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Promoting Synergic – Focused Libraries in Kenya: Enhancing Linkages,
Advocacy & Lobbying Strategies. ����������� ������ ������ ��� ���� ����������� ���� ���������� ���
�
ABSTRACT
Information is a vital resource for sustainable development. No modern economy
can effectively function without reliable flow of information. As the officially
designated information agencies, libraries play key roles in collecting, producing,
organizing, and disseminating information products as well as facilitating their free
flow to enhance socio-economic and democratic development. A knowledge-
driven society enhances sustainable economic growth through diversification of
economic activities and innovative utilization of untapped resources. Libraries
support this mission by providing technical, intellectual and business information.
Public library systems in Kenya fall short of attaining this position due to a number
of challenges including: under developed human resources; Inadequate
collections; non-access to online information in most library outlets; and, lack of
enabling environment for innovative research, which finally make them to perform
below their core basic functions of: ensuring fee access for all; promotion of
reading culture and eradication of illiteracy; promotion of life-long learning;
effective support to academic curriculums; and, provision of civic education for
good governance.
Free access to information is a basic human right. Public libraries have the
obligation to facilitate this access, regardless of individual’s societal status.
Citizens’ constructive participations in democratic advancements are enhanced
through life-long learning experiences and free access to knowledge. For libraries
to uphold these important values; there is need for a paradigm shift; from libraries
being viewed as government dependant sector to embrace new strategies of
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networking, advocacy, linkages, lobbying and fundraising among stake holders
including local communities.
1.0 Introduction
For African libraries to be positioned as agents of socio-economic and
democratic advancements leading to good governance, they will need to
undergo real paradigm shift in their structures, operations and service
delivery approaches. Their final entrenchment in this strategic position, as
agencies of democratic enhancement is largely dependent upon their
willingness to diversify their operations; and to adopt new services and
formally engage in linkages with all purported stake holders, as well as
continued innovative research on best practices.
This call for paradigm shift is premised on the need and desire for change,
not just a change within library structures, operations and service delivery;
but also a change in the wider world of which it is part. This will include the
eradication of old perception that libraries are at cross road and on their
way of extinct, plus the illusion that, their positions are rapidly being taken
by robust ICTs based information providers, agencies and brokers.
Such paradigm shift automatically creates a new image of libraries needed
to bring social, democratic and developmental changes through the
provision of imaginative and socially responsive programs that seek to
increase the capacity of individual’s participation in their holistic
developments including the enhancements of their social infrastructures.
It is only through networking among library institutions and deliberate
collaborations with other related bodies like library Associations as well as
advocacy and lobbying among other stakeholders like NGO’s,
Government departments and international bodies that will finally make the
institutions of the library to be strategically placed as real agents of change.
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Library institutions should never be seen simply as mere warehouses of
books. Rather, they ought to be seen as dynamic information resource
centres meant to recreate new thoughts and lives of people utilizing it.
Simply put, they are champions of memory, and the latter is the real source
of life and the history of the people.
For this new vision of a synergic-focused library system to be realized,
especially in Kenya, this paper calls for joint strategies among stake holders
at least to realize the following two milestones in the Kenya’s information
industry:-
• Formalized collaborations between public library systems in Kenya
and the home-grown Kenya Library Association (KLA), especially on
joint advocacy and lobbying initiatives to address issues on
legislations and quality development of human resources.
• A well developed and competitive lobbying and advocacy
strategies targeting both local and international stakeholders and
ensuring that Kenyan politicians come to terms and be
knowledgeable on the importance of information products in the
success of sustainable development in the country.
