A study of libraries in the industrial and commercial sectors in Kenya with particular reference to staffing, information organization and services

Abstract

Libraries in Industrial and Commercial enterprises are generalyreferred to as special libraries. The main aim of these libraries is to provide access to specialized information to meet the needs of their clientele within the parent organization. These libraries normally have relatively small specialized collections and are managed by relatively few staff members. Information in these libraries is organized either by unorthodox or conventional methods depending on the size of the collection and what the librarian in charge finds most appropriate for his library putting a lot of emphasis on saving time for both the information workers and the users. A wide range of services are offered to the clientele of these libraries. The services are very specialized and personalized and are all geared to providing the clientele with the most up-to-date information whose effectiveness affects the growth of the parent organization. This study looked at these types of libraries in Kenya with particular reference to staffing, information organization and services offered. The study established that most of these libraries are poorly staffed which is one of the factors that is affecting the level of information organization and types of services ffered. Chapter one gives background information on development of special libraries, states the problem and also discusses the significance of the study. Chapter two reviews related literature. Chapter three discusses the methodology used in the study. Chapter four is devoted to data presentation analysis and discussion. Chapter five gives a summary of the findings, draws conclusions and makes practical recommendations.