experts who aided in the right framing of questions in the questionnaire. They also aided in recalibrating it in accordance with the study's aims. The study found that Egerton University's digital library had a low level of disaster preparedness and planning, putting the it at a disaster risk; just a few of the staff in the digital had received sufficient training on disaster planning and preparedness; equipment related to planning and preparedness of disasters were not adequate within the digital library; challenges associated to planning and preparedness for disasters were also being experienced at the digital library. This digital library study concluded that disasters were not exempted from occurring there just as it wasn’t in any part of other organizations; training on members of staff within he digital library was not keenly addressed in regards to planning and preparedness of disasters; equipment’s for planning and preparing for disasters were not adequate within the digital library; and some of the things hampering the planning and preparedness of disasters included inadequacy of equipment’s and funds. The recommendations are that the management of the digital library together with the institution make available necessary support and training be accorded to staff manning the digital library on planning and preparedness of disasters; a policy on planning and preparing for disasters be well developed and captured in relation to digital libraries and be part of the overall institutions policy on planning and preparedness of disasters; and training on planning and preparedness of disasters be developed in a mechanism that is regular, systematic and structured.