2.0 Developing Concepts
The window or gateway, through which one can clearly visualize libraries as
promoters of democracy and as agents of ensuring free access for all – is
blurred until one retreats backward to understand the following related
basic concepts:-
a) Community
b) Community intervention (Social intervention)
c) Synergic focused libraries
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d) Community development
e) Advocacy & Lobbying
f) Democracy
g) Free access for ALL.
a) Community
This an omnibus term that always changes its meaning depending on
the issue under discussion. Azarya (1985), tells us that by 1955, the
concept had already acquired ninety four definitions. It is therefore
not surprising that, no precise meaning of the term community exist to
date. However, for the purposes of this paper, the author wishes to
pick two definitions out such pools of related definitions as follows:-
� A community is a collectively united group, either on the basis of
shared responsibility, territory, for example neighborhoods, a
village or a city or; on one of the basis of common ideals, social,
ethnic or religious ties.
� A community may also be understood to mean; a microcosms of
society, a social system in themselves with their own subsystems of
governance, economy, religion and family.
b) Community social intervention refers to agents of change within the
community structure be they institution or personalities whose
contribution lies in the provision organized expertise, services and
solutions to the needs of the community. A library system that does
not position itself as part of this change agent; a system that is
unaware of or ignores the socio-economic activities of a community
in which it is created to serve, cannot create any impact or be
recognized as an important entity in the community development.
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� The concept of social intervention lies in the notion that resources
of a society should be distributed equally among its members,
irrespective of Individual’s social position or condition; that is, a
need focused distribution rather than the ability to pay as the
deciding factor.
� It’s common knowledge that all individuals in a community/society
need information for their holistic development regardless of their
social or economic status. This is where libraries come in; to
provide free access of this information for all, regardless of
individual’s social status. As agents mandated to fight illiteracy
and ignorance by empowering citizen with knowledge and
information for both personal and national development, libraries
can only achieve this broad objective and hence a lasting impact
in the community if there is a deliberate move, and or, a real
paradigm shift towards embracing a synergistic culture in their
operations, programs and services.
c) Synergic focused libraries refer to libraries that have inculcated the
culture of pooling together with other stakeholders to effectively
address a course at hand. It’s the art of excelling in the activities of
combined or coordinated programs with the intention of working
together as change agents and collectively embracing the real
culture of social intervention. This is encompassing linkages,
networking, and advocacy and lobbying strategies.
� This synergic transactional framework has three identifiable sub-
systems in themselves as:-
� The donor sub-system
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� The administrative and delivery system and,
� The recipient sub-system
� The donor sub-system are the legislative, executive and funding
authorities that provide the needed resources and lay down
broad national, international and regional policies to achieve
effective social intervention.
� The administrative and delivery sub-system are responsible for
planning; administering; implementing; and monitoring of
programs, services and products including their continued
innovative improvements all for the benefit of the recipient sub-
system.
� The recipient sub-system comprises of the users of the service. That
is, the target population for the service in question, and for this
case the community members in which the library facility exist to
provide access to information for all for them to be able to make
rational decision as well as full participation in their socio –
economic and democratic advancements.
The three sub-systems must be formally engaged to become a
functional networked system through well designed strategies of
collaborations, co-operations, lobbying, advocacy and networking
activities.
d) Community Development refers to the synergic involvement of local
leaders, community residents, professional change agents / agencies
to participate in projects, activities and services intended to benefit
them (Community residents) both collectively and individually in
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order to enhance the holistic development of such a community. It
should be noted that the grand mission of all collaborators in the
information sector is to participate in the holistic development of their
citizenry by empowering them with relevant and adequate
information for rational decision making in all their day to day
endeavors. This desired holistic community development can never
be achieved by lone ranger Library facilities protruding as apexes
without a base. Rather, it needs systematic and collaborative
approaches with key stakeholders like; library associations, politicians
and the entire government machineries including local government
authorities. Joining forces with the related change agents including
institutions, NGOs, foreign missions and other bodies etc, to build
strong advocacy forums for specific policy changes is the way to go if
our libraries are to be recognized as equal players in the country’s
socio-economic advancements. This will finally enable libraries to be
successful in lobbying for increased funding among both local and
international potential donors. It all calls for an elaborate and
inclusive strategic plan to: -
• Strengthen library Associations. Indeed, the status and capacity of library
services in a country will always be reflected in the overall image of
library Association in that country.
