Books and Ujamaa: The Tanzania Library Service: its Problems and Prospects

Abstract

Since independence in 1961 the Tanzania Government has recognized the important role books and libraries play in economic and social development. Indeed, education is a basic investment for development and books in turn are a basic tool of education. At the opening of the National Central Library in Dar es Salaam in 1967, President Nyerere stressed the role of books when he said “…books are a very, important way to knowledge, and to self-improvement; from them we can learn new ideas, new techniques of working and new methods. We can learn about the development of man in all its different aspects; we can broaden our understanding of other peoples and even of ourselves.”