• Bring on Board, politicians and other key government decision makers by
lobbying them to fully understand and hence, realize the strategic
importance of information and library system in the achievement of:
Kenya’s vision 2030; Global millennium goals; and, the country’s general
development.
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• Strengthening of publishing industry in Kenya by promoting local
authorship as well as subsidizing the publications of non-academic
information materials currently being viewed by Kenya’s publishing firms
non cost-effective.
• Plan for effective fundraising to achieve an increased funding base
beyond the government’s budgetary allocations. This securing of better
funding shall enable libraries to expand and diversify their services and
hence create a real lasting impact in the communities they serve.
• Advocate and promote the development of adequate information
professionals with dynamic skills needed for the Kenya’s ever-changing
information industry.
• Advocate and lobby for enabling infrastructural environment including
good legislations, national standards, physical infrastructures and
adequate resources for Kenyan Libraries to compete favorably with their
counter parts especially those from developed nations.
e) Advocacy and lobbying
Advocacy is influencing for change. It is working with other stakeholders
(building synergies) through a strategy of changing their attitude, opinions,
as well as stirring their participations, interests and commitments in
addressing the issues at hand. It’s about reaching the people who have
the power to change the status quo and influencing them to make things
happen differently.
• The need for library institutions to join forces with their recipient
communities in advocating for more resources from both the central
and local governments cannot gain said.
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• The need for library institutions to join forces with other related
collaborators (e.g. Kenya Library Association) in articulating for their
rightful position as reputable contributors in national development
calls for well and jointly planned advocacy strategies geared towards
positively influencing decision makers on the importance of
information in national development.
Lobbying is one of the ways in which advocacy work can be done. In particular,
it is a particular kind of advocacy where influencing individuals are booked and
lobbied using strategies like: face to face, persuasive meetings; focus group
discussion; memorandum and appeal notes.
f) Democracy
� Most dictionaries define democracy as government by the people
in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised
directly to them or by their elected agents under a free electoral
system.
� Abraham Lincoln paraphrased this definition to define democracy
as a government of the people, by the people and for the
people.
� For the purposes of this paper, the author prefers the
understanding of democracy to mean: a set of ideas and
principles about freedom specifically highlighting a set of
practices and procedures that have been molded through long,
often torturous history of learned best practices in governance.
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Two universal forms of democracy
� Direct democracy in which all citizens, without the intermediary
of elected or appointed officials, can participate in making
informed public decisions.
� Representative democracy in which citizens elect officials to
make political decisions, socio-economic policies, formulate
laws and administer programs for the public good in the name
of the people. Such officials can deliberate on complex issues
in a thoughtful and systematic manner that require, an
investment of time; accurate information; and energy which is
often impractical for the vast majority of private citizens.
g) Free Access for All
This paper underlines the meaning and importance of this concept as
follows:-
� Access implies that information will be readily accessible to all
members of a given community/society regardless of their status in
that community.
� Access to information is a basic human right. This is further
confirmed in the following two important international
documents:-
� According to the American Library Association (ALA)
declaration:- “Freedom of expression is on inalienable
human right and the foundation of self-government.
Freedom of expression encompasses the freedom of
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speech and the corollary right to access or receive
information. Libraries and librarians exist to facilitate the
exercise of this rights by selecting, producing, providing
access to, identifying, retrieving, organizing, providing
instructions in the use of , and preserving the recorded
expression regardless of the form or technology” (ALA,
Library Bill of Rights, 1996)
� This implies that citizens will have free and equal access to the
information they need in order to take control of their own lives for
self-development, self-reliance as well as collective participation in
good governance.
� The UNESCO’s Public Library Manifesto (1994) states that:
“Freedom, prosperity and the development of society and
that of an individual are fundamental human values. They
will only be attained through the ability of well – informed
citizens to exercise their democratic rights and to play an
active role in society (Community). Constructive
participation and the development of democracy
depend on satisfactory and life-long education as well as
on free and unlimited access to knowledge, thought,
culture and information”.
� This same manifesto brands the public library as the local gateway
to knowledge, that provides conducive environment for life – long
learning, independent decision making and cultural development
of the individual including the said social groups (Community).
The Kenya’s legislations governing free access to information are
outdated, disintegrated and grossly falls below the global standards.
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This has resulted into scattering of information institutions into different
Government outlets, coupled with lack of networked approaches
hence, the need for an all inclusive (all stakeholders) participation in
the development of the dubbed “information access bill 2008”, and
to ensure the passage of the same through effective advocacy and
lobbying strategies targeting members of the august house.
A community will always need information for everything in their lives;
e.g. to get a government scholarship for their children; to apply for a
job; to know which medical services are available in which town; to
start a business; to get licenses to open a kiosk and even to collect a
pension. Thus, information access for all (freedom of information)
matters most to the poor and the vulnerable.
3.0 Basic Objectives of an Ideal Democratic Government
In its comprehensive report entitled, “Achieving Millennium Development
Goals in Kenya (by 2015). The Government of Kenya through Ministry of
Planning and National Development asserts that; The broad overall
development objectives of any democratically constituted government
and within a specific time frame as per the constitution; may be grouped in
the following major categories as:-
� Reviving and sustaining of economic growth of the nation
� Creation of employment opportunities and the improvement of its
citizens’ standards of living.
� Alleviating poverty, ignorance and common diseases towards a
healthy nation.
� Reducing inequalities in income through equitable distribution of
its resources.
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� Participatory democratic advancement towards good
governance.
� Applications of appropriate technology expertise and research to
improve productivity services, including the exploitation of
untapped resources.
� Consultative and inclusive development through the full
participation of non-governmental agencies in partnerships,
linkages, collaborations, lobbying and advocacy.
� Preservation, enhancement and promotion of the nation’s cultural
identify.
� Protecting the rights of marginalized citizens including other
disadvantaged groups in the society.
4.0 The Role of Libraries in the Achievements of the Government’s
Broad Objectives.
The theme of this paper is the role of libraries in promoting democracy,
ensuring free access for all. However, democracy is intertwined with other
specific development indicators for real development as has been
highlighted in the above ten broad Government strategic objectives. It
would be therefore suffice to give a summary of such development pillars
for one to be clear of the position of libraries in national development.
First, economic growth requires the diversification of the economy through
the exploitation of all resources including the previously untapped ones. This
leads to the development of new products as well as the establishment of
new industries. In this parameter, libraries provide technical, economic and
environmental data for research and development. Libraries also provide
the information required by both researchers and decision makes to create
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an appropriate fiscal, legislative, institutional and policy framework for
sustainable economic growth.
When it comes to the creation of employment opportunities, it ought to be
understood that human resources must be fully developed to enable them
participate maximally in various economic activities of the nation. This will in
turn require an elaborate educational infrastructure including environments
that clearly promotes self learning approaches which finally results to
general alleviation of poverty and reduction in inequalities of income
distribution. Libraries are central and key in enhancing quality education.
School libraries, college libraries and university libraries make resource –
based learning and student- centered teaching a reality, which finally
encourages students to be self reliance.
At grass – root level, community libraries empower adult learners and others
deprived of learning opportunities to gain new skills and increase their
occupational mobility. Ngang’a (2000), supports this view in his paper
presented at the partnership forum between Kenya National Library service
(KNLS) and the Association of Local Government Authorities of Kenya
(ALGAK), by summarizing five roles of a typical community library as follows:-
� Provision of information needed to facilitate members of the
community to gain skills, knowledge and confidence for full
participation and democratization of their affairs;
� Provide forums through which the government and other
agencies can be informed about concerns, problems and
reactions of community members to their planned activities and
programs;
� Provide support to extension programs and help extension workers
to effectively coordinate their work in the community;
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� Strengthen community’s involvement in and appreciation of local
and national culture;
� Supplement formal and informal education through provision of
relevant and supplementary reading materials at appropriate
literacy levels including the sustaining of life – long learning.
The role of libraries for national development cut across all
government sectors. There is therefore no sphere of a country’s life;
no sector of its economy; to which libraries do not contribute,-
information being the life-blood of a modern nation. The richer
nations do not only have rich networks of libraries because they can
afford such libraries. Rather, libraries help to make countries richer.
However, the above roles can only become real on the ground if:-
• Libraries inculcate the culture of buildings synergies with their
stakeholders including the recipient local communities.
• Such synergies are designed to promote networking and
collaborations for increased adequate resources and
diversification of services.
• Such synergies are geared to promote joint advocacy and
lobbying strategies including research undertakings.
• Such advocacy and lobbying strategies are specifically
designed to realize quality human resource development,
increased funding base beyond the government allocations,
passing of favorable legislations to allow the real development
of the information sector, joint promotions of positive reading
culture and self-reading habits and, better recognition of
libraries as important tools for national development.
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5.0 The role of libraries in promoting democracy
The deepening of democratic processes through a desire to enlarge the
space of citizen’s participation in the democratic advancement of their
respective countries has always been one of the leading agenda of almost
all the developing young economies and the developed nation of the
world including associations and other organized movements of such
countries. Democracy, which is coined from two Greek words demo
(people) and kratos (power) is considered to be an archetype for
governing people in a state of justice.
Direct democracy, which is the most ideal democracy, is more less an in-
house democracy which can only be practiced by few groups of people
and can instantly prove futile if tried to a larger community. This leaves one
viable democratic process as representative democracy to be practiced in
large public environments.
Thus, representative democratic system has all along been adopted to be
the best approach in the democratic process in the present modern
countries. However, in such systems, democracy has become more
susceptible to the danger of strong lobbies, persuasion and even blackmails
because many people do not have influence on the political decision
making process regardless of whether the system is actually open to all.
Decisions are made by very few people (politicians and their advisers), who
do not very often consult and communicate with their electoral bases
except during electoral campaigns. Worse still, their information seeking
behaviors is bluntly dormant. They are never careful in seeking relevant
information to enable them make rational decisions neither are they
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knowledge focused personalities. They make irrational decisions out of
perceptions, uninformed judgments, wrong influences and selfish attitudes.
Dutto (1990), proposes a new paradigm shift to help save the structure of
representative democracy. He proposes an increased participations of the
civil society in the democratic process; strong lobbying and advocacy by
librarians and other information providers to prevail on the government to
recognize information as an important asset to aid in rational decision
making by empowering the development of information agencies
including libraries; and a change in the political media, where this change
refers to agenda setting by the political media so that those who controls
the distribution of the information equally set the course of the debate. In
this case, the political media perpetuates a top-down model of political
discourse in which those at the top of the information business hold control
over the information provided to the public.
However, the best approach in promoting a representation democracy
system; that in which the society is governed by the people as a whole is to
limit the democratic activities or positions as enjoyed by powerful groups in
the society and to spread this power to smaller groupings as well as the
isolated disadvantaged citizens by empowering them with relevant,
accurate and adequate information through instruments like state of the art
library facilities, community resource centres, and the engagement of other
information agencies through a synergic focused library approaches.
The aim here is to effectively inform the ordinary citizens (who constitute the
greater population in a society) so as to enable them fully participate in,
and to influence the decision-making processes in all sphere of their
environment including democratic advancements - so as to realize real
community development in their neighborhoods, city, region or country. To
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this end, the citizens should finally become an integral part of a system or
instrument for democratic advancement and informed evaluation of
multiple options and alternatives of development in their society.
This paradigm shift desire for inclusive democratic participations by
community members calls for an elaborate advocacy and lobbying
strategies among various stakeholders that include and not limited to: Civil
societies and pressure groups; information providers; government of the
day; faith – led institutions; human right institutions; professional associations
(e.g. Kenya Library Association), and with an enabling infrastructural
environment that can effectively facilitate the process. Public libraries, by
virtue of their mission of providing access for all, possess unparalleled
potential to ensure effective and inclusive participation all citizens on issues
concerning their welfare.
6.0 ICT Integration Enhances the Reality of Direct Democracy
The possibility of a break through in the practice of direct democratic
system is envisaged by the electronic democracy concept which allows the
creation of new virtual markets with open, free and extensive discussions
and with an overall aim of making optional decision regarding the
development of a given local set-up. Libraries and other information
agencies must be seen to integrate these potentials of ICT in increasing
access to developmental information beyond the capabilities of a manual
library system.
An ICT compliant library facility has the capacity of facilitating easy and
free access to public information in a wider population and linkages. In a
direct democratic set up, the approach greatly enhance free expression of
views, extensive discussion for better understanding and finally, approval of
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measures to be taken regardless of whether their implementation will be
delegated to the executive power directly or whether there will be a formal
vote before a decision is taken.
In this respect, the cardinal role of selected representatives (representative
democracy) will be somehow enlarged to take different dimensions, e.g.
instead of being the only decision makers; they become guarantors of the
democratic process and in a way, process arbitrators, facilitators and
managers. This trend might in the end lead to an evolution of the current
parliaments and governments across the globe and hence, a real
paradigm shift that places libraries and other information agencies in their
rightful position for the desired holistic development.
Effective integration of ICTs applications in library and information service
provision therefore has the potential to play an important role in the
realization of the vision of direct democracy because they (ICTs solutions)
remove constraints of space and time. Through appropriate networks and
user-friendly interface tools on the internet, it will allow the opportunity of
access to free debates and exchange of thoughts and ideas as well as free
and direct access to public information from government sources leading
to more advocacy, lobbying and effective participation in the democratic
processes. With the realization of ICTs compliant library systems towards the
enhancement of direct democracy, there will also be need for real
restructuring of the current political set-ups and organizations structures to
put in infrastructures that would facilitate continuous innovations in ICT
solutions and advancements.
Indeed effective ICTs integration in library services, automatically increase
the capacities of public libraries to excel in their linkages, collaborations,
lobbying and fundraising strategies through easy access to on-line
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information. This will finally enable such libraries to embrace synergic
culture as they will be definitely overwhelmed by the power of ICTs
application in realizing effective linkages, networking and sharing of
information resources
7.0 Libraries as a Bridge to Narrow Knowledge Divide Phenomenon
Synergic- focus libraries, with well established networks remain one among
the leading approaches for narrowing of the existing knowledge divide
phenomenon in the world today. Information and knowledge are now
crucial assets in the today’s global economy. Libraries are indeed the true
gateways to this information and knowledge. There is therefore need for
nations of the today’s modern world to develop rich information based
institutions with effective links to one another to ensure that relevant and
adequate information are readily available, utilized effectively, shared
equitably and made accessible to those who need it regardless of their
societal status. Such information and knowledge must be available at all
spheres of human development including; scientific information and
discoveries, business and economic information; cultural and leisure
information as well as civic and political information.
In this era of information age, there is now more than ever, a need to equip
citizens with skills and means to enable them become information literate
leading to the realization of information driven society and hence
knowledge based society. Public Libraries are strategic in this drive, for they
create and make available for access, information for holistic development
including democratic advances. This is the basis of enabling citizens to
effectively participate in their socio-economic and political environment by
being able to make informed choices and rational decisions hence
minimization of knowledge divide.
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8.0 Literacy as a Basic Tool for Effective Democratic Advancements
In today’s global information society, non-literate people are at a
permanent disadvantage in their socio-economic underpinnings. They are
unsure of their rights and unable to fulfill their potentials in the environments
they live in, including participation for their democratic rights. Public libraries
create literate environments where people are surrounded by information
and reading materials that supports life long - education among all the
categories of citizens in a community as well as facilitating research
undertakings and support for other skills necessary for realizing their socio-
economic potential including effective participation in their democratic
advancements.
These strong literate environments requires a thriving local publishing
industry and other developed media industries, which help to ensure that
citizens can get hold of locally created information materials, including
those in local languages as well as local information that reflects local
culture, traditions and local governance set-ups. Indeed, this is where the
concept of community based libraries has an important role to play. With
majority of local communities still living in poverty, it is crucial not only to
provide access to them, but also to ensure that the access is free and
universal for all.
Unfortunately, Montagnes (2001), observes a rather sad scenario on the
ground as far as the Continent of Africa is concerned. While it’s common
knowledge that both public libraries and school libraries have a vital
function in supporting schools and life-long learners to acquire, maintain
and develop their literacy, most poor communities in Africa do not have
access to a library and those that do exist are almost always poorly
resourced. This greatly damages both life-long and formal education to
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many citizens in Africa. In his report on the availability of books and learning
materials in Africa for all; Montagnes commented that:
“…As the decade came to a close, school libraries were said to have the
lowest or even non existing priorities on budgetary allocations across the
continent. The majority of schools have no library facilities and, where some
semblance of a school library do exists, it is often no more than a few
shelves of outdated and worn out materials at most or some few curriculum
based text books enclosed in a cup-board in the headmaster’s / Deputy
headmaster’s office; with no qualified staff to provide the service, except
one or two underdeveloped personnel.”
9.0 Promoting Democratization Culture through Free Access for ALL
Access to information is a basic human right. Article 9 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights declares that “Everyone has the right… to
seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media.”
Access here implies that a particular information product will be readily
available to the person who needs it. This access as a basic human right is
further comprehensively articulated in a statement by the American Library
Association Bill of Rights, 1996. The implication to this is that all citizens have
free and equal access to the information they need to take control of their
lives for self-development and self-reliance.
For citizens to participate constructively in government affairs, they have
the right to access government information. The holdings of libraries,
archives and other information centers which are funded directly or
indirectly by the government form a national public information resource,
on which organizational structures and well as effective infrastructure must
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be put in place for such important national resource to be accessible to all
citizens regardless of their status in the society. In particular, every citizen has
an equal right to public library information services regardless of age, race,
gender, language, disability, geographic location, social status, economic
status and educational attainment.
A public library serves its community through the provision of access to
knowledge, information and all other related information contained
documents. It does this by providing citizens with access to information
materials in any format in order to meet the needs of individual’s and
communities’ holistic development. This positions public libraries as
important role players in the development and maintenance of a
democratic society by providing individuals with access to information,
ideas and opinions. Besides, public library instruments do have special
responsibilities to monitor and analyze the changing democratic
characteristics and trends of their communities so as to meet their ever
changing information needs of an increasingly diverse society. To this end,
public library institutions must ensure that they have policies in place to
respond to such dynamic changes in the communities they are created to
serve.
It may be helpful to re-stress at least three points why information should be
available and accessible to all:-
� First, information is essential for democracy building, assuming we
want a democratic and open society that does not leave all
decisions to politicians or the so called experts.
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� Secondly, availability and free access of information for all creates
a competitive environment of scientific and innovative information
needed for a healthy growth of our society.
� Thirdly, it is essential for education, whether this is education for
jobs, leisure or life-long learning practices.
Stand alone public library entities may not have the capacity, means and
infrastructural set-ups to be able to make readily available, all the developmental
information needed by the citizens. This demands building of synergies with all the
related stake holders including government agencies to fully access all the
developmental information being generated from government departments.
Besides, the successful development and final passage of the Kenya’s dubbed
“proposed draft on Freedom of Information Bill 2008” requires consultative,
lobbying and advocacy strategies that brings on board, contributions of all stake
holders and interested agencies for its effectiveness to be realized in the citizen’s
domain.
10.0 Relevant Development of Human Resource
For library facilities to effectively contribute in the citizen’s democratic
process including the provision of access for ALL, this paper calls for an
urgent comprehensive review of training curriculums for Kenya’s Information
Workers. It is important to create a critical mass of library and information
professionals in Kenya; who have the knowledge, skills and commitment to
offer innovative information services to the rural and the urban poor, as well
as the marginalized communities across the country.
This is a call for appropriate curriculum and syllabi that not only create
knowledge based expertise on print based literate environment but also
25
those with skills to harness indigenous knowledge bases and successfully
integrate the latter with the so called modern knowledge databanks to
achieve appropriate development and sustainable economic
development. In order to remain relevant in this competitive and dynamic
society we now live in, such training review for librarians and other
information professionals will also have to be diversified into other
knowledge areas that have links with synergy building including:-
� Community needs assessment skills;
� Advocacy, lobbying and fundraising skills;
� Indigenous information re-packaging and delivery skills; and,
� Participatory approaches to community development.
11.0 Partnerships and Linkages Initiatives is the way to go
As the effects of the world’s global village becomes a reality day by day
even with young economies like Kenya, libraries need to position
themselves more than ever before, to be a leading player in this fast
tracking information society. Effects of political, social and economic
challenges are becoming more similar across countries, and the agents of
their interventions are spread across almost all the countries of the world.
This calls for libraries to strengthen their links, partnerships and networking
initiatives across their communities and geographical boarder countries to
establish benchmarks and embrace best practices for survival and effective
participation in the democratization of their societies. Strengthening formal
links and partnerships with other development agencies (both local and
international) including effective networking with other organization having
similar objectives is the safe way to go, if such libraries desire to be
26
strategically placed in their community’s socio-economic and democratic
advancements.
Such links with development agencies not only enable libraries to acquire
and utilize the widest possible range of development information and
literacy materials but also offer mutual benefits on both partners as well as
the access to other resources (including funding) that are necessary in the
underpinning of specific interventions as outlined in such libraries’ plans and
strategies.
11.1 Linkages with Government Agencies
In this to day’s complex society, libraries that still ignore to engage
government departments and other related agencies in a formalized
cooperation and collaborations may only do it at their own cost of
being rendered irrelevant. Such initiatives will enable libraries to
effectively access government information products and avail the
same to be accessed by the rural and urban poor. The initiative will
also uplift the corporate image of library institutions in the government
planning forums for the latter to finally find its strategic place in the
government’s planning’s, implementation strategies and programs.
Under this cordial inter-relationship, the government in the developing
economies will finally realize the necessity to create and implement
information policies that ensure that all sectors of the society benefit
from the full utilization of services provided by their libraries for the
realization of their holistic development, including literacy advances
and full participation of their democratic affairs.
27
12.0 Conclusion
Libraries and other knowledge based resource facilities are critical and
strategic assets in the achievement of human’s socio-economic and
cultural development; including literacy acquisition and poverty
eradication. This in the overall shall improve the democratization processes
among societies and hence the realization of good governance. The
establishment of libraries and information centers that are rooted in the
communities they serve is one way of ensuring that the poor and the
marginalized people have access to affordable information for rational
decision making and democratization of their communities as well as an
assurance of life long learning. In addition, their children will also have
access to relevant information materials to support their formal education.
For the full realization of the above goals, Kenyan libraries need to embrace
a new paradigm shift; by formally establishing effective linkages,
collaborations, networks and co-operations with other agencies, including
external donors, government agencies, professional bodies especially
Kenya Library Associations, NGOs and local communities in the
development and delivery of their information services and products that
targets all community members regardless of the latter’s societal status.
The resultant effect to this synergic – focused library development shall at
least yield the following three milestones:-
• A coordinated advocacy and lobbying shall make the institution of
the library to be recognized in other sectors viewed to be influential,
including recognition by politicians. Hence the contribution status of
libraries shall be respected in the government development
initiatives.
28
• By networking, collaborations and co-operations among library
entities including other related stakeholders: The quality and
broadness of services and products shall be enhanced and not
forgetting the strengthening of Kenya Library Association through the
emergence of one forceful collective voice. and,
• There will be a surprise emergence of favorable competitions
internationally through development of local professionalism,
benchmark settings, and adherence to international standards.
Kenya Libraries must think synergic, and must focus on effective linkages. This is
the only way to go if we have to remain relevant.
29